2. Lesson overview

The lesson starts with Mrs Moore describing what the class is going to do today. They then watch a video about Carl Linnaeus (a famous botanist). Following this, to emphasise the different between leaves, Mrs Moore invites children to use magnifying glasses to examine two different types of herbs. After reflecting on their findings Mrs Moore demonstrates a further investigation which involves different types of mint leaves. The children are then invited to classify the numerous varieties of mint leaf placed around the classroom. After this activity finishes the children are provided with a classification tree in order to identify five other leaves. This is followed by Mrs Moore demonstrating how to create a classification key which the children then do in small groups.

Mrs Moore describes the inspiration behind this creative science lesson and why she personally finds it stimulating to teach.