Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
Standard 1.5
Rationale:
The following unit of work demonstrates the hallmarks of a differentiated classroom. I chose this unit because it demonstrates a strong link between assessment and instruction, students are grouped flexibly and learning goals are made explicit. This lesson supports my belief that an emphasis should be on individual growth as central to the success of the classroom.
The following unit of work demonstrates the hallmarks of a differentiated classroom. I chose this unit because it demonstrates a strong link between assessment and instruction, students are grouped flexibly and learning goals are made explicit. This lesson supports my belief that an emphasis should be on individual growth as central to the success of the classroom.
Artifact 1:
Differentiated Unit of Work
A Science Unit on the Functions of Plant Parts: Grades K-2
Introduction
This hands-on unit of work invites students to explore plant growth and survival. During this unit, students ask questions and devise ways to find answers as they discover why plant parts are important. They also observe plant growth to learn about a plant's life cycle. Writing is integrated throughout this unit. In addition to working with scientific process skills, students engage in writing activities that encourage descriptive and clear thinking as well as creativity.
Science Standards Addressed
Unit Concepts and Generalisations
Unit Objectives
As a result of this unit, the students will know
As a result of this unit, the students will understand that
As a result of this unit students will be able to
Instructional Strategies Used
Unit Overview
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Lesson Whole-Class Components
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LESSON 1
"Find Someone Who..." plant information scavenger hunt
(15 -20 minutes)
Begin the unit by giving each student a pencil and four
different coloured index cards with the following instructions
on the cards:
Card 1: Find someone who knows two things that plants need.
Card 2: Find someone who has a garden.
Card 3: Find someone who can name three parts of a plant.
Card 4: Find someone who can name a type of plant.
When students find a classmate who fits a card description, they must write that person's name on the card. Each student must collect two names on each card and all the names on all four cards must be different.
Circulate among the students, helping those who need assistance with finding and talking to classmates, with reading the cards, or with writing the names. When student have found two classmates for each of the cards,
bring the class together to discuss what the students discovered about one another, asking questions such as, "How many of you found out that someone has a garden?" "Who has a garden?" "Does anyone else have a garden?" Note the students responses and collect the index cards.
Pre-Assessment and Introduction
Creation of class plant web, working in pairs, then as a whole group.
(15-20 minutes)
Tell the students that they are going to create a class web about plants and that
they will need to share what they already know about plants. Put the students in random pairs and give each pair two paper circles and a pencil. Ask the pairs to work together to share and discuss the ideas while creating the class web.
Place a larger circle in the middle of a piece of chart paper,ideas one at a time so that the group can discuss them and and write "plants" in this circle. Ask students to share their add to them. As ideas are shared, note when they are similar to other ideas, and place them together around the larger circle, asking, "Does this idea go with any other ideas? How?" The goal is to begin categorising the ideas based on the students' thinking and place them in categories around the larger circle.
Ask: "Where might this idea belong on our web? Which ideas does it seem to fit with?" When all of the pairs' ideas have been shared and placed on the web, invite the students to name the categories: What might they call this group of ideas? Why? Label the categories. Are there other categories still needed? Why? When the class web is complete, post it on a wall at the students' eye level so that they can add to it throughout the unit. Tape an envelope holding small circles next to it to allow students to write the category on the web.
Alphabet bag closure activity.
(5-10 minutes)
Using a bag with each letter of the alphabet included, draw a letter out of the bag and ask students to come up with sentences or statements about plants that begin with that letter. (For example, "A = A plant needs water." "D = Don't forget to water a plant.") Make sure that the students understand this process, as it will be used throughout the unit.
Independent or partner work based based on learning profile. Explain to the students that this new unit is about plants and their needs. Tell them that they have already told about what they know and that now about plants and that now they will have a chance to use what they already know about plants to create something on their own. Students will choose one of the following options and they may work alone or with a partner:
Option 1: Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence
Write a letter to a Reception telling as much as you can about plants. What should every child know about plants? What do you like about plants? Why?
Option 2: Visual/Spatial Intelligence
Draw pictures of at least three different types of plants. Make sure these plants look very different from
one another. Label as many of their parts as you can.
Option 3: Logical/Mathematical Intelligence
On a Venn diagram and using pictures of words, compare and contrast plants and animals. What is the same about them? What is different about them?
Option 4: Intrapersonal Intelligence
You are a plant. What does it feel like to grow? What do you see around you? What do you like about being a plant? What do you not like? Write and draw about your life as a plant. When students have completed their chosen task, invite them to share their products with their classmates.
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LESSON 2
Lesson preparation:
Prior to this lesson, which uses learning stations, write the instructions for each station on chart paper to post around the room, and decide on four "resident experts" who will help students work successfully at the stations. Make sure that these four students know exactly what should happen at each station, and put one of them in each group of students.
Introduction to science skills.
(10 minutes)
Invite the students to share their ideas about "doing science" and highlight some skills that they already have.
Ask: What skills do you think scientists need to have? Record the students' ideas on chart paper so that the class
can refer to them during the next lesson.
Working like a Scientist
Science skill station rotations in mixed-ability groups.
