From Seed to Plant:

Using Vocabulary to Understand the Life Cycle of Plants

Name: Jenny Engels

Grade level: 2nd Grade

Subject: Reading (Vocabulary)

Name of Unit: From Seed to Plant (Harcourt Reading Series)

Standards/Benchmarks:

·  D.4.1 Students will use context clues and pictures to infer the meaning of vocabulary words and any other unfamiliar words.

·  A.4.4 Students will use picture cues to activate background knowledge and reinforce comprehension of material.

·  A.4.4 Students will retell information using oral or written communication.

Big Ideas:

·  Plants go through various processes throughout their life cycles.

·  Each part of the plant has an important function that contributes to the plant’s growth and survival.

Key Concepts/Key Questions:

·  What are the main parts of the plant?

·  How do these parts work together to help the plant grow and survive?

·  What processes does a plant go through during its life cycle?

·  Why are these processes important?

·  Why are plants important to our world?

Skills, Knowledge, and Vocabulary to Understand the Content:

·  Skills: Students will be able to read a text, describe the processes of a plant, and describe the main parts of a plant.

·  Knowledge: Students will be able to explain why plant processes are important; students will be able to explain how the parts of the plant work together to help the plant grow and survive; students will be able to explain why plants are important to the world.

·  Vocabulary: pollinate, germinate, grow, ripen, protect, stem, petal, pollen, pistil, stamen, seed coat, root, shoot

Formative and Summative Assessments (including rubric):

·  Pre-Assessment: Using a teacher-created template in Kidspiration, students will classify plant terms relating to the passage From Seed to Plant. They will physically drag the terms into the selected categories and then print the documents out. Using the classification rubric (see attachment: “Pre- and Post-Assessment”), I will determine which children are proficient and which students will need more instructional assistance. This will help me differentiate instruction according to student needs.

·  Post-Assessment: Students will again use the teacher-created template to classify plant terms relating to the passage From Seed to Plant. I will use the same rubric to assess understanding.

·  Informal Assessment: Each day, students will complete a 5-minute journal prompt. This is an informal way for me to see where the students are at in their understanding of the topic.

·  Final Project: Students will reflect on their learning at the end of the unit. They will create their own imaginary plants. They will show the major stages of their plant’s life cycle as well as label the plant parts. They will be assessed with the journal response rubric (see attachment: “Final Project Rubric”).

Learning Activities (include performance tasks, differentiation, grouping, enrichment and reteaching, and materials):

·  Day 1: Students will take a pre-assessment on plant processes and parts. This pre-assessment will be a template in Kidspiration. They will print out their finished copies and I will use these to guide my differentiated instruction. We will briefly go through the terms together. Next, we will Think-Pair-Share about nature and life cycles to build background knowledge. Finally, we will listen to From Seed to Plant on tape and follow along in our textbooks. After the story, students will respond to a 5-minute journal prompt: “What do you know about plants?”

·  Day 2: Based upon the pre-assessment, students will break into groups. Students will popcorn read the text From Seed to Plant within their groups. Those who have proficient understanding of the terms will read and then create memory cards (matching the terms to a picture). Those who need more guided instruction will review the terms with a teacher or educational assistant. They will then play memory using ready-made cards to match the terms to a picture. Students will conclude the lesson with a 5-minute journal prompt: “Why are the plant’s parts important?”

·  Day 3: Students will review the plant terms by playing Plant Jeopardy (teacher-created PowerPoint). Working with a partner, students can select various leveled texts about trees, plants, and seeds. They will be given a plant word checklist to go on a “Vocabulary Hunt” (see attachment: “Vocabulary Hunt”) within their selected texts. Students will then do a 5-minute journal free-write about plants.

