Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETSSTemplate I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Template with guiding questions
Teacher(s)
Name
Tiffany Mclain
Position

GA Pre-K

School/District

Cobb County

E-mail

tmclain082@gmail.com

Phone

770-905-1717

Grade Level(s)

Pre-K

Content Area

Science

Time line
1 week
Standards (What do you want students to know and be able to do? What knowledge, skills, and strategies do
you expect students to gain? Are there connections to other curriculum areas and subject area benchmarks? )
Please put a summary of the standards you will be addressing rather than abbreviations and numbers that
indicate which standards were addressed.

Content Standards

CD-SC1.4c Records observations through dictating to an adult and drawing pictures or

using other forms of writing.
CD-SC3.4a Observes, explores and describes a variety of
Animals and plants. Describes their basic needs and life cycles.

NETS*S Standards:
ISTE S1. Creativity and innovation
b. Create original works as a mean of personal or group expression
ISTE S2. Communication and collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support
individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and
media.
ISTE S3. Research and information fluency
a. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and
media.

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The object of this lesson is for students to create a 4-page Plant Part book using Story Jumper to identify different
parts of a plant and its functions. Students will first do a KWL chart showing what they know and what they need
to know about plant parts and its functions. Students will watch Brain Pop Jr. to introduce them to plant parts, then
as a whole group students will fill out a flower part diagram to show recall of parts of the plants they saw in the
Brain Pop Jr. clip. Students will choose a partner to work with to observe and record their observations in their
science journal. Each pair will receive one plastic bag and four lima beans. One person from each pair will wet a
paper towel and place it in the bag. The other person will place the four lima beans in the bag and seal the bag.
Each pair will have the opportunity to name their bag. The teacher will then tape each bag to the window. Days 25, students will talk about each part of the plant. After that students will watch a Google slide (2-3 slides) showing
authentic pictures of the part of the plant they are learning about that day. Students will then learn The Plant
Chant, according to which part of the plant they are learning that day. My feet are like roots they are the toil,
roots take water and minerals out of the soil. My body is like the stem, and it keeps the plant tall, the stem will
never ever let the plant fall. My hands are like the leaves and they help the plant stay alive, the leaves make the
plants food to help it thrive. My face is like the flower as pretty as can be, the flower attracts insects so pretty it
must be. After students learn the part of the plant chant for the day students will go as pairs to observe their
bean sprout in the window. Then individually students will record their observations in the science journal by
drawing, writing, or both. Day 4-5 students will begin working on Story Jumper to complete their books. At the end
of day 4 and 5, the teacher will read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle and The Carrot Seed by Ruth Karuss. When all
students complete their books they will be given 20 minutes to share their books with their partners.

Overview (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)
Essential Questions (What essential question or learning are you addressing? What would students care or
want to know about the topic? What are some questions to get students thinking about the topic or generate
interest about the topic? Additionally, what questions can you ask students to help them focus on important
aspects of the topic? (Guiding questions) What background or prior knowledge will you expect students to bring
to this topic and build on?) Remember, essential questions are meant to guide the lesson by provoking inquiry.
They should not be answered with a simple yes or no and should have many acceptable answers.
What are the major parts of a plant?
What is the function of the major part of the plant?
How do plants get what they need from the environment?
What do plants need to grow?

Assessment (What will students do or produce to illustrate their learning? What can students do to generate new
knowledge? How will you assess how students are progressing (formative assessment)? How will you assess
what they produce or do? How will you differentiate products?) You must attach copies of your assessment and/or
rubrics. Include these in your presentation as well.
Students will produce a 4-page book about plant parts using StoryJumper.com. Students will be assessed using a
teacher made rubric to show understanding or mastery of plant parts and their functions. Products will be
differentiated because students will be able to illustrate their pages however they would like. This allows students
to show self-expression in their book and also give them the opportunity to make choices. Students will also be
assessed on completion of observations in their science journal by matrices each day. Teacher will either write the
students name in the yes column or the no column for completion.
Resources (How does technology support student learning? What digital tools, and resourcesonline student
tools, research sites, student handouts, tools, tutorials, templates, assessment rubrics, etchelp elucidate or
explain the content or allow students to interact with the content? What previous technology skills should students
have to complete this project?)