(20-25 minutes)
Tell the students that they will be working at four different stations to practice the skills of science. Then place the students in four mixed-readiness groups based on pre-assessment information and reading proficiency. Remember to put one resident expert in each group.
("Why is it important to look at things closely? Can think of jobs in which people need to do this?").
Individualised scaffolding provided as necessary. For example ask questions that scaffold some students.
Station 1: Observing
Each student will pick an apple out of a basket and look at it
closely. The students will put their apples back in the basket
and mix them up so that they don't know where their apples
are. Then they will try to find their apples. What do they have
to do to find their apples?
Station 2: Classifying
Given a collection of different shells, the students will put
them into groups. How can they put shells that are alike
together? How are the groups different from one another?
Station 3: Comparing and Contrasting
Given a collection of different rocks, the students will select
pairs of rocks and will tell how they are the same and how
they are different. Can they find two rocks that are very
similar? Can they find two that are very different?
Station 4: Asking Questions
The students will ask questions about anything they are
interested in. What would they like to know about animals?
Outer space? Volcanoes? One student will write the group's
questions on chart paper.
As the groups work, move among the stations providing
assistance and cues as necessary.
Discussion of science skills.
(10 minutes)
Bring the students back together for a large group discussion
to wrap up the lesson. Ask them to explain what they did at
each station. Explain the terms observe, classify, compare,
contrast, and question so that they know what we call the
skills they were working on.
Ask: When do you think you will need to use these skills as
we study plants? Do you think these are important skills to
have? Why? Have you ever used these skills before? When?
Why? What other skills might we need?
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LESSON 3 Science skills review.
(5 minutes)
Begin by reviewing the science skills you focused on in the
previous lesson: observing, classifying, comparing, contrasting
and questioning.
Exploring Introductory discussion of human and plant needs.
Plant Needs (10 minutes)
Explain that today the class will begin looking at what plants
need to grow and be healthy.
Ask: What do you need to grow and be healthy?
As students share ideas, create a Needs Comparison Graphic
Organiser comparing people's needs to plants' needs.
Ask: Do plants need the same things that people need to grow
and be healthy? How do we know what plants need? Is there
a way to prove it?
Encourage students to discuss how to prove what plants need.
For example, how might we prove that plants need light?
Should we give one plant light? Why? How will we know when
a plant is not growing or is not healthy? What will it look like?
Small, mixed-readiness group experiments about plant needs. Groups choose a plant need to investigate based on interest.
30 minutes to set up, then 5-10 minutes during successive periods.
Students will work in mixed-readiness groups of four to complete an experiment of their choosing. Every group will follow the same instructions and fill out a Plant Needs Group Experiment. Students were given a checklist of the
Planning Sheet but they will focus on different plant needs. The groups will choose from the following: light, water, air, soil and fertilizer. Tell the students that each group will be given two plants to work with.
The teacher's role is to observe and step in with help when necessary, also to meet with individuals or small groups who needed review, or guidance.
Post the experiment instructions for all to see:
1. Choose the plant need that you want to prove.
2. Make a list of the materials that you will need to carry out
your experiment.
3. Write what you are going to do to show that plants need
what you have chose.
4. Check your experiment plan with your teacher.
5. Collect your materials.
6. Carry out your experiment.
7. Observe your plants for several days.
8. Draw and write about what you see happening to your plants.
9. Circulate among the groups to make sure that they understand
what they are to do. You may have to ask questions such as
"How will you give one plant light and not give it to the other
plant?" or "What are some things other than soil that you can
try to grow a plant in?"
Be sure to provide a central location for materials that the
students need. Assign one person in each group the job
of collecting and returning materials: boxes, plastic bags,
potting soil, sand, and fertilizer sticks.
Allow time for students to examine their plants, record what
they are seeing (each group member should fill out his or
her own observation sheet), and share their findings with
the large group. Make sure students are recording their
findings on the correct day on their record sheets.
During large group discussions, ask students to predict
plant needs based on the findings so far: Do you think
plants need soil? Why? What about fertilizer? Why?
Independent or partner tasks based on readiness. Assign each student to one of three tiered tasks to work on independently or in pairs. Make yourreadiness determination based on pre-assessment activities, the notes you've taken on the students' in-class performance during the previous lessons, and ongoing assessment of reading and writing skills.
Jigsaw to share findings from group experiments.
(15 minutes)
After severla days, place the students in mixed-readiness
Jigsaw groups to share the findings from their experiments.
Make sure that there is at least one student from each original
group in the Jigsaw groups so that each possible plant need
is represented. What did the various groups find out? How did
you find this out?
As a large group, discuss what plants need. Are some needs
more important than others? Why do you think so?
Task 1 (Struggling Students) This activity is the most concrete.
You know someone who would like to grow a plant for a
plant competition. This person has never grown a plant before.
Write a list of everything this person should do to grow a
healthy plant that will win the competition.
Task 2 (On-Target Students) This activity is more open-ended.
Is there something that plants might need that we did not look at?
Write about what that might be, and then write about how you
might find out whether or not plants really need it.
