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UNIT PLANNER: SCIENCE M 2018

UNIT/THEME: Biological Sciences – Life Cycles Year Level: 4

Identify key science concept: All living things have life cycles - A focus on flowering plants

CURRICULUM LINKS
ICT Students will use computers to research information about plants and create a visual
presentation of a plants life cycle.
Literacy Students will use a variety of different texts (including films, internet resources and
books) to develop their knowledge. They will also record notes, observations and reflections in a
science journal throughout the unit.
Mathematical Students will use mathematics when recording data of their plants growth during
investigations. This may include concepts of measurement, number and graphing.
Other Learning Areas Students create a visual presentation using photographs, animations or
claymation to represent a plants growth and life cycle. This links to the Arts curriculum.
General Capabilities and CCPs Literacy, ICT, critical and creative thinking, personal and social
capability, sustainability

UNIT OVERVIEW
This unit builds on students’ prior knowledge of living and non-living things, an important area of
the biological science curriculum. Students will extend their understanding of observable features
of living things; parts of a plant and their functions; growth of flowering plants; and their life
cycles . Students’ beliefs about flowering plants will be challenged as they work through hands-
on activities and conduct their own investigations into how changes in the environment can affect
the life cycle of a plant. The unit also links to sustainability and how the students can help protect
the environment, in particular living things such as plants that they come into contact with.

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SCIENCE UNDERSTANDING
Biological Sciences:
Living things have life cycles
(ACSSU072)
Relevant Elaboration
• Making and recording
observations of living things as
they develop through their life
cycles
• Describing the stages of life
cycles of different living things
such as flowering plants
• Recognising that environmental
factors can affect life cycles
such as fire and seed
germination
Living things depend on each
other and the environment to
survive (ACSSU073)
Relevant Elaboration
• Recognising that
interactions between living
things may be competitive
or mutually beneficial
Strand(s)
SCIENCE INQUIRY SKILLS
Questioning & Predicting:
With guidance, identify questions
in a familiar context that can be
investigated scientifically and make
predictions based on prior
knowledge (ACSIS053)
Relevant Elaboration:
• Considering familiar situations
in order to think about possible
areas for investigation
• Choosing questions to
investigate from a list of
possibilities
Planning & Conducting:
With guidance, plan and conduct
scientific investigations to find
answers to questions, considering
the safe use of appropriate
materials and equipment
(ACSIS054)
Relevant Elaboration:
• Exploring different ways to
conduct investigations and
connecting these to questions
SCIENCE AS A HUMAN
ENDAVOUR
Use and Influence of Science:
Science knowledge helps
people to understand the
effect of their actions
(ACSHE051)
Relevant Elaboration:
• Investigating how science
helps people (such as
gardeners)
• Exploring how science has
contributed to a discussion
about an issue such as loss
of habitat for living things
or how human activity has
changed the local
environment

ACARA Achievement Standard ACARA Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 4, students They describe how they can use science investigations to respond
describe relationships that assist to questions. Students use their experience to identify
the survival of living things and questions and make predictions about scientific investigations.
sequence the key stages in the life
cycle of a plant or animal. They
identify when science is used to
understand the effect of their
actions.

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Teacher references/ sources Student required resources/equipment overview:

• Whiteboard • Science Journals

• Projector • Magnifying glass
• Whiteboard markers • Ruler
• Laptop • Sticky notes
• Image prompts (flowers) • Pencils/Pens
• Diagrams (anatomy of seed, flower • Paper towel
dissection, plant life cycle) • Bean seeds (e.g. broad bean or butter bean)
• Storage jars
Websites • Various fruit/vegetables/flowers to collect
• YouTube seeds from (may be fresh or dried)
• ABC Splash Education • Clip boards
• Scootle • Plastic cups
• Cotton balls
Books • Computers, laptops, or iPads
• BBC Bitesize 2015, What is the life cycle of • Camera
a plant?, BBC, accessed 20 April 2018, < • Soil
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z2vdjxs> • Water
• Investigation planner sheet
• Morgan, S 2009, Earth Cycles: Plants,
• Note: Students may want other materials
Franklin Watt Publishing, London.
when changing variables in investigation
• National Geographic Kids 2017, The Life
(e.g. sand instead of soil or coffee instead of
Cycle of Flowering Plants, National
water)
Geographic, accessed 20 April 2018,
<https://www.natgeokids.com/au/discover/
science/nature/the-life-cycle-of-flowering-
plants/#!/register>
• Primary Connections 2008, Plants in Action:
Incorporating Indigenous Perspectives,
Australian Academy of Science.
• Skamp, K & Preston 2015, Teaching
Primary Science Constructively, 5th Edition,
Cengage Learning.

