Science in 4th Grade: Leaf Observations

One of the big ideas in 4th grade science is looking at how plants (and animals) have various structures that help them to survive.  We have looked at videos and read textbooks, but I thought we could use a little hands-on experience with it.  

In my classroom, we are lucky enough to have a Lettuce Grow Farm Stand.  Since this planting season they each are observing one of the plants we have in the stand, I had them cut one leaf off of their specific plant to observe, diagram, and measure in a science journal.  I wanted them to look at the *structure* of the leaf, not only focus on the color and feel.  So I whipped up this little science journal template for them to use that would keep them on track with their observations.

Since they were journaling, I had them start off with the basics.  They drew their leaf as accurately as possible, keeping in mind to keep the picture big so that they could label with proper vocabulary.  I walked them through the labels, as this then became my way to actually teach the vocabulary and point out the structure and function of the parts of the leaf.  

Next I had them break out their ruler and decide upon 5 different measurements they could take.  These were up to them, but I showed them how to measure the largest part of the surface, the length from top to bottom, and even the length of one of the veins.  They then decided upon which 5 they would like to measure.

I also had them notice 5 other qualities the leaf had.  Was the surface rubbery or bumpy?  Was the color dark or light?  What did the edges feel like?  I wanted them to use their five senses to make these observations (though I did straight out tell them not to actually eat the plant.)

We then discussed the function of several of the features of the leaves, and I had a new little bulletin board to show for it!