Task 3 (Advanced Students) This activity is the most abstract, requiring both analytical and practical thinking.
You have found a plant that is not healthy, and you would like to
make it better. Write about how you will find out what it needs
and what you will do to make it healthier.
Sharing of work.
(15 minutes)
Provide time for the students to share what they've done on their
tasks with one another.
Alphabet bag closure activity.
(5 minutes)
Draw another letter out of the alphabet bag and ask the students
to come up with sentences about plants that begin with the letter(s).
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LESSON 4 Review of plant needs.
(5 minutes)
Open with a review-focused discussion: What parts of a plant
help it to meet its needs? What plant parts are most important
to plants? Why do you think so?
Lesson introduction and plant part interest survey.
Group students based on their interests.
(10-15 minutes)
Ask students to provide their top two choices of plant parts. Create groups of students who have similar
interests and work well together.
Explain to the students that the class is going to begin an
experiment to look at plant parts and there importance. Tell
them that the experiment will continue over several lessons.
Plant Parts
And Their Explain that at the same time, they will be working in groups
Jobs to research a specific plant part that they are interested in.
Pass out index cards and ask students to take one, write their
names on it, and write down two plant parts that they want to
learn more about. List the following options on the board so
that students can copy them: stem, roots, leaves, flowers,
seeds. Explain that you'll be announcing their research
group assignment once you've had a chance to take a look
at their preferences.
Plant part experiment setup.
(15 minutes)
Kick off the experiment by leading a whole class examination of
the parts of pansies. Give small, random groups of four students
one pansy and ask them to find the stem, the leaves, and the
flowers. Where are the roots? Where are the seeds?
Now take back each of the pansies and tell the students that you
are going to remove one part from each pansy, leaving one
pansy whole. Pause to ask them why they think you're leaving
one pansy whole. What will we learn by doing this? What do you
think will happen if i remove all of the leaves on a pansy? What if i
remove the roots? How is the work we are doing like the work of
a scientist?
Carefully cut away parts (roots, stem, leaves, flowers) and
replant and water each pansy, asking students to suggest
reasons why you're watering the plants. Be sure to label
each pansy to show what part it is missing.
Ask: Will all of the plants live and grow? Why do think so?
Which plants will live the longest? Why?
The students will observe a pansy of their choice for several
days and record what they notice on the Plant Part Experiment
Observation Sheet.
Small group research and product assignments based on interest.
Pull the students into small, interest based, mixed-readiness
groups you created. There should be no more than four students
in each group; you may need to create more than one small group
per plant part, depending on the interest information you find in
the students' surveys.
Tell the students that sometimes, scientists must be detectives.
For the upcoming activitiy, they will be detectives seeking
information about plant parts. Their job will be to teach their
classmates what they learn.
Provide several books about plants and their parts and make sure
to audiotape some of the books for students who are not yet able
to read for information.
Explain to the students that they must work together to complete
their research and that all group members will be responsible for
contributing to four product assignments. List the following
directions for all to see:
Product 1
Make a small poster of different examples of your plant part.
You may either draw pictures yourself or cut examples from
magazines and catalogues.
Product 2
Create a list of the great things about your plant part. Include at
least three ideas on your list.
Product 3
How does your plant part help the plant meet its needs? List two
ways that it works to help the plant.
Product 4
As a group, write a thank you letter from a plant to your plant part.
What would a plant say to your plant part to show it is glad to
have it?
(15 minutes)
When the research groups have completed their products, provide
time for them to share the products with the whole class.
Experiment and research wrap-up.
(10 minutes)
Conclude the plant part experiment by examining the pansies.
What has happened to each pansy without specific parts? Which
plants are healthy? Which ones are not? Why? Do students think
the same things would happen if the class did this experiment
again? Why? Why might scientists repeat an experiment?
Remind the students that they have learned a lot about plant
parts from the different research groups and by observing the
changes in the pansies. Now, ask them to vote on which plant
part they believe is the most important to a plant.
Turn the discussion to what would happen to plants if they had
no flowers. Make sure that the students understand that flowers
make seeds and plants would die out without them.
Ask: What would happen to a plant part if one part could not do
its job? What can you compare that to?
Lead students to see that plant parts must all work together to
help the plant survive and be healthy, and help them see how
this might work in their own lives (for example, people work
together at home and in school to help one another, the home
and school).
Alphabet bag closure activity.
(5 minutes)
Repeat the alphabet bag activitiy, encouraging students to create
sentences about plant parts.
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LESSON 5 Round robin brainstorming review in small, mixed-readiness groups.
(20 minutes)
Begin with a review of what the students learned during the
previous lesson. Write each plant part (stem, roots, leaves,
flowers, seeds) on a separate piece of chart paper and post the
chart paper around the room.
Place the students in five mixed-readiness groups, making sure
that each group has at least one member from each of the plant
part research groups.
Ask the groups to choose a recorder (a person who will do the
writing for the group) and give each recorder a different colour
marker. Tell the groups that they are to write what they know
about the plant parts on chart paper.
The groups begin at different pieces of chart paper posted around
around the room and rotate so that they visit each piece one time.
