Lesson Q1 L1 – Mystery Box: What Will We Grow?

Lesson Overview

Quarter 1 · Unit 1: Seeds and Planting · Week 1 · PreK–K · Lesson length: 20 minutes

Essential Question: What could be hiding in our mystery box?

Lesson Focus: Children guess what the planting supplies are for, learn they will be scientists and gardeners, and decorate their own recycled K-Cup for planting.

Why It Matters: A mystery hook turns the first day into a shared adventure. Guessing, naming, and decorating a cup gives every child ownership of a plant before a single seed goes in, which builds the care and patience the whole unit depends on.

Teacher Note: Collect clean, used K-Cups for weeks before you begin (a bin by a staff-room coffee maker works well). Peel the foil lid, empty the grounds and filter, and rinse. The hole left by the brewer is the drainage hole.

Source: Book lesson — Rewritten from Wee Greens: A Garden-Based Learning Kindergarten Curriculum, Day 1: “Mystery Box and Art.”

Standards & Learning Targets

Standards Alignment

NGSS Kindergarten Performance Expectations (builds toward): K-LS1-1 — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

Student Learning Targets

Learning Targets — students will be able to

• Make a guess about each mystery object and say why.

• Name soil, seed, cup, and water.

• Decorate a cup that will hold my plant.

Key Vocabulary: soil · seed · cup · gardener · scientist

Materials & Teacher Prep

Materials Needed

• Mystery box or tub (decorate with plant pictures)
• Recycled K-Cups, cleaned (1 per child plus extras)
• Potting soil in a zip bag
• Radish microgreen seeds in a small jar
• Spray bottle
• Crayons, markers, or stickers
• Student Workbook page 1.1

Teacher Prep Checklist

• Clean and dry the K-Cups; write each child’s name on the bottom with permanent marker.
• Pack the box in this order: cup, soil, seeds, spray bottle, journal, art supplies.

LOW-COST OPTION — Free planting cups Replaces: Purchased plant pots and seed trays. Materials (approximate US retail, Oct 2026): Used K-Cups from a staff room or families (free); Cardboard egg cartons as trays (free); Permanent marker ($1–2). Safety: Rinse cups well; adults remove foil and filters. Check that no child has a coffee allergy concern with grounds residue. Step-by-step:

1. Send a family note asking for clean, used K-Cups two weeks before.
2. Peel foil, empty grounds and filter into compost, rinse, and air-dry.
3. Write names on the bottom; set cups in egg cartons.

Safety: Seeds, beans and other small items are choking hazards for young children: hand them out in counted sets, keep them away from mouths and noses, and collect them at the end. Children wear gloves or use scoops for soil and compost, keep hands away from faces, and wash hands with soap for 20 seconds afterward. Moisten dry soil before digging to keep dust down. Sources: CPSC, Small Parts and Choking Hazards (16 CFR 1501); CDC, About Handwashing; CDC, Reducing Risk for Valley Fever; Maricopa County, Valley Fever. See the Safety & Fact-Check Log.

Lesson Flow & Timing

Phase 1 · Engage — The Hook

Teacher Talk

I brought a mystery box today. Inside are the things we need for our new adventure. I will take out one thing at a time. Put on your thinking caps and tell me what you think we will do! Before we start, learn the word soil together: say it slowly and show what it means.

Ask Children: “What do you think is inside?” “Why might we need a little cup?” “What could soil be for?”

PCM Differentiation

Thinker (thinking voice): Let children who like facts hold each object, feel it, and give one clue word about it before guessing.

Harmonizer (feelings voice): Invite children who connect through people to tell about a plant at home or a grown-up who gardens.

Phase 2 · Explore — Play & Partner Time (Kagan)

Cooperative Structure

Kagan structure: RallyRobin. Partners take turns saying one guess about each object, so every child talks and nobody waits long; turn-taking with a partner is easy for four- and five-year-olds to follow. (See the Teaching Reference for the structure’s steps.) New words for today: seed, gardener, and scientist. Say them with the children and point to examples.

Step-by-Step

• Step 1 — Mystery reveal (3 min): Pull out the cup, soil, seeds, and spray bottle one at a time. After each item, partners RallyRobin one guess. Redirect “dirt” to “soil” in a friendly voice.

• Step 2 — We are gardeners! (1 min): Tell children: “We are going to be scientists and gardeners! Each of you will plant seeds in your own cup and watch them grow.” Let them cheer and wiggle like sprouting seeds.

• Step 3 — Decorate my cup (4 min): At tables, children color and sticker their named K-Cup. Keep the inside clean so it is ready for soil. Collect cups in an egg carton to dry.

Teacher Moves During Explore

• Hold up each object at eye level and pause for think time before partners talk.

• Repeat children’s guesses back with the science word added: “Yes, dirt for plants is called soil.”

• Walk the tables and ask, “What will grow in your cup?” to keep talk going while they decorate.

Phase 3 · Explain — Talk It Over

Mini-lesson — Our planting tools. Ask children what came out of the mystery box and what each item might be for; repeat their guesses, then name soil, seed, and gardener as you hold each one up.

• Soil: the soft, dark stuff seeds grow in; it holds water and food for plants.

• Seed: a tiny package with a baby plant inside, waiting to grow.

• Gardener: a person who plants seeds and takes care of them every day.

Key Message: Seeds, soil, water, and a cup are what we need to grow our own plants, and we will be the gardeners who care for them.

Check for Understanding — Ask Children: “Show me the soil. What is it for?” “Which tiny thing will grow into a plant?”

Phase 4 · Elaborate — Student Product & Differentiation

Student Product

Each child has a decorated, named K-Cup ready for Planting Day and colors the workbook page to show the mystery items. (Student Workbook page 1.1.)

Differentiation: PreK and Kindergarten

PreK: Children point to and name two objects with a partner and decorate the cup with stickers and big crayons; accept one-word answers and gestures as full participation.

Kindergarten: Children name all four objects, give a reason for one guess (“I think… because…”), and add a drawing of what will grow on their cup.

ELL Support: Hold up each real object while saying the word slowly; add the home-language word and a gesture (sprinkle for seeds, spray for water).

Phase 5 · Evaluate — Closure, Exit Ticket & Assessment

Exit Ticket

Ask each child about today’s lesson, “Mystery Box: What Will We Grow?” — each child may answer by saying, pointing, or showing (no reading or writing):

1. Point to the seed.

1. What will you do in our new adventure?

Answer Key / Look-Fors: Children point to the seed (not the soil or cup) and say “plant,” “grow,” or “garden.” Any guess with a reason counts as a strong start; note who uses the word soil.

Expanding Circles — how does this connect to… Self — my own cup • Classroom — our class garden table • School — the school garden or flower beds • Community — farms that grow food for our town • World — seeds are planted all over the world

Formative Assessment

• Meets (3): Names at least three objects, uses the word soil, and tells that seeds will grow in the cup.

• Approaching (2): Names one or two objects with support and decorates the cup.

• Not Yet (1): Not yet naming the objects — re-show the box one-on-one and play “find the seed” during centers.

Extend & Looking Ahead

• Extension: Leave the mystery box at a center with plant pictures and real seeds so children can play “guess what’s inside” with a friend.

• Harvesting Wisdom connection: Harvesting Wisdom podcast with UFE founder, Episode 51: Wee Greens: Turning Classrooms Into Living Learning Labs (Season 2) (for the teacher; suggested pairing for this series. Preview before sharing any clip with young children).

• Looking Ahead: Next lesson we sort and count different seeds, including the tiny radish seeds we will plant.