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ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING

1. What science understandings do I want the students to know, or to understand?

• Characteristics that distinguish living things from non-living things
This concept will be reviewed as students develop their understanding that plants are living organisms
that make their own food, grow and, most importantly, that they reproduce.
• Identify and describe the functions of different parts
of plants
Students will explore the main parts of flowering
plants, their functions and their role in the life cycle
of flowering plants. Students will understand that
plants typically have three main parts: roots, a stem
and leaves.
• Plants have life cycles
Students will understand that plants go through
several changes as it grows and will be able to
describe the stages of a flowering plants life cycle.
• Identify what plants need to grow, and how changes
in the environment can effect their life cycle
Students will explore seeds and develop an
understanding that seeds need the right conditions
to germinate, (including variables such as food,
water, light, temperature and soil).

2. What science inquiry skills do I want the students to

have?
As a class students will engage in discussions to
identify questions about a plants life cycle which can
then be investigated scientifically. They will make
predictions, plan and conduct their own simple
investigation on how changes in the environment can
effect a plants growth and life cycle. Students will
observe their own plants growth, record data and
present the information with tables or diagrams. At
the end of the investigations students will share their
findings with the class and compare their results with
their initial predictions.

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3. What concepts about science as a human endeavour do I want the students to demonstrate
understanding about?
Students will consider how science is used to improve the production and growth of plants by
investigating plants growth in different environments. They will describe the ideal conditions for successful
plant growth - how temperature, soil and availability of food, and human activity can effect a plants life
cycle. Students will also collect seeds from flowering plants, which will be planted in the school garden;
this exploring the concept of sustainability.

4. WHEN and HOW will I gather and record this information? (E.g. in activity xx, via conference,
observation, a product?)
• Science Journal + Observations
Students will record notes, experiences, observations and reflections in a science journal throughout
the course of the unit. This will be used to see how students are progressing and their understanding
of science concepts with a pre- and post-questions. They will also record all their planning and data
collection in this journal for their final investigations. Observations will be recorded on a teacher
checklist throughout the unit.
• Group Investigations
Observations will be made during the group investigation to see whether students are presenting
science inquiry skills (e.g. questioning, predicting, collecting data). These will be recorded and assessed
against a set rubric at the end of the unit.

YOUR EVALUATION OF THE UNIT

Choose two things to evaluate (self-reflect upon) during or after the unit.

1. Were my students excited to study this unit? If not, what can I do to change this?

2. What additional resources would have further enhanced this unit?

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PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS

The Prior Knowledge Activity
Students were asked open-ended questions where they could respond with both drawings and written responses; this
ensured answers were not limited to wrong or right answers. It allowed me to identify student misconceptions about the
topic and gaps in students’ knowledge. Key questions included:

• Can you draw a picture of a plant and label the main parts? Why do plants have these parts?
• Is a seed living or non-living? Why/why not?
• How do seeds turn into plants? What do they need to grow?
• How do bees help flowers to grow?

PK Findings, Conclusions, Implications for planning the rest of the unit

Student 1: Year 3, Female
• Able to draw a picture of a plant and label the following parts: flower, leaves, stem and roots. She did not explain
their functions.
• Explained that a seed is living, “because a seed is what starts a plant. If a seed wasn’t living, then a tree isn’t
living.” When prompted to think about a scenario where a seed doesn’t grow she became confused.
• Was able to list that plants need water, dirt, sunlight and air to grow.
• Understood that bees collect the pollen from flowers’, but could not explain how this helped flowers to grow and
spread.