When they come to a paper that already has ideas, they should
read the ideas that are there and add to them. The groups spend
about three minutes at each "station".
When all of the groups have brainstormed ideas about all of the
plant parts, review the students' ideas as a whole group and add
to the chart paper as needed: "Is there anything else we need
to add about seeds? What about roots?" Point out the connections
between the different parts.
Review
The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed Video.
(35 minutes)
Show Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed. Explain to
the students that some of the information in the video will not be new
to them.
Encourage them to listen closely for new information, and tell them
that they will have an assignment to do after the video is over.
3-2-1 closure activity independently or in pairs.
20 minutes
Use this activity to summarise the video. Write the following on the
board and go over it with the students before they begin their work:
Tell me:
Three new ideas you got from the video.
Two things you already knew.
One thing you can do to meet the needs of plants.
Allow the students who wish to complete the activitiy with a partner
to do so. When the students have finished their work, ask for
volunteers to share their ideas.
Students choose whether they want to work in pairs or not. Consider pairing struggling students with more capable ones.
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LESSON 6 Three assessment tasks.
(45-50 minutes)
Explain to the students that this activity is made up of three
parts and that they are to work on each part alone (without help
from others). Provide each student with the three tasks:
Task 1
Using a diagram of a plant (included on sheet), label each
plant part.
Task 2
Imagine you are a plant part. Write a letter to another plant part
telling it why you are more important than it is.
Task 3
Pretend that you are going to plant a garden at school. What will
you need to plant your garden and take care of it? How can you
make sure that your plants will be healthy? Make a list of
everything that you will need to do.
Allow the students to spread out around the room so that they
have ample space to work and think quietly. They may complete
the three parts in any order they wish. As they finish, encourage
them to work quietly on the plant anchor activities.
Modifications and scaffolding provided for struggling writersTo help struggling writers, provide a sheet listing the names of the plant parts covered and a template for a letter. Students can simply copy the plant part names onto the diagram and the letter template. These students are allowed to draw in response to Task 3.
Unit
Assessment
Whole group acrostic activity.
(15-20 minutes)
After all of the students have finished the unit assessment, bring the
whole group together for unit closure activity: creating an acrostic
using the words "PLANT NEEDS."
The students come up with words and phrases that draw on what
they have learned about plants and their needs. If they would like
to, they can also create a "PLANT PARTS" acrostic.
Post the acrostics in the classroom.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Plant Anchor Activities
During the unit, students have access to a list of anchor activities that they can work on either individually or with a partner when they have finished their work on the regular lesson activities. The list provides a list of appropriate activities that address various interests and learning profiles. The activities encourage students to extend their thinking about plants. For example, there are activities designed for verbal learners, mathematical learners, creative thinkers, and artistic and musical students. Allowing students to choose, or even design, their own activities helps ensure student engagement.
Post a list of plant anchor activities in the classroom, and make sure students have access to the materials they'll need, including a variety of books at multiple reading levels, magazines, catalogues etc.
SAMPLE 1: Suggested Plant Anchor Activities
SAMPLE 2: Needs Comparison Graphic Organiser
SAMPLE 3: Plant Needs Group Experiment Planning Sheet
SAMPLE 4: Plant Needs Group Experiment Observation Sheet
SAMPLE 5: Plant Part Experiment Observation Sheet
SAMPLE 6: Recommended Books About Plants
All About Seeds by Susan Kuchalla
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
A First Look at Leaves by Millicent Selsam and Joyce Hunt
A Flower Grows by Ken Robbins
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
From Seed to Sunflower by Gerald Legg
How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan
I Wonder Why Trees Have Leaves, and Other Questions About Plants by Andrew Charman
The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow by Joanna Cole
Plants That Never Ever Bloom by Ruth Heller
The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller
Roots Are Food Finders by Franklin Branley
A Seed Grows: My First Look at a Plant's Life Cycle by Pamela Hickman and Heather Collins
Seeds, Pop, Stick, Glide by Patricia Lauber
Stems by Gail Saunders-Smith
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
What is a Plant? by Bobbie Kalman
Your First Garden Book by Marc Brown
A Science Unit on the Functions of Plant Parts: Grades K-2
Introduction
This hands-on unit of work invites students to explore plant growth and survival. During this unit, students ask questions and devise ways to find answers as they discover why plant parts are important. They also observe plant growth to learn about a plant's life cycle. Writing is integrated throughout this unit. In addition to working with scientific process skills, students engage in writing activities that encourage descriptive and clear thinking as well as creativity.
Science Standards Addressed
- Ask questions about organisms, objects, and events.
- Plan and conduct simple descriptive investigations.
- Construct reasonable explanations and draw conclusions.
- Communicate explanations about investigations.
- Record and compare collected information.
- Observe and describe the parts of plants.
- Observe and record changes in the life cycle of plants.
Unit Concepts and Generalisations
- Needs (main concept), Growth, Change, System.
- All living things have needs.
- Needs must be met in order for living things to survive, grow and be healthy.
- Needs can be met in different ways.
- Living things are built so that their needs can be met.
