Annotated Bib - Life Cycle of Plants

Knowing the life cycle of plants is a necessity for young children. We come across plants each day: in the garden, in our homes, and even in our meals! Plants are essential for the continuation of life; they help to provide food and oxygen for many living beings, including ourselves. It is important that children understand the cycle and know how to care for plants.

Following, you will find books and websites to help teach plant life cycles. I have based my suggestions on the SOL for 2nd grade, but children of all ages may benefit as well.

Books
How a Seed Grows. By Helene J. Jordan. Illus. by Loretta Krupinski. 1992. 32p. Collins, (978-0064451079). Gr. 1-3.
This book tells describes the process of seed growth to plant. There are even experimental directions for growing a bean plant, which children could do as a classroom or at home project. There are nice, colorful pictures, also.


My Garden. By Kevin Henkes. Illus. by the author. 2010. 40p. Greenwillow Books, (978-0061715174). Gr. K-2.
My Garden is a cute book to begin a lesson on plants. A little girl uses her imagination to describe what she would like in a garden. It is not realistic, but can make kids think about what they know in relation to plants.

The Life Cycle of a Flower. By Molly Aloian and Bobbie Kalman. Illus. by the authors. 2003. 32p. Crabtree Publishing Company, (978-0778706977). Gr. 1-2.
This book describes the life cycle of a flower. It includes great photos and illustrations to aid students and teachers. It also includes a glossary.

The Tiny Seed. By Eric Carle. Illus. by the author. 2001. 40p. Aladdin, (978-0689842443). Gr. K-2.
This well-known author describes the obstacles that seeds and plants must go through in order to survive. He concludes a seeds journey when it is lucky enough to survive, from seed to plant and back again. It is a great book to help children consider the fragility of nature and to teach the life cycle of a plant.

We Planted a Tree. By Diane Muldrow. Illus. by Bob Staake. 2010. 40p. Golden Books, (978-0375864322). Gr. K-3.
A wonderful, poetic book about the importance of a tree's life. It shows how they grow, change, and benefit us and the Earth, using interesting pictures with people of many nationalities.

What Is A Flower? By Jennifer W. Day. Illus. by Dorothea Barlowe. 1987. 31p. Golden Books, (978-0307118004). Gr. K-2.
This book talks about different types of flowers and how they seed to reproduce. It names multiple flowers of each type and includes pretty realistic pictures. This book also includes a glossary.


Web Sites
BBC Science
A website for students which includes an interactive labeling game for more advanced children and a growing a plant game for beginners. The website also has quizzes for students to test their knowledge.

Formula Fusion
This site has a plant life sequencing game for students to try.

Life Cycle of a Plant
A quick Youtube video that may be fun for the beginning of a lesson. Briefly tells the stages of a plant, from seed to plant, flower, fruit, and back again to seeds. This video shows neat pictures of the different stages of each and may help children recall what they already know about plants.

Plant Life Cycle
Activities and lesson plans for teachers. This site includes information about teaching plants, as well as plant life cycle activities to do with your students.

Enchanted Learning, Printable Plant Books
This site has many plant books for students to color and write, specifically it has a "Sprouting Bean Shape Book" that may be useful if you choose to grow a bean plant with your students.

The Great Plant Escape
A neat website for exploring and learning about plants. This is a multi-section website for teachers and students to learn about the basics of plant life in a colorful and easy-to-read format. May be a good tool for teachers to use with students on a page-by-page basis.

The Life Cycle of Plants
A great website with links to activities for teachers and students. It includes video clips showing the stages of plant life and what happens when they are able to get what they need vs. what happens when they do not (i.e. - sun, soil, etc.). There are also worksheets and a link to discover and observe what plants grow near you.


For Teachers
VA Standards of Learning
2.4 The student will investigate and understand that plants and animals undergo a series of orderly changes as they mature and grow. Key concepts includeb) plant life cycles

Background Information from Curriculum Framework

• Throughout their lives, plants and animals undergo a series of orderly and identifiable changes.
• Changes in organisms over time occur in cycles and differ among the various plants and animals.
• Of the more than 200,000 kinds of vascular plants in the world today over 95 percent flower at some time in their lives. The best-known flowers are bright and colorful but others, like those of grasses, are small and inconspicuous.
• The basic stages in the life cycle of flowering plants include: seeds,germination of the seed, growth of the stem and roots, growth of leaves, growth of flowers, fertilization (pollination) of the flowers, production of fruit/new seeds, and death.