Unit Plan 11 (Grade 1 Science): Plant Parts & Survival
Grade 1 science unit explores plant parts and their jobs, then challenges students to design and test solutions that mimic roots, stems, or leaves.
Focus: Observe plant parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds) and explain how each part helps plants meet their needs (water, nutrients, light, support, reproduction), then design a solution to a human problem by mimicking a plant’s external parts.
Grade Level: 1
Subject Area: Science (Life Science • Engineering Design • Structure & Function)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 30–45 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students become plant investigators. They carefully observe real plants (or pictures/videos if needed) to identify roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds, and they learn the job each part does to help the plant survive. Students explore how plants get what they need—water, sunlight, space, and air—and how plant structures help them stay alive in different places.
To apply their learning, students take on a simple engineering challenge: choose a human problem (collecting water, staying upright, staying cool/shaded, protecting something) and design a tool that mimics a plant part (like roots that soak up water or stems that support). The week ends with a “Plant-Inspired Solutions Showcase,” where students explain which plant part they copied and how it helped.
Essential Questions
- What are the main plant parts, and what does each part do?
- How do plant parts help plants meet their needs and survive?
- How can we mimic a plant part to solve a human problem?
- How do testing and improvements help make a design work better?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify and name common plant parts (roots, stem, leaves, flowers, seeds).
- Describe the function (job) of each plant part using simple cause-and-effect language (e.g., “Roots help by ___.”).
- Compare two plants (or two pictures) and explain how their parts help them survive (same needs, different structures).
- Define a simple human problem and identify basic criteria (what the solution must do) and constraints (materials, time).
- Design, build, test, and improve a solution that mimics a plant part and explain why it helps.
Standards Alignment — Grade 1 (NGSS-Aligned)
- 1-LS1-1 — Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
- Example: Design a “water collector” inspired by roots, a “support stand” inspired by a stem, or a “shade tool” inspired by leaves.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can name plant parts (roots, stem, leaves, flowers, seeds).
- I can tell what each plant part does to help the plant survive.
- I can explain how a plant part helps a plant get water, stay upright, or make food.
- I can describe a problem, what my design must do (criteria), and my limits (constraints).
- I can build and explain a design that mimics a plant part and improve it after testing.