By: Traci Haislip

READ 550

June 2015

Plants Text Set

I chose this science standard because it is a standard that builds upon things learned in Kindergarten. It is a theme and topic in which students usually have some background knowledge. It is also a relatable topic, as plants and flowers are all around, so students can use real world skills and materials to explore this topic. I chose first grade because although I have taught Kindergarten, I will be teaching 1st grade next year and would able to use this text set within my classroom.

Within this standard, students will be able to explore and understand that all plants go through a series of changes as they grow and they will understand what a plant needs in order to go through this change. In my text set, I wanted to make sure to include books that not only talked about popular flowers, but included vegetables, fruits, and trees, so that students understand the word plant does not only include flowers. I also wanted to make sure to include various types of plants so that students can identify the different plant parts and how they differ between types (i.e. the root of a carrot is the part we eat!). This ties in the standards that would be previously taught in Kindergarten. I also wanted to include materials that were fiction and nonfiction, so that students were able to use literacy skills to gather accurate information from stories, as well as nonfiction materials.

I used the Guided Reading Levels to organize my texts by below, on, and above grade level. “On level” in first grade includes a range of levels throughout the year, so I used my best judgment and knowledge to assess what would best be considered below, on and above for an average 1st grader.

1st grade:SOL 1.4; Plant Life Cycle/Plant Parts/Plant Needs

Anchor Text

The anchor text for this grade level standard is the MacMillan/McGraw – Hill 1st Grade Science Textbook. The information that would be used for this topic is found inUnit A: Plants, chapters 1 and 2.

Hackett, J. (2006). Science: A closer look (Student Textbook.). New York: Macmillan/McGraw-Hill.

Below Level Text: Seeds Grow! – A. Madearis Watch it Grow – C. Hammersmith Grow Flower, Grow! – L. Bruce Planting a Rainbow – L. Elhert

Linguistic Materials

• On level Text:• The Seed Surprise – J. Verne• One Bean– A. Rockwell• Once There was a Seed – J. Anderson• How a Seed Grows – H. Jordan• Jack’s Garden – H. Cole

•Above Level Text: • The Tiny Seed – E. Carle• Seeds! Seeds! Seeds! – N.E. Wallace• A Seed is a Promise – C. Merrill• From Seed to Plant – G. Gibbons

Seeds Grow! level: F (below level)

Medearis, A., & Dubin, J. (1999). Seeds grow! New York: Scholastic.

This simple text explains the life cycle of a plant, starting with a seed. It also helps readers to understand what seeds need to grow. The story starts with seeds being planted and details each step as they blossom into sunflowers.

I chose this book because it is a simple, rhythmic text that would be good for struggling second grade readers. The pictures help support and make connections to the text. The content is simple, but straightforward in describing the life cycle of a plant. It also incorporates the things that seeds and plantsneed to grow. It also includes simple content vocabulary such as, seeds, roots, stem, leaves.

Watch It Growlevel: H (below level)

Hammersmith, C. (2002). Watch it grow. Minneapolis, Minn.: Compass Point Books.

This book provides examples of plants, how seeds are spread and how they grow and change. Plant parts are identified and described within and text and it provides readers with instructions on how to grow seeds into sunflowers.

I chose to include this book in the text, as it is a very informative, nonfiction text. It includes key concepts related to the topic and also incorporates a lot of the key vocabulary correlated to this particular SOL. The pictures are actual photographs, which provide a real world perspective to the readers.

Grow Flower, Grow! level: D (below level)

Bruce, L., & Beardshaw, R. (2001). Grow flower grow. New York: Scholastic.

This is a fun silly story that young students will enjoy reading. The little girl Fran tries to feed her flower silly things like pizza, ice cream and spaghetti to help it grow. But when those don’t work, she throws the flower outside. After some sunshine and rain, Fran’s flower finally grows into a big, beautiful flower.

This book is a great addition to the text set, as it is a fictional story with some content information embedded. Readers would enjoy reading this silly story about a girl feeding her flower pizza and icecream. Although in story format, the text helps explain that seeds need sun and water to help them grow into flowers. Plant parts and plant needs are both explained and described in this text.

Planting a Rainbow level: F (below level)

Ehlert, L., & Verhoest, P. (2005). Planting a rainbow. CT.: Weston Woods.

This book describes seeds, bulbs, and flowers of every color of the rainbow. It also explains how to care for flowers to help them grow into beautiful gardens.

This book is informational as well as enjoyable by students. The beautiful illustrations that Ehlert uses will engage them in the text. It also familiarizes students with many various types of flowers that can grow. Itintroduces the concept and vocabulary of a flower bulb vs. a flower seed.

The Seed Surpise level: I (on level)

Verne, J., & Ogden, B. (2000). The seed surprise. Orlando: Harcourt.

This book is about a boy who plants a seed and watches it grow into a pumpkin.

I chose this book because it is about a pumpkin and not an average flower. I wanted to include various types of plants into the text set and this book helps describe that pumpkins are types of plants and the way they grow and change. The text is simple and the illustrations provide support to the reader.

One Bean level I (on level)

Rockwell, A., & Halsey, M. (1998). One bean. New York: Walker and.

This book is about a science experiment that children conduct using a bean seed. It explains the step by step of the seed’s life cycle, from a bean seed to a tasty treat at the end. It also provides great resources and instructions for students who would like to plan their own bean seed.

