Year 1 Science Plants – Block 1P – What's growing in our gardens?

Session 3: Garden centres and seeds
Science curriculum area (1P): / Content (1P)
i. identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees
ii. identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees
Working Scientifically (KS1 WS) / Working Scientifically (KS1 WS)
i) asking simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways
ii) observing closely, using simple equipment
iii) performing simple tests
iv) identifying and classifying
v) using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions
vi) gathering and recording data to help in answering questions
Teaching Objectives / ·  To share knowledge about gardens and gardeners.
·  To design and set up a garden centre in the classroom.
·  To plant a bean in a bag and keep it in the classroom garden centre.
·  To predict the outcomes of the bean and seeds and set up a diary to observe the growth over time.
·  To consider what seeds need in order to be able to grow and how you can keep seeds healthy.
Key Vocabulary: plant, leaf, grow, weed, change, living, water, healthy, different, seeds, garden centre
Resources
Different gardens resource, examples of classroom garden centres, How to grow a bean in a bag, My bean in a bag diary, things for setting up a garden centre in the classroom - small plants, role play cakes, till, baskets, plastic food, paper, pens, card for signs etc., dried bean seeds, paper towels, stapler, plastic bag (the A4 sized kind which seals at the top works best), ruler. / Weblinks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2lJW7TaF18 - Lowden Garden Centre; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfMSKMIsU5U - information video for teachers on sprouting bean seeds; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKx4ZwoJqXY - time lapse video of a sprouting bean seed (3.26 mins).
Before the session: collect the necessary items for the chn to set up a mini garden centre in the classroom. This need only be the size of a table and could be very temporary.
Whole class: Show the chn the images showing different types of gardens. Ask them if they have a garden and what it is like. Explain that all gardens are different - different shapes, locations, climate, plants and design. Then ask if they have been to a garden centre before. Play them the clip of a large garden centre, typical of many in the UK. Before you play it, tell the chn that you will be asking them to tell you what they can do at a large garden centre, so they must try and remember as many different things as they can. Then show them the items you have collected and challenge them to set up a mini garden centre in a space in the classroom (there are examples in resources).
Activities: When the chn have set up the classroom garden centre, bring them together and tell them that they are going to grow a bean plant from a bean seed in a freezer bag. Show them the resources and talk through what they need to do. Ask them to work in groups with an adult, following the resource sheet. When they have finished, they may tape the bean into the garden centre or peg onto a washing line. Ask each child to predict what they think will happen to the bean. Give them the ‘bean in a bag diary’ sheet and ask them to fill in the first section.
Plenary / Say to the chn: What have you noticed about our beans? What is missing from our bean growing, that we definitely had when we were planting potatoes? (Soil.) Do you think the bean seeds will grow? What have they got that is the same as the seed potatoes? (Water, warmth.) Watch the time lapse clip of a sprouting bean seed (3.26 mins).
Outcomes / Children will
·  Understand what a garden is and how varied they are
·  Design and set up a garden centre in the classroom
·  Plant a bean seed in a bag and consider what seeds need to be able to grow
·  Predict the outcomes of the bean seeds and set up a diary to observe the growth over time

© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.

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