INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING TEMPLATE Gabe, this lesson looks great.

I have a few comments below for you to consider regarding specific things, but overall work to foreground the kids examples of the scientific process, as that is how they are going to anchor their concepts of what it is. As you did with the ICs, send me back your thoughts on my comments on this doc (use another color to talk to me.) Your name(s): Title of lesson/activity: Teaching date(s) and time(s): Gabe DeSano How can we figure out how a seed grows Launch Lesson February 25th 2:10pm Overview and Context Overview: The students will be posed with a question as to how we can test as a class how plants grow. Steps of scientific inquiry will be introduced. (observing, asking questions, hypothesizing, planning an experiment, collecting data, communicating) From there, the students will participate in an interactive read aloud that will talk about how a plant grows. Then, the class will brainstorm different ideas that we could use as a way to test how plants grow in our very own classroom. Estimated time for lesson/activity: 45 minutes Context of lesson: This is the launch lesson to their plant cycle unit. They have had some exposure to plants growing through some read alouds throughout the school year, but this will be there first purposeful and explicit experience with scientific inquiry connected to plant life cycles. Sources: Scientific Method Posters from Meagan Begg Grade level and school: 2nd Grade, Willow Run Elementary Learning Center Learning Goals Learning Goals Students will be able to understand the value of making predictions, recording observations, and comparing results to predictions. Connection to Standards Connection to Activities The students will be learning about the steps of scientific inquiry and they will be using these steps to brainstorm different experiments the class could set up to test the investigation question, How do plants change?

S.IA.E.1 Inquiry includes an analysis and presentation of findings that lead to future questions, research, and investigations. S.IA.02.12 Share ideas about science through purposeful conversation. S.IA.02.13 Communicate and present ndings of observations.

Students will begin to understand that plants and animals have life cycles and

L.OL.E.2 Life Cycles- Plants and animals have life cycles. Both plants and animals begin life

The students will be participating in an interactive read aloud which will provide

TwCM Fall 2011 University of Michigan, Undergraduate Teacher Education Program For interns beginning the program in Fall 2011 (PPP2)

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that both plants and animals develop into adults, reproduce, and eventually die.

and develop into adults, reproduce, and eventually die. The details of this life cycle are different for different organisms.

them with a first glance at how lima beans change and mature throughout their life cycle.

Attending to the Learners: First Pass Anticipating student ideas: The students have had some exposure to plant cycles during read alouds throughout the year, but they have not had an intense exposure to plant cycles and how plants grow as they mature throughout their life. In addition, the students have started working on a Reading Street unit about the life cycle of a pumpkin. A few concepts have been introduced, but they mostly have been working on grammar. For this reason, I anticipate students will think that plants do change as they mature throughout their life, but I anticipate many to most of them will not know the different steps of the life cycle. I also anticipate some students having difficulty making sense of why scientists have to make hypotheses before planning experiments. Since many of these students will not come in with a lot of background knowledge from prior experiences, this lesson will be enacted very enthusiastically drawing particular attention to the scientific steps of inquiry to make it very clear how important these steps are for scientists even second grade scientists! Fortunately, I will be leading a whole group discussion with the students about scientific inquiry. In addition, we will be brainstorming together different hypotheses and experiments to perform as a class to test our investigation problem. This lends itself well to including all students in the content and discussion. In addition, I will be using an anchor chart with bright colors to capture the attention of my visual learners in the classroom. During the interactive read aloud, I will be sure to choose specific spots to stop to make predictions and restate ideas being presented to ensure all students are following along and understanding the concepts being presented in the book. Assessments

Making the content accessible to all students:

Type of Assessment: Formative Assessment: The students will be

sharing contributions on how to use the scientific method to test our investigation problem. The students contributions will be assessed based on their ability to recognize the connection between the scientific method and how to apply the method in our own investigation about how things change and
TwCM Fall 2011 University of Michigan, Undergraduate Teacher Education Program For interns beginning the program in Fall 2011 (PPP2)

Learning-Goals Connection
Students will be able to understand the value of making predictions, recording observations, and comparing results to predictions. Students will begin to understand that plants and animals have life cycles and that both plants and animals develop into adults, reproduce, and eventually die.

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grow. These contributions used to plan for subsequent instruction.

They also will be filling out an exit slip that reads, What did you learn today about what scientists do?

