Students planted and took care of 2 plants while making predictions, and observing their growth on a weekly basis.
| Enduring Understanding | We rely on our plant kingdom and should protect it |
| Level | Lower School (7-11 years) |
| Disciplines | Science, Language Arts, Visual Arts |
Description
No primary curriculum is complete without a unit on plants especially because of the tangibility of observing plant growth. In addition, the Gateway School of Mumbai has an organic garden, and teachers were able to take advantage of this for teaching and observation purposes throughout this unit.
Deliverables
Plant Log: Students observed, measured, and recorded the growth of a plant in their plant log. At the end of the unit they presented their plant logs to an audience.
Grow a Plant: Students used descriptive journaling to describe the successes and failures of their plant growing endeavours.
Project Learning Goals
- To learn that plants have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction
- To understand that plants acquire their material for growth chiefly from air and water and sunlight
- To understand that plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around.
- To understand that plants have unique and diverse life cycles.
- To know the edible parts of various plants
- To understand that human beings depend on plants for survival
- To recognize the variety of plants on earth
- To recognize that understanding the needs and uses of plants helps us take better care of them
- To understand that artists and designers experiment with forms, structures, materials, concepts, media, and art-making approaches
- To recognize that artists and designers develop excellence through practice and constructive critique, reflecting on, revising, and refining work over time.
- To learn that engagement with art can lead to understanding and appreciation of self, others, the natural world, and constructed environments.
- To experience that through art-making, people make meaning by investigating and developing awareness of perceptions, knowledge, and experiences.
Scaffolding & Differentiation
- Providing a graphic organizer in the form of a google slides to input a rough draft of observations before adding to the journal.
- Also provided a differentiated graphic organizer based on the growth of the plant, type of plant grown etc.
- Teacher support was provided in terms of typing, spellings, screen sharing.
- This unit took place while we were in virtual school, some parents were asked to provide support while potting their plants and noting down observations.
- Teachers planted 3 pots one with excess soil, one in the cupboard and one with sand and sunlight but no water.
Assessments
Grow a Plant:
Students planted and took care of 2 plants. They made predictions, and observed their growth on a weekly basis, collecting height and other relevant data. They recorded their observations, made comparisons between both plants and reflections in a journal.
Plant Sketching:
Students were tasked with accurately measuring and recording the growth of a plant. Plants had to be labeled accurately. Students then had to produce tree relief prints and three monoprints of plants
Sample student journal
