Explore a Plant's Life Cycle with Tunnel Books!

Flourish in the whimsical world of tunnel books with this STEAM-filled exploration of plants and seeds! Challenge learners to channel their inner storyteller as they create a free-standing, sculptural artwork to visually explain the lifecycle of a plant. Referencing the five kinds of seed dispersal: gravity, water, wind, animal and attachment, each lesson builds problem-solving skills, confidence and creativity as students construct a one-of-a-kind work of art.

Grades: 1-3
Students: Up to 30
Contact Hours: 12+

Subject Targets:

Life Science, Art/STEAM, English Language Arts Connections

Recommended Settings:

• Summer Camps
• Classrooms
• Before & After-School Programs

Activity Highlights:

• A hands-on program that focuses on the magic of the life sciences.
• STEAM-fueled activities explore the life cycle of a plant, referencing the five modes of seed dispersal and their relation to humans.
• Multi-subject projects challenge learners to design and create a one-of-a-kind tunnel book.

Curriculum Topics:

1. The Wonderful World of Seeds
2. The Life Cycle of a Plant
3. Seed Dispersal
4. Foreground, Middle Ground and Background
5. Art Criticism
6. Designing Tunnel Book Layers
7. Finishing Tunnel Book Layers
8. Cutting & Building
9. Artist Statement
10. Art Gallery

Reusability:

• Refill Kit Available.This product offers affordable consumable refill kits. See the materials tab for details.

Product Orientation:

• Half-hour free webinar orientation for purchases of $500+
• One-hour free webinar orientation for purchases of $1000+
• Additional training available for purchase

Complete Program Includes:

Plants and Seeds comes with all the supplies needed for 30 students to complete 12 one-hour activities:

• Instructor Guide: 1
• Printed Student Pages: 30 sets
• Curriculum Digital Download: 1
  
• Storage Tub: 1
• #2 Pencils (12 pack): 3
• Bean Seeds: 100+
• Colored Index Cards: 100
• Colored Pencils (12 pack): 6
• Crayons (24 pack): 6
• Cutting Mat: 1
• Decks of Playing Cards: 4
• Erasers: 30+
• Foam Mounting Squares (16 pack): 2
• Foam Paint Brushes: 30
• Glue Gun (with 15 sticks): 1
• Glue Sticks: 30
• Pencil Sharpeners: 6
• Permanent Markers: 6
• Picture Mats: 25
• Precision Knife: 1
• Roll of Masking Tape: 1
• Round Containers (50 pack): 1
• Salt (1lb): 1
• Scissors (adult size): 1
• Scissors (child size): 30
• Sheets of Colored Card Stock: 100
• Sheets of Construction Paper: 50
• Sheets of Paper Towels: 100
• Sheets of White Paper: 250
• Stencils (18 pack): 1
• Sticky Notes (100 pack): 1
• Ultimate Art Paper (100 pack): 1
• Washable Markers, Chisel Tip (8 pack): 6
• Washable Markers, Fine Tip (10 pack): 6
• Watercolor Paint: 1
• White Crayons (12 pack): 1
• White Folded Cards (50 pack): 1
• White Index Cards: 100
• Ziploc Bags (100 pack): 1
• Flip, Float, Fly by Joann Early Macken: 1
• One Bean by Anne Rockwell: 1

Curriculum Printed Copy Includes:

• Instructor Guide: 1
• Printed Student Pages: 30 sets

Curriculum Digital Download includes:

Instructor Guide only, which includes master copies of all student pages.

Refill Kit Available:

Looking to use Plants and Seeds with the next round of botanists? This refill kit will get them back to their roots in no time!

• #2 pencils (12 pack): 3
• Bean Seeds: 100+
• Colored Index Cards: 100
• Colored Pencils (12 pack): 6
• Crayons (24 pack): 6
• Erasers: 50
• Foam Mounting Square: 2
• Glue Gun Sticks: 5
• Glue Sticks: 30
• Picture Mats: 5
• Roll of Masking Tape: 1
• Round Containers (50 pack): 1
• Salt (1lb): 1
• Sheets of Colored Cardstock: 100
• Sheets of Construction Paper: 50
• Sheets of Paper Towels: 100
• Sheets of White Paper: 250
• Sticky Notes (100 pack): 1
• Ultimate Art Paper (100 pack): 1
• Watercolor Paint: 2
• Washable Markers, Chisel Tip (8 pack): 6
• Washable Markers, Fine Tip (10 pack): 6
• White Crayons (12 pack): 1
• White Folded Cards (50 pack): 1
• White Index Cards: 100
• Ziploc Bags (100 pack): 1

Habits of Mind:

16 thinking habits developed by Art Costa and Bena Kallick to empower students to succeed in a 21st-century learning environment.

• Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations
• Creating, Imagining and Innovation
• Listening with Understanding and Empathy
• Persisting
• Striving for Accuracy
• Taking Responsible Risks
• Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision
• Thinking Flexibly

21st Century Skills:

A set of widely-applicable abilities essential for success in the information age.

• Collaboration
• Communication
• Creativity
• Critical Thinking
• Flexibility
• Initiative
• Problem Solving
• Social Skills

© 2019 Battelle for Kids. battelleforkids.org. All Rights Reserved. Battelle for Kids was not involved in the production of this product and does not endorse it.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1/ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1/ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1-3 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.2/ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.2/ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media./Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media./Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.2/CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2/CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure./Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section./Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

© Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

Next Generation Science Standards:*

• NGSS 2-LS2-2 Interdependent Relationships

* Next Generation Science Standards and NGSS is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.

National Core Arts Standards:

• VA:Cn10.1.3a: Develop a work of art based on observations of surroundings.
• VA:Cr1.1.1a: Engage collaboratively in exploration and imaginative play with materials.
• VA:Cr1.2.1a: Use observation and investigation in preparation for making a work of art.
• VA:Cr1.2.Ka: Engage collaboratively in creative art-making in response to an artistic problem.
• VA:Cr1.2.3a: Apply knowledge of available resources, tools, and technologies to investigate personal ideas through the art-making process.
• VA:Cr2.1.1a: Explore uses of materials and tools to create works of art or design.
• VA:Cr2.3.1a: Identify and classify uses of everyday objects through drawings, diagrams, sculptures, or other visual means.
• VA:Cr2.3.3a: Individually or collaboratively construct representations, diagrams, or maps of places that are part of everyday life.
• VA:Cr2.3.Ka: Create art that represents natural and constructed environments.
• VA:Cr3.1.1a: Use art vocabulary to describe choices while creating art.
• VA:Pr5.1.3a: Identify exhibit space and prepare works of art including artists’ statements, for presentation.
• VA:Re.7.1.3a: Speculate about processes an artist uses to create a work of art.
• VA:Re.7.1.4a: Compare responses to a work of art before and after working in similar media.
• VA:Re.7.2.3a: Determine messages communicated by an image.
• VA:Re9.1.3a: Evaluate an artwork based on given criteria.

Danica Robrahn

A Wood River Valley native, Danica Robrahn is thankful to be able to live and work in an Idaho community she loves, finishing her third year as the art teacher at Hemingway STEAM School. Prior to teaching in the school environment, Danica taught for six years in a local contemporary art museum doing educational outreach. Her passion for art and teaching continues to grow every day. It is her hope that students and educators alike will continue to connect through the arts and encourage creative problem-solving and self-expression in the global community. You can follow her art room by checking out current student work via Artsonia, and the art page on the school’s website. You can also see some of her art, as well as some of her past student’s work, on her website.