Lesson 1
How do trees grow and change?
Home > Science England > Year 2 Science England > Unit 2 – Plants England > Lesson 1 – How do trees grow and change?

Lesson Plan
Preparation
Obtain an apple. Pupils might need access to a dictionary or the internet to answer questions on the worksheet. Collect the materials listed for the investigation worksheet (acorns, water, seed raising mix, small trowels, gardening gloves, plastic pots with holes in the bottom).
If a nature walk with the pupils to collect acorns is not possible, purchase some online. An alternative is using fast-growing broad bean seeds instead of acorns.
Curriculum links
Plants
-
- Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants.
Suggested teaching strategies
-
- As a class, create an anchor chart labelling the features of a plant using correct vocabulary.
- A whole class plant diary can be kept to track changes and record the stages of the plant life cycle.
Introduction
Cut an apple in half. Show the pupils the uncut side. Discuss what they know about apples and how they grow into apple trees. Show them the cut side with the seeds displayed. Talk about how the tiny seeds grow into tall trees. Discuss the ways trees grow and change. Ask if the pupils think all trees look the same all year long. If not, how do they change?
Display the digital lesson on your smartboard to introduce how plants change.
The summary and worksheet pages should be used together.
Development
Provide pupils with the summary and worksheet to complete.
The aim of the investigation worksheet is for pupils to collect fallen acorns from around local oak trees, plant the seeds they contain, then predict how their seeds will grow.
Differentiation
- Assist less able pupils by using a time-lapse video of a plant’s life stages, with pupils describing what is happening at each stage.
- More able pupils may use a dictionary or the internet to identify what a pomologist does and explore other professions that work with plants.
Conclusion
When all pupils have completed the investigation worksheet, assign the class the task of keeping watch of their planted oak tree and noting when any change occurs.
Assessment
Worksheet answers
1. 4, 3, 6, 2, 1, 5 (is a seed, roots grow, a stem grows, branches grow, leaves grow, is called a seedling)
2. The tree is (over) ten years old.
3. roots – take water and nutrients from the soil; trunk – takes water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves; leaves – use sunlight for energy to make food
4. Answers should indicate that a seed landing in cold, dry soil will not open and start to grow. Seeds only open when there is enough moisture and warmth in the soil.
5. Teacher check
The uses and implications of science question
A pomologist studies fruit and nut trees. He or she may specialise in developing new fruits, discovering existing fruits, handling crop pests, coping with changing climatic conditions, and other issues which pertain to the cultivation, harvest and sale of fruit.
Investigation worksheet answers
1. Teacher check. The tree drawn should resemble the tree the seed came from.
2. Trees keep growing throughout their lives. They will only stop growing if destroyed by nature (fire, lightning, floods, parasites, other plants and animals, etc.) or people (fire, pollution, poisons, logging, etc.), or if they don’t get enough water, soil nutrients or sunlight.
3. Teacher check
Preparation
Obtain an apple. Pupils might need access to a dictionary or the internet to answer questions on the worksheet. Collect the materials listed for the investigation worksheet (acorns, water, seed raising mix, small trowels, gardening gloves, plastic pots with holes in the bottom).
If a nature walk with the pupils to collect acorns is not possible, purchase some online. An alternative is using fast-growing broad bean seeds instead of acorns.
Curriculum links
Plants
-
- Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants.
Suggested teaching strategies
-
- As a class, create an anchor chart labelling the features of a plant using correct vocabulary.
- A whole class plant diary can be kept to track changes and record the stages of the plant life cycle.
Introduction
Cut an apple in half. Show the pupils the uncut side. Discuss what they know about apples and how they grow into apple trees. Show them the cut side with the seeds displayed. Talk about how the tiny seeds grow into tall trees. Discuss the ways trees grow and change. Ask if the pupils think all trees look the same all year long. If not, how do they change?
Display the digital lesson on your smartboard to introduce how plants change.
The summary and worksheet pages should be used together.
Development
Provide pupils with the summary and worksheet to complete.
The aim of the investigation worksheet is for pupils to collect fallen acorns from around local oak trees, plant the seeds they contain, then predict how their seeds will grow.
Differentiation
- Assist less able pupils by using a time-lapse video of a plant’s life stages, with pupils describing what is happening at each stage.
- More able pupils may use a dictionary or the internet to identify what a pomologist does and explore other professions that work with plants.
Conclusion
When all pupils have completed the investigation worksheet, assign the class the task of keeping watch of their planted oak tree and noting when any change occurs.
Assessment
Worksheet answers
1. 4, 3, 6, 2, 1, 5 (is a seed, roots grow, a stem grows, branches grow, leaves grow, is called a seedling)
2. The tree is (over) ten years old.
3. roots – take water and nutrients from the soil; trunk – takes water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves; leaves – use sunlight for energy to make food
4. Answers should indicate that a seed landing in cold, dry soil will not open and start to grow. Seeds only open when there is enough moisture and warmth in the soil.
5. Teacher check
The uses and implications of science question
A pomologist studies fruit and nut trees. He or she may specialise in developing new fruits, discovering existing fruits, handling crop pests, coping with changing climatic conditions, and other issues which pertain to the cultivation, harvest and sale of fruit.
Investigation worksheet answers
1. Teacher check. The tree drawn should resemble the tree the seed came from.
2. Trees keep growing throughout their lives. They will only stop growing if destroyed by nature (fire, lightning, floods, parasites, other plants and animals, etc.) or people (fire, pollution, poisons, logging, etc.), or if they don’t get enough water, soil nutrients or sunlight.
3. Teacher check

Student Pages

















Lesson 7
How do trees grow
and change?

Lesson 7
How do trees grow
and change?


Trees, like most plants, usually start life as a seed that has fallen to the ground from a tree.
If the soil is warm and moist enough, the seed will open.


Roots start growing down into the soil.
They take water and nutrients from the soil.
The plant uses these things to start growing.


Next, a stem starts growing up to the light.
Branches grow from the stem and leaves grow from the branches.


The stem holds the branches and leaves up so they can get sunlight.
The leaves use sunlight (along with water and air) to make food for the plant.




The stem also carries water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves.
This small plant is called a seedling.


As the tree gets bigger, it needs more food and air, so it grows more leaves.
The tree grows taller and the stem gets thicker.


The stem is now called a trunk.
The tree starts to look like its parents.
This young tree is called a sapling.



Trees keep growing for as long as they live and can live for a very long time.
Some trees can grow as tall as 100 metres, or live for thousands of years.


If you find a tree that has been cut down, you will see rings in its trunk.
The rings show how many years the tree has grown.
Each ring shows one year of growth.


bare tree in winter


snow-covered trees


autumn trees
Some trees look different at different times of the year.
They have leaves that change colour in autumn or fall off in winter.


Some grow beautiful flowers in the spring that turn into fruit, while others have cones.


Trees can get ‘sick’ and die.
They can get diseases or
be attacked by insects.
If they don’t have the right temperature and enough water, light and nutrients they can die.



They can be destroyed by fire, humans, weather, poisons, animals and disease.

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