5E Lesson Plan Rationale
Plants: Growing Your Own Marigolds!
Context
During my Block II internship at
Impact
As a teacher, I will be able to use this lesson as a tool for teaching my own students about the needs of plants. Because of my experience with this lesson, I have gained the knowledge of how to adequately teach my students about the needs of plants while using engaging and inquiry based activities. As a result of this lesson, I feel that my students were able to learn how and why a plant requires soil, water, and sunlight. They learned this through their observations and comparisons of what happens to plants that both have all the needs provided to them and that do not have all of the needs provided to them.
Alignment
I met standard 3, indicator 1 through the reflection of my knowledge of the structure and function of plants within this lesson.
I met standard 7, indicator 1 through the planning of my lesson along with the pace of the first grade curriculum. The concepts involved within the study of the needs of plants are a part of this curriculum.
I met standard 7 indicator 2 through my ability to integrate math into the lesson through the use of measurement. I also provided a way to integrate language arts into this lesson through the construction of a story about their lives as seeds.
I met standard 7, indicator 3 through the use of the students’ prior knowledge (KWL chart) and interests (plants for Mother’s Day) when I designed this lesson.
I met standard 7, indicator 4 through my use of a variety of teaching strategies within my lesson. I taught my students using hands-on activities, and discussions. I also met this standard by using a variety of communication strategies within my lesson. I allowed my students to communicate orally and by writing in their science journals.
I met standard 7, indicator 5 through my development of multiple learning strategies to address the needs of plants, critical thinking involving their hypotheses for the outcomes of their plants, and problem solving skills for how to adequately care for their Mother’s Day plants.
I met standard 7, indicator 7 through the modifications that I provided within my lesson for ADHD, ESL, and academically gifted students.
I met standard 10 through my ability to ask inquiry based questions throughout the lesson and through the use of science processing skills such as predicting (the outcomes of their plants), measuring (the growth of their plants), analyzing (the differences between the plants) and interpreting (why the differences exist).
I met standard 15, indicator 1 by providing a connection between the lesson and the real world through their growth of plants. The activities within the lesson provided students with an example for what the plants in their environment needed to grow.