Wildflower Field Guides
Created By:
Deni B
Title/Role:
Classroom Teacher
Organization/School Name:
Cannon River STEM School
Location:
Minnesota
Grade Level:
2 Type of Lesson:
Lesson in a unit Type of Schedule:
Flexible Collaboration Continuum:
Moderate Content Area:
Science Content Topic:
Plant characteristics, habitats & life cycles. Scenario:
Second-grade students will use the scientific inquiry process to study plants. They will learn what is necessary for plants to live (water, nutrients, sunlight) and that different plants have different (but generally similar) life cycles. They will also learn about the parts of a plant (roots, leaves, stems) and how they help the plant absorb water, nutrients, and sunlight. Students will research extreme plants to notice adaptations to specific environments. Students will look for adaptations in plants on campus and will find seeds and discuss how they travel. They will conduct experiments to determine whether seeds will grow without water, light or soil, and what makes them grow best. Students will use all this knowledge to care for a plant (or plants), starting it from seed and making sure that it has what it needs to live. This unit of study will culminate in the students creating a field guide of the wildflowers native to the area, using photographs and existing field guides to research what flowers grow nearby, where, and when they are in bloom. Students will work closely with the SLMS to learn how to use digital cameras, upload pictures, and create powerpoint slides. Overview:
Students will study plants, the plant life cycle, and wildflowers native to their school location. They will then make a field guide of local wildflowers, using photographs and existing field guides to research what flowers grow in the area, where, and when they are in bloom. Final Product:
Each student will use pictures they have taken with a digital camera and Microsoft PowerPoint to create a field guide of the wildflowers native to the area. Each student will contribute at least one slide to the Powerpoint so that the resulting field guide is a collaboration of everyone in the class. Library Lesson:
Students will work with the SLMS to (1) learn how to use a digital camera to take pictures, (2) upload those photos to a computer, and (3) add pictures to a PowerPoint slide. Students will also work with the SLMS to (4) learn basic skills with using PowerPoint. Estimated Lesson Time:
120 minutes Have you taught this lesson before:
Yes Strategies for differentiation:
Struggling students may work more closely with teacher or SLMS or partner up with another student to create their slide together.