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Grade 1
Unit: Plants
Math SOL 1.18 The student will investigate, identify, and describe various forms of data collection in his/her world (e.g., recording daily temperature, lunch count, attendance, and favorite ice cream), using tables, picture graphs, and object graphs.
Time: 4 weeks
Unit Overview/Rational:
This unit concentrates on the life processes of plants. Students accordingly will learn about plant structure, functions, and how to classify plants. In order to further gain understanding of these concepts, students will participate in activities as well as experiments. By the end of the unit, students should learn that living things can be classified and that the structure of a plant lends to an understanding of systems in general.
Different plants and animals have external features that help them thrive in different kinds of places.* There is variation among individuals of one kind within a population.* Plants play an important role in living systems. Essential Questions Knowledge and Skills Between 3-5 KNOW: What are the basic needs of Plants have basic needs, including food, air, water, light, and a place to plants? grow.** What are the plant parts Plants have different structures that serve different functions in and their functions? growth, survival, and reproduction.** How can you classify plants? The functions of plant parts include roots holding plants in place and absorbing water, seeds making new plants, leaves making food for the How is the structure of a plant, and stems holding the plants upright and transporting materials plant similar to other up and down the plants.** structures?
Plants can be categorized by their different characteristics, such as edible/nonedible, flowering/nonflowering, and evergreen/deciduous.**
DO:
Conduct simple experiments/investigations related to plant needs by changing one variable (food, air, water, light, or place to grow) at a time.** Create and interpret a mode/drawing of a plant, including seeds, roots, stems, leaves, blossoms, and fruits.** Identify the functions of the seed, root, stem, and leaf.** Classify plants by the characteristics of edible/nonedible, flowering/nonflowering, and evergreen/deciduous, using tables, charts, and picture graphs.**
Stage 2. ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE Prior knowledge Pre-Assessment What prior knowledge do students come with? K.6 The student will investigate and understand basic needs and life processes of plants and animals. Key concepts include: a) living things change as they grow, and they need food, water, and air to survive; b) plants and animals live and die (go through a life cycle); and c) offspring of plants and animals are similar but not identical to their parents and to one another.
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Lesson 1
Discovering Plant Parts
(2-3 days)
Essential Question: What are the parts of a plant? Objectives: The students will understand and be able to identify the different parts of plants. (Blooms Taxonomy: Understanding) Students will create and interpret a model/drawing of a plant, including seeds, roots, stems, leaves, blossoms, and fruits. (Blooms Taxonomy: Applying) Standards: English SOL 1.2 Follow simple two-step oral directions Science SOL 1.4 Plants have different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. Materials: KWL Chart Science Interactive Notebooks Science Textbook: Life Science by McGraw Hill (Unit A and Unit B) Markers Tape Poster Board Engage: To engage the students, the teacher will ask the students if they know what plants are. The teacher will construct a KWL chart (see page 6) to help assess what the students already know about plants and what they want to know. Later the students and teacher will complete the section of the chart containing what the students learned. After the KWL chart is formed, the teacher and students will go on a nature walk in the school courtyard or playground area. They will be asked to draw and label the different plants they see within their science interactive notebooks. The teacher can later evaluate their observations for a form of pre-assessment of their basic knowledge of plants. The observations will be discussed as a class and a list of the different types of plants will be made. Following the activity, the class will read Parts of Plants page A10-A13 in their Science textbooks. They will each record the picture of a plant within the textbook and will label the parts of plants within their science interactive notebooks. Explore: 5
Activity The teacher will bring in an array of plants with the roots attached. Students will be placed in groups. Each group will consist of four students. The groups will each receive a plant which they will tape to a piece of poster board. Using markers, the students will take turns labeling the different parts of the plant (seeds, roots, stems, leaves, blossoms, and fruits). Students will be encouraged to draw the setting surrounding the plant and to demonstrate creativity. Differentiate the activity by having the students who demonstrate readiness label a plant which may be more difficult to label. Likewise, students who demonstrate difficulty with the activity can be provided note cards with the parts of the plant already labeled so they only have to match the note card to the correct part of the plant. Explain: After the plant exploration activity, each group will take turns holding up their posters and telling the class which parts of the plants were observed. The teacher will answer questions, provide/prompt explanations where needed, and will make corrections as needed. The posters will be displayed within the classroom for student reference. Extend: Have students cut out two pictures from a magazine or newspaper of plants and label the plant parts for homework. Evaluation: The teacher will assess the students in an informal matter by having them complete an Exit Ticket. The teacher will draw a plant on the board with an arrow pointing to one part of the plant. The student will write down which part of the plant the arrow is pointing to on a piece of paper and will hand it to the teacher at the end of class before exiting the classroom. Afterwards, the teacher will review the exit tickets for student understanding.
