Wildflower Field Guides

Created by:

Deni B

Title/Role:

Classroom Teacher

Organization/School Name:

Cannon River STEM School

Location:

Minnesota

Grade Level:

Type of Lesson:

Lesson in a unit

Type of Schedule:

Flexible

Collaboration Continuum:

Moderate

Content Area:

Science

Content Topic:

Plant characteristics, habitats & life cycles.

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner

Skills Indicator(s):

3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess.

Dispositions Indicator(s):

3.2.1 Demonstrate leadership and confidence by presenting ideas to others in both formal and informal situations.

Responsibilities Indicator(s):

3.3.5 Contribute to the exchange of ideas within and beyond the learning community.

Self-Assessment Strategies Indicator(s):

3.4.2 Assess the quality and effectiveness of the learning product.

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

Assessment

Product:

SLMS, teacher, and students assess wildflower field guides (PowerPoint document) using rubrics.

Process:

SLMS and teacher review field guides to determine whether students (1) included pictures of at least five different flowers and correctly named them, and (2) wrote descriptions of the flowers using their own words and how/where to find them.

Student self-questioning:

Have I communicated important information in a clear way? Is the information in my field guide written in my own words? Did I ask for help when I needed it? Why do I want to share this information with others?

Instructional Plan

Resources students will use:

Still image (i.e.paintings, drawings, plans, and maps)

Moving Image (i.e. animations, movies, tv program, video)

Physical Object

Software

Text (books, letters, poems, newspapers, etc.)

Resources instructor will use:

Projector

Laptop

Smart board

Instruction/Activities

Direct instruction:

The SLMS will explain the features and proper use of a digital camera to take simple pictures, the process of uploading the pictures from the camera to the computer using a USB cable and then how to add them to a PowerPoint slide, and the purpose of using PowerPoint as a presentation tool to showcase the wildflower field guides.

Modeling and guided practice:

The SLMS and teacher will model using the camera to take pictures around the library. The SLMS will show students the process of uploading pictures to a computer and then add them to a PowerPoint slide using the interactive whiteboard so students can watch progress. The teacher will provide examples of field guides made from previous years’ students and demonstrate how to create a simple PowerPoint – adding a new slide, changing the theme and type of slide, and adding text.

Independent practice:

Students will use the cameras to take simple pictures around the classroom or library. Students will upload pictures to the computer and then put them on PowerPoint slide (one slide per picture) following the directions provided in a simple handout, while the SLMS and teacher circulate to assist students as needed. Each student will work to create their own slide using PowerPoint but students will collaborate and use each other as resources to troubleshoot any issues that arise. Additionally, the SLMS and teacher will circulate to assist. With this experience, the student should then be able to take pictures of wildflowers found on a nature hike with the teacher and upload them to the computer and onto a Powerpoint slide, independently.

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.