Student 2: Year 3, Female

• Able to draw a picture of a plant and explained that it has “leaves and a stem and under the ground there is
roots.” Also understood that some plants have flowers on them which have “petals and pollen in the middle.”
• Believed that seeds were non-living because you buy them in packets from stores, like sunflower seeds you buy
from the grocery store to eat. When prompted to think about seeds that you plant in the ground to grow plants,
she was confused whether they were living or non-living.
• Understood that if you give seeds water, dirt and light they can grow into plants. Explained other things such as
needing room to grow because sometimes pots are too small for plants.
• Able to explain that bees take pollen from inside flowers to make honey but did not know how this helped
flowers to grow.

Both students had meaningful prior knowledge about plants and their life cycles. However, there were some
misconceptions and gaps. Students would gain valuable learning exploring the following concepts:

• Students had opposing views on whether seeds were living or non-living; they did not understand that seeds
have dormant properties and have the potential to be living in the right environments.
• Students were aware of the main parts of plants, but to build on this knowledge lessons could explore their
functions and their role in a plants life cycle.
• Students understood the basic needs for plants to grow, different plants need different amounts of water,
different soil, certain amounts of sunlight, specific temperatures, etc. Therefore, their knowledge could be
extended by investigating the growth of plants in different environments.
• Students were aware that bees collect the pollen from flowers, however they did not understand how this helped
plants to grow and spread. Lessons could further explore the beneficial relationship between plants and insects.

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DETAILED PLANNER: THE LEARNING SEQUENCE

LINKS TO LEARNING LESSON SEQUENCE RESOURCES
ENGAGE
Prior Knowledge Questionnaire:
Have each student conduct the prior knowledge Prior knowledge
questionnaire to identify students’ current understanding of questionnaire
unit concepts.
Pens/pencils
Questions include:
• Can you draw a picture of a plant and label the main
parts? Why do plants have these parts?
• Is a seed living or non-living? Why/why not?
• How do seeds turn into plants? What do they need to
grow?
• How do bees help flowers to grow?

EXPLORE/EXPLAIN
Science Understanding Hands on Experience:
Content Descriptions: School Garden Exploration (50 minutes) Science journals
• Living things have life Take a walk in the school garden to observe flowering
cycles (ACSSU072) plants. Students choose one to closely observe and Plant observation
individually fill out the observation sheet (appendix 1). sheet
Relevant Elaborations
• Making and recording Questions include: Pencils
observations of living • What does your plant look like? Draw a picture of
things as they develop your plant. Magnifying glasses
through their life • Draw and describe 3 plant features, make
cycles predictions of their functions Clipboards

Back in the classroom students use iPads/computers to

research the functions of the plant features they observed,
and compare them with their predictions.

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Science Understanding
Content Descriptions:
• Living things have life
cycles (ACSSU072)
Relevant Elaborations
• Making and recording
observations of living
things as they develop
through their life
cycles
• Describing the stages
of life cycles of
different living things
such as flowering
plants
Science Understanding
Content Descriptions:
• Living things have life
cycles (ACSSU072)
• With guidance,
identify questions in a
familiar context that
can be investigated
scientifically and make
predictions based on
prior knowledge
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Karly Neoh 11234311
Hands on Experience: Science Journals
Seed Collection & Exploration (50 minutes)
Start class discussion about whether seeds are living or Seed diagram
non-living. Show students seed diagram and explicitly
explain that seeds have the potential to be living if they are Various
provided with the right conditions to grow. fruits/vegetables/
flowers (including
dried sunflowers,
corn; and fresh
apples and
tomatoes)
Storage jars
Tweezers
Divide students up into groups of 4. Provide them with jars, Magnifying glasses
magnifying glasses, tweezers and various flowers/fruit to
collect seeds from. Students record observations in science Bean diagram
journals (including shape, size, texture, smell) (http://www.peepandt
hebigwideworld.com/
Ask students to share some of their observations and en/educators/curriculu
comparisons of seeds. m/family-child-care-
educators/plants/activi
ty/guided-
Questions include:
activity/157/planting-
• Do all seeds look/feel the same?
bean-seeds/)
• Was there a difference between the dry and wet
seeds?
• How and why do plants make seeds?
• What could we do with the seeds we collected?
Growing Bean Seeds (Lesson 50 minutes) Plastic cups (or jars)
Place students in small groups. Provide them with a cup, fill
the base with cotton balls, two seeds and dampen cotton. Cotton balls
Ask students to label their cups and place it near a window.
Bean seed
Get students to draw a diagram of their bean in their
journal and make some predictions: Science journals
• What will it look like in the next few days? Why do
they think this? Camera
• How long do you think it will take for it to grow
roots, stem, etc.? Bean diagram
(http://www.peepandt
8