K What I Know
L What I Learned
Lesson 2
Plant Part Functions
(2-3 days)
Essential Questions: What are the plant parts and their functions? Objectives: The student will understand the different functions of plant parts. The functions of plant parts include roots holding plants in place and absorbing water, seeds making new plants, leaves making food for the plant, and stems holding the plants upright and transporting materials up and down the plants. Standards: Science SOL 1.4 The student will identify the functions of the seed, root, stem, and leaf. Materials: a clear cup water food coloring a trimmed bottom celery stalk with leaves Science Interactive Notebooks Computer Raft Celery Activity Sheet Engage: The teacher will begin by playing a video from BrainPopJr following the link: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/plants/partsofaplant/. Then the teacher and students will form groups through the Stand Up, Hand Up, and Pair up method. (students stand, put their hands up, and pair up with a student from a different table). Each group will make a list of what they learned from the video. Afterwards, the groups will have a chance to share what they learned with the class. At this time the teacher will make a list of the important vocabulary for this lesson learned from the video (see page 9). Explore: Celery Activity (see page 10) Students will be placed in groups of four in order to complete the celery activity. Groups will be organized randomly by counting off groups of four. Explain: After the Celery Activity the students will Answer the following questions and illustrate (Science Interactive Notebook): 1. How do the stem and leaves look? 8
2. Remove the celery and dry it off. Look closely at the root end. What do you see? 3. Have an adult (teacher) slice a few pieces of the celery. What do you see? 4. What do roots and stems do? The teacher and students will discuss the results at the end of the activity in a group discussion. The teacher will guide student responses and answer student questions to facilitate an overall understanding of what roots and stems do. Extend: During center time, students will be given the opportunity to complete a RAFT (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) assignment of their choosing related to plants (see page 11). Evaluate: The teacher will collect the science interactive notebooks and check student responses as well as illustrations in an informal manner in order to check for student understanding. Additionally, the teacher will assess student participation during group activities for understanding and ability levels.
Vocabulary (Lesson 2)
Roots-hold the plants in place and absorb water and nutrients for the plants. Seeds- make new plants. Leaves-make food for the plant. Stems-hold the plants upright and transport materials up and down the plant.
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Differentiate this activity for readiness by having some students predict what would happen if they put a white flower in the cup with food coloring. Then allow the students to repeat the activity with a white carnation flower and record their observations.
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Role
Root
Audience
Soil
Format
Letter
Topic
Friendship
Stem
Whole Plant
Story
Courage
Seeds
New Plants
Paragraph
Need to Know
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Lesson 3
Growing Plants
(2-3 days)
Essential Questions: What are the basic needs of plants? Objectives: The student will understand that plants have basic needs in order to survive. The student will conduct an experiment related to plants and will change one variable at a time. Standards: Science SOL 1.4 Plants have basic needs, including food, air, water, light, and a place to grow. Materials: Science Interactive Notebooks Seeds (Lima Beans are suggested) Soil Water Engage: The teacher will prompt the students by stating that plants are living things. They will ask the students if they know what plants have to have to stay alive. After a list of ideas is constructed on poster paper, the teacher will highlight what the true basic needs of plants (food, air, water, light, and a place to grow) are. Afterwards, the teacher will ask the students to copy the list in their Science Interactive Notebooks. Following this task, the students will be asked what will happen if the plant does not have its needs met. The students will be asked to put paired heads together to discuss their answers. The teacher will make sure that the students understand that plants have to have all of their needs in order to survive. Explore: The teacher will begin by using the four question strategy to facilitate an experiment of which they will have the students complete.
