Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v3 - Primary 2
Plants
Download the Lessonotes Mobile Nigeria 2025 app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Plants
Download the Lessonotes Mobile Nigeria 2025 app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Basic Science
Class: Primary 2
Term: 3rd Term
Week: 2
Theme: Living And Non Living Things
This page supports the lesson note with a companion video and a short classroom-ready summary.
For class groups and homework, share this lesson page so learners also get the summary, objectives, and full lesson context.
Watch on YouTubeIdentify and name some common plants in the school compound Trace the leaves of some of the plants on Plastercine or clay, where available Prepare a press of common plants Observe and identify features of common plants in the ir school compound Group plants according to the ir common features Group plants according to the ir uses Describe common uses of plants
kind or poisonous plants). Emphasize collecting healthy, representative samples.
2. Arrangement: Demonstrate how to carefully arrange the collected plant parts on a sheet of old newspaper or blotting paper. Ensure leaves are spread out and not overlapping.
3. Pressing: Place another sheet of newspaper/blotting paper on top of the arranged plants. Then stack several layers of newspaper.
4. Weight: Place heavy objects (e.g., thick books, planks of wood, bricks) evenly on top of the stack. This pressure flattens and dries the plants.
5. Drying: Explain that the papers absorb moisture. Change the damp newspapers daily for the first few days, then less frequently. The process can take 1-2 weeks depending on the plant and environment.
6. Display: Once dry and flat, the pressed plants can be carefully glued onto clean sheets of paper, labelled (plant name, date collected, place), and displayed. This preserves the plant for longer observation.
E. Grouping Plants: Grouping by Common Features: Size: Tall trees (mango, neem), short shrubs (hibiscus), very small plants (grass, herbs).
Leaf Shape: Plants with broad leaves, plants with narrow leaves, plants with compound leaves.
Presence/Absence of Flowers: Flowering plants (hibiscus, flamboyant), non-flowering plants (though most plants they encounter will be flowering).
Stem Type: Woody stems (trees, shrubs), soft/herbaceous stems (maize, yam).
Colour: Green leaves, coloured flowers.
Grouping by Uses: Food Plants: Provide food for humans and animals.
Examples: Yam, cassava, maize, rice, beans, mango, pawpaw, orange, plantain, okra, spinach (efo), bitter leaf.
Medicinal Plants: Used to treat sicknesses.
Examples: Neem (dongoyaro), scent leaf (efinrin), bitter leaf, moringa.
Shade Plants/Ornamental Plants: Provide shade from the sun or make the environment beautiful.
Examples: Mango tree, flamboyant tree, neem tree, hibiscus, croton.
Timber Plants/Wood Plants: Provide wood for building houses, making furniture, and firewood.
Examples: Iroko, Mahogany, Teak.
Fibre Plants: Provide materials for making clothes, ropes, baskets.
Examples: Cotton. * Air Purifiers: All green plants help clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.
F. Uses of Plants (Detailed):
1. Food: Plants are the primary source of food for humans and many animals (fruits, vegetables, grains, tubers).
2. Medicine: Many traditional medicines are derived from plant parts (leaves, roots, bark, flowers). Modern medicines also use plant extracts.
3. Shelter/Building Materials: Wood from trees is used to build houses, furniture, and fences.
4. Clothing/Fibre: Cotton plants provide fibre for making clothes.
5. Fuel: Wood is used as firewood for cooking and heating.
6. Oxygen Production: Plants release oxygen, which is essential for all living things to breathe.
7. Shade: Large trees provide shade, making the environment cooler.
8. Beautification: Flowers and beautiful plants make our surroundings attractive.
9. Prevention of Soil Erosion: Plant roots hold the soil together, preventing it from being washed away by water or blown away by wind. This section provides the core content knowledge for the teacher to deliver the lesson effectively. A. What are Plants? Plants are living things that grow almost everywhere – in soil, water, and even on other plants. Most plants are green. Unlike animals, plants cannot move from place to place on their own, but they grow, feed, breathe, and reproduce. They are essential for life on Earth because they produce the oxygen we breathe and are the primary source of food for most living organisms.
B. Common Plants in Nigeria: Teachers should familiarize themselves and the students with local examples.
Trees (Large plants with woody stems): Mango tree (Mangifera indica): Provides delicious fruit and shade.
Pawpaw tree (Carica papaya): Bears sweet fruits. Neem tree (Azadirachta indica) / Dongoyaro: Known for medicinal properties (leaves, bark) and providing shade.
Flamboyant tree (Delonix regia): Famous for its beautiful, bright red-orange flowers, often used for ornamental purposes and shade.