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Students have used Story Jumper before so they are familiar with this web 2.0 tool. This tool supports the
students learning because it allows the students to act as teachers and producers creating an authentic book
about plant parts. Students also used Brain Pop Jr. and Google slides these web 2.0 tools will help students with
the content by showing authentic pictures and age appropriate video clip about plant parts.

Instructional Plan
Preparation (What student needs, interests, and prior learning provide a foundation for this lesson? How can
you find out if students have this foundation? What difficulties might students have?)
As a whole group students will do a KWL chart to show what they know and what they need to know about plant
parts. Students are already interested in flowers, they see the flowers blooming on the playground and most
students pick the flowers and give them to each other as gifts. Students will learn the part of the plants easily; the
difficult part is learning the function of each part. The Plant Chant is learned to help with learning of each plant
part function. I have one ELL student who may need extra support when producing his book. This student
understands English but sometimes does not understand directions that are given.
Management Describe the classroom management strategies will you use to manage your students and the use
of digital tools and resources. How and where will your students work? (Small groups, whole group, individuals,
classroom, lab, etc.) What strategies will you use to achieve equitable access to the Internet while completing this
lesson? Describe what technical issues might arise during the Internet lesson and explain how you will resolve or
trouble-shoot them? Please note: Trouble-shooting should occur prior to implementing the lesson as well as
throughout the process. Be sure to indicate how you prepared for problems and work through the issues that
occurred as you implemented and even after the lesson was completed.
Before students begin to work on their book, the teacher will go over some rules as a whole group about working
on the computer. Students will work in the classroom on a desktop computer and a laptop individually. There will
be 2-3 adults in the room depending on the day for extra support. Each student will be given 20 minutes to
complete his or her 4 page Plant Part Book. During the hours of 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. six students will have
completed their book. During the hours of 2:00pm-3:00pm six more students will have completed their book; a
total of 12 students a day. All students should complete their books in two days. The internet in the school
sometimes stops working if it is bad weather. If the weather interferes with the internet connection I will restart the
computer and connect to the correct Wi-Fi until the connection becomes available again. If the connection does
not become available students will be able to make their books using paper and drawing material because there
are only two computers available the lesson may go over a day or two so that all students will have the
opportunity to complete their books with out being rushed.
Instructional Strategies and Learning Activities Describe the research-based instructional strategies you will
use with this lesson. How will your learning environment support these activities? What is your role? What are the
students' roles in the lesson? How can you ensure higher order thinking at the analysis, evaluation, or
creativity levels of Blooms Taxonomy? How can the technology support your teaching? What authentic,
relevant, and meaningful learning activities and tasks will your students complete? How will they build knowledge
and skills? How will students use digital tools and resources to communicate and collaborate with each other
and others? How will you facilitate the collaboration?
One activity that makes this lesson authentic is the bean sprouts students will observe every day for 5 days. This
activity will show students real seeds growing and they will be able to identify the parts of this plant. Students are
also learning about things in their environment (plants). Students will act as teachers and produces by making
their own book with authentic information about plant parts. Everyday students will learn different vocabulary (root,
stem, leaf, and flower) and how these things function on a plant. (Non linguistic) Students will be able to recall a
plant part diagram that will be hanging in the room that will give the extra support about different plant parts. While
discussing each part of the plant, The teacher will ask higher order thinking questions such as, What would
happen if the plant did not have a root, stem, or leaves? Students will be able to respond freely to the questions
asked. Students will be able to share and read their book with their partner they picked at the beginning of the
lesson. While students are sharing, the teacher will walk around the class to make sure everyone is staying on
task.
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Differentiation (How will you differentiate content and process to accommodate various learning styles and
abilities? How will you help students learn independently and with others? How will you provide extensions and
opportunities for enrichment? What assistive technologies will you need to provide?)
The content will be differentiated by the many different activities incorporated in the lesson. Students will be able
to watch a video clip (Brain Pop Jr.), look at various authentic pictures of plant parts. (Google slides), construct a
plant part diagram, work in science journal where they record their observation by drawing, writing or both, and
learn a song with body movements. Students will also make their own book with their own illustrations.
Extension- Students will be able to take one bean sprout home and plant it to see how much it grows. Students
will be able to take care of the plant by providing the plant with its needs.

