Download Plants - Cook School District

Plants
Student’s Name
May 15, 2
- May 26, 2
A unit for first graders
Fourth Term
Table of Contents
Section 1
Setting--state, district, school, classroom
Section 2
Unit outcomes and rationale--instructional objectives
Section 3
Lesson plan #1
Lesson plan #2
Lesson plan #3
Lesson plan #4
Lesson plan #5
(What is a seed?)
(Seeds and spores)
(How seeds and spores travel)
(Planting a seed)
(Monster seed)
-Copy of story
-Examples of student work
Lesson plan #6
(From a seed to a flower)
Lesson plan #7
(Plant parts)
Lesson plan #8
(Flowers and leaves)
Lesson plan #9
(What does a plant need?)
Lesson plan #10
(Field experience with parts of a plant)
Lesson plan #11
(The importance of plants
Section 4
Test construction
Pretest
Writing scoring guide
Posttest
Tables of specifications
Section 5
Learning data
Pretest and posttest
Writing skills scoring guide
Interpretations of results
Science
Attitudes
Writing skills
Section 6
Reflective essay
Section 7
Bibliography
Appendix
Setting
The State
Oregon’s public schools serve 928 local elementary and secondary school
districts and 21 education service districts. In addition, the Oregon Department of
Education also manages the Oregon School for the Blind, the Oregon School for the
Deaf, and the juvenile corrections education program.
As of October 1, 2
the total students enrolled in the public schools was 545,
033. Of that total 446,434 were white, 51,543 were Hispanic, 20,607 were Asian/Pacific
Islander, 15,061 were black, and 11,388 were American Indian. Of the total students
enrolled, 34.4% of public school children receive free lunch. Most Oregon students are
concentrated in the urban centers of Portland, Eugene, Medford and Salem. Oregon
teachers are currently ranked 13th in the nation in pay, averaging $42, 833.
Salem-Keizer School District
The Salem-Keizer School District staff makes a continuous effort to “provide an
equal educational opportunity for students and to eliminate those conditions which
may cause discrimination”. The district mission is:
In partnership with the community, we ensure that each student will have
the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes to be a lifelong learner, a
contributing citizen and a productive worker in a changing and increasingly
diverse world.
The focus of the district's goals is on helping each child develop the necessary
knowledge and experience to:
•Read and communicate effectively.
•Think critically and solve problems.
•Develop a positive self-concept, respect for others, and healthy behavior
patterns.
•Work effectively in groups as well as individually.
•Develop creativity and show appreciation for the arts.
•Demonstrate civic, global, and environmental responsibility.
•Recognize and value diversity among people.
•Exhibit technological literacy.
The Salem-Keizer School District intends to achieve those goals by being an
effective learning organization, through teamwork and trust, and by involving people
in making decisions that affect them. The District also promises to celebrate diversity,
seek input from the community, and to have an open door for parents and citizens.
Through all those actions, the district hopes to meet, or even exceed, the goals it holds
for students and for itself.
The District also has a stern zero tolerance policy toward weapons, drugs, and
threats. Zero tolerance means no weapons, including “look-alikes” or knives will be
tolerated. The same applies for alcohol and drugs, including look-alike drugs and drug
paraphernalia. No threats to persons or property will be tolerated including those
which were intended to be jokes. Another policy has been implemented by the District
called the daytime curfew ordinance. This curfew prohibits minors between the ages of
7-18 years old from being in public places during regular school hours.
Small Elementary School
Small Elementary was built in 1974. It was the first school built in the district
using the open classroom model, which means no walls separated the classrooms. As
the student population increased, walls, however, were constructed.
Small has 489 students in grades K-5. On graduation the students go on to
Crossler Middle, then Sprague High. Small is recognized for its strong programs in
math, art, music, technology, peer mediation, and literacy.
The students are primarily middle and upper class white children. Five kids are
Indian/Alaskan, 14 Hispanic, 7 Asian/Pacific Islander, 3 multi-racial, and 431 white.
The number of TAG students at Small seems fairly high with 33 while 46 children are
on IEPs. The economic status is very high with only 17% of the students on free or
reduced lunches.
In January, 2
Oregon issued school report cards rating the effectiveness of the
state’s schools. Small received an overall score of “good”, based on student
performance, student behavior, and school characteristics. The students’ average
attendance rate is 94.2% and the percent of students who took the last state benchmark
test was 100%.
Mrs. Teacher’s Classroom
My mentor teacher is Trina Teacher. She has been at Small for 12 years and
currently teaches the 1st grade. My class consists of 29 students. Overall the class has
little diversity. Two Mexican/American, one Japanese, and two boys on behavioral
contracts are included in the class. One of those two boys is in a foster home. All of the
children are fluent in English. The reading skills are very high. Four children are
considered low readers while the rest are average to high ability. Six students are
considered very high ability readers. (I discuss the students’ performance on the pretest
in the next section.)
Five mothers, who are helpers, come to help with reading groups and monitor
lunches. One mother comes every day for a minimum of two hours. There is also a
paid teacher’s aide who comes each day for four hours to help, mainly with reading.
