You will learn
- Say what a plant is.
- Name the main parts of a plant.
- Tell a plant from an animal.
- Give examples of plants of different sizes.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- Plants are living things that make their own food.
- Most plants have roots, a stem and leaves.
- Plants come in many sizes, from tiny grass to tall trees.
- Plants usually stay in one place.
Words to know
a living thing that grows in soil or water, makes its own food and usually stays in one place
one piece of a whole thing
a tall plant with a thick, woody trunk
the part of a plant that may make seeds
1. Discover: Big and small plants
Mina and her grandfather look at a big mango tree and then at a tiny blade of grass beside it. “Both are plants,” says her grandfather. “One is very big and one is small. Both have roots in the soil and both have green leaves.” Mina looks closely and sees that he is right.
Think: What is the same about the tree and the grass?
2. Understand: What a plant is
Idea 1: What is a plant?
A plant is a living thing that grows in soil or water, makes its own food and usually stays in one place. Trees, grass, flowers, bushes and vegetables are plants.
Idea 2: Parts of a plant
Most plants have roots that grow in the soil, a stem that holds the plant up, and leaves. Many also have flowers. Each part has a job.
Idea 3: Plants and animals
Plants make their own food and usually stay in one place. Animals cannot make food, so they must eat. Most animals can move from place to place.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Is it a plant?
A bean grows in soil, has green leaves and makes seeds.
- Does it grow in soil? Yes.
- Does it have leaves? Yes.
- Does it stay in one place? Yes.
Answer: Yes, a bean is a plant.
Example 2 (We do it together): Name the parts
Look at a small plant.
- The part in the soil is the root.
- The part that holds it up is the stem.
- The flat green parts are the leaves.
Answer: Roots, stem and leaves.
Example 3 (You try): Plant or animal?
A goat and some grass.
Show the steps and answer
- Grass stays in one place and makes its own food.
- A goat moves about and eats.
- Which one is a plant?
Answer: Grass is a plant. A goat is an animal.
Did you know?
Some plants are tiny. A few floating water plants are smaller than a grain of rice.
Why this matters
Plants give us food, shade and wood and help to keep the air fresh, so it is important to know about them.
4. Explore: Plant parts hunt
Go with an adult to a garden or the school yard and find three plants.
- Find a tree, a small plant and some grass.
- Look at the leaves of each. Say how they are the same and different.
- Look for roots, stems and flowers.
- Draw one plant and label its parts.
Think about it: what did you notice?
Which parts could you find? Most plants have roots, stems and leaves.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- A plant is ___.
- The roots ___.
- The stem ___.
- Plants and animals are different because ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. Name one plant.
Any plant.
Question 2. Which part of a plant goes in the soil?
The roots.
Question 3. Which part holds a plant up?
The stem.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- Name one plant.
- Which part of a plant goes in the soil?
- Which part holds a plant up?
- Is a tree a plant?
- Do plants usually stay in one place?
Level 2: Grow
- Name three parts of a plant.
- Say one way a plant is different from an animal.
- Name a very big plant and a very small plant.
Level 3: Stretch
- Draw a plant and label four parts.
- Explain why grass is a plant.
- A friend says a mushroom is a plant. How could you check?
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Science in everyday life
Which plants do you eat or use at home?
Show a sample answer
Rice, beans, wood, leaves, fruit and cotton.
Another one. Tell a family member one thing from this lesson. Use the words you learned.
Show a sample answer
A clear sentence that uses at least one word from Words to know.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: Grass, ferns and trees are plants, even if we do not see flowers.
Fix: Plants grow, need water and make seeds, so they are alive.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can say what a plant is.
- I can name the main parts of a plant.
- I can tell a plant from an animal.
- I can give examples of plants of different sizes.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- Plants are living things that make their own food.
- Most plants have roots, a stem and leaves.
- Plants come in many sizes, from tiny grass to tall trees.
