Lesson LEAFlet

Teaching/Learning Resources

Subject Area: Science
Grade Level:

Curriculum Integration:

1. This lesson integrates biological science with math.

Lesson Objectives:

1. The students will observe and describe leaves.

Materials Required: 

1. Leaves (preferably those chosen by children), magnifying lens, ruler, construction paper, crayons.
    

Lesson Outline:

1. The teacher will first give the students some background information on leaves. 

2. He or she will tell the students that the variety of leaves is enormous. 

3. There are large leaves, small leaves, slender leaves, wide leaves, colored leaves, green leaves, soft leaves, prickly leaves, hairy leaves, hard leaves, etc...

4. The teacher will tell the students that all leaves have one thing in common, they change sunlight into energy through photosynthesis

5. The leaves absorb carbon dioxide  from the air and with water that comes through the roots of the plant, combines these elements and releases the oxygen into the air

6. By this exchange, plants maintain a level of oxgen in the air that benefits all living things. 

7. The teacher will explain to the students that we will be going on a nature walk so that they can find their own special leaf to observe and describe.

8. After the students have their leaves, the teacher will tell them to look at it carefully.  The teacher will tell the students to draw their leaf.

9. The teacher will tell the students to use the magnifying lens and look at the veins in the leaf for observation.

10. The teacher will tell the students to measure the length and the width of the leaf.

11. The teacher will have the students describe their leaf in words underneath the picture they drew of it.

12. The teacher will tell the students to color their leaves.

13. The teacher will review with the students why plants have leaves, what the leaves do for the plant, why leaves change colors, and why all leaves do not look alike.
     

Extension Activities:
    1.   Make a collection of as many different kinds of leaves as you can find.
    2.   Find some way to group as many different kinds of leaves as you can find.
    3.   Use the students' leaves to make leaf prints of leaf rubbings.
    4.   Arrange leaves on contact paper or waxed paper and place in a construction paper frame.  Display in the window
 
 

Submitted by:  Nina Bish, Ed McMahan, Theresa Tssario, and Brent Vargo.  ***We got this lesson off of the internet at http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ScienceLeafObservations.htm.  It was written by Jennifer Brouillette.***
 

For:
Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park

Send plans to:

Dr. Charles Elliott, Director
       Educational Technology
       Gannon University
       109 University Square
       Erie, PA   16541