Plants — Year 3 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: Science — Plants: Year 3
Overview
Pupils investigate the functions of different parts of flowering plants and explore how plants transport water and minerals. They set up simple fair-test investigations to explore the conditions needed for plant growth and begin to understand the process of pollination and seed dispersal.
Learning Objectives
- Identify and describe the functions of roots, stem, leaves, and flowers.
- Describe how water and minerals are transported from roots to leaves.
- Investigate the conditions needed for plant growth.
- Explain the role of flowers in the life cycle of flowering plants.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Show a labelled diagram of a flowering plant with labels removed. Pupils work in pairs to name and locate the parts. Discuss: what does each part do?
Explain the function of roots (anchor and absorb), stem (transport and support), leaves (make food via photosynthesis), and flowers (reproduction). Use a celery-in-coloured-water demonstration to illustrate water transport through the stem. Introduce pollination and seed dispersal methods (wind, insects, animals).
Pupils set up a fair-test investigation: growing seeds with and without one variable (light, water, or warmth). Predict outcomes. Record starting conditions.
Pupils write up their investigation plan, including: what they will change, what they will keep the same, and what they will measure. Draw and label starting conditions.
Discussion: if you removed all the leaves from a plant, what would happen and why? Pupils apply their understanding of photosynthesis.
Common Misconceptions
- Pupils often think roots only anchor the plant — stress their role in absorbing water and minerals.
- Thinking that plants get their food from the soil — plants make their own food through photosynthesis; soil provides minerals, not food.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Ability to name the basic parts of a plant from KS1.
- Understanding that plants need water, light, and warmth to grow.
- Familiarity with the concept of a fair test.
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