- Plants usually stay in one place.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Plants in our environment. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- What is a plant? [2 marks]
- Name three parts of a plant. [3 marks]
- Give one way a plant is different from an animal. [1 mark]
- Name two plants. [2 marks]
- Say what the root does. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- A living thing [1]; makes its own food or grows in soil [1]
- Any three: roots, stem, leaves, flower [1 each]
- Makes its own food or stays in one place [1]
- Any two plants [1 each]
- Holds the plant in the soil [1]; takes in water [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- Name one plant.
- Which part of a plant goes in the soil?
- Which part holds a plant up?
- Is a tree a plant?
- Do plants usually stay in one place?
- Name three parts of a plant.
- Say one way a plant is different from an animal.
- Name a very big plant and a very small plant.
- Draw a plant and label four parts.
- Explain why grass is a plant.
Homework
Find three plants at home or outside. Draw one and label the root, stem and leaves.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Name one plant. | Any plant. | 1 |
| 2. Which part of a plant goes in the soil? | The roots. | 1 |
| 3. Which part holds a plant up? | The stem. | 1 |
| 4. Is a tree a plant? | Yes. | 1 |
| 5. Do plants usually stay in one place? | Yes. | 1 |
| 6. Name three parts of a plant. | Any three: roots, stem, leaves, flower. | 1 |
| 7. Say one way a plant is different from an animal. | Plants make their own food and usually stay in one place. | 1 |
| 8. Name a very big plant and a very small plant. | A tree and grass, or similar. | 1 |
| 9. Draw a plant and label four parts. | A drawing with roots, stem, leaves and flower labelled. | 1 |
| 10. Explain why grass is a plant. | It grows in soil, makes its own food, has roots and leaves and stays in one place. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Any plant.; 2 The roots.; 3 The stem.; 4 Yes.; 5 Yes.. Level 2: 1 Any three: roots, stem, leaves, flower.; 2 Plants make their own food and usually stay in one place.; 3 A tree and grass, or similar.. Level 3: 1 A drawing with roots, stem, leaves and flower labelled.; 2 It grows in soil, makes its own food, has roots and leaves and stays in one place.; 3 Ask an adult or look in a book. Mushrooms are not plants. They are fungi..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Say what a plant is | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Name the main parts of a plant | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Tell a plant from an animal | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Give examples of plants of different sizes | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “Only plants with flowers are plants.” Grass, ferns and trees are plants, even if we do not see flowers.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Use one real plant. Point to the root, the stem and a leaf and say what each does.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child learns what plants are and names their main parts. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Look at plants together and name the parts.
- Ask, “Is it a plant? How do you know?”
- Draw a plant together and label it.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: say what a plant is; name the main parts of a plant; tell a plant from an animal; give examples of plants of different sizes.
Prerequisite knowledge. None. Learners should be able to look, listen and talk about what they notice.
Materials. A small plant in a pot, pictures of trees and grass, chart paper, pencils and crayons. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Bring a small potted plant. Draw a plant with its parts on the board.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Show a tree and a blade of grass. Ask, “Are both plants? How do you know?”
Explanation (10 min). Teach what a plant is and its parts. Compare plants and animals.
Guided activity (10 min). Learners go on a plant parts hunt and draw one plant.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners label the parts and say what each part does.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. What parts does it have? Does it make its own food? Is it a plant?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with real objects and safe, hands-on observation. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always say “how do you know?”. Keep to the safety notes, and use local, safe materials.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use real objects and pictures, short sentences and a partner. Let learners point, show or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example at home and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “Only plants with flowers are plants.” Grass, ferns and trees are plants, even if we do not see flowers.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Use one real plant. Point to the root, the stem and a leaf and say what each does. Enrichment. Look for one new example near your home or school, draw it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Next Generation Science Standards, Cambridge Primary Science and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Science curriculum, Grade 1 Unit 3, topic 1; Next Generation Science Standards, from molecules to organisms (structures and functions of plants); Cambridge Primary Science Stage 1, plants; IB Primary Years Programme, how the world works. These sources informed the lesson.