Inside a baby seed

Students will identify the three main parts of a seed after the bean/seeds have been soaked in water overnight.

A lesson plan for grade 1 English Language Arts and Science

By Thelma Pike

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• Wright Group a website containing educational resources for teachers

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Learning outcomes

The students will use science process skills to observe how a plant begins.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

3 hours

Materials/resources

• Seeds Grow by Colin Walker or another book about how beans grow
• butter beans, pinto beans, corn, and/or lima beans
• three cups
• water
• two-by-five-inch card
• tape
• science journal to record observations

Pre-activities

Make a KWL/graphic organizer. Read a book about how seeds grow to the class. Then tell them they are going to do an experiment to find out what happens when a seed is put in water. They are going to see inside a “baby plant.”

Activities

DAY 1

1. Divide students into three groups.
2. Give each group a bag of beans, a cup, a card and a marker.
3. Tell each group they are to count out the number of beans for the class and put them into their cup. Ask them to predict if/how they think their beans will change overnight in the water, then mark a line on their cup representing their prediction. On their card they are to write the type of beans they have and tape it to their cup.
4. In their journal they are to record the date, the title of the experiment, the problem, the procedure, their prediction, and a picture of their cup with the beans in it.

DAY 2

1. Let students observe how their beans have swollen, noting their prediction and where they drew their line on the cup the day before.
2. Give each student a paper towel and one of each of the wet beans/seeds. After they have observed their wet seeds, hand out dry ones and make comparisons, noting color, texture, firmness, etc.
3. With the soaked beans, observe the seed coat and carefully remove it. Carefully split the seed into two parts. Observe both parts and identify the embryo and the food storage area. Follow the same procedure with the other two seeds.
4. While observing, ask these questions:
   • Do all seeds look alike inside?
   • Are the food storage areas alike?
   • What and where is the embryo?
   • What does the embryo look like?
   • Where are the future leaves?
5. In their journal, they will write their conclusion, noting the differences of the wet and dry seed. Also, they need to draw a picture of how the seed looked inside, labeling the parts.

Assessment

Check the students’ journal entries and make observations of their science process skills during the experiment.

Supplemental information

Comments

Each student keeps a science journal for recording the experiments we do. They will record this activity using the scientific method: Title of Experiment, Question, Prediction, Procedure, Observations, and Conclusion.