IRP Prescribed Learning Outcome

Plants Unit

Grade 3

For this unit of study, I have gathered several online resources that are grade appropriate for children to use themselves, As well as a few sites for teachers to find accurate and more advanced information about plants. I have also included the Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PRLs) for grade 3 science from the British Columbia curriculum for convenience and quick reference.

Below the resource list are links to the websites of several local botanical gardens (Vancouver, BC) should you decide to take the kids on a field trip. I have also included the links to some common children search engines.

IRP Prescribed Learning Outcome

Grade 3

- compare familiar plants according to similarities and differences in appearance and life cycles

- describe ways in which plants are important to other living things and the environment

- describe how plants are harvested and used throughout the seasons

Activity 1

§ Introduction to plants

What is a plant?

Introduction activity

After the teacher has introduced the topic with a brainstorming activity, and shown a variety of plants brought from home or a garden centre, the teacher could then use the following website to give the children background knowledge and lots of visuals to draw from. Class may also go outside to a local park and explore different types of plant life in the neighbourhood.

http://pics.tech4learning.com/?view=sub&cat=Plants

Great pictures of thousands of plants –

This site is web-share of copyright-friendly images for education.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/gardening/bloom/secret_life_of_flowers/

This site is nothing short of amazing. The children will never look at flowers the same way again. With click of the mouse, students can see flowers from eye view to a microscopic view. An auditory voice guides the student. It is colourful and very interactive. A must see!

ACTIVITY 2

§ Parts of the plant, Life cycle of the plant, Similarities and differences

What are the parts of a plant?

How do they grow?

To teach concept:

http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/main.html

This is an excellent site to teach, in a simple and visually attractive way all the elements of a plant and what it needs to survive. There is a lot of text to read, but the reading level is geared for grade 3. Struggling readers will get a lot from the images. There is a video of a growing seed and other links within the site.

Student Practice:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/9_10/life_cycles.shtml

Students can practice what they have learned in the previous lesson. Students test their knowledge as they try to identify the parts of the plant by correctly dragging the individual parts in the labelled boxes. This site is interactive and has voice aid for struggling readers.

More practice:

http://www2.bgfl.org/bgfl2/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/science/plants_pt2/index.html

An excellent interactive site, to further practice and reinforce the concepts of the life cycle, parts of the plant, adaptation and identification of plants. This site has auditory voice as well.

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/

The home site of the above BGFL link. It has fantastic educational links. Worth a look, and to perhaps bookmark.

ACTIVITY 3 WebQuest: Plants and our Environment

http://webquest.org/questgarden/lessons/28129-060618172114.

- Plants: their importance to other living beings and the environment

- Adaptation

- Use of plants (food and natural resources)

Individual or group project

Awesome slideshow of how cotton is harvested

http://www.cotton.org/pubs/cottoncounts/fieldtofabric/forty-frames.cfm

Field trips possibilities

http://www.butchartgardens.com/main.php

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/

http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/parks/vandusen/website/

http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com/

http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/parks/queenelizabeth/index.htm

http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/parks/stanley/index.htm

http://www.bcpassport.com/outdoor/gardens.html

http://www.greatervancouverparks.com/ParkTilford01.html]

Other sites for teacher’s reference (some may be used with students):

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0000893

http://www.bcflora.org/

http://www.botany.com/

http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Flowering_plants

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/plavege.shtml

http://www.pfaf.org/

Kid’s Search Engines

http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/

http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/

http://www.askforkids.com/

http://www.netnanny.com/

Bibliography

Birmingham Grid for Learning. (2006). Life cycle of plants. Retrieved June 9, 2006, from http://www2.bgfl.org/bgfl2/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/science/plants_pt2/index.html

British Broadcasting Corporation. (2006). BBC - schools science clips - life cycles. Retrieved June 13, 2006, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/9_10/life_cycles.shtml

Exploratorium. (2006). Exploratorium science of gardening: The secret lives of flowers. Retrieved June 9, 2006, from http://www.exploratorium.edu/gardening/bloom/secret_life_of_flowers/

Tech 4 Learning Inc. (2002). Pics4learning - Tech4learning. Retrieved June 12, 2006, from http://pics.tech4learning.com/?view=sub&cat=Plants

The Evergreen Project Inc. (2006). Biology of plants. Retrieved June 8, 2006, from http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/main.html