(ACSIS053)
Science Understanding
Content Descriptions:
• Living things depend
on each other and the
environment to survive
(ACSSU073)
Science Inquiry Skills
Content Descriptions:
• With guidance,
identify questions in a
familiar context that
can be investigated
scientifically and make
predictions based on
prior knowledge
(ACSIS053)
Relevant Elaboration:
• Choosing questions to
investigate from a list
of possibilities
Content Descriptions:
• With guidance, plan
and conduct scientific
investigations to find
answers to questions,
University of S.A. Science Education.
Karly Neoh 11234311
Explain that they will check on their seed every day for the hebigwideworld.com/
next 5 days and will take photos to record its growth. en/educators/curriculu
Students will also have to write observations of the changes m/family-child-care-
educators/plants/activi
in their journal; this may be done with drawings, written
ty/guided-
observations, a timeline or recording measurements in a
activity/157/planting-
graph.
bean-seeds/)
Lead a discussion about the seed growth activity, focusing
on patterns between bean plant life cycle:
• What changes to the seed did you all observe?
• What happened first? second?
• On what day did roots appear? Why do they grow
downwards?
• What day did the shoots appear? Why do they
grow upwards?
PHASE 4: ELABORATE
Investigating Conditions for Plant Growth (50 minutes)
Watch time lapse video to start discussion about what Broad Beans
plants need to grow/survive. Brainstorm ideas on Emerging from Soil
whiteboard. Video
Prompt questions may include: http://www.scootle.
• What conditions would seeds need to keep growing edu.au/ec/viewing/R
into an adult plant? 11802/index.html
• What things might slow or stop a plant from growing?
• How could we find out? Seeds
In small groups of 4 students will select one variable to Cups (or jars)
change to see what effect it has on plant growth. Model
how to develop an investigation question: Water
• What happens to a plants growth when we change the
amount of light? Soil
• Do seeds need their coat to grow?
• What liquid help seeds to grow? Rulers
For the investigation students will need to determine what Science journals
they will change – E.g. What happens to a plant’s growth
when we change the amount of light it receives? Investigation
• Change – amount of light planner sheets
• Measure/Observe – Plant height, number of leaves,
colour of leaves, number of plants growing, etc.
• Keep the Same – Type of soil, amount of water,
temperature, type of seed
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considering the safe

use of appropriate Groups will set up a test plant and a controlled plant.
materials and Organise students to use their science journal to record
equipment (ACSIS054) observations using words, diagrams and measurement.
Relevant Elaboration: Provide them with an investigation planner sheet and
• Exploring different assessment rubric (appendix 2) to assist in their planning.
ways to conduct
investigations and
connecting these to
questions

PHASE 4: EVALUATION
Self-Assessment
Students answer the same questions as in pre-assessment Science Journal
in their science journals.
Pens/Pencils
Teacher Assessment
Teacher will assess student’s knowledge of unit concepts Assessment Rubric
and investigation process against a set rubric. (Appendix 3)

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APPENDIX 1

PLANT OBSERVATION SHEET

Find a plant in the school garden to observe. What does it look like? Draw a picture of your plant.

