Making Observations of Leaves

Resource for Grades K-4

| Citation

Media Type:
Video

Running Time: 3m 33s
Size: 5.0 MB

Source: WGBH Educational Foundation

Resource Produced by:

Collection Developed by:

Collection Funded by:

Related Resources:

Classifying Leaves
(Video)

Making Observations of Balls and Ramps
(Video)

Setting up an Inquiry about Soil and Earthworms
(Video)

In this video segment from Teaching Elementary Life Science, teacher Gail Gibson assigns each of her first-grade students to draw a picture of the leaf they’ve collected. She also asks them to write down three details about the leaf. She explains her approach to the activity, which emphasizes writing complete sentences and using adjectives to describe exactly how the leaves look. As the students share their observations with one another in small groups, Gibson explains that hands-on activities are effective for children who learn better by doing. In the second part of the video, Gibson reviews some of her students’ drawings and emphasizes the importance of including details in the drawings.

Permitted use:

Download Only

Discussion Questions

You may find it useful to watch this video with a group of your colleagues and then discuss it together.

How might you help your students understand why organisms have the physical characteristics they do?
This activity could serve as a foundation for later study of adaptation and evolution. What other simple activities might elementary students do that would connect to these concepts?