Kaelyn Kraft

CI225 Unit Plan

Introduction

This unit is all about plants! The students in the rst grade class will get to
experiment with science and plants, while using technology to support their learning.
This lesson would be taught to a group of 1st grader towards the end of the year, where
they have already been exposed to the different technology. The technology aspects of
each lesson will be completed in a station type of setting or in a computer lab with the
assistance of the lab teacher, so that the students can get specic attention and help
with the program if needed. There is enough iPads for half of the class to have
individual iPads when necessary. These particular group of students attend a high-end
school, where they are exposed to a lot of technology at home, as well. They are all
pretty tech savory for being rst graders. There doesnt seem to be an potential
problems with the use of technology in the lessons.





























Lesson 1 :: What Do Plants Need to Grow? An Experiment

Est. Time. For Lesson Grade
On going experiment during plant unit First

Content Standards
Life Science
2b. Students know both plants and animals need water, animals need food, and
plants need light.

Goal
Students will collaborate on a google doc form to compile their learning of plant needs
through this hands-on experiment.

Objective
On a google doc form, the students will show their understanding of plant needs and
identify/explain that plants need water, nutrients, and sunlight.

Materials
4 single ower plants
3 ower pots
1 clear plastic cup
soil
card board box
watering can
Computer with Internet
Picture of dead plants

Activities
1. The students will watch a BrainPop Jr. video to introduce photosynthesis on a rst
grade level. The teacher will pause and discuss the video with the students.

2. The teacher will bring out the plants and the materials to make the experiment. She
will use the materials to discuss the different points that the movie made in regards to
what a plant needs to survive.

3.
Student volunteers will assemble the plants and identify them by writing what the
plants has and what the plant doesnt have. These are the plants.
a. Plant "A" has air, water, light, but NO SOIL (NUTRIENTS). Put the
plant in the clear plastic cup with water.
b. Plant "B" has soil, water, air but 'NO Light'. Put the plant inside
a cardboard box.
c. Plant "C" has soil, air, light but 'NO Water'.
d. Plant "D" has soil, air, light and water.
4. On a google doc form, the class and I will write down the initial observations that they
see in each one of the plants.

5. Over a period of a week or two, the students will record their observations on the
google doc form. Two particular students (new every day) will record what they see.

6. When the two weeks are over, we will discuss the journal, observations, and the
plants themselves.

Assessment of the Objective
Teacher observation
Google Doc

































Lesson 2 :: The Tiny Seed


Est. Time. For Lesson Grade
30 minutes First

Content Standards
Life Science
2b. Students know both plants and animals need water, animals need food, and
plants need light.

English Language Arts
Writing application
2.1 Write brief narrative (e.g. ctional, autobiographical) describe an experience.

Goal
Using an iPad, students will create a story on Powerpoint.

Objective
Students will be able to describe different things that can hurt and harm a plant or seed
based on a story created through a presentation on PowerPoint.

Materials
Poster board
Marker
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Pencils
Seeds
iPad

Activities
1.The teacher will brainstorm with the students as to what different events or things help
and hurt plants growth.

2. The teacher will read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle to the students and ask the
following questions:
How does the seed change?
What season provides the requirements for the seed to develop into a small plant?
What environmental conditions (like weather) are necessary for the tiny seed to grow?

3.
The teacher and students will discuss the story by making a bubble map of the things
that hurt and helped the seed. The teacher will also encourage the students to think of
other things that may not be in the story that hurt or help a seed/plant to grow.
4. Each table group will be given an iPad. The students will write their own "adventure"
for their seeds by creating a PowerPoint presentation of 5 slides. Each student will be
responsible for one slide, as each slide builds upon another. They will include things
that hurt some of the seeds and things that helped some of the seeds to grow into
plants.

Conclusion
Student groups will share their PowerPoint with the class.

Assessment of the Objective
Teacher observation
iPad notes
PowerPoint Presentation






















Lesson 3 :: What is a Root?