Iroko tree (Milicia excelsa): Valuable timber tree. Shrubs (Smaller than trees, with multiple woody stems from the ground): Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis): Common ornamental flower, also used in some traditional medicines.
Croton (Codiaeum variegatum): Popular ornamental plant with colourful leaves. Herbs (Small, non-woody plants): Maize (Zea mays): Major food crop (corn).
Cassava (Manihot esculenta): Staple food crop (garri, fufu). Yam (Dioscorea spp.): Major tuber food crop.
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus): Common vegetable.
Scent leaf (Ocimum gratissimum) / Efinrin: Used as a vegetable and for medicinal purposes.
Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina): Used as a vegetable and for medicinal purposes.
C. Features (Parts) of Common Plants: Plants typically have several main parts, each with a specific function. Teachers should emphasize the visible parts relevant to Primary 2.
1. Roots: Usually grow underground. They hold the plant firmly in the soil and absorb water and nutrients from the soil for the plant to grow.
2. Stem: The main body of the plant that grows above ground. It supports the leaves, flowers, and fruits, and transports water and nutrients from the roots to other parts of the plant, and food from the leaves to other parts.
3. Leaves: Often green, flat, and attached to the stem. Leaves are like the "food factories" of the plant, where they use sunlight, water, and air to make food for the plant (a process called photosynthesis, though the term is too advanced for P2). They come in various shapes and sizes.
4. Flowers: Often colourful and fragrant. They are the reproductive parts of many plants. Flowers produce seeds and often develop into fruits.
5. Fruits: Develop from flowers and usually contain seeds. Fruits protect the seeds and help in their dispersal.
6. Seeds: Found inside fruits (or sometimes pods). Seeds can grow into new plants.
D. Practical Skills: Tracing and Pressing Leaves/Plants Tracing Leaves on Plastercine or Clay:
1. Provide each student with a small lump of soft Plastercine or clay.
2. Instruct students to flatten the Plastercine/clay into a smooth, thin slab (about 0.5 cm thick).
3. Distribute various common leaves (e.g., hibiscus, mango, neem) to students.
4. Demonstrate how to gently place a leaf onto the flattened clay/Plastercine, vein-side down (if distinct), and press it evenly with their fingers or a flat object.
5. Carefully remove the leaf, leaving an imprint of its shape and veins.
6. Discuss the different patterns and shapes observed. Preparing a Press of Common Plants (Herbarium):
1. Collection: Guide students to collect fresh leaves, small flowers, or small whole plants (with permission and care, ensuring they don't pick all of one kind or poisonous plants). Emphasize collecting healthy, representative samples.
2. Arrangement: Demonstrate how to carefully arrange the collected plant parts on a sheet of old newspaper or blotting paper. Ensure leaves are spread out and not overlapping.
3. Pressing: Place another sheet of newspaper/blotting paper on top of the arranged plants. Then stack several layers of newspaper.
4. Weight: Place heavy objects (e.g., thick books, planks of wood, bricks) evenly on top of the stack. This pressure flattens and dries the plants.
5. Drying: Explain that the papers absorb moisture.
Change the Materials: Live samples of common plants from the school compound (e.g., mango leaf, hibiscus flower, neem branch, cassava leaf). Plastercine or soft clay. Old newspapers, blotting paper. Heavy books or flat objects (for plant press). Glue, plain sheets of paper, markers/pencils. Pictures/charts of different plants and their uses. A designated collection spot for plant press materials.
Teacher Activities: Introduction (10 minutes): Begin by asking students to name living things they know. Guide them to mention plants.
Ask: "What kind of plants do we see around our school?" List responses on the board. Briefly state that today's lesson will help them know more about plants and their importance. Outdoor Exploration and Identification (20 minutes) - Aligns with Objectives 1 & 4: Lead students on a guided tour of the school compound. Point out specific common plants (e.g., "This is a Mango tree," "This is a Hibiscus flower," "This is a Neem tree/Dongoyaro"). Encourage students to touch, smell (if safe), and observe the different parts (leaves, stem, flowers) of each plant.
Ask guiding questions: "How does this leaf feel?", "What colour is this flower?", "Is this plant tall or short?" Collect a few safe and non-toxic leaves, small flowers, or tiny plants for indoor activities.
Demonstration: Tracing Leaves (15 minutes) - Aligns with Objective 2: Return to the classroom. Display collected leaves. Demonstrate clearly how to flatten Plastercine/clay and press a leaf onto it to get an imprint. Emphasize careful removal of the leaf to preserve the imprint.