- Plants and animals (including people) have similar needs.
Unit Objectives
As a result of this unit, the students will know
- The names and functions of plant parts: root, stem, leaf, flower, and seed.
- Plant needs: light, water, air, soil, and food.
As a result of this unit, the students will understand that
- Plants have needs that must be met in order for them to grow and survive.
- Each plant part has a specific job that helps the plant.
- If one plant part cannot do its job, then the whole plant suffers.
- A plant and its parts change as the plant grows.
- Plants are important to people in many ways.
- Scientists use specific skills in their work.
As a result of this unit students will be able to
- Identify and describe plant parts.
- Explain the role of each plant part.
- Explain what plants need.
- Ask questions.
- Make observations.
- Describe, compare, and contrast.
- Carry out simple experiments.
- Record changes in the life cycle of a plant.
- Work independently.
- Work cooperatively.
- Show appreciation for plants.
Instructional Strategies Used
- Closure strategies: Alphabet bag, 3-2-1
- Gardner's Multiple Intelligences
- Interest surveys
- Jigsaw groups
- Learning stations
- Pre-assessment
- Round robin brainstorming
- Small group investigations
- Student choice concerning groupings
- Tiered assignments
Unit Overview
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Lesson Whole-Class Components
___________________________________________________________________________________________
LESSON 1
"Find Someone Who..." plant information scavenger hunt
(15 -20 minutes)
Begin the unit by giving each student a pencil and four
different coloured index cards with the following instructions
on the cards:
Card 1: Find someone who knows two things that plants need.
Card 2: Find someone who has a garden.
Card 3: Find someone who can name three parts of a plant.
Card 4: Find someone who can name a type of plant.
When students find a classmate who fits a card description, they must write that person's name on the card. Each student must collect two names on each card and all the names on all four cards must be different.
Circulate among the students, helping those who need assistance with finding and talking to classmates, with reading the cards, or with writing the names. When student have found two classmates for each of the cards,
bring the class together to discuss what the students discovered about one another, asking questions such as, "How many of you found out that someone has a garden?" "Who has a garden?" "Does anyone else have a garden?" Note the students responses and collect the index cards.
Pre-Assessment and Introduction
Creation of class plant web, working in pairs, then as a whole group.
(15-20 minutes)
Tell the students that they are going to create a class web about plants and that
they will need to share what they already know about plants. Put the students in random pairs and give each pair two paper circles and a pencil. Ask the pairs to work together to share and discuss the ideas while creating the class web.
Place a larger circle in the middle of a piece of chart paper,ideas one at a time so that the group can discuss them and and write "plants" in this circle. Ask students to share their add to them. As ideas are shared, note when they are similar to other ideas, and place them together around the larger circle, asking, "Does this idea go with any other ideas? How?" The goal is to begin categorising the ideas based on the students' thinking and place them in categories around the larger circle.
Ask: "Where might this idea belong on our web? Which ideas does it seem to fit with?" When all of the pairs' ideas have been shared and placed on the web, invite the students to name the categories: What might they call this group of ideas? Why? Label the categories. Are there other categories still needed? Why? When the class web is complete, post it on a wall at the students' eye level so that they can add to it throughout the unit. Tape an envelope holding small circles next to it to allow students to write the category on the web.
Alphabet bag closure activity.
(5-10 minutes)
Using a bag with each letter of the alphabet included, draw a letter out of the bag and ask students to come up with sentences or statements about plants that begin with that letter. (For example, "A = A plant needs water." "D = Don't forget to water a plant.") Make sure that the students understand this process, as it will be used throughout the unit.
Independent or partner work based based on learning profile. Explain to the students that this new unit is about plants and their needs. Tell them that they have already told about what they know and that now about plants and that now they will have a chance to use what they already know about plants to create something on their own. Students will choose one of the following options and they may work alone or with a partner:
Option 1: Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence
Write a letter to a Reception telling as much as you can about plants. What should every child know about plants? What do you like about plants? Why?
Option 2: Visual/Spatial Intelligence
Draw pictures of at least three different types of plants. Make sure these plants look very different from
one another. Label as many of their parts as you can.
Option 3: Logical/Mathematical Intelligence
On a Venn diagram and using pictures of words, compare and contrast plants and animals. What is the same about them? What is different about them?
Option 4: Intrapersonal Intelligence
You are a plant. What does it feel like to grow? What do you see around you? What do you like about being a plant? What do you not like? Write and draw about your life as a plant. When students have completed their chosen task, invite them to share their products with their classmates.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
LESSON 2
Lesson preparation:
Prior to this lesson, which uses learning stations, write the instructions for each station on chart paper to post around the room, and decide on four "resident experts" who will help students work successfully at the stations. Make sure that these four students know exactly what should happen at each station, and put one of them in each group of students.
Introduction to science skills.
(10 minutes)
Invite the students to share their ideas about "doing science" and highlight some skills that they already have.
Ask: What skills do you think scientists need to have? Record the students' ideas on chart paper so that the class
can refer to them during the next lesson.
Working like a Scientist
Science skill station rotations in mixed-ability groups.
