Intasc Standard 3: Learning Environments &
Intasc Standard 4: Content Knowledge
Intasc Anchor Standard #3 The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.
Intasc Anchor Standard #4 The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
The unit began with a plant and flower brainstorming activity, followed by a note taking session on the life cycle of a Seed Plant, and wrapped up with a Dicot Seed Lab using Kidney beans. The Seed Plant Unit is a lab intensive unit that emphasizes the eight practices of science: 1) Ask questions (for science) and define problems (for engineering); 2) Develop and use models; 3) Plan and carry out investigations; 4) Analyze and interpret data; 5) Use math and computational thinking; 6) Construct explanations (for science) and design solutions (for engineering); 7) Engage in argument from evidence; and 8) Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information. These lessons also meet LS1: from molecules to organisms: Structure and process and LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics. These lesson provided opportunities for collaborative learning, encouraged positive social interactions, student engagement in their learning and self motivation opportunities.
Posted below are example of the 6th grade Seed Unit worksheet described above to prove my understanding of Intasc Anchor Standards 3 a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, and r and Intasc Anchor Standards 4 a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, and r. The examples include different strategies used during the Seed Plant Unit.
Intasc Anchor Standard #4 The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
The unit began with a plant and flower brainstorming activity, followed by a note taking session on the life cycle of a Seed Plant, and wrapped up with a Dicot Seed Lab using Kidney beans. The Seed Plant Unit is a lab intensive unit that emphasizes the eight practices of science: 1) Ask questions (for science) and define problems (for engineering); 2) Develop and use models; 3) Plan and carry out investigations; 4) Analyze and interpret data; 5) Use math and computational thinking; 6) Construct explanations (for science) and design solutions (for engineering); 7) Engage in argument from evidence; and 8) Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information. These lessons also meet LS1: from molecules to organisms: Structure and process and LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics. These lesson provided opportunities for collaborative learning, encouraged positive social interactions, student engagement in their learning and self motivation opportunities.
Posted below are example of the 6th grade Seed Unit worksheet described above to prove my understanding of Intasc Anchor Standards 3 a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, and r and Intasc Anchor Standards 4 a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, and r. The examples include different strategies used during the Seed Plant Unit.
The first activity required students to work in teams of 4 or 5 to brainstorm ideas about plant and flower products (see below) they could find in stores, their house, or even their classroom. This was a great opportunity for collaborative learning and positive social interactions among peers. I encourage the students to share their brainstorming ideas and asked them to think critically about products that contain plants and flowers. I then encouraged the students to look on-line, go through their cabinets in the kitchen, and discover products they would not have guessed to contain plants and flowers. All the while, I was observing their interactions with their peers and their critical thinking and reasoning skills by actively walking around the room. I would also encourage them, when I heard a great example to continue to work together.
I modeled the life cycle of a Seed Plant. I made sure to have students investigate the Life Cycle of a Seed Plant (see below) display board and then asked them questions about each part of the cycle. Questions, included what do the roots do for the plant, what do the leaves do for the plant, and why is the stem important to the plant. At the same time I taught them strategies to remember these parts of the plant. This activity went very well and every student participated.
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As I began instruction, modeling was a key strategy used to teach the labs. While I dissected the kidney bean on the Elmo, projected onto the large screen, students dissected theirs’ at their tables. Next, I modeled how I wanted them to sketch and describe what they saw on their kidney bean (see below). I also asked them to investigate the seed and use the labeled diagram provided on the lab worksheet to identify the parts they were seeing.
In future lessons, students used index cards to create hands-on interactions and word scrambles to help students learn key vocabulary terms and the reactants and products of photosynthesis. They began learning photosynthesis by comparing it to Cellular Respiration, which they had learned about in the fall.
Finally, I asked students to take the information on a poster on How plants make food and put the information into their own words. They also had to figure out what the common theme on the poster was and determine what part of the plant was most important to survival. Most students figured out quickly that if the plant had no leaves then it could not make food and would not survive after the plant used up the stored food.
KIM vocabulary sheets were also utilized throughout the unit. To wrap up the unit, students displayed their understanding of the Seed Plant Life Cycle by creating Life Cycle of a Seed Plant Booklets. These booklets contained all the learners worksheets, exit tickets, and information they had obtained during the unit. These booklets will be used in the Student's Portfolios during parent teacher conferences to show students understanding and success.