Est. Time. For Lesson Grade
45 mins. First

California Content Standard
Life Science
2. Plants and animals meet their needs in different ways. As a basis for
understanding this concept:
e. Students know roots are associated with the intake of water and soil
nutrients and green leaves are associated with making food from sunlight.

Goal
Students will use their individual iPads to write notes & observations as they explore the
outdoors.

Objective
Students will be able to identify the two roles that roots play in the life of a plant by
presenting their knowledge on their iPads.

Materials
Large plant
Bounty paper towel
cup of blue water
iPad

Activities
1. The teacher will take a large planted ower out of its pot and wash off the dirt. The
teacher will show the roots to the students and compare them to other roots that they
are familiar with from other experiments.

2. The teacher will ask the students why they think plants have roots. After some
discussion, the teacher will take a Bounty paper towel and dip it in blue water to
demonstrate how roots absorb water. She will go around to groups of students to allow
them to see this demonstration. She will also explain that the roots are necessary to
hold down the plant and to keep it up right. The previous planted ower will be used to
demonstrate this concept. The plant can no longer stay up right because the support
from the roots is gone.

3. In two separate groups, the students will go on a nature walk to observe and
investigate the roots that they see in the ground around campus. They will be
encouraged to take note of the size, length, and place of the roots that they see
compared to the plant that it supports on the Notes app of their individual iPads.

4. The students will come back to the class and write down their observations on their
iPads.

Conclusion
Everyone will come to the circle to discuss what they saw in the two different groups.
The teacher will help the students make the connection between big roots and trees to
the absorption of water. The bigger the tree is, the more water it needs, which is why the
roots have to be big.

Assessment
Teacher observation, student iPad notes, class discussion
































Lesson 4 :: The Celery Experiment


Est. Time. For Lesson Grade
30 minutes 1 day First

Content Standards
Life Science
2b. Students know both plants and animals need water, animals need food, and
plants need light.

Goal
Using websites, the students will explore and learn the need of water for the life of a
plant.

Objective
By using the websites provided, the students will be able to identify the plants need for
water to live and grow.

Materials
Celery
Cup of water
Food coloring
computer lab
graphic organizer

Activities
1. Introduce the concept of xylem and phloem by dening what they are in a plant. The
teacher will participate in singing the following song (lyrics on the board):
Sung to "This Old Man"
Xylems up, phloems down
Carrying food all around
Xylem takes it from the roots
Phloem transports sugary food

In between them, you will find
Cambium makes cells all the time
Phloems closest to the bark
Xylems near the center part

Photosynthesis, youll see
Makes the food for the tree
CO2 and the sun
And chlorophyll, round out the fun

Making food in the leaves
Glucose that is sugary
Xylems up, phloems down
Carrying good food all around!
2. The students will explore the following websites to learn about the celery experiment.
They will take notes on a graphic organizer.
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4oOsxCY_uA
-http://www.biology4kids.com/les/plants_xylemphloem.html
-http://sherilynbarber.edublogs.org/les/2012/06/zzsf-1htyaen.jpg

3. The students will come back to class and perform the celery experiment themselves.
They will draw a picture of what the celery looks like before it goes into the food dye.
They will make predictions of what they think I will do with all of the supplies on my
table, and then what will happen in the experiment.
a. Teacher will pour food coloring in the water with the celery.
b. The students will observe the celery sporadically throughout the day.
c. At the end of the day, or the following morning, the students will draw a new
picture of the celery stem.
d. On their paper, they will try to explain why the celery turned out the way that it
did.
e. The teacher will discuss the experiment with the students and review the
xylem and phloem, emphasizing why those are important for plant life.

Assessment of the Objective
Teacher observation
Students graphic organizer























Lesson 5 :: Plant Part Functions

Est. Time. For Lesson Grade
45-60 mins First

Content Standards
Life Science
2. Plants and animals meet their needs in different ways. As a basis for understanding
this concept:
e. Students know roots are associated with the intake of water and soil nutrients
and green leaves are associated with making food from sunlight.

