KS3 ~ Year 8 ~ Plant Minerals

This lesson is designed for the KS3 Year 8 Science course, specifically the B2 1.3 Ecosystem Processes.

For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.

This lesson begins with a list of minerals that plants need to survive - magnesium, phosphates, nitrates and potassium. Students will need to ‘Think > Pair > Share’ their ideas about how plants receive their minerals. After a short class discussion, students will be shown a diagram which demonstrates how mineral ions are taken up by the plant.

Students will now watch a video, this video will go through some of the symptoms of different mineral deficiencies. Whilst watching the video, students will need to note down these symptoms. This task can be marked and corrected against the mark scheme provided once complete.

The next part of the lesson will focus on farming methods, students will each be given a different bit of information on a method employed by farmers to increase crop yield. Students will need to walk around the room to share information on these methods in order to complete a summary table. This can then be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided on the PowerPoint.

Lastly, students will now design and complete a pamphlet of information for farmers to help them decide which type of minerals their plants may be deficient in, this should include images of a healthy plant as well as unhealthy plants depicting various mineral deficiencies.

The plenary task requires students to write a Whatsapp message to a friend, explaining what they have learned this lesson.

All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)