Cathy Boerner Science Lesson #5- Videotaped ED 338 Rationale: It is the beginning of spring and we are seeing lots

of changes outside. It is a great time to take advantage of the various changes to discuss some of the basic concepts and needs of plants. In order for children to grasp the concepts of plants at different stages of growth, it is a good idea to make sure to incorporate a lot of hand-on activities to allow the students to make observations and connections while using their senses. Instructing the children to pretend they are scientists is a way for the children to connect with the different things a scientist does: observe, explore, compare, describe, predict. Another thing a scientist does is record their observations. While the children are exploring the tables they will be recording their observations and sharing them with the group at the end of the activity.

Cathy Boerner April 2011 Domains (Kostelnik, p.216): Cognitive; Perception, physical knowledge, logical knowledge, scientific understanding, critical thinking skills. Language; Receptive language, listening skills, expressive language. Aesthetic; Appreciation and enjoyment of sensory experiences. Activity Name: Spring Seeds Become Summer Flowers Goals (Omnibus: Scientific Thinking, Language and Literacy): A: Listening 1: Gains meaning by listening. A Inquiry 1: Seeks information through observation, exploration, and descriptive investigations. 3: Communicate scientific information B Physical Science 1: Identifies, describes, and compares properties of objects. C Life Science 1: Observes and describes characteristics, basic needs, and life cycles of living things. Objectives: Students will be able to: Ask questions and figure out ways, with teacher help, to investigate how plants grow and survive. Use describing words while investigating different parts of a plant at different growth stages. The students will plant a seed in soil to bring home and watch grow. The students will identify four plant parts; labeling the roots, stem, leaves and flower. The students will draw what they see at each plant station. Student Assessment: I will be observing the students participation during all activities. The students will be assessed by all of the following: Being able to describe what they see during our plant investigation. Being able to draw pictures of their observations at each station. Labeling the four parts of a flower. Group Assessment- Interaction with peers and use of manipulatives. Sharing their plant observations during circle time.

Facts, Concepts and Principles Parts of the Flower: 1. Root - holds the plant in the ground and absorbs water and nutrients from the soil. 2. Stem - carries the water and nutrients to the rest of the plant. It also helps support it and direct the leaves towards the sunlight for them to produce the food source for the plant.

3. Leaves - make food for the plant 4. Flowers - make the seeds to make new flowers 5. Seeds make up the beginning and ending of a plants life. 6. The wind and animals (bury and or deposit seeds by their droppings) are just some of the ways seeds travel. 7. Plants are alive just like us. They grow and die. They need food to live. 8. Plants need water, air, and soil to survive. Water comes from rain or from people who grow plants. Soil is the ground we walk on. Some people buy soil and put it in a pot where to plant a seed and grow. Plants need water, air, and soil the same way we do. Materials: Plants at three stages (bulb/seed, growing, flower blossomed), soil, 18 little magnifying glasses, book on flowers, larger magnifying glasses, paper and drawing supplies, paper towels, drawing books for each student, called My Plant Book by (students name). Instructional Srategies: Questions, Sensory Engagement, Environmental Cue, Task Analysis, Modeling, Telling/Explaining, Paraphrase Reflections, Do-It-Signals. Procedures: (1 hour long activity) Opening: (10 minutes) We will begin by gathering on the carpet. I will introduce by starting with "What do children need to grow?" Then, I will ask the students what they think plants might need. I will encourage discussion by having the students share what they know about plants on a K-L chart. As I call on students and they tell me things they already know about plants, I will write them under Things We Know. I will introduce to the students that one type of plant is a flower that grows from seed. I will show pages from a book on flowers. The book will explain several facts and concepts about flowers. Flowers have four major parts that include roots, stems, leaves and flower buds. I will explain that the root is used to take water and minerals from the soil. The stem is used to transport food and water to different parts of the plant as well as hold the plant up so that it does not fall. The leaves are used to make food for the plant from water, light, and air. The flowers make our world pretty and produce more seeds for more plants to grow. Demonstration: (10 minutes at each of three stations, and time for transitions and clean up, for a total of 40 minutes) Next, I will inform the students that we are going to look at some real plants at different stages of their life. At this time we will move to tables with various plants forms at each table. Each table will have six students. At the end of ten minutes students will move to

