ARTS Partnership: Arts Reaching and Teaching in Schools

A Rose by Any Other Name

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A Rose by Any Other Name

Lesson Summary

  • Learn about plants: basic parts, functions, & survival needs.
  • Design, construct, and label plants (roots, stem, leaves, & flowers)

Lesson Key Facts

  • Grade(s): Kindergarten
  • Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science, Visual Arts
  • Duration of lesson: 1 hour
  • Author(s): Amy Rosenvall, Tina McCullough, Modified from Steve Shumway’s “Stem Lesson on Parts of a Plant”

Lesson Plan

Upload slideshow: A Rose by Any Other Name pptx.

Pre-Activity (Engage):

Slide 3: Start with an art observation
Use the Harvard Project Zero thinking strategy: See, Think, Wonder:
 

Teacher:

  • Look at these pictures. What do you see? (Encourage students to focus on details like colors, shapes, textures, or objects
    they see.)
    • Now, let’s move to what we think. Based on what you see, what do you think is happening in this image? 
      (Ex: The butterflies are getting nectar from the flowers.)

    • Finally, let’s talk about what we wonder. What do these paintings make you wonder? What questions do you have about this image? What would you like to know more about?”

       

Slide 4: Read or watch Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens
Use the book, or play this video.

 



As you go through the book, pause occasionally to discuss the parts of the different garden plants (roots, middle, tops) featured in the story.

Teacher: Why does the rabbit want that part of the plant? (Student: It’s the part you eat.)

Invite the students to pay attention to how the plants in the story grow and which parts of the plants are eaten or are not eaten. After watching, talk with the students.

Teacher: In the story, we saw different parts of plants. Some plant-parts were better for eating than others. Can anyone remember what parts the rabbit wanted? Why were they using the tops, the bottoms, or maybe the middles? Can you tell me about a plant you eat? Do you eat the top, the middle or the bottom?

Slide 5: Activity: “Tops, Bottoms, and Middles” matching game

Instructions: Divide students into pairs or small groups. Each pair or group will receive a “Top-Middle-Bottom" page and a plant page. Invite students to carefully cut apart each colored plant-picture square. Determine if the fruit is at the top, middle, or bottom of the plant. Then sort and place each of the plants by their fruit onto the “Top, Middle, or Bottom".

Teacher: Did you know the tops, middle, and bottoms of plants have special names?

Introduce plant parts and their purposes:

Slide 7: TOPS The flowers, fruits, and seeds

Teacher: Why do you think flowers are often so colorful? (Answers will vary: attract bees and butterflies, add beauty, get attention from pollinators.) 
Why are seeds important? (Plants grow from seeds.) 
See the seeds, they are all very different, did you know that every plant has a different looking seed?

Slide 8: MIDDLES: The stem

Teacher: The stem is like an elevator or highway, moving water and nutrients to other parts of the plant. The stem also gives support to the plant; it’s like how the bones in your body support you. What do you think would happen if the stem stopped working? What would happen if the plants didn’t have support to stand up straight?

Slide 9: MIDDLES: The leaves

Teacher: Leaves for different plants look different. (Have students observe the leaves) Some are flat and broad (most tropical/hot weather plants are flat, broad and smooth.), some leaves have jagged edges, (cooler weather areas have more jagged edge leaves-like maple tree leaves), Pine needles are a specialized type of leaf that thrives best in cold climates.

Optional Activity: Bring in a real plant, flower, or vegetable to identify and observe its parts.

Teacher: Now, Let’s get hands-on! Here is a live plant that we’re going to carefully study. As we do, let’s find the roots, stem, leaves, and flower. What do you notice about each part? (Tulips, other bulb plants, and small potted flowers work well for this) -

It’s also fun for students to see tubers vs bulbs vs roots. If you decide to show roots, rinsing the dirt off gently is the easiest way without harming the plant.

Slide 10: Roots: A more accurate term would be to say “nutrients” instead of food (It’s okay to use Kindergarten friendly language.)

Movement activity: Have the students touch their toes and pretend to slurp up the water into their stem (tummy), into their leaves (fingers) and into the flower (arms spread out).

Slide 11: Drawing a flower: Pass out art paper and colored pencils or crayons. Guide the students to color or draw a picture of a plant and label the parts of the plant. (Write the following plant-part words on the whiteboard: roots, stem, leaves, flower, fruit)

Teacher: We’re going to draw a plant and write the names for each part. 

 
  • Use the real colors we would find in nature.
    • Draw the roots under the soil.
    • Draw the stem going up.
    • Draw leaves growing from the stem.
    • Draw a flower at the top.
    • Draw fruit if your plant has one.