Mrs. Teacher has developed a very loving climate and she uses lots of positive
reinforcement. When a student is off task she simply asks if the student is helping or
hurting the class. At that point students know they are off task and need to change
their behavior. Mrs. Teacher has also implemented a plan called Apple Valley School
Rule. The class has a pioneer theme and Apple Valley is their “pretend” school the
students are attending. Each of the children wants to “graduate” from the school but
they must have a certain amount of points to do so. The class wrote 12 rules for Apple
valley and assigned points to each rule. For example, being honest and courteous to
one’s neighbor each accrues points. If a rule is broken the child can lose points.
Graduating seems to be of utmost importance to the children. Mrs. Teacher has created
a very organized setting for the class. She has few behavior problems.
Unit Outcomes and Rationale
The unit I am teaching focuses on science. The topic will be about plants. More
specifically, my lessons will focus on the following specific topics: the parts of plants;
what seeds need to grow; how plants germinate; and, how plants are important to us.
Under each of those goals I will teach specific objectives across 11 lessons1 . For
example, during my lessons pertaining to parts of a plant, I will teach about the roots
and root system as well as concepts such as plant, stems, leaves, and flowers. These
lessons will lead into what plants need to grow and how they get their food.
1
For the sake of brevity, the authors of the simulation have provided the detailed lesson plans for only
lessons 1, 2, and 11. The eight lessons omitted were much like the ones shown.
Science is an important part of schooling; it fosters childrens’ inquisitive nature
and critical thinking skills. I also address the state standards when planning the unit
on plants. In the following table, I showed the content goals and third grade
benchmarks I selected to structure my unit:
State Content Goal
Understand the characteristics,
structure and functions of organisms.2
Corresponding State Third Grade Benchmark
Classify organisms based on a variety of
characteristics.3
Apply foundation concepts of change,
cycle, cause and effect, energy and matter,
evolution, perception, and fundamental
entities.6
Identify structures that serve different functions.4
Identify examples of change over time.5
I will do various experiments to help children explore those goals and benchmarks as
they pertain to plants.
I will also incorporated a writing benchmark into my lessons. The benchmark
was also drawn from the state curriculum guides. I used the indicators within the
curriculum guide to construct a rubric, which appears later.
Demonstrate knowledge of spelling,
grammar, punctuation, capitalization,
paragraphing, and documentation.7
Demonstrate developmentally appropriate
control of correct spelling, grammar, punctuation,
and capitalization8 .
I wanted to include a set of attitudinal outcomes within my unit but Oregon’s
content standards only provide guidance for cognitive outcomes. I made up two goals
and objectives for student attitudes. The objectives were not assigned to a
specific class like my content outcomes were. Rather, my attitudinal objectives run
across my whole unit.
2
Oregon Department of Education (1997). Oregon’s Content Standards 1997-1998. Salem, OR:
(Author), p. 94.
3 Ibid, p. 94.
4 Ibid, p. 84
5 Ibid, p. 82
6 Ibid, p. 84
7 Ibid, p. 26
8 Ibid, p. 26
Attitudinal Goals
The student will express pleasure
in learning content.
Attitudi nal Objectives
The student will state the science content from
the unit was interesting.
The student will acquire confidence
in self as a learner.
The child will state she/he is more confident
in self as a learner of science.
When I gave the pretest, one person, Andrew, scored 100% on the cognitive
items. The other scores indicated the group knew quite a bit about plants.
Consequently, I adjusted my lessons and my posttest to include a bit more content. My
pretest did not assess the writing benchmark. Rather, I assessed their writing skills
from assignments I made early and then late in the unit. I will adjust my science
posttest to account for my revised instructional plans. My postassessment analysis will
also include a discussion of the writing results as well as the attitudinal gains.
The question arises, why teach about plants? My rationale is very
straightforward. Plants are a very important part of life. Without plants there
would be no life on earth. It is important for children to know that plants produce the
oxygen in the air. We also get food from plants and animals that eat plants. Plant life is
a very important topic for children to learn.
I will be teaching these lessons in May when plants are growing and blooming.
It is important for children to have an idea of what plants do for us and
how they are important in our lives. Around this time children may have questions
about why plants grow. I will be able to focus on the actual things happening in their
surroundings.
Lastly, this unit ties in a Service to Schools project where the school’s students
will be planting flowers in front of the school. My class will participate and I feel this is
a very nice hands-on approach as well as a wrap-up for the unit on plants.
I will integrate literacy by helping students work on writing sentences. The
focus will be on punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. This will be done while
creating a book about plants. I will also begin lessons by reading stories to the students
pertaining to plants. I will also integrate math into this unit by working on graphing
and measuring though it will not focus on developing new content for the children.
Overall, the students will have various hands-on tasks to foster critical thinking
for all levels of learners. The students will be working cooperatively experimenting,
observing, making predictions, and forming hypotheses as they gain a broad
understanding of plants and their importance in our lives.