Instructional Sequence

Materials:

Scientific Inquiry posters (laminated), How a seed grows book, chart paper, markers, scientist anchor chart
Steps Describing What the Teacher and Students Will Do Launch Boys and girls, I am so excited to share something with you today. Today we are going to start a new science unit! And, I am so excited because we are going to transform into scientists, second grade scientists. Boys and girls, turn to a partner and share with them what you think a scientist does. Have students share out after a few minutes Well today, we are going to be scientists and we are going to learn what scientists do to figure out things about our world! Boys and girls, our unit is going to be titled How do plants change? you might consider asking the students to share with you what they already know about how plants change or how they would describe what happens after a seed is planted. It could give you some good info as to what prior knowledge (or not) they are bringing to the unit Who would like to share with the class what they already know about how plants change? Does anyone know what happens after a seed is planted? Go over scientist anchor chart to share with students what scientists do in order to solve problems and figure things out about our world! In order for us scientists to figure out how plants change, we need to go through a specific process. We need to follow some Notes and Reminders (including management considerations) Be sure all students are listening to other students ideas about scientists. Make sure pair share is long enough for students to share ideas with their partner

Time 5 minutes

20 minutes

Be explicit with explanation of the steps of scientific inquiry. Give examples of the steps if the students are not understanding the definitions.

TwCM Fall 2011 University of Michigan, Undergraduate Teacher Education Program For interns beginning the program in Fall 2011 (PPP2)

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scientific rules. Introduce to students the scientific inquiry posters. (observing, asking questions, hypothesizing, planning an experiment, collecting data, communicating) Give examples of each step and have students come up with examples to make the steps more clear good keep emphasizing their examples, as that is what is going to connect new learning to prior understandings Have students restate what each step is and what they mean for us as scientists Explain to the students that we are going to be using those steps to figure out an experiment about how plants change. Ask the students what they think the investigation question will be. Share with the students that we will be reading a book about lima beans and that they need to listen closely throughout the read aloud to think of an experiment that our class could participate in to figure out how things change. Share with the students that at the end of the story, we scientists are going to brainstorm together and record our different experiments that we think we could do in our very own classroom to see how plants change. Read How a seed grows stopping at points to emphasize the scientific process After the story, refer back to the anchor chart and the scientific process charts, ask the students what the boy in the book was doing as a scientist? nice When someone mentions that they did an experiment, transition into the following question. Then pose the question, Class what experiment can we do as scientists to test how plants change? Record ALL ideas on chart paper visible to all students Take many contributions of different ideas If students are having trouble refer back to the steps and the anchor chart and also to the book What did the little boy to test his investigation question? Make sure someone says to use the lima beans After taking many contributions, tell the students that they will be looked over after

Only call on students who are following the class norms. If students seem to be getting antsy, provide them with a short pair share. Good idea Make sure all students can see the chart paper

TwCM Fall 2011 University of Michigan, Undergraduate Teacher Education Program For interns beginning the program in Fall 2011 (PPP2)

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2 Min

school and I will decide on the most practical way to test our hypothesis. If time allow, provide students with the idea that we will each be given lima beans and a journal to track the growth of that plant changes over time in our own classroom Really good leading and inquiring going on above Closing Boys and girls, I am so proud of the work that we have done brainstorming today as scientists. That is what scientists do, they ask questions and plan ways to experiment to figure out their hypothesis. Are you ready to be second grade scientists for the rest of the months? Are you up for the challenge to figure out how plants change? I am so excited to start a plant experiment with you tomorrow. Boys and girls, I would like you to turn to a partner and share with them one very important idea that you learned from our lesson today. Listen closely because when we come back, I will be calling on people to share what their partner learned!? Would you consider having this be a think-pair-share and then asking a child to share what his or her partner learned? I might mix up the engagement a bit. Take many ideas continually emphasizing that the students are sharing what their partners learned! I look forward to investigating further more about our plants tomorrow! Reflection on Planning

Be consistent in only calling on students that are following classroom norms. If needed, do an interactive modeling of how to do a pair share respectfully and efficiently.

Learning goal for self:

Preparing to teach this lesson:

Since this is my first time teaching science to my second graders, my goal is to be explicit and consistent with my scientific terms such as experimenting, hypothesis, communicating, and observing. I want the students to hear this consistent language in order to encourage them to use these scientific terms in their own language. In order to prepare to teach this lesson, I will rehearse the questions and steps that I will go through the whole group discussion. I also will be sure to get all materials set up before the lesson is taught including the anchor chart, scientific process posters, chart paper, and markers. I will also be sure to be very enthusiastic to get the students thrilled to be second grade scientists!

TwCM Fall 2011 University of Michigan, Undergraduate Teacher Education Program For interns beginning the program in Fall 2011 (PPP2)

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TwCM Fall 2011 University of Michigan, Undergraduate Teacher Education Program For interns beginning the program in Fall 2011 (PPP2)

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