This trimester, third graders have been exploring the plants and animals native to Missouri. Our unit covered: life cycles, structure and function, adaptations, environments and habitats, and a hands-on bean plant experiment.
Structure, function, and adaptations
Students learned that every part of a living thing has a purpose. We studied the role of each plant part, including roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. We discussed the bigger idea of adaptations: the features that help plants and animals survive in their environments.
The bean plant experiment
Each student planted a bean seed in a damp paper towel and has been observing and measuring its growth over the past month. Along the way, they made predictions, sketched the changes they saw, and tracked the plant’s life cycle.
Coming up next
Students will create graphs to display their plant’s growth over time, putting their data and observations together in one place.