(20-25 minutes)
Tell the students that they will be working at four different stations to practice the skills of science. Then place the students in four mixed-readiness groups based on pre-assessment information and reading proficiency. Remember to put one resident expert in each group.
("Why is it important to look at things closely? Can think of jobs in which people need to do this?").
Individualised scaffolding provided as necessary. For example ask questions that scaffold some students.
Station 1: Observing
Each student will pick an apple out of a basket and look at it
closely. The students will put their apples back in the basket
and mix them up so that they don't know where their apples
are. Then they will try to find their apples. What do they have
to do to find their apples?
Station 2: Classifying
Given a collection of different shells, the students will put
them into groups. How can they put shells that are alike
together? How are the groups different from one another?
Station 3: Comparing and Contrasting
Given a collection of different rocks, the students will select
pairs of rocks and will tell how they are the same and how
they are different. Can they find two rocks that are very
similar? Can they find two that are very different?
Station 4: Asking Questions
The students will ask questions about anything they are
interested in. What would they like to know about animals?
Outer space? Volcanoes? One student will write the group's
questions on chart paper.
As the groups work, move among the stations providing
assistance and cues as necessary.
Discussion of science skills.
(10 minutes)
Bring the students back together for a large group discussion
to wrap up the lesson. Ask them to explain what they did at
each station. Explain the terms observe, classify, compare,
contrast, and question so that they know what we call the
skills they were working on.
Ask: When do you think you will need to use these skills as
we study plants? Do you think these are important skills to
have? Why? Have you ever used these skills before? When?
Why? What other skills might we need?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
LESSON 3 Science skills review.
(5 minutes)
Begin by reviewing the science skills you focused on in the
previous lesson: observing, classifying, comparing, contrasting
and questioning.
Exploring Introductory discussion of human and plant needs.
Plant Needs (10 minutes)
Explain that today the class will begin looking at what plants
need to grow and be healthy.
Ask: What do you need to grow and be healthy?
As students share ideas, create a Needs Comparison Graphic
Organiser comparing people's needs to plants' needs.
Ask: Do plants need the same things that people need to grow
and be healthy? How do we know what plants need? Is there
a way to prove it?
Encourage students to discuss how to prove what plants need.
For example, how might we prove that plants need light?
Should we give one plant light? Why? How will we know when
a plant is not growing or is not healthy? What will it look like?
Small, mixed-readiness group experiments about plant needs. Groups choose a plant need to investigate based on interest.
30 minutes to set up, then 5-10 minutes during successive periods.
Students will work in mixed-readiness groups of four to complete an experiment of their choosing. Every group will follow the same instructions and fill out a Plant Needs Group Experiment. Students were given a checklist of the
Planning Sheet but they will focus on different plant needs. The groups will choose from the following: light, water, air, soil and fertilizer. Tell the students that each group will be given two plants to work with.
The teacher's role is to observe and step in with help when necessary, also to meet with individuals or small groups who needed review, or guidance.
Post the experiment instructions for all to see:
1. Choose the plant need that you want to prove.
2. Make a list of the materials that you will need to carry out
your experiment.
3. Write what you are going to do to show that plants need
what you have chose.
4. Check your experiment plan with your teacher.
5. Collect your materials.
6. Carry out your experiment.
7. Observe your plants for several days.
8. Draw and write about what you see happening to your plants.
9. Circulate among the groups to make sure that they understand
what they are to do. You may have to ask questions such as
"How will you give one plant light and not give it to the other
plant?" or "What are some things other than soil that you can
try to grow a plant in?"
Be sure to provide a central location for materials that the
students need. Assign one person in each group the job
of collecting and returning materials: boxes, plastic bags,
potting soil, sand, and fertilizer sticks.
Allow time for students to examine their plants, record what
they are seeing (each group member should fill out his or
her own observation sheet), and share their findings with
the large group. Make sure students are recording their
findings on the correct day on their record sheets.
During large group discussions, ask students to predict
plant needs based on the findings so far: Do you think
plants need soil? Why? What about fertilizer? Why?
Independent or partner tasks based on readiness. Assign each student to one of three tiered tasks to work on independently or in pairs. Make yourreadiness determination based on pre-assessment activities, the notes you've taken on the students' in-class performance during the previous lessons, and ongoing assessment of reading and writing skills.
Jigsaw to share findings from group experiments.
(15 minutes)
After severla days, place the students in mixed-readiness
Jigsaw groups to share the findings from their experiments.
Make sure that there is at least one student from each original
group in the Jigsaw groups so that each possible plant need
is represented. What did the various groups find out? How did
you find this out?
As a large group, discuss what plants need. Are some needs
more important than others? Why do you think so?
Task 1 (Struggling Students) This activity is the most concrete.
You know someone who would like to grow a plant for a
plant competition. This person has never grown a plant before.
Write a list of everything this person should do to grow a
healthy plant that will win the competition.
Task 2 (On-Target Students) This activity is more open-ended.
Is there something that plants might need that we did not look at?
Write about what that might be, and then write about how you
might find out whether or not plants really need it.