I chose this book because it refers to an atypical type of plant, a been seed. Students would enjoy learning that the green beans that they eat are also plants that grow from the ground. Students would be able to relate the foods they eat to the content that is being learned. It is a nonfiction book, but the information is presented using great pictures and simplistic text for on levelreaders.

Once There Was a Seedlevel: I (on level)

Anderson, J., & Gordon, M. (2010). Once there was a seed. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron's.

This is a story about a lilttle girl who plants some seeds with her grandfather. The story describes how they care for the plant and watch it grow and change throughout it’s cycle. It then grows into a flower, which is visited by bees and insects that help carry the pollen to create new plants.

This on level text is a great resource that describes all the parts of a plant’scycle, as well as what it needs. I liked how it even went farther to discuss how bees and other insects help flowers by spreadingthe pollen and seeds to create new plants. This will help students discover the relationship between the plants andinsects and how they rely on each other.

How a Seed Grows level: I (on level)

Jordan, H., & Krupinski, L. (1992). How a seed grows (Rev. ed.). New York: HarperCollins.

This book explains the concept of all types of different seeds and what they will grow into. It describes the process of growing various seeds, including the length and steps it takes to grow the types of seeds.

This nonfiction book uses beautiful illustrations to help the readers understand that different types of plants start with its own unique seed. The book includes oak trees, apples, flowers, and beans. It has detailed explanations of each type of seed and gives informationabout the growing process of each one (i.e. an acorn takes many years to grow into an oak tree, but a bean seed just takes a few weeks).

Jack’s Gardenlevel: I (on level)

Cole, H. (1995). Jack's garden. New York: Greenwillow Books.

This text uses a familiar rhythmic pattern that readers will recognize to describe how to plant a garden. The story begins with the tools and materials that would be needed and takes the reader through the cycle and process of growing a garden.

I really like the text pattern that this book uses as well as the beautiful illustrations in the book. I was personally able to listen toHenry Cole speak at last year’s Summer Literacy Institute and he is a fantastic storyteller that also incorporates content information within his stories. He also utilizes a key on each page of this story, which identifies and labelsdifferent items on the page. This is a great content text feature to introduce to young readers.

Seeds! Seeds! Seeds!level: M (above level)

Wallace, N. (2004). Seeds! Seeds! Seeds! Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish.

This book is about a bear named Buddy who receives five different bags of seeds from his grandpa. Each bag consists of a different activity to do with the seeds, including sorting, counting, and planting them.

I like that this story introduces the idea that there are lots of things people use seeds for. In one part of the story, Buddy is able to eat sunflower seeds and in another, he sorts the seeds by their color and size. This will help students make connections to things they may have used seeds for and how seeds can provide us with more than just planting!

The Tiny Seed level: M (above level)

Carle, E. (1987). The tiny seed. Natick, MA: Picture Book Studio :.

This story tells the journey of a little seed that travels around the world. The book describes the many different things that can happen to a seed to prevent it from growing. But, the tiny seed out-survives the other seeds and grows into a big, beautiful flower.

Eric Carle is such a famous author/illustrator and students love hearing and reading his stories. Although the flower in this book grows taller than houses and trees, it has information within the story that will help readers learn the life cycle of a seed and what can happen to seeds toprevent them from growing.

A Seed Is a Promiselevel: O (above level)

Merrill, C., & Swan, S. (1973). A seed is a promise. New York: Scholastic Book Services.

This story tells how inside every seed is a the possibility that a new plant will grow. This book explains why that is true, where seeds come from and how seeds grow.

This text uses very simple language to describe the content presented. It includes key vocabulary related to the topic and does a great job of explaining why, as just opposed to how it happens. The pictures help to present the information in an engaging way.

From Seed to Plant level: M(above level)

Gibbons, G. (1991). From seed to plant. New York: Holiday House.

This nonfiction text explores the relationship between seeds and the plants that they produce. This book gives readers information about plant reproduction, pollen transference, and seed dispersal.

Gail Gibbons writes wonderful nonfiction text that provide readers with solid knowledge about the content. I wanted to include this book in the text set because the information is very precise, yet simple enough for second graders to understand. She uses great vocabulary and offers descriptions of many different types ofseeds and plants.

Nonlinguistic Material

Peep and the Big Wide World: Peep Plants a SeedPeep and the Big Wide World: Peep Plants a Seed. (2011, April 5). Retrieved June

23, 2015, from https://youtube/Yxs7P7LWzDg

This is an episode in a popular series called Peep in the Big Wide World. In this episode, Peep discovers a field of sunflowers and decides to try to grow one himself. The video, although fictional, shows the life cycle of a sunflower seed and what it needs to grow. The video is appropriate for young students and will engage them without even realizing they are learning the content!

Nonlinguistic Material The Needs of a Plant Song

The Needs of a Plant (song for kids about 5 things plants need to live). (2014, May 19). Retrieved June 24, 2015, from https://youtube/dUBIQ1fTRzI

This is a cute and catchy song that teaches the five things that plants need to survive. The tune is catchy and the video is fun for students to watch! It includes important vocabulary and key concepts related to the standard.

Lyrics to song:“For a plant to stay alive, it needs 5 things, I would not lie. It needs water so it can grow and it needs soil just like so.Plants need space, they can’t be tight. The sun helps plants by giving light. Don’t forget to give plants air. Repeat the needs if you dare. Need 1: Water, Need 2: Soil, Need 3: Space, Need 4: sun, Need 5: Air”