OBSERVATION PREDICTION
What are the features of the plant? Describe it Why do you think the plant has this feature?
and draw a picture.
Feature 1:

Feature 2:

Feature 3:

APPENDIX 2

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SCIENCE INVESTIGATION PLANNER

INVESTIGATION QUESTION

PREDICTION What do you think will happen and why?

CONTROLLED VARIABLE What are you keeping INDEPENDENT VARIABLE What are you
the same to keep the test fair? changing?

DEPENDENT VARIABLE What will you measure in your investigation? How will you record changes?
(e.g. bar chart, diagrams, drawings, tally).

PROCEDURE Write a step by step plan of how MATERIALS What will you need to carry out your
you will carry out the investigation? investigation?

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APPENDIX 3
GROUP INVESTIGATION ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
STILL
GROWING
FORMING AN Able to identify conditions that affect
INVESTIGATION plant growth. Developed an
QUESTION investigation question with the
assistance of a teacher.
MAKING Able to make a guided prediction
PREDICTIONS about the effect of a variable on plant
growth.
RECORDING RESULTS Partial collection and recording of
data using one of the methods
(results table, observations, graph,
tally system, diagrams, etc.).
UNDERSTANDING OF Has some understanding of the
SCIENCE CONCEPTS needs of plants, how they grow and
change and their characteristics.
TEAMWORK Rarely listened to, shared with, and
supported the efforts of others.
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SPROUTING
Able to identify conditions that
affect plant growth to develop a
good investigation question.
Able to make a plausible prediction
about the effect of a variable on
plant growth.
Able to collect and record data
using one of the methods (results
table, observations, graph, tally
system, diagrams, etc.), Able to
compare results with predictions.
Good understanding of the basic
needs of plants, how they grow and
change and their distinct
characteristics.
Able to work in cooperative learning
teams to plan and set up an
investigation.
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FULLY
BLOOMED
Able to identify conditions that affect plant
growth and develop an excellent
investigation question independently.
Using knowledge of science concepts able
to make a reasoned prediction about the
effect of a variable on plant growth.
Systematic collection and recording of
reliable data using one or more of the
methods (results table, observations,
graph, tally system, diagrams, etc.). Able to
compare results with predictions,
suggesting reasons for findings.
Has an excellent understanding of the
needs of plants, the stages of their life
cycle, and their distinct
characteristics/functions.
Excellent cooperation with team to plan
and set up investigation. Always listened to
others, shared ideas, and supported the
effort of others.
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REFERENCES

ABC Splash: Education 2018, Remarkable Animal and Plant Life Cycles: Chapter 13 Growing Plants
from Seeds, ABC, accessed 15 April 2018,
<http://education.abc.net.au/home#!/digibook/1456674/remarkable-animal-and-plant-life-cycles>

ABC Splash: Education 2018, The Secret Growth of Plants, ABC, accessed 15 April 2018,
<http://education.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1520091/the-secret-growth-of-plants>

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), accessed 10 April 2018,
<http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/Curriculum/F-10?layout=1#level7>

BBC Bitesize 2015, What is the life cycle of a plant?, BBC, accessed 20 April 2018, <
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z2vdjxs>

Primary Connections 2008, Plants in Action: Incorporating Indigenous Perspectives, Australian

Academy of Science.

Morgan, S 2009, Earth Cycles: Plants, Franklin Watt Publishing, London.

National Geographic Kids 2017, The Life Cycle of Flowering Plants, National Geographic, accessed 20
April 2018, <https://www.natgeokids.com/au/discover/science/nature/the-life-cycle-of-flowering-
plants/#!/register>

Science Web 2018, Unit 2: Living and Non-Living Things, Science Web, accessed 15 April 2018,
<http://scienceweb.asta.edu.au/years-3-4/unit2/lesson-five/yr34-unit-2-lesson-5.html>

Scootle 2013, Broad Bean Seedlings Emerging from Soil, Media Access Australia Photo Library,
accessed 15 April 2018, <http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/R11802/index.html>

Skamp, K & Preston 2015, Teaching Primary Science Constructively, 5th Edition, Cengage Learning.

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