Lesson Plan

Why Leaves Change Lesson Plan: Middles Edition

Chromatography, data tables and the real reason green gives way to gold.

This is the Middles Edition of Why Leaves Change: one ready-to-teach week written just for grades 4-6. Every day follows the same rhythm: Reading on Monday, Writing and Words on Tuesday, Science and Math on Wednesday, a Hands-on Project on Thursday, and Show and Tell on Friday.

The big question: What really happens inside a leaf when it changes color?

The Week

• Mon: Pigments and a Pigment Sort (Reading) • Tue: Explain It Like a Scientist (Writing & Words) • Wed: Leaf Chromatography Lab (Science & Math) • Thu: Pressed Leaf Bookmark (Hands-on Project) • Fri: The Story of One Leaf (Show & Tell)

Teaching more than one level? The all-levels edition of Why Leaves Change has Littles (K-3), Middles (4-6) and Bigs (7-8) in one file, so siblings or a mixed classroom can study the same topic together.

Perfect for homeschool families, grade 4-6 classrooms, co-ops and substitute plans.

What's inside

• 5 ready-to-teach days for Middles (grades 4-6), about 60 to 90 minutes a day
• Lab sheet: Leaf Chromatography
• Sequence cards (How a Leaf Changes Color) and a cut-and-sort page (Which Pigment?)
• Writing page: Explain It Like a Scientist
• Hands-on project: Pressed-Leaf Bookmark
• Word search, crossword, scramble and secret code puzzles
• 8 fact cards, 9 vocabulary cards and a book list of 5 titles
• A certificate and an answer key for the grown-up

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