Science Lesson Kit · Teacher Resource
Where Does Plant Growth Come From? — 5E Lesson Plan
Life Science · 55 minutes
Grade 5
5E lesson flow
01
Engage
7 min
Teacher Does
Present three competing claims.
Students Do
Record an initial prediction.
Ask
- Where could added matter come from?
Look For
Predictions without answer reveal.
02
Explore
14 min
Teacher Does
Provide plant and dry-soil mass data.
Students Do
Calculate and compare changes.
Ask
- Can 5 g explain 500 g?
Look For
Quantitative comparison.
03
Explain
10 min
Teacher Does
Model water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight inputs.
Students Do
Label matter and energy arrows.
Ask
- Which inputs are matter?
Look For
Water and carbon dioxide.
04
Elaborate
15 min
Teacher Does
Provide a soilless-growth evidence card.
Students Do
Compare two evidence cases.
Ask
- What claim becomes weaker?
Look For
Soil-only claim challenged without dismissing minerals.
05
Evaluate
9 min
Teacher Does
Facilitate argument review.
Students Do
Use two evidence pieces and address an alternative.
Ask
- Why is the alternative weaker?
Look For
Relevant evidence and reasoning.
Student goal
I can use evidence and a model to explain where plant-growth material comes from.
Learning objectives
- Use mass evidence to evaluate the claim that most new plant material comes from soil.
- Build a model showing water and carbon dioxide from air as chief material sources for plant growth while keeping sunlight labeled as an energy input.
- Support an argument with at least two relevant pieces of evidence and explain why a competing claim is weaker.
Materials
- Mass-data cards
- Plant input model cards
- Balance or mass visuals
- Argument organizer
Before class
- Prepare competing claims and neutral data cards.
- Keep sunlight labeled as energy.
- Open Teach Mode.
Prior knowledge
- Plants need water and light.
- Gases are matter.
Vocabulary
- matter
- Anything that has mass and takes up space.
- material
- Matter used to make or build something.
- mass
- A measure of how much matter is in something.
- carbon dioxide
- A gas in air that supplies matter used in plant growth.
- evidence
- Data or observations that support a claim.
- model
- A representation used to explain a system.
- argument
- A claim supported with evidence and reasoning.
Differentiation
- Use MATTER and ENERGY arrow cards.
- Provide a claim-evidence frame.
- Allow oral rehearsal.
- Extension: propose another measurement.
Assessment
- Check mass comparison.
- Check model arrows.
- Require two pieces of evidence.
Exit ticket
Name two material sources and one energy input.
Extension
Design another evidence test of the soil-only claim.