activity

Angela Pieniaszek, Jami O’Connor, Christina Phyall April 16, 2012
 * Traveling Trunk Lesson Plan **

**What are the Basic needs of Plants?** **Audience:** 1st grade classroom **Purpose:** To explore the basic needs of plants through learning centers and whole group instruction.

**Learning Objectives/Outcomes:** Students will experiment to learn about the basic needs of plants using various learning center activities and resources provided in the traveling trunk.

 **Materials:** united streaming video, smartboard activity, webquest, pencil, paper, computers, LCD projector, beans, paper, straw, string, glue, tissue paper, scissors, power point about plants we eat, magnetic board, tree map, pictures of vegetables, water, seeds, paper towels, Ziploc bags, string.

 **Step-by-Step Procedures:** **Day 1** Students watch a United streaming video about the needs of plants and the parts of plants. Students do a smartboard activity about what they learned in the video in regards to the needs of plants and parts of plants.

**Days 2, 3, 4, and 5** **Center Days! Students will work through the following learning centers throughout the week. Students work through one learning center a day during science time:**

**Center 1** - complete a webquest in small group the support of a volunteer to help with site navigation **Center 2** - Create a flower using the materials provided - bean, paper, straw, string, glue, tissue paper, scissors <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Center 3** – Students watch a power point about the parts of plants we eat. Students work as a group to put together the magnetic flower board with the different parts of a flower and label correctly. Students tree map the parts of the plant we eat – they have pictures of veggies and they have to sort the pictures under roots, stems, leaves, flowers/fruit as to what part we eat. Upon completion, the student’s fill out a worksheet that requires them to cut and label the different parts of plants we eat. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Center 4** - Can we grow a plant without soil? Students wet a paper towel and fold into a large rectangle. They place the towel in a sandwich sized Ziploc bag. They have to be sure the towel touches the bottom. Students place 3 different beans on the paper towel spread out. They spray 2 sprays of water into the bag and seal the bag. After the seeds are placed in the paper towels, the hang the bags by the window, and have students journal what happens to the seeds over the next 2 weeks.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Assessment Strategies:** Students will be graded using multiple assessment tools, including observation, worksheet completion, writing journals, and center completion.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> **Follow up strategies:** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Students will be required to reflect up their comic experience by writing a journal entry about the experience. In the entry they address the following: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">a. their opinion of each center <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">b. any challenges they faced in the centers <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">c. their favorite center and their least favorite center <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">d. three things they learned from the centers

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Reflection:** **Challenges, Surprises** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In implementing the above lesson plan, there were a few challenges and surprises. The lesson needed to be split into parts, the fist part consisting of students learning about the different parts of plants and what plants need to grow, and the second part in which students apply their new skills to practice a standard. It is essential to have parent volunteers in the room during the second day of the lesson to help students with the process of each center, to ensure students are stay on task, and to help address student questions. The biggest challenge of the lesson was to make sure all materials were set out for each center, and that there were enough volunteers and supplies to ensure the lesson could be completed effectively. Since learning centers require so many different components, as well as adult supervision for each center with such young students, it is essential to make sure that parent volunteers and paraprofessionals are organized and ready to help to make this lesson successful. It was very rewarding to see all the students enjoying learning about plants, and doing activities instead of just reading about plants and filling out worksheets. Each different center concentrates on different parts involving the standard, and the students are able to really enjoy and explore what plants need to grow, and how they grow, through these centers.

**Power Point for Center 3** media type="custom" key="14478262"