Preview · the opening missionRead this to the class:
Maya found a bean on the kitchen floor. It was small and hard, like a tiny stone. "Grandpa says a whole bean plant can grow out of this," she said. "But where is it? I can't see any plant!" She shook the bean next to her ear. Nothing. Your team's job: look inside a bean and find out what is hiding in there.
Teams of three, with three jobs that swap each time you open a new bean: the Opener gently peels and opens the bean, the Looker uses the hand lens and says what they see, and the Drawer points to the parts while everyone draws on their own sheet.
Look inside the PDF
Sample pages, stamped “preview”. The download is the clean, full lesson.
In the full lesson PDF
- Predict (5 min)
- Hunt (20 min)
- Reveal (10 min)
- Act (5 min)
- Background for the teacher
- Assessment
- Student sheet
On the student sheet
- My prediction
- Dry bean and wet bean
- Inside my bean
- A card for Maya
US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white. The student sheet is on its own page, ready to photocopy.
Free with an account (any 3 lessons), or US$19 / C$25 for all 3 lessons in this unit.
What students show by the end
- Observes closely
- Names the parts
- Uses evidence
From the lesson’s rubric, which scores each one as not yet, getting there or got it.
Questions teachers ask
How long does “What's inside a seed?” take?
35–45 min. Group size: teams of 3.
How much prep does it need?
The day before, 10 minutes: put about 40 large dried lima beans in a bowl, cover them with plenty of water and leave them overnight (12 to 24 hours). Keep a handful dry. On the day, drain the soaked beans and put 3 soaked and 1 dry bean on a paper towel for each team.
What materials do I need?
Large dried lima beans (from the grocery store, sold as dried beans); bowl and water for soaking; paper towels; hand lens (magnifying glass); paper plate or tray; crayons or coloured pencils. Cost: about $8 for a class of 30.
Which curriculum standards does it cover?
It matches Ontario Science and Technology, Grade 1.
What’s in the lesson PDF?
A teacher guide that walks you through predict, hunt, reveal, act, background for the teacher and assessment, then a student sheet (“My prediction”, “Dry bean and wet bean”, “Inside my bean” and “A card for Maya”) on its own page, ready to photocopy. It’s US Letter and prints cleanly in black and white.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. A free account includes any 3 full lessons of your choice, and this can be one of them. After that, this unit is US$19 (C$25) for all 3 lessons, yours to keep, or every lesson is US$79 (C$109) a year.