**Year 3 Science Lesson Plan: Plants and Animals**
**Topic**: Plants and Animals
**Duration**: 60 minutes
**Learning Objectives**:
1. Understand the basic needs of plants and animals for survival.
2. Explore the differences and similarities between plants and animals.
3. Identify and name a variety of common plants and animals.
4. Understand the life cycles of a plant and an animal.
**Materials**:
- Whiteboard and markers
- Chart paper and markers
- Pictures of various plants and animals
- Seeds, soil, small pots, and watering cans
- Handouts with diagrams of plant and animal life cycles
- Magnifying glasses
- Worksheets with fill-in-the-blanks and matching activities
- Colouring pencils and crayons
**Lesson Outline**:
1. **Introduction (10 minutes)**:
- Begin with a brief discussion on what students already know about plants and animals.
- Ask questions such as:
- What do plants need to grow?
- What do animals need to survive?
- Can you name some common plants and animals?
- Write students' answers on the whiteboard to assess prior knowledge.
2. **Direct Instruction (15 minutes)**:
- Explain the basic needs of plants (light, water, air, nutrients from soil) and animals (food, water, shelter, air).
- Use pictures to show different plants (e.g. sunflowers, ferns) and animals (e.g. birds, fish).
- Discuss similarities and differences, emphasising:
- Plants make their own food through photosynthesis while animals gather or hunt for food.
- Both plants and animals need air and water to survive.
3. **Activity 1: Planting Seeds (15 minutes)**:
- Hand out small pots, soil, and seeds to each student.
- Demonstrate how to plant a seed and guide students through the process.
- Explain how they should care for their seed (watering regularly, ensuring it gets enough light).
- Students should label their pots with their names and the type of plant they have planted.
4. **Activity 2: Life Cycle Exploration (10 minutes)**:
- Distribute handouts with diagrams of the life cycle of a plant (seed, sprout, mature plant, flower/fruit) and an animal (egg, baby, juvenile, adult).
- Discuss each stage briefly.
- Students can use magnifying glasses to observe the seeds they just planted.
5. **Worksheet Activity (5 minutes)**:
- Provide worksheets with fill-in-the-blank statements and matching activities related to plant and animal needs and life cycles.
- Students complete the worksheets individually.
6. **Discussion and Review (5 minutes)**:
- Discuss the worksheet answers together as a class.
- Review key points of the lesson: What plants and animals need, and the stages of their life cycles.
7. **Wrap-Up (5 minutes)**:
- Ask a few students to share what they learned during the lesson.
- Remind students to care for their plants and observe any changes over the coming weeks.
- Assign a simple homework task: draw and label a life cycle of a plant or an animal of their choice.
**Assessment**:
- Observe student participation during the discussion and activities.
- Review completed worksheets to ensure understanding.
- Monitor care and growth of the planted seeds over time, noting which students demonstrate consistent care.
**Extension Activities**:
- Set up a class observation journal where students can document the growth of their plants.
- Plan a nature walk to observe different types of plants and animals in the local environment.
- Invite a guest speaker, such as a local botanist or wildlife expert, to talk more about plants and animals.