Reflection (Will there be a closing event? Will students be asked to reflect upon their work? Will students be
asked to provide feedback on the assignment itself? What will be your process for answering the following
questions?
Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
In what ways was this lesson effective?
What went well and why?
What did not go well and why?
How would you teach this lesson differently?)
Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing? The students loved this lesson. All the students
were excited to make their own books; they really enjoy Story Jumper because of its illustration feature. They also
were excited to share their books with their partner at the end of the lesson. Students now know all the parts of
the plant and why the plants need them to survive.
In what ways was this lesson effective? The bean sprouts made this lesson very effective. Students were excited
to see how much their bean sprouts grew. The Plant Chant really helped students learn the different functions of
the plant parts. Students still sing the song during centers or recess. Most students and their families planted their
bean sprouts and students tell me what their plant looks like from day to day. They also tells me they make sure
they water their plant so it wont die.
What went well and why? The bean sprout experiment went well because of its authenticity. The Plant Chant
went well because Pre-K age students respond well to music and movement activities. The students final project
was good and they enjoyed sharing it with their partner.
What did not go well and why? The lack of technology made this lesson go over a day because we did not have
enough time for each student to complete his or her books in two days. The sharing part went well, but I allowed
them 20 minutes to share their books with each other, that was to much time for them and they started get off
task. The students also had a hard time finding prop pictures on Story Jumper. Luckily the website has a feature
where you can get pictures off of flicker. This required more help from teachers.
How would you teach this lesson differently?) I would allow more time for this lesson maybe making it a two-week
lesson, so I can incorporate some experiments in the lesson to make the lesson more meaningful. I would
incorporate The color changing carnation experiment to show how them stem of the plant works. I would also do
the What plant parts can you eat activity with the kids.
Closure: Anything else you would like to reflect upon regarding lessons learned and/or your experience with
implementing this lesson. What advice would you give others if they were to implement the lesson? Please
provide a quality reflection on your experience with this lesson and its implementation.

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The overall lesson was fun for the students they really enjoyed making their books and observing their bean
sprouts. However, while using Story Jumper the prop and the scene pictures did not go with the theme of the
book. Teachers had to act as a guide to help students look through pictures by using the flicker feature on the
website. The classroom only has one color printer and the ink ran out. So the students had to wait until the next
day to finish their books, which pushed the project back two days. The next time I do this project I would probably
use PowerPoint and let the students make their own plant part diagraph which would be easier considering the
lack of computers the students have access to. Teachers should also be aware that most Pre-K students are not
able to write full sentences so each student will need guided help. There were two teachers and our room mom in
the classroom to help with this project. Also teachers should make sure the napkin that is put in the plastic bag
with the bean sprouts is well saturated with water or the beans will rot.

Plant Parts
Student identified all four plant parts and function
using correct vocabulary.
Mastered
Student Identified three out of four plant parts and
there function using correct vocabulary.
Understands Most Content
Students identified two out of four plant part and
there function using correct vocabulary.
Needs More Help
Student identifies 1 out of four plant part and its
function.
Reteach

Yes
Students Name
Students Name
Students Name
Students Name
Students Name
Students Name

Illustrations
All illustrations match each plant part.
Mastered
Three out of four illustrations match each plant
part.
Understands Most Content
Two out of four illustrations match each plant part.
Needs More Help
One out of four illustrations match the plant part.
Reteach

Student complete observation in Science Journal

No
Students Name
Students Name
Students Name
Students Name
Students Name
Students Name

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