Name: Charlotte Jordan

Class: ELED 3221-001

Date: 4-2-2015
edTPA Indirect Instruction Lesson Plan Template
Plant Parts, Structure and Survival
_____________________________________________________________________________
Central Focus/Big Idea: Plant function and parts.
Subject of this lesson: Plants have internal structures that support their survival and growth.
Grade Level: Grade 4 .
NC Essential Standard(s):
4.L.1 Understand effects of environmental changes , adaptations and behaviors that enable
animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats.
4.L.1.1 Give examples of changes in an organisms environment that are beneficial to it and
some that are harmful.
Remember the function of the following structures as it relates to the survival of plants in their
environments:

Roots-absorb nutrients
Stems-provide support
Leaves-synthesize food
Flowers-attract pollinators and produce seeds for reproduction

Next Generation Science Standard(s):

4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that
function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction.
21st Century Skills:
Social and Cross Cultural Skills-Outcome for 4th Grade addresses how students can connect with
their cultures and background as well as different cultures and backgrounds to describe how
people use science in their everyday lives.
I chose these skills because I will provide students at the beginning of the lesson, a chance to
connect what they are about to learn to their home lives, by asking them if they have ever had a
garden. If students raise their hand and answer that they have had one before, I will then proceed
to ask them what are some things they had to do to take care of it. If students do not raise their
hand because they have never had a garden, I will allow those students the opportunity to raise

their hand and answer if they would like, what are some things they thought a garden or plants
need to have in order to survive. All students will be given the opportunity to raise their hand and
answer Engagement questions, and will relate to the content being asked or at least be able to
provide their input and opinion. Plants are a part of everyones lives, be it at home in a garden, in
a pot on their porch, or in their plate during a meal. So I feel like each student can relate to a
plant and its use or survival in one way or another.
Leadership and Responsibility-Outcome for 4th Grade-Students may discuss what would be
appropriate ways to care for/ take care of plants and their functions.
I chose these skills because students will be given the opportunity to discuss amongst themselves
and with me, when asked, what are some ways plants need care and nutrients. These skills will
also be helpful when students have the opportunity to explain their knowledge to me, if they
raise their hand, as well as on their worksheet as a short answer, plant parts and functions.
Academic Language Demand
Language Function: I chose the language function of Analyze for the students because the
students examine in detail the structure of a plant and its various parts, in attempt to later
explain the parts and their function. I chose the Describe language function because
students are to orally describe to me, (and later on their worksheets and during
assessment), the parts of a plant and their location, function and importance; students will
also describe during their assessment, what they think evaporation is, based off what they
have learned.
Analyze

Argue

Categorize

Interpret

Predict

Question

Compare/contras
t
Retell

Describe

Explain

Summarize

Scientific Vocabulary:
Stem-Carry water and support plant
Root-Absorbs water
FlowerBud-Beginning stages of a flower
Evaporation-Water goes back out into the environment
Leaf- Allow water to exit back into the environment
Nutrients- Ex.) Water and food, essential to survival.

Instructional Objective: Students will be able to define in their own words, what part of a plant
absorbs water, where plants get their water from, if they can survive without water, what part of
the plant water exits from and what happens during evaporation. Students should also be able to
correctly label the four major parts of a plant, without assistance. I will know if students have
mastered the content of the lesson by evaluating their assessment worksheets. During
assessment, students will answer 6 short answer questions and one question where they are given
a small image of a plant with its basic parts, and a line beside of the part for students to label the
four major parts of the plant. Students will have the four major names listed above the image of
the plant. They are to choose the best answer/word to label each part of the plant for that question

number in their assessment. At least 6 out of the total 7 questions asked during the assessment
are to be answered correctly. If there is more than one question incorrectly answered, that student
has not mastered the content.
Prior Knowledge (student):
Students should already have prior knowledge of plants, that they need certain things such as
water to survive in order to be successful in this lesson. They should also understand that have
certain parts, understanding that the roots absorb water the plant needs to grow.
Content Knowledge (teacher):
Teacher should have background knowledge of all plant parts, understanding that the root is the
part of the plant that absorbs water, the stem supports the plant structure, the bud is the beginning
stages of a flower, and the flower can also grow leaves. Teachers should understand the leaves
allow water absorbed to exit the plant through evaporation. Teachers should understand prior to
the lesson that plants get their water to absorb and grow from the rain, naturally.
Accommodations for special needs (individual and/or small group): There are no ELL students
in this classroom. There are however, two students whom the CT is very sure they are EC
students, but it is not documented. These two students have a tendency to not remain focused on
their assignments at hand and talk to their peers constantly, getting the whole class off task.
These two students also seem to have a very hard time understanding directions and questions
they are asked on their work; I believe this to be because these two students are not on grade
level with their reading and struggle with reading severely, so they just do not bother reading the
question or attempting their work. For these students, I tried my best to keep the worksheet and
assessment in the simplest terms possible, as well as keeping images and labeled parts of a plant
used in the PowerPoint as simple or easy to understand as possible, while at the same time
keeping the level of difficulty appropriate for the others students in the class. For the two
students who have difficulty, I put important words, such as vocabulary or other important words
essential to the question meaning, in Bold print, so these students would pay closer attention to
that part of the question or that word, so they would fully understand the meaning. I did not do
anything different in these two students assessment worksheet questions; I instead asked them if
they understood what they were supposed to do and made sure to monitor them closely.
Materials and Technology requirements:
As a teacher, I will need access to a SmartBoard, to be able to load my PowerPoint I plan to use
in the lesson.
4 medium sized clear, plastic cups
A bag/bundle of celery sticks, with stem, roots and leaves attached
2 16 oz bottles of water (to pour about halfway, that will hold the single stick of celery given to
each table)
20 copies of the activity worksheet called Plant Parts, Structure and Survival.
20 copies of the Informal Assessment worksheet.
Each student should have their own pencil to be able to complete their worksheets with.
A few pieces (about 6) of celery sticks with stem, roots, and leaves attached, cut in half, soaked
in red food coloring overnight, by me and not the students, for students to observe and pass
around to each other at their tables towards the end of the lesson as a visual for them to see the