Task 3 (Advanced Students) This activity is the most abstract, requiring both analytical and practical thinking.
You have found a plant that is not healthy, and you would like to
make it better. Write about how you will find out what it needs
and what you will do to make it healthier.
Sharing of work.
(15 minutes)
Provide time for the students to share what they've done on their
tasks with one another.
Alphabet bag closure activity.
(5 minutes)
Draw another letter out of the alphabet bag and ask the students
to come up with sentences about plants that begin with the letter(s).
___________________________________________________________________________________________
LESSON 4 Review of plant needs.
(5 minutes)
Open with a review-focused discussion: What parts of a plant
help it to meet its needs? What plant parts are most important
to plants? Why do you think so?
Lesson introduction and plant part interest survey.
Group students based on their interests.
(10-15 minutes)
Ask students to provide their top two choices of plant parts. Create groups of students who have similar
interests and work well together.
Explain to the students that the class is going to begin an
experiment to look at plant parts and there importance. Tell
them that the experiment will continue over several lessons.
Plant Parts
And Their Explain that at the same time, they will be working in groups
Jobs to research a specific plant part that they are interested in.
Pass out index cards and ask students to take one, write their
names on it, and write down two plant parts that they want to
learn more about. List the following options on the board so
that students can copy them: stem, roots, leaves, flowers,
seeds. Explain that you'll be announcing their research
group assignment once you've had a chance to take a look
at their preferences.
Plant part experiment setup.
(15 minutes)
Kick off the experiment by leading a whole class examination of
the parts of pansies. Give small, random groups of four students
one pansy and ask them to find the stem, the leaves, and the
flowers. Where are the roots? Where are the seeds?
Now take back each of the pansies and tell the students that you
are going to remove one part from each pansy, leaving one
pansy whole. Pause to ask them why they think you're leaving
one pansy whole. What will we learn by doing this? What do you
think will happen if i remove all of the leaves on a pansy? What if i
remove the roots? How is the work we are doing like the work of
a scientist?
Carefully cut away parts (roots, stem, leaves, flowers) and
replant and water each pansy, asking students to suggest
reasons why you're watering the plants. Be sure to label
each pansy to show what part it is missing.
Ask: Will all of the plants live and grow? Why do think so?
Which plants will live the longest? Why?
The students will observe a pansy of their choice for several
days and record what they notice on the Plant Part Experiment
Observation Sheet.
Small group research and product assignments based on interest.
Pull the students into small, interest based, mixed-readiness
groups you created. There should be no more than four students
in each group; you may need to create more than one small group
per plant part, depending on the interest information you find in
the students' surveys.
Tell the students that sometimes, scientists must be detectives.
For the upcoming activitiy, they will be detectives seeking
information about plant parts. Their job will be to teach their
classmates what they learn.
Provide several books about plants and their parts and make sure
to audiotape some of the books for students who are not yet able
to read for information.
Explain to the students that they must work together to complete
their research and that all group members will be responsible for
contributing to four product assignments. List the following
directions for all to see:
Product 1
Make a small poster of different examples of your plant part.
You may either draw pictures yourself or cut examples from
magazines and catalogues.
Product 2
Create a list of the great things about your plant part. Include at
least three ideas on your list.
Product 3
How does your plant part help the plant meet its needs? List two
ways that it works to help the plant.
Product 4
As a group, write a thank you letter from a plant to your plant part.
What would a plant say to your plant part to show it is glad to
have it?
(15 minutes)
When the research groups have completed their products, provide
time for them to share the products with the whole class.
Experiment and research wrap-up.
(10 minutes)
Conclude the plant part experiment by examining the pansies.
What has happened to each pansy without specific parts? Which
plants are healthy? Which ones are not? Why? Do students think
the same things would happen if the class did this experiment
again? Why? Why might scientists repeat an experiment?
Remind the students that they have learned a lot about plant
parts from the different research groups and by observing the
changes in the pansies. Now, ask them to vote on which plant
part they believe is the most important to a plant.
Turn the discussion to what would happen to plants if they had
no flowers. Make sure that the students understand that flowers
make seeds and plants would die out without them.
Ask: What would happen to a plant part if one part could not do
its job? What can you compare that to?
Lead students to see that plant parts must all work together to
help the plant survive and be healthy, and help them see how
this might work in their own lives (for example, people work
together at home and in school to help one another, the home
and school).
Alphabet bag closure activity.
(5 minutes)
Repeat the alphabet bag activitiy, encouraging students to create
sentences about plant parts.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
LESSON 5 Round robin brainstorming review in small, mixed-readiness groups.
(20 minutes)
Begin with a review of what the students learned during the
previous lesson. Write each plant part (stem, roots, leaves,
flowers, seeds) on a separate piece of chart paper and post the
chart paper around the room.
Place the students in five mixed-readiness groups, making sure
that each group has at least one member from each of the plant
part research groups.
Ask the groups to choose a recorder (a person who will do the
writing for the group) and give each recorder a different colour
marker. Tell the groups that they are to write what they know
about the plant parts on chart paper.
The groups begin at different pieces of chart paper posted around
around the room and rotate so that they visit each piece one time.