Slides 12-13: Engineering Design 
Engineering design is a way to have students create and explore engineering concepts while completing a task. Every engineering design lesson has the following parts: Empathize-Identify Problem-Brainstorm-Build-Test-Share-Repeat. It’s important for students to be familiar with these terms. (Slide 13 shows the engineering cycle) Teach each step of the engineering design using the following slides as prompts.

Slide 14: Empathize Let’s think about what plants need to grow.

Teacher: What do plants need to grow?

Sample discussion: Students might say they need roots, stems, leaves, flowers, dirt, sunlight, water, etc. Expand the conversation by asking questions.

Teacher: Why do plants need flowers, roots, leaves, dirt, sunlight, water, etc.?

Slide 15: Identify the problem (Define the Challenge).

Teacher: Here’s the challenge: Sometimes engineers build models. How can we build a plant model that includes the roots, a stem, leaves, and a flower. It must stand upright, and each part must be labeled. These parts are essential for a plant to survive and grow. Can we do it? Let’s get creative!

Slide 16: Brainstorm possible materials to use for each part of the plant

Teacher: Before we start building, let’s brainstorm. Look at the materials that we have. (Provide a table with random plant like craft materials.) 
What could you use to make roots? What about the stem, leaves, or flower? Share your ideas with your class and decide which materials will work best for each part. For example, a stem needs to be very sturdy to hold up the plant—What do you see that’s very sturdy? (pipe cleaners-popsicle sticks) 
Remember, it’s okay to try different ideas and everyone’s plant should look unique and different. This is part of being an engineer!

Slide 17: Build and test (Create).
 

Students select materials and organize them on their table.

Teacher: Look at all the materials. Think about which ones would be best for each plant part. Set them down on your table in the right section—roots, stem, leaves, flower. When you’re ready, let’s build!

Students build their plant models

If students are working as a team, invite them to talk to each other about their choices.

  • What’s the best way to make your plant stand up? 
  • How will you label each part?
  • Once the plant is built, test it—does the stem hold it upright?
  • Does it have all the parts?
  • Adjust it if needed! That’s what engineers do!
 

Slide 18: Explain and Share:

Teacher: Now it’s time to share! Show us your plant, explain what materials were used for each plant part, and tell us why they chose those materials. Let’s celebrate everyone’s hard work!

Students present models to the class (Share).

Teacher: What materials did you use for your plant? Did it work well? What other materials could you have used? Let’s think about how we could improve our designs next time. Engineers always look for ways to make things even better!

Slide 19: Extension Activity: Play the "Parts of a Plant Song" video (2:35).

Slide 20: Thank-you

Learning Objectives

  • Identify and name the basic parts of a plant: roots, stem, leaves, and flower.
  • Understand the function of each plant part.
  • Develop fine motor and creative problem-solving skills.
  • Collaborate effectively in groups to create a physical model.

Utah State Board of Education Standards

This lesson can be used to meet standards in many grades and subject areas. We will highlight one grade’s standards to give an example of application.

Science-SEEd: Grade K

  • Standard K.1.1: Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about objects and events in the environment.
  • Strand K.2 – Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems
  • Standard K.2.1: Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants meet their needs and interact with their environment.
  • Standard K.2.2: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about what plants need to grow (water, light, air).

Engineering Design: Grade K

  • K–2-ETS1-1: Ask questions and make observations to define a simple problem.
  • K–2-ETS1-2: Develop a drawing or physical model to illustrate how an object works.
  • K–2-ETS1-3: Test and compare design solutions and improve them.

English Language Arts: Grade K

  • RL.K.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
  • RL.K.3: Identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
  • RI.K.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in informational content.
  • SL.K.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with peers.
  • SL.K.4: Describe familiar objects and experiences with detail.

Visual Arts: Grade K

  • K.V.CR.1: Explore and experiment with art materials.
  • K.V.CR.2: Use tools and materials to create artwork.
  • K.V.R.1: Describe what is seen in works of art using details.
  • K.V.CO.1: Relate artistic ideas and works to personal experiences and the natural world.

Music (Extension Activity): Grade K

  • K.M.R.1: Demonstrate understanding of music through movement or response.

Equipment and Materials Needed

  • Review and Upload slideshow: A Rose by Any Other Name pptx.
  • Prepare to teach the Harvard Project Zero thinking strategy: See, Think, Wonder:
  • Book: Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens (optional).
  • Print enough copies for students to work in pairs or small groups to do this Top/Bottom/Middle sorting activity
  • Prepare and provide a variety of potential plant-like craft materials that could be used to design flowers, such as: sticks/twigs, leaves, petals, feathers, straws, pipe cleaners, yarn, tissue paper, empty TP rolls, cotton balls, modelling clay, spaghetti noodles, seeds, pom poms, paper, tape, etc.
  • Classroom supplies: scissors, glue sticks, and tape.
  • Real or potted plant for dissection. (Extra-curricular Idea)

Additional Resources

Image References