Learning Activity

What Are the Steps in a Plant's Life Cycle?

Subject Area

Arts Education
Science

Grade(s)

K

Overview

In this activity, students will sequence the life cycle of a plant. After reading the story students will work in small groups to put the life cycle in order using sequence cards and then add movement to their life cycle. 

This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.

Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): KG - Dance

AE17.D.K.7

Demonstrate movement and stillness using the basic elements of space, including line, shape, levels, and size.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.D.K.7

Vocabulary

  • Elements of Dance
  • Space
  • Tempo/ Speed
  • Energy
  • Basic movement qualities
  • Embody
  • Body Pattern
  • Shape
  • Locomotor/ Non-locomotor
  • Same side vs cross body
  • Spatial Awareness
  • General Space
  • Personal Space
  • Safety Principles in movement
  • Space
  • Prop

Essential Questions

EU: Space, time, and energy are basic elements of dance.
EQ: How do dancers work with space, time, and energy to communicate artistic expression?

Skills Examples

  • Explore shape examples: discuss what objects are straight. Show examples of said objects with the body (straight, curved, bent/ angled, size: big/ small).
  • Respond to music or other sound stimuli with free movement that matches varying tempo: fast, slow, moderate.
    • Engage in "freeze dance": respond to music or other sound stimuli through movement with varying tempo changes. When music/ stimuli pause, freeze in called out shape, size or level.
  • Observe and demonstrate movement qualities, such as hard/ heavy or soft/light, smooth or wavy, and slow or jerky.
    • Practice actions using varied movement qualities: stomp (hard), float (soft).
  • Demonstrate same side and cross-body locomotor and non-locomotor movements.
  • Display an awareness of physical space and apply principles of safety when sharing space with others in activities, formations and explorations.
    • Hold hands and form group shape formations.
    • Use locomotor movement (skip, hop, crawl, etc.) to travel in a group shape.
  • Discuss how we use space safely. Practice using safety principles discussed.
  • Demonstrate full body movement sequence through observation, demonstration, and repetition.
    • Practice learned sequence of heel, together right and left, and marching in place.
  • Practice and perform dance with others in the safety of classroom, gym or outside space.
  • Use a scarf to improvise flowing or staccato movement.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
Science (2015) Grade(s): KG

SC15.K.3

Distinguish between living and nonliving things and verify what living things need to survive (e.g., animals needing food, water, and air; plants needing nutrients, water, sunlight, and air).

Unpacked Content

UP:SC15.K.3

Vocabulary

  • Distinguish
  • Living
  • Nonliving
  • Verify
  • Need
  • Survive
  • Animals
  • Plants
  • Nutrients
  • Water
  • Sunlight
  • Air
  • Food

Knowledge

Students know:
  • All animals need food, water, and air in order to survive.
  • Animals obtain their food from plants and other animals.
  • Plants need water, light and air to survive.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Distinguish between living (including humans) and nonliving things.
  • Verify what living things, including plants and animals, need to survive.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Patterns in the natural world can be observed and used as evidence when distinguishing between living and nonliving things and determining the needs of living things.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Crosscutting Concepts

Patterns

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Learning Targets

I can:

  • sequence the life cycle of a plant.
  • work with my group to create movements that represent the life cycle of a plant.

Activity Details

  • The teacher will review the parts of the plant with the students.
  • Students can use lifecycle sequence cards or sequence worksheets found on Teachers Pay Teachers for free. 
  • The teacher will read From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons.
  • After reading, discuss as a class how a seed becomes a plant.
  • Divide students into groups of four.
  • Students will use sequence cards to put the life cycle of the plant in the correct order. Link below- (free on TPT)
  • The students will work in a small group to create a dance of the life cycle to include: seed, sprout, roots, stem, and plant. The teacher will monitor as students are working to check for understanding of the life cycle of a plant. 
  • When students are using movement to dance the life cycle they should think about how still and small a seed is. They could start out on the ground balled up and then open up as the plant begins to sprout. Remind the students to think about how their arms and legs can resemble parts of the plant as it grows. The students should use different levels as they move through the life cycle.    
  • The students will perform their life cycle dance for the class as their assessment.
Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

The teacher will observe as the students perform their life cycle dance and assess student performance using this checklist. 

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

ctayl0r
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