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4. How could you determine the response of the plant to what you changed? After using the four question strategy, the students will be ready to begin an experiment on plants. See Experimenting with Plants (page 14-17) Explain: Following the experiment with plants, the teacher will discuss the results with the students. The teacher will explain that plants survive when their needs are met. Student questions will be answered at this time as well to clarify understandings. Extend: The students will be asked to come up with another variable in which they could have changed within the experiment for homework. Students would be prompted to state what they could change and how. Evaluate: The students will be assessed on their experiment formally through the guidelines specified within the rubric on page 17.
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First Grade Science and Writing Objectives: K: Plants have basic needs, including food, air, water, light, and a place to grow. U: Plants will grow better in areas where their needs are met. D: Conduct a simple experiment related to plant needs by changing one variable (i.e. place to grow). Rationale: The reason for this task is to see if you understand the basic needs of plants. Through this experiment and your conclusions, you will show your understanding. Goal: Your task is to conduct a simple experiment by determining where a plant will grow best through changing the places plants grow within the classroom. Role: You are a botanist that works for Adams Incorporated, which is trying to figure out where the best place to grow plants is within a classroom. The company of Adams Incorporated is giving you all of the necessary materials you will need to conduct your experiment. Audience: You need to convince Ms. Adams, the owner of Adams Incorporated, that you understand the basic needs of plants and that you are able to apply this to where you are going to place your plants for optimal growth within the classroom. Situation: The context you find yourself in is within a classroom owned by Adams Incorporated. You must choose three places in which to place your plants and then decide where the plants grow the best and why. You will need to water your plants daily.
Product, Performance, and Purpose: You need to show Ms. Adams of Adams Incorporated what you discovered by recording your observations in your science journal each 15
day for a period of 1 week and by recording your final thoughts on the attached graphic organizer. Standards and Criteria for Success: Your drawings, observations, explanations, and conclusion should: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of plant needs and how these needs effect plant growth. 2. Be written in complete sentences with proper capitalization and punctuation. 3. Show the areas in which the plants were placed. 4. Indicate the best place for growing plants within the classroom through a conclusion statement.
Differentiate this activity by providing students who may be struggling with the locations in which to place their plants. Then you can prompt them on which of the given locations was the best for growing plants and why.
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1
Chose one location to place plants.
2
Chose two locations to place plants.
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Chose three locations to place plants without clearly indicating where they were in the classroom.
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Chose three locations to place plants and clearly indicated where they were in the classroom.
Provided a conclusion which was incomplete or slightly off topic. Some incomplete sentences with more than 4 grammatical errors.
Provided a conclusion which did not demonstrate an understanding of plant needs. Some incomplete sentences with 2 or 3 grammatical errors.
Conclusion: The best place for a plant to grow is_________________________________________ because_________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________.
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Lesson 4
Classifying Plants
(2-3 days)
Essential Questions: How can you classify plants? How are plant structures similar to other structures? Objectives: The student will classify plants by the characteristic of edible/nonedible, flowering/nonflowering, and evergreen/deciduous, using tables, charts, and picture graphs. Standards: Science SOL 1.4 Plants can be categorized by their different characteristics, such as edible/nonedible, flowering/nonflowering, and evergreen/deciduous. English SOL 1.12 The student will write to communicate ideas. Math SOL 1.18 The student will investigate, identify, and describe various forms of data collection in his/her world (e.g., recording daily temperature, lunch count, attendance, and favorite ice cream), using tables, picture graphs, and object graphs. Materials: Camera Computer Science Interactive Notebooks Circle Map Flowering/Non-Flowering Chart Blank Booklets Engage (Entire Lesson): The students will be questioned about the different types of plants. Using a circle map (page 20) the class will discuss and brainstorm different types of plants. When students begin drawing a blank, the teacher will guide students towards certain answers such as; edible, nonedible, flowering, nonflowering, and evergreen/deciduous. Pictures of each will be shown (page 21-23). The plant pictures will be posted within the classroom. The students will write down the definitions of each type of plant and illustrate within their Science Interactive Notebooks. Explore Edible Plants: Edible Plants Activity 19