When they come to a paper that already has ideas, they should
read the ideas that are there and add to them. The groups spend
about three minutes at each "station".
When all of the groups have brainstormed ideas about all of the
plant parts, review the students' ideas as a whole group and add
to the chart paper as needed: "Is there anything else we need
to add about seeds? What about roots?" Point out the connections
between the different parts.
Review
The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed Video.
(35 minutes)
Show Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed. Explain to
the students that some of the information in the video will not be new
to them.
Encourage them to listen closely for new information, and tell them
that they will have an assignment to do after the video is over.
3-2-1 closure activity independently or in pairs.
20 minutes
Use this activity to summarise the video. Write the following on the
board and go over it with the students before they begin their work:
Tell me:
Three new ideas you got from the video.
Two things you already knew.
One thing you can do to meet the needs of plants.
Allow the students who wish to complete the activitiy with a partner
to do so. When the students have finished their work, ask for
volunteers to share their ideas.
Students choose whether they want to work in pairs or not. Consider pairing struggling students with more capable ones.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
LESSON 6 Three assessment tasks.
(45-50 minutes)
Explain to the students that this activity is made up of three
parts and that they are to work on each part alone (without help
from others). Provide each student with the three tasks:
Task 1
Using a diagram of a plant (included on sheet), label each
plant part.
Task 2
Imagine you are a plant part. Write a letter to another plant part
telling it why you are more important than it is.
Task 3
Pretend that you are going to plant a garden at school. What will
you need to plant your garden and take care of it? How can you
make sure that your plants will be healthy? Make a list of
everything that you will need to do.
Allow the students to spread out around the room so that they
have ample space to work and think quietly. They may complete
the three parts in any order they wish. As they finish, encourage
them to work quietly on the plant anchor activities.
Modifications and scaffolding provided for struggling writersTo help struggling writers, provide a sheet listing the names of the plant parts covered and a template for a letter. Students can simply copy the plant part names onto the diagram and the letter template. These students are allowed to draw in response to Task 3.
Unit
Assessment
Whole group acrostic activity.
(15-20 minutes)
After all of the students have finished the unit assessment, bring the
whole group together for unit closure activity: creating an acrostic
using the words "PLANT NEEDS."
The students come up with words and phrases that draw on what
they have learned about plants and their needs. If they would like
to, they can also create a "PLANT PARTS" acrostic.
Post the acrostics in the classroom.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Plant Anchor Activities
During the unit, students have access to a list of anchor activities that they can work on either individually or with a partner when they have finished their work on the regular lesson activities. The list provides a list of appropriate activities that address various interests and learning profiles. The activities encourage students to extend their thinking about plants. For example, there are activities designed for verbal learners, mathematical learners, creative thinkers, and artistic and musical students. Allowing students to choose, or even design, their own activities helps ensure student engagement.
Post a list of plant anchor activities in the classroom, and make sure students have access to the materials they'll need, including a variety of books at multiple reading levels, magazines, catalogues etc.
SAMPLE 1: Suggested Plant Anchor Activities
- Make an ABC list of plants. Use books in the classroom to find the names of plants that begin with each letter of the alphabet.
- Create a collage of plants or flowers. Label the plants and flowers if you know their names.
- Draw and label plants that we can eat. Which do you like to eat?
- Draw and label plants that we cannot eat. Why can't we eat these?
- Design a garden. How big will your garden be? What will you put in it it? Why?
- Create riddles or jokes about plants and their parts. Try them out on your classmates.
- Measure the plants in the classroom, and make a graph showing their heights. Which is the tallest plant? Which is the shortest
- one? Do you think that will change? Why?
- Write a song about plants, what you like about them, and why they are important.
- Design a new kind of plant or flower. What is special about it? How is it different form other plants or flowers?
- Bring in a collection of leaves from home and make a booklet of leaf rubbings. Label the types of leaves if you know them, and look up and label any types that you don't know.
- Make up your own plant activity and ask your teacher if it's okay to do it!
SAMPLE 2: Needs Comparison Graphic Organiser
SAMPLE 3: Plant Needs Group Experiment Planning Sheet
SAMPLE 4: Plant Needs Group Experiment Observation Sheet
SAMPLE 5: Plant Part Experiment Observation Sheet
SAMPLE 6: Recommended Books About Plants
All About Seeds by Susan Kuchalla
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
A First Look at Leaves by Millicent Selsam and Joyce Hunt
A Flower Grows by Ken Robbins
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
From Seed to Sunflower by Gerald Legg
How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan
I Wonder Why Trees Have Leaves, and Other Questions About Plants by Andrew Charman
The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow by Joanna Cole
Plants That Never Ever Bloom by Ruth Heller
The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller
Roots Are Food Finders by Franklin Branley
A Seed Grows: My First Look at a Plant's Life Cycle by Pamela Hickman and Heather Collins
Seeds, Pop, Stick, Glide by Patricia Lauber
Stems by Gail Saunders-Smith
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
What is a Plant? by Bobbie Kalman
Your First Garden Book by Marc Brown