Goal
Students will use the drawing application on the computer to demonstrate knowledge of
plant parts and their purpose.

Objective
On the drawing application, students will label and explain the purpose of the parts of
the plant.

Materials
Plant
Poster
Foam board
Markers
Parts of a Plant by Wiley Blevins
Computer with drawing application

Activities
1. The teacher will take a live plant lay it on a foam board. The teacher will tell the
students that every plant has special parts that play an important function to the life of
the plant.

2.The teacher will read Parts of a Plant to the students and then label the parts of the
plant on the foam board.

3. The students will participate in an activity that will allow them to act out the role of
each part of the plant. The teacher will assign a group of students to be the roots, stem,
leaf, or flower. The students will hold a paper that represents each part and then make a
noise and gesture that represents what the parts does.
Roots: Flex your arm muscles. Make suction noises
Stem: Move body and arms up and down. Make transportation noises.
Leaf: Make motions of stirring a pot. Make sizzling noises.
Flower: Make arm and hand motions of a flower blooming and dropping seeds.
Make dripping noises.
The teacher will call out each individual part of the plant and the students will be a
living plant.

4. The students will use the computer application drawing to draw the plant and label
the part and function accordingly. They will print their work.

5. The students will share their plant drawing and description.

Assessment of the Objective
Teacher observation in group discussion/living plant activity and evaluation of parts of
the plant drawing.

































Unit Final Assessment

Students will complete a typed document of their learning under the
following guidelines during a station time when the unit is complete:
-The word document will include:
~Identify the 4 basic needs of a plant
~Identify parts of a plant
~Include at least 1 picture
~A sentence of your favorite experiment. Explain why.
When they are done typing, they will print and turn it in to the teacher.











Word Document Rubric
Neat & Organized Identies 4 basic
needs of plants
Identies the parts of
a plant
Sentence &
explanation on
experiment
A Neatly organized with
1 picture
Identies all of the 4
basic needs of a plant
Identies all parts of a
plant
The sentence &
explanation of
experiment was clear
and detailed.
B Some disorganization
with 1 picture
Identies 3 basic
needs of a plant
Identies most parts of
a plant
__________________
C Little organization with
1 picture
Identies 2 basic
needs of a plant
Identies some parts
of a plant
__________________
D Little organization with
no picture
Identies 1 basic need
of a plant
Identies a few parts
of a plant
__________________
F No organization & no
picture
No basic need
identied
Does not identify any
parts of a plant
There was no
sentence &
explanation of
experiment
Reflection
This assignment was a ton of fun! Going through the videos on lesson planning, it helped
affirm my feelings and teachings in the importance of lesson planning. In fact, I have actually
experienced some of the negative effects of not lesson planning that one of the videos presented.
Being organized in thought with a purpose is important I know that and have experienced that.
Going through the different lesson plans provided on the links, I learned that there is so many
different ways to write a lesson plan. Some of them, I have never seen before. In the lessons that
I have taught, my brain works best with the format that I have used in my unit. Every lesson that
I saw online incorporates the same concept, but it a different format. I believe that teachers need
to do what works best for them, while including the basic forms of a lesson.
Writing this unit took a lot of work. I have already used some parts of the lessons in this
unit to teach my students about plants, which helps affirm the fact that when I use this again
(while incorporating technology) my students will be successful. I think it helped me realize that
any lesson I have planned can incorporate some type of technology standard from the NETS-
ISTE Standards. The only part of the unit that I feel will be interesting for my students is the
units final assessment. I will have to be very clear with the on how/what it needs to look like. I
think that I will need to provide an example. Otherwise, the students know how to use a word
document, type, and insert a clip art or picture.
The lesson planning was very intentional. Each lesson, either built upon each other, or
added another important aspect of the overall purpose. This unit has a perfect combination of
science experiments and technology. The students will most definitely be engaged and excited to
learn. A lot of the lessons are built upon the idea of a student-centered classroom, where the
students get to explore and learn things with the guidance and assistance of the teacher.