Instructional Objectives
In the following section, I have shown how my unit goals correspond to the
state’s benchmarks and how those unit goals serve as a basis for my instructional
objectives:
Students will be able to:
I. Benchmark: Classify organisms based on a variety of characteristics.
Unit Goal #1:
Draw a plant, label its parts, and tell the function of its
parts.
Unit Objectives:
1.1
After viewing the video, Magic School Bus Goes to Seed and discussing
some of the ideas in the film, the children will write at least two facts
about the seeds or flowers presented.
1.2
After the lesson, the students will individually write two things they
learned about stems and draw pictures of both. They will write entries
in their journals.
1.3
After the lesson on flowers and leaves, the students will draw a leaf
and a flower. They will write about the function of each and record
their ideas in their journals.
1.4
After the lesson, students will label and identify the four main parts of
a plant by picking the plant apart, identifying the parts, and then
naming them in their journal.
II. Benchmark: Identify structures that serve different functions.
Unit Goal #2: Draw or write things a plant needs to grow.
Unit Objectives:
2.1
The students will be able to individually draw and write four things
plants need to grow and will record them in their journals.
III. Benchmark:
Identify structures that serve different functions.
Identify examples of change over time.
Unit Goal #3: Write facts about seeds or spores.
Instructional Objectives:
3.1
After the lesson on seeds, students will write in complete sentences,
three important ideas they learned about seeds in their journals.
3.2
After the lesson on seeds and spores, students will individually write
in their journals three things about flowering plants and nonflowering
plants, comparing and contrasting the two.
3.3
Students will write a short story in their journal about a fictitious seed
including its travels and growth. The stories will include how the seed
traveled and what it became once it flowered.
3.4
Students will write in their journals how seeds sprout indicating they
know that seeds grow into plants.
3.5
After listening to the story about the monster seeds and planting one of
their own, the students will record daily observations about changes
noted their in their monster seed. They will write at least one sentence
per day using proper spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
IV. Benchmark:
Identify structures that serve different functions.
Unit Goal #4: Express why plants are important to life.
Instructional Objectives:
4.1
After the lesson, The Importance of Plants, the students will name on
the posttest at least four products that come from plants.
4.2
Students will write a letter thanking plants for at least one thing a
plant provides for human life.
V. Benchmark:
Demonstrate knowledge of spelling, grammar,
punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing, and documentation.
Instructional Objective:
5.1
Demonstrate developmentally appropriate control of spelling,
grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.
VI. Attitudinal Goal: The student will express pleasure in learning content.
6.1
The student will state the unit’s science content was interesting.
Attitudinal Goal: The student will acquire confidence in self as a learner.
6.2
The child will state confidence in his/her ability to continue learning
science.
Lesson Plans
Lesson #1: Plants: What Is a Seed?
State grade 3 science benchmark:
Identify structures that serve different functions.
Daily lesson science objective: 3.1 After the lesson on seeds, students will write in
their journals three important ideas they learned about seeds.
State grade 3 writing benchmark:
Demonstrate some control of correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and
capitalization.
Daily lesson writing objective: The sentences students write in their journals will
include complete sentences.
Rationale for the lesson: It is springtime and flowers are blooming. Students are
curious about the plants in bloom. Plants are part of the 1st grade curriculum.
Materials and Resources: Six apples, butcher paper, markers, drawing paper, pencils,
and sample of various seeds.
Procedures:
A. Anticipatory Set:
Set the stage by having the students seated up
front on the carpeted area by the board. Have various seeds set out.
Ask the students if they know what seeds are (give them time to
answer). Tell the students “Spring is a very exciting time. The sun is
shining and the flowers are in bloom.” Ask if they know why seeds
are so important this time of year (let them give a couple of answers).
Tell the students they will be learning about plants for the next two
weeks. “Today we are going to learn about seeds and I want to know
everything you know about plants and seeds before we start.” (3 min.)
B. Pretest: Tell students I want to know what they already know about
plants. That way I won’t bore them by spending time talking about
things they already know. Handout test. Read questions to them.
Encourage them to write a ? where they haven’t yet learned something
about a plant. (10 min.)
C. Detailed Outline:
Have a sheet of butcher paper setup in front of the
class. The paper will be divided into three columns labeled: K (What
We Know), W (What We Want to Learn), and L (What We Have
Learned). As a class, fill out the chart. Tell students that at the end of
the unit they will be able to fill out the last column with what they
have learned about plants. Tell them the chart will be up for the
entire time and we will go back to it to continue filling it in with what
they have learned. After the first two columns are completed have the
children go back to their seats. (10 min.)
•When children are back at their seats ask them to look at the chart.
“Are there ways we can categorize or group the information?” Write
the categories at the bottom of the chart--seeds, parts of a plant, how
plants grow, etc.
•Set out, on the table, six apples cut in halves. Invite the students to
inspect the seeds in the apples. Ask them to pay close attention to the
details of the inside of the seeds. Ask them to draw the seeds. Ask
them to describe what they saw as they were drawing. (10 min.)
•Tell them seