88 Plants: Supplemental Guide 3B | The Life Cycle of a Plant
Vocabulary Instructional Activity
Word Work: Cycle- In the read-aloud you heard, “All plants live according a life cycle.”
- Say the word cycle with me three times.
- A cycle is a repeated series of events or something that happens over
and over again in the same order. - Our daily cycle begins with waking up in the morning.
- Can you think of other things that happen in cycles? (e.g., days of the
week; seasons of the year; routines during the school day; activities
during the week; shows on TV) Try to use the word cycle when you
tell about it. [Ask two or three students. If necessary, guide and/or
rephrase the students’ responses: “ happens in cycles.”] - What’s the word we’ve been talking about?
Use an Acting activity for follow-up.
Note: Prior to doing this activity, you may choose to have students
identify different parts of their bodies as plant parts. For example,
their legs can be the roots, their torso can be the stem, their arms can
be the leaves, and their head can be the flower. Students can move
their corresponding body part when a particular plant part is being
mentioned.
Directions: I would like you to pretend that you are a plant going through
its life cycle.
Let’s start with a seed in the soil.
[Have students crouch down like a ball.]
Remember the seed has some nutrients in it already, but it needs water,
warmth, and air to germinate.
Now the seed is germinating.
[Have students slowly lift themselves up at the legs but keep their knees bent.]
The plant needs water, warmth, air and also nutrients from the soil to
continue to grow into a seedling that has stems and leaves.
[Have students continue to lift themselves up and unfold their arms.]
After some time, the seedling will grow into an adult plant with flowers.
[Have students stand up straight with head tilted upwards.]