Introduction
This project is for first grade students. The purpose of this project is to teach students about plants and trees. With the information they learn, they will be able to identify the similarities between the two. They will also be able to identify the differences between the two. The information needed to complete this project will be found through guided readings, internet research, collaboration with peers, and group instruction. The students will complete a journal throughout the project and document the differences and similarities we find.
Standards: Subjects: Science, Reading, Writing
LS3.B: Variation of Traits- Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal are recognizable as similar but can also vary in many ways. (1-LS3-1)
ELA.1.6. Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in an informational text.
ELA. 1.21. Write informative/explanatory texts by naming a topic, supplying some facts about the topic, and providing some sense of closure.
Task
1.What are the similarities between trees and plants? The objective for the end of this project is that anyone will be able to look through the students journal and see what the similarities and differences are between plants and trees.
2.The students will listen to a read aloud about how trees change with the 4 seasons. Link to the read aloud:
3. Students will be exploring the life cycle of a plant.
4. Dissecting a lima bean seed. Before they dissect the lima bean, they will watch this video.
5. Students will learn what a plant needs to survive. They will watch this video before they complete the activity.
6. Guided Search of plants and trees similarities. List three in journal.
7. Guided Search of plants and trees differences. List three in journal.
Process
Lesson 1: First, we will make a KWL chart in their journals to determine what we already know about plants and trees and what we want to know. Students will watch a video on BrainpopJr about trees and then plants. Then, after both videos we will be able to determine what we learned about both. The questions that we wanted to know, but did not receive information on. We will do an internet inquiry as a class to figure it out.
We will use Kiddle to type in each question, and then we will be able to record the answers below the KWL chart in their journals.
Lesson 2: After the read aloud students will have a group discussion about how the trees looked in the different seasons. Then they will complete a drawing of the tree in each season. This will be added to their journal. Link to 4 season page:
Lesson 3: Students will watch a video of the plant life cycle. https://jr.brainpop.com/science/plants/plantlifecycle/
Then, they will paste an activity page in their journal where they will glue pictures in the correct order of the plant life cycle.
file:///Users/owner/Downloads/PlantLifeCycleInOrder-1.pdf
Lesson 4: The first grade students will be dissecting a lima bean seed to find out what is inside. They will have plenty of tools/materials to use while dissecting the seed such as a kid-friendly magnifying glass, paper towels, water, and a pencil to test for texture. In their journals, there will be a diagram of a lima bean seed. Students will watch a video called “What’s Inside of the Seed?” After learning about what is inside of a lima bean seed, students will label and color the diagram in their journals.
Lesson 5: Students will be learning about the basic things a plant must have to grow and survive. They will learn the acronym LAWN- light, air, water, and nutrients. Students will compare and contrast what a plant needs to survive vs. what a human needs to survive.
Lesson 6: Students will see a guided search on how to search the similarities of plants and trees. I will guide them through it and we will be working on it together. Each student will be conducting this on their own chromebook. Then, the students will have to list three similarities of both plants and trees in their journal. They will be conducting this search on Kiddle.
Lesson 7: Students will be doing the same exact thing as in Lesson 4, except this time they will be exploring the differences of plants and trees. They will then record three differences of plants and trees in their journal.
Evaluation
Evaluation: Journal Rubric
|
Excellent (5pt) |
Good (3pt) |
Needs Work (1pt) |
|
|
Punctuation/Capital Letter |
All sentences start with a capital letter and end with proper punctuation. |
Most sentences start with a capital letter and end with proper punctuation. |
Few sentences start with a capital letter and few end with proper punctuation. |
|
Journal Entries |
All journal entries are completed and the questions are answered. |
Most journal entries are completed and most questions have been answered. |
Few journal entries have been completed and few questions have been answered. |
|
Details |
The journal provides great detail explaining how plants and trees are both similar and different. |
The journal provides good detail that explains how plants and trees are both similar and different. |
The journal provides very little detail and does not explain how plants and trees are both similar and different. |
|
Completion |
Journal is completed and turned in on the due date. |
Journal is mostly completed and turned in on the due date. |
Journal was not completed and was not turned in on the due date. |
|
Tree colored for each season |
All 4 seasons correct: 40 |
3 seasons correct: 30 |
2 seasons correct: 20 |
1 or none season correct: 10 |
|
Glued in journal correct page |
Yes: 10 |
No: 5 |
Not in journal: 0 |
|
|
Name on paper |
Yes 10 |
No 0 |
||
|
Added to group discussion |
Yes: 10 |
No: 0 |
Conclusion
Students will be making a flip book that visually shows the life cycle of both the plants and trees. This activity will help them be able to sum up what they have learned and visually represent the stages of life of a tree and plant. The students will be able to identify what is similar and what is different in this flip book.
Students will then turn in their completed journals once we finish the inquiry project.
Credits
BrainpopJr: https://jr.brainpop.com/science/plants/trees/
Kiddle: https://www.kiddle.co/
Both of these websites are kid friendly to use. The students can access these websites on their chromebooks and watch each video they are assigned to watch in Brainpop. When they are conducting their search to know more about plants and trees, we will do that together, I will model what the students will do by displaying my screen on the board and then the students will follow what I do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70MBpwbFUsU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P05rK6bCXpc
Teacher Page
Mackenzie Allen- mackenzieallen325@gmail.com
Allie Perry- perry416@marshall.edu
Susan Linsley- slinsley12@gmail.com