Grade: 3-5
Subject: Science

#4454. Planty of Parts to Learn

Science, level: 3-5
Posted Tue Nov 30 15:36:09 PST 2010 by Smiley Vu (Smiley Vu).
WSU, MI, USA
Materials Required: 1. Worksheet 2. Youtube video on plants 3. Computer with an internet connection to view the video 4.
Activity Time: 45 minutes
Concepts Taught: Plant Parts

LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Template

Student Teacher's Name: Smiley Vu Date: 11/29/2010
Grade Level 3 Topic/Unit: Plant Parts School: ____ District: ______

Content
Basic Plant Parts (and their basic functions):
- stem:
- leaves:
- flower:
- fruit:
- root:
- etc

Benchmarks

L.OL.E.3 Structures and Functions-Organisms have different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.

L.OL.03.31 Describe the function of the following plant parts: flower, stem, root, and leaf.

Objective: Students will be able to label plant parts flower, stem, root and leaf) and describe each part's function at an 80% success rate.

Learning Resources and Materials

1. Worksheet
2. Youtube video on plants
3. Computer with an internet connection to view the video
4. Beach ball labeled with parts of the plant

Development of Lesson
Introduction

Ask engaging questions, such as:

a. Have you ever seen plants like these?
b. What is your favorite flower?
c. Who can tell me the name of each part?
d. Do you know what these parts of the plants are for?


Methods/Procedures

1. Ask engaging questions (above) to get the subject started and connect students to the subject.


2. Follow with a formal lecture
a. Review what a plant is and the names of the plant parts
b. Then lecture on the basic functions of those parts

4. Show short video clip on plant parts to follow the lecture and sum everything up: youtube video link

5. Hand out the worksheet to match the part of the plant with its function and have the students work independently: worksheet link

6. As closure: Play the Beach Ball Review Game with the whole class.

To review and check for understanding of the topics with my students, we will play a review game. A beach ball will be prepared by me prior to class with the different parts of the plant labeled on every strip of color. The students will sit on top of their desks and toss the ball to other students. When it is caught, whichever part the student's right thumb lands on, he or she will have to give an example of its function. For example, if Sally's right thumb lands on stem, she could respond with: "supports the plant".

Rules of the game:

1. The ball must be tossed gently to another student
2. Before tossing the ball to another student, the thrower must say look in the eyes of the person they are throwing to, say the name of the person and say "Heads up!"
3. The ball must be caught with both hands
4. You may only answer for the space your right thumb is touching

Accommodations/Adaptations

Engaging questions: the lesson will have a more personal aspect because I will ask engaging questions that relate the lesson back to each individual student (i.e. What is YOUR favorite flower?)

Individual work: Worksheets will be given out where the students will have to match the plant parts up with its function. This individual part of the lesson will allow me to assess whether the student is capable of reproducing what she/he has just learned on his own accord

Group activity: Some students learn better in a group setting, so this part of the lesson--where we play the beach ball game, will help those who struggle to work individually. Sometimes students learn better when they observe other students first.

Lecture: This is where all the information flows in. Lectures tend to have the impression of being lengthy and droning. Since these are younger students, the lecture will be kept short with simple bullet points--avoiding extra, unnecessary details.

Video segment: some students learn more visually, and this part of the lesson will address those who learn better in a movie-type setting.

***For my special learners in the classroom, I will pull kids into a small group to work on the worksheet together. I can also include the students who are new to the country, as these students will need more attention. However, I will still have to be available for the rest of my students.

Assessment/Evaluation

Students will be assessed and evaluated multiple ways:

- Written work: the students will be graded on the given worksheet
and tested to see if they are able to reproduce what they've learned
physically down on paper.
- Eagerness to learn: it's understood that not all students learn at the same
pace, so witnessing their eagerness to learn and their willingness to
participate will also play a key factor in assessing the students
- Verbal skills: While playing the beach ball game, the teacher will be
listening for the students that can or cannot verbally recap the lesson
they've just learned. Being able to sum up the lesson in brief sentences
will prove a sense of understanding.

Closure

For closure, we will go over the answers to the worksheet together. Then I would say, "Today we learned about the functions of the plant parts. Who can raise their hand and tell me a part of the plant and its job?" I would then go keep going until all parts have been identified and described. I would then tell my students that tomorrow's lesson we will look at how photosynthesis works in the plant and finish the rest of our worksheet.

Teacher Reflection

This section is to be completed AFTER teaching the lesson and is
meant to help you gain insight into your practice. Were your
benchmarks supported by your observations? Were the benchmarks
reflected in student work? Which student teacher standard(s) did
you demonstrate during this lesson? How did you react to
unanticipated circumstances? Identify three things that you think
went well with the lesson. Why? Identify one thing you will do
differently when you teach this lesson again and explain your
reasoning. What did you learn about yourself as a teacher? How will
this impact your future practice?