red colored water in the celery stick, seeing how plants absorb water through their roots and how
water travels throughout the stem and out through the leaves and back out into the environment
through evaporation.
Total Estimated Time: At least two class periods, approximately 60 minutes total.
Source of lesson: My own. No outside resources were used in creation of the lesson, except
images to add onto the PowerPoint referenced during the lesson.
Safety considerations:
During this lesson, students are to keep their hands to themselves as well as keep their hands off
of materials (such as cups with water and celery inside of them), unless stated otherwise. There
are no sharp objects used in this lesson, nothing flammable, and no student allergies to be
concerned with. I will make sure students understand they are to keep their hands to themselves
and off materials unless stated otherwise, so they do not make a mess at their tables or cause a
spill onto another student. I will also make sure students are safe by clarifying several times that
they are to stay in their seats and raise their hands if they need to get up from their table for some
reason. There will be no getting up and walking around the classroom during the lesson, activity,
or assessment.

Content and Strategies (Procedure)

.
Engage: I will capture student attention by orally asking them the following questions:
Have any of you ever had a garden? What did you have to do to take care of it?
I feel this will capture student attention because a lot of them may have a garden at home or
have families who have had a garden at some point. Also, students do not have to have ever had
a garden to provide their input for the second part of the question, so all students have an
opportunity to participate in the open-ended part of the question, not just some of the class.
What are some things that you think humans need to survive?
Do you think plants are the same?
How are plants similar to humans in that they need certain things to survive?
How long do you think a plant could survive without water?
I will identify prior conceptions by asking the following two questions as well:
Can you name any parts of a plant?
What parts of a plant do you think absorb water?
I will circulate the classroom as these questions are being asked, and listen carefully to student
responses. Students will understand they are to raise their hand if they would like to answer a
question.

Explore: What common concrete experience will the students have that allows all students
access to materials? After teaching the lesson and teaching important content and vocabulary
labeled on the PowerPoint, students will proceed working on their individual activity worksheets,
before being given their assessment worksheets at the end.
At each of the four tables, I will provide students a clear plastic cup, halfway full of water. Inside
of that cup, I will place one celery stick. The students are not to touch this celery stick, but
instead observe it to answer four short answer questions on their activity worksheet. Students
each have their own individual worksheet, where they will observe the celery plant at their table
to answer the following four questions:
1)
2)
3)
4)

What do you think the celery would look like if it did not get water?
Do you think your celery plant is healthy? Yes or No?
Does your celery plant need nutrients?
Does your celery stick have leaves? If so, where are they located on your celery stick?

Explanation: After students are allowed the Explore stage, I will structure their sharing by
calling on at least one person from each table, raising their hand, to explain what they see by
observing the celery stick given to their table: if they think its healthy, does the celery stick need
nutrients, and where the roots and leaves are located. Students can point, not touch, the celery
stick in their tables cup of water while they are answering my questions, to help explain their

responses. I will connect student explanations back to their own experiences by providing a short
review of the lesson, briefly going back through the PowerPoint I used to add to the lesson
content being taught. I will make sure students understand the content on each slide, and give the
opportunity for them to raise their hand and ask questions if they still do not understand
something. I will build on student explanations to help them use their learned vocabulary and
concepts of the lesson by giving them the opportunity to explain, using their new scientific terms
in the worksheet, parts of a plant and its function, as well as where certain plant nutrients come
from and what happens during evaporation, on their assessment worksheets. The following
questions on the student worksheet require use of their learned vocabulary words:
Can plants be watered too much?
Why can plants be watered too much?
What can a plant look like if it has received too much water?
What is the name of the process where water leaves a plant?
Elaborate: Students may be given another opportunity to have their own individual celery stick,
(one for each student), to take home and soak in red, food colored water so they can have their
own celery plant/ stick to see how water travels through the roots and up through the stem, then
lastly, out through the leaves. Each stick, if soaked in red food coloring at least overnight, will
have a red top and bottom, red tipped leaves, and also a red line traveling through the stem the
student can see if they or a parent cut into the stem, where water is traveling throughout the
plant.
Evaluate: Summative assessment of the lesson will be used to assess student progress and
mastery of the objective. I will provide students a worksheet with six short answer response
questions, where they are to write out their responses using scientific vocabulary learned in the
lesson. The seventh question will be a simple image of a plant with the four major parts
displayed on it, and a line off to the side in which students are to choose from four listed
vocabulary words above the image, to label which part of the plant the line is pointing to. There
will be no multiple choice questions.
To be complete after the lesson is taught as appropriate
Assessment Results of all objectives/skills:
Reflection on lesson:
CT signature/confirmation: _________________________________ Date: ________________