Designing Bean Seed Packets
Lesson Plans
Grades3, 4, 5Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts
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Provided by Center for Ecoliteracy
What it is
- This hands-on (and delicious) lesson centers around California-grown beans and will teach students about where food comes from, how to save seeds, the history of bean cultivation, and nutritional benefits of beans.
- Students will make a seed saving packet using the included PDF diagram, perform a taste test of different bean varieties, and learn how to preserve and plant seeds.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This lesson plan includes learning opportunities, vocabulary lists, reproducible worksheets, templates for bean seed packets, and step-by-step teacher directions.
- Students will enjoy the opportunities for creativity and the hands-on nature of the lesson.
Additional Prerequisites
- This lesson plan requires quite a few materials to complete, including printed worksheets, dry beans, clear cups or containers, and potentially cooking materials for a bean taste test.
- You can substitute beans from your local area instead of California-grown beans.
Differentiation
- Cross-curricular connections can be made in health classes studying nutrition or social studies classes considering the types of produce grown in different locations.
- This lesson would work well in the spring when students can grow their beans in an outdoor garden, if available.
- As an extension, have students create seed packets for other types of produce that grows in their area.
From the scientist review
This resource is an in-depth lesson on beans: their history, health benefits, and cultivation. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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