Demonstration: Preparing a Plant Press (15 minutes) - Aligns with Objective 3: Using some of the collected plant parts, demonstrate the step-by-step process of preparing a plant press: Arranging leaves/small plants on newspaper. Covering with another newspaper. Placing heavy objects on top. Explain the purpose of the press (to flatten and dry plants for long-term observation). Instruct students on how they will contribute to maintaining the press over the coming days (changing papers). Discussion and Grouping Plants (20 minutes) - Aligns with Objectives 5, 6 & 7: Use the identified plants and pictures.
Grouping by Features: Ask students to suggest ways to group the plants based on what they observed (e.g., "Who can find a plant with big leaves?", "Which plants are very tall like a tree?"). Guide them to categories like 'tall/short', 'big/small leaves', 'with/without flowers'.
Grouping by Uses: Initiate a discussion: "What do we get from plants?" Guide students to think about food, medicine, shade, wood. Use local examples like "Which plants do we eat?", "Which plants give us shade?", "Which plants can be used as medicine like dongoyaro?". Summarize and list the common uses of plants on the board.
Student Activities: Observation and Identification (Outdoor): Actively participate in the school compound tour, observe plants, listen to names, and answer teacher's questions.
Leaf Collection: Safely collect a few specified leaves or small plant parts under teacher's supervision.
Leaf Tracing: Each student will practice tracing one or two different leaves on their Plastercine/clay, following the teacher's demonstration.
Plant Press Contribution: Students will assist in arranging their collected plant parts into the class plant press, and later, if instructed, help change the damp newspapers.
Active Participation in Discussion: Students will contribute ideas for grouping plants based on features and uses, and share their knowledge about plant importance.
Drawing/Sketching: Students may sketch a plant they observed or traced, labelling its parts (leaf, stem). This section provides scaffolded questions to reinforce learning, with immediate feedback through solutions.
Question 1: Name three common plants you saw in our school compound today.
Solution: Mango tree Neem tree (Dongoyaro) Hibiscus plant
Commentary: This question directly assesses Objective 1 (identify and name common plants). The answers should reflect plants genuinely present in a typical Nigerian school environment.
Question 2: What part of the plant helps it to get water from the soil? a)
Leaf b)
Flower c)
Root d)
Stem Solution: c) Root
Commentary: This assesses understanding of basic plant features (Objective 4). It helps students connect structure to function.
Question 3: Describe how you would trace a leaf on Plastercine. (Teacher should guide students to verbally explain or physically demonstrate if materials are available).
Solution (Verbal Description): First, I will flatten a piece of Plastercine or clay. Then, I will place a leaf on top of the flattened clay and press it down gently but firmly. After that, I will carefully lift the leaf to see its shape printed on the clay.
Commentary: This question directly addresses Objective 2 (tracing leaves) and encourages students to articulate the practical steps. Practical demonstration or peer teaching can be used here.
Question 4: Group the following plants into "Plants we eat" and "Plants for shade": Mango tree, Yam, Flamboyant tree, Cassava.
Solution: Plants we eat: Mango tree, Yam, Cassava Plants for shade: Mango tree, Flamboyant tree
Commentary: This question addresses Objective 6 (grouping plants by uses) and highlights that some plants can have multiple uses.
Question 5: State two ways plants are useful to us.
Solution: Plants give us food (e.g., fruits, vegetables, yam). Plants give us shade from the sun. (Other acceptable answers include: provide medicine, provide wood for building, give us oxygen).
Commentary: This assesses Objective 7 (describing common uses of plants) with a focus on practical benefits.
Food Security and Agriculture: Application: Students learn that many plants are essential for food in Nigeria. They can connect the yam, cassava, maize, and fruits they eat daily to the plants growing in farms or compounds. This knowledge fosters an appreciation for farmers and the importance of agriculture in the Nigerian economy.
Local Context: Teachers can encourage students to identify food crops grown in their local communities or homes and discuss simple ways to care for them, like watering small garden plants. Environmental Protection and Climate Change: Application: Understanding that plants give us oxygen and provide shade helps students grasp their vital role in the environment. They learn that cutting down trees is harmful, while planting trees helps keep the air clean and the environment cool.
Local Context: This can be linked to local tree-planting initiatives, discouraging bush burning, and managing waste to protect trees in their immediate environment. The importance of trees during the hot season for shade is a direct experience for most Nigerian children.
Traditional Medicine and Health: Application: Many Nigerian homes use plants like Neem (dongoyaro), scent leaf (efinrin), and bitter leaf for traditional remedies. Learning about medicinal plants connects classroom knowledge to cultural practices and health.
Local Context: Students can share (under guidance) how their families use specific plants for common ailments, highlighting the richness of local knowledge and the practical uses of plants beyond just food.