another table. A teacher/student teacher/aide will be at each table to guide the students. During our investigation of the plants, the students will be encouraged to use their three senses (touch, smell, sight) to describe what they see. I will move to each table and ask questions, encouraging discussion and predictions of flower growth. The students will have time to discuss parts of the plant and look at different plants they will demonstrate their understanding by drawings during their time at each station. The students will be asked to label four different parts of the plant (roots, stem, leaves, flower). Closing: (10 minutes) The students will gather on the carpet and volunteer to share their observations and drawings with the class. I will then ask children to tell me something they learned during this lesson about plants, and/or flowers during this activity. I will write their responses under Things We Learned. Adaptations: Allow student to work with a partner or teacher during activities. Allow student to only draw and color (no description needed) during drawing activity. Allow verbal response to show the parts of the plant. Essential Questions: 1. What are the parts of a plant (stem, leaves, roots, flower (or fruit)? 2. What do plants need to survive and grow? 3. How do seeds become flowers? 4. How can you describe what you see when you look at the plants? 5. How can you explain what makes a flower real or fake? What is the difference?

Self-Assessment: 1) How did advance preparation (or lack of it) contribute to the success of the lesson? How comfortable were you with the work you put in ahead of time, including the extent of your own knowledge base and understanding the prior knowledge that the students possessed? How well did you have materials ready and accessible for your use and for the childrens use? How did your classroom profile knowledge contribute to your lesson design? I was quite prepared for this lesson. I revised my plan a few times and my cooperating teacher reviewed my lesson plan more than a week in advance. She made some suggestions that I incorporated into my lesson. Beforehand I planned out all of the materials I was going to bring and had them all ready to go the night before. I arrived

to class with plenty of time to set up all of the stations. I did research on strategies for teaching plant concepts to students at the kindergarten level. 2) How could you tell the students respected you and were happy to work with you and each other? How did you show your enthusiasm and try to build rapport with the students? The students were well behaved for the duration of the lesson. It was extremely helpful to have three adults assist the children at each station as I walked around to all of them. I was very excited about this lesson plan and I think it showed. 3) How well did you help the students get ready to learn? How clear were you in setting expectations for learning? How accurate were the assumptions you had before the lesson? How well did the materials you used meet the needs of the children? How well did you apply specific instructional strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners? How well did your questions encourage higher-level thinking by the students? Was the lesson carried out as planned? What changes were made and why? I spent about 15 minutes introducing our activity and going over the instructions of the activity. I explained my expectations for each part of the activity from beginning to end. The children were very engaged in the materials. It was evident that they enjoyed the hands-on experience. I think I diversified my strategies to help all of the students grasp the main concepts. I asked a lot of questions that were aimed towards getting the students to think about how things happen, and why. For the most part the lesson was carried out as planned, except I didnt end up reading from a book that I had planned to read at the beginning of the activity. I wanted to keep on time with things and I knew that I was going to need to leave something out and I thought it would not affect the rest of the activity if I dont read from the book. 4) What questions did you ask that facilitated the development of content understanding and critical thinking? What indicated that the lesson was developmentally appropriate for children in the group? Which children achieved which objectives? How do you know? What might be included to strengthen the childrens learning? Can you identify the three parts of the flower? Do you think this plant is full-grown? Is this soil the same as that soil? How are they different? Are these the same flowers? Can you explain to me what makes them different? What did you see when you looked through the magnifying glass? What did you taste? What does this remind you of?

Where do you think the strawberries grow? What part of the plant is this? That fact that the students were all engaged and the lesson ran smoothly indicated to me that the lesson was developmentally appropriate. At the end of the activity the children had a lot of things to share- both drawings and stories of what they learned. 5) How would you describe your relationship with your cooperating teacher, other adults in the building and parents or caregivers? What have you learned about collaborating with others and considering their perspectives? How well have you projected yourself as a professional, in dress, demeanor, and actions? My relationship with my cooperating teacher could use more communication. I feel that some of the things she communicates with my instructor do not correlate with what we talk about, how I thought things are going, and the preparation of my lessons. It is always my goal to be professional. As a result of poor planning, I arrived a bit late during times that it was my plan to arrive early, with plenty of time to get ready. Because of this I didnt have enough time to mentally prepare myself for a couple of the lessons I taught. 6) Which Alverno Education Abilities will you focus on in the future to further your growth in the Wisconsin Standards for Teacher Development and Licensure, and why? I need to continue to focus on communication during rough times. Although this semester was quite a trial for me, I need to work on how to keep up good communication during times where I am physically sick and mentally stressed.