What is this skill?
A life cycle is the set of stages a living thing goes through, and for a plant the stages repeat again and again. It starts as a seed. With water and warmth the seed sprouts a tiny root and shoot. The sprout becomes a seedling, then a grown plant, which grows a flower. The flower can turn into a fruit with seeds inside, and those seeds start the cycle over. Second graders learn the order and what each part of the plant does.
In this practice a child puts stages in order, from a four-step ordering of seed, sprout, seedling and flower to the whole cycle: seed, sprout, seedling, grown plant, flower, fruit and new seeds. Another ordering lists the steps for planting a seed: dig a hole, drop in the seed, cover with soil, water it and wait for a sprout. Choice questions ask what a seed needs to start growing (water and warmth), which part takes in water from the soil (the roots), which part makes food from sunlight (the leaves), where the seeds in an apple are (inside) and why plants make flowers (to make seeds). A sort asks what a plant needs: sunlight, water, soil and air, but not candy or a TV. The hardest questions ask what dandelion seeds floating away on the wind are called (spreading seeds) and what a life cycle is (the stages of life that repeat again and again).
Why it matters
The plant life cycle is the first time a child sees science as a story with a beginning, middle and ending that circles back. That idea of a cycle returns in the water cycle, the rock cycle, animal life cycles and the seasons.
Knowing what plants need gives children a way to care for them and to understand where food comes from. An apple, a bean and a carrot are all part of a plant's cycle, and seeing the stages makes meals more interesting.
Putting events in order is also a reading and math skill. The practice asks children to sequence, which is the same thinking they use to retell a story or follow directions.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the order of seedling and sprout, or placing the flower before the plant has grown. The sprout comes out of the seed first, and the seedling is the young plant that follows.
- Thinking plants eat dirt. Roots take in water from the soil, and leaves make food from sunlight, so a plant needs water and light more than anything.
- Believing every plant makes seeds the same way. An apple has seeds inside, and a dandelion's seeds float on the wind. The practice names both so children see variety.
- Stopping the story at the flower. The cycle continues because the flower becomes a fruit with seeds inside, which grow into new plants.
How to help at home
- Sprout a bean in a clear cup or a zip-top bag against a sunny window. Take a photo each day and put the photos in order at the end of the week.
- Cut open an apple, a pepper or a tomato and find the seeds. Ask which part of the plant this came from.
- Plant seeds in a small pot together and follow the same steps the practice lists. Let your child water it and watch for a sprout.
- Blow a dandelion puff outside and talk about where each seed might land and what it would need to grow.
Worked examples
These are real questions from the Tutorsaurus plant life cycle practice, with the answers worked out.
Example 1
Put the plant's life in order.
The pieces, mixed up: Sprout / Seed / Flower / Seedling
Answer: Seed Sprout Seedling Flower. A seed sprouts, grows into a seedling, and then grows a flower.
Example 2
Which part makes food from sunlight?
Choices: 🍃 Leaves, Roots, 🌰 Seeds
Answer: Leaves. Leaves use sunlight, air and water to make food for the plant.
Example 3
Dandelion seeds float away on the wind. What is this called?
Choices: Blooming, Melting, Spreading seeds
Answer: Spreading seeds. This is spreading seeds, or seed dispersal. Wind, water and animals carry seeds to new places to grow.
Printable worksheet (PDF) — one page of questions from this practice that work on paper, easier ones first, with an answer key on page 2. Free to print, no sign-up.