·  Day 4: Students will review vocabulary today by playing Plant Taboo (choose a vocabulary word card and try to describe it to a partner). They will then make connections today as they think about various life cycles throughout nature (At this point they have already learned about the life cycles of butterflies, pumpkins, and apples). They will then choose one other life cycle and use a comparison matrix to identify the similarities and differences between this cycle and the life of a plant. They will have access to the text, From Seed to Plant, to use as a reference. Finally, they will respond to a 5-minute journal prompt: “Why are plant processes important?”

·  Day 5: Students will take a post-assessment on plant processes and parts. This will be an indication of where the students are. When students finish, they will be given free reading time with any of the available plant texts. During this time, I will work with students individually to have them explain their classification of terms on the post-assessment. They will finish the lesson with a 5-minute journal prompt: “Why are plants important?”

·  Day 6-8: The final activity will involve creating an imaginary plant. Students will create their own plants, label the plant parts using vocabulary words from the unit, and explain the life cycle of their plants.

·  On Day 6, students will receive a graphic organizer to plan their ideas. They will also receive a rubric explaining the project expectations. They will choose a computer program—such as Kidspiration, Appleworks, or Kidpix—to create their final product. (All programs have time been introduced by this time).

·  On Day 7, students will have work time in the computer lab. They can use their graphic organizers to create their final projects.

·  On Day 8, the students will share their projects with the class. They will self-assess using the Final Project Rubric; I will also assess them using the same rubric. Projects will be displayed as a celebration of the students’ hard work.


Pre- and Post-Assessment: Plant Terms

(Template in Kidspiration)

Name: ______Date: ______

Learning Goal: Classify terms relating to the passage From Seed to Plant utilizing the T-chart below.


Concepts/Terms Classification Rubric

4 / 3 / 2 / 1
Classification concepts/terms / Student classified 100% of concepts/terms / Student classified 90-99% of concepts/terms / Student classified 70-89% of concepts/terms / Student classified less than 69% of concepts/terms
Justification of classified concepts/terms / Of those classified correctly, student logically justified classification of concepts/terms. / Of those classified correctly, student logically justified
90-99% classification of concepts/terms. / Of those classified correctly, student logically justified
70-89% classification of concepts/terms. / Of those classified correctly, student logically justified less than 69% classification of concepts/terms.

Kid-Friendly Concepts/Terms Classification Rubric

4 / 3 / 2 / 1
Classification concepts/terms / I put all the words in the right categories. (100%) / I put most of the words in the right categories.
(90-99%) / I put some of the words in the right categories.
(70-89%) / I put a lot of words in the wrong categories.
(69% and less)
Justification of classified concepts/terms / I can explain why I put all the words in the correct categories.
(100%) / I can explain why I put most of the words in the correct categories.
(90-99%) / I can explain why I put some of the words in the correct categories.
(70-89%) / I can’t explain why I put some of the words in the correct categories.
(69% and less)


Selected Vocabulary:

(I chose at least 5 words to use in my project)

Final Project Rubric

4 / 3 / 2 / 1
Vocabulary of Plant Life Cycle / I used all selected vocabulary words correctly on my plant. / I used most selected vocabulary words correctly on my plant. / I used some selected vocabulary on my plant, but it wasn’t always correct. / I didn’t use the selected vocabulary words correctly.
Explanation of Plant Life Cycle / I clearly explained the life cycle of my plant. I showed that I understand this topic well enough to teach it to someone else. / I explained the life cycle of my plant. I showed that I understand this topic. / I tried to explain the life cycle of my plant. I showed that I understand parts of this topic. / I couldn’t explain the life cycle of my plant. I showed that I need more time to understand this topic.

This is how I feel about the plant unit: ______

______

______


Vocabulary Hunt

Look through the books about trees, plants, and seeds. Whenever you find one of the vocabulary words, check it off your list.

r  Stem

r  Petal

r  Pollen

r  Pollinate

r  Germinate

r  Pistil

r  Stamen

r  Grow

r  Seed

r  Coat

r  Root

r  Ripen

r  Shoot

r  protect