Apologia Botany Lesson Plan 1

About twice a week, we study science after workboxes or a trip to the library. For our science curriculum, we are using Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Botany from the Young Explorer Series.

At first, it was difficult to involve my Kindergartener with my 2nd Grader. While Lira enjoys reading the text, Franc would lose interest quickly. So, here is the plan I devised to help them both benefit from the study:

1. Read the text.
2. Build a lapbook based on what we learn in the text.
3. Perform any supplememtary experiments suggested or additional hands-on activities.
4. Review the material in a PowerPoint presentation.

So far, this has worked much better than strictly abiding by the book.

Lesson One

Here is how we approached lesson one. (A free printable lesson plan is listed below for your convenience.)

A. Begin reading the text, pages 1-2 (Botany) and decorate the cover of the lapbook.

1. Define Botany and write it on the front of the lapbook. (Top right)
2. Color a picture of plants and/or flowers to glue on the front of the lapbook. (Center left)
3. Record which day of creation that God made plants on the cover. (Bottom left)

B. Read the text, pages 2-4 (Latin and Botanists) and record vocabulary for the lapbook

C. Read the text, pages 4-6 (Taxonomy) and record vocabulary for the lapbook

D. Create a mini-book of how scientist classify things for the lapbook

E. Perform a Taxonomy exercise (page 7)

F. Review the PowerPoint presentation

Taxonomy Exercise

For our Taxonomy exercise, we used Legos because the children noticed the picture of the Legos in the book.

The children divided the Legos into piles by color. Then, they broke those groups into smaller groups based on the number of “bumps” on each block. If there were any variations in color, these became a different category. We continued until we could not simplify the groups any further.

Then, it was time to record our findings. This was not as easy as I thought it would be since Legos are kind of simple, but we did our best and they must have enjoyed it because Lira spent the rest of the afternoon performing a taxonomy exercise with our shoes.

Free Downloads for You ~

• Apologia Lesson Plan 1
• Botany Lesson Review 1 PowerPoint
• Botany Lapbook Template1