Seed to Tree

In this activity, students create an animation depicting the life cycle of a plant.

Activity Details

Grade Level: 3-8

Age: 9-14

Content: Biology, plant cycle

Objectives:

• Students demonstrate knowledge of the plant cycle, showing how a seed becomes a plant.
• Students gain experience representing change over time - an important scientific concept.
• Activity provides an opportunity for students to learn about what factors influence plant cycle.

Activity Overview

Tips:

• Props make these animations much easier to make and edit. Recommend that students use construction paper or some other materials to cut out props instead of drawing the entire scene on a white board with markers. Younger students have a tendency to want to use the white board, so it may take some creativity in getting them to see the benefits of props.
• For younger students, these animations can be a place to begin a conversation about some of the specifics of the plant cycle. Some of the questions below can guide an interesting conversation either before or after they have  made their animations.

Questions for students:

• What do seeds need in order to grow?
• How do new seeds form from grown plants?
• Do seeds need to be buried in order to grow?
• How does a seed that has fallen to the ground become buried in order to grow?

Extensions:

• Shell Silverstein's "The Giving Tree" is a wonderful story and this animation can serve bridge literacy and science by using the book as a context for the activity. Students can recreate the story of The Giving Tree using stop-action movies, then discuss some of the science behind the growth of a tree.

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