The teacher will bring in an assortment of edible plants. The edible plants will be placed within centers. Each of the students will have a chance at each of the centers. They will take turns touching and tasting the plants as well as forming observations. Following the activity, the students will construct a plant menu. They will be given a blank booklet in which they can write and illustrate their menu items. There must be a minimum of three plant menu items. The title of the menu will be similar to, The Special of the Day is Plants. Explain Edible Plants: The teacher will explain that the difference between edible and nonedible plants is that some can be eaten while others cannot. The teacher will answer all questions and will check for student understanding. Extend Edible Plants: The students will be instructed to try to find one edible and one non edible plant not described during the lesson. They will take turns sharing their plants with the class. Evaluate Understanding of Edible Plants: The teacher will view the plant menu as an informal assessment. They will check for student understanding, make sure the students had at least three menu items, and will check for correct punctuation usage. Explore Flowering/Non-Flowering Plants: Flowering/Non Flowering Activity Students will go on a nature walk to observe the different types of plants. The teacher will aid the students in taking pictures of both flowering and non-flowering plants. When the teacher and students return to the classroom, the teacher will upload the pictures to a computer or a smart board. After the pictures are uploaded, the teacher and students will take turns sorting plants into a graph (page 21). Explain Flowering/Non-Flowering Plants: The teacher will prompt the students to say why they chose the column they did for placing each picture. They will guide the students as necessary and will answer any questions. Extend Flowering/Non-Flowering Plants: The teacher can allow students to bring in either a flowering or non-flowering plant from home. The next day, the class can take turns sharing what they found. Evaluate Understanding of Flowering/Non-Flowering Plants: The teacher will informally assess the students understanding by monitoring the columns in which they place the pictures of the plants during the Flowering/Non-Flowering Activity. They will make notations as to which students may need further help in the content area.
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Explore Evergreen/Deciduous Plants: Evergreen/Deciduous Activity The teacher will bring in various plants that are evergreen and deciduous. Each student will have a chance to predict which category the individual plants should be placed in; evergreen or deciduous. They will record their observations in a chart which they will draw in their Science Interactive Notebooks. The headings for the chart will be evergreen and deciduous. Differentiate this activity by providing a visual for students who may be having trouble designed their chart within their Science Interactive Notebooks. Illustrate the chart on a chalkboard and provide the students with an example. Explain Evergreen/Deciduous Plants: Following the Evergreen/Deciduous Activity, the teacher will give the answers as to which column each plant should go under. Each student will self-assess how many of the plants they were able to place correctly. The teacher will answer questions accordingly. Extend Evergreen/Deciduous Plants: Each student will choose whether they prefer evergreen or deciduous plants and will explain why in complete sentences. Evaluate Evergreen/Deciduous Plants: The students will be informally assessed during the activity through teacher observation. During the activity the teacher will make observations as to which students were placing the plants in the correct column and thus were grasping the material being taught.
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Circle Map
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http://www.iselinursery.com
http://www.gardenplants.ie/
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http://oaklandliving.files.wordpress.com
http://shanklinchine.co.uk/wpimages/
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http://www.humeseeds.com
http://www.iselinursery.com
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Flowering Plants
Non-Flowering Plants
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Final Evaluation
The students will be presented with a summative assessment on plants in the form of a multiple-choice test. (see page 28-30).
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Plant Test
Name _______________________________________________ Date _________________ Please choose the best answer for each question. (This test will be graded on a 100 point grading scale. Each question is worth 10 points.) 1. What do all plants need to grow?1 a. rocks b. water c. pots d. shovel 2. What will a seed grow best in? a. Sand b. Rocks c. Soil d. Leaves 3. Which part of a plant holds the plant upright? a. Petals b. Flower c. Leaves d. Stem 4. What is this plant?
5. The function of the roots of a plant is a. To help anchor the plant in soil b. To help the plant stay dry c. To help make the plant green d. To help give the plant dirt 6. Which part of the plant is the arrow pointing to?
a. Roots
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b. Stem c. Leaves d. Flower 7. Evergreen plants do which of the following? a. Grow taller than other plants b. Stay green all year round c. Have the most flowers d. Lose their leaves in the winter 8. The function of the flowering part of a plant is to? a. make water b. make soil c. make seeds d. make food 9. The fruit part of a plant does which of the following? a. Protects the seeds b. Takes in water c. Helps plants grow d. Makes new plants
10. How do you know that plants are living things?2 a. They take in sunlight
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Science: teachers addition: life science . (2002). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.p.A7 30
b. They grow and change c. They are green in color d. They have many leaves
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Resources **Atlas of Science Literacy *Virginia Department of Education, (2003). Science standards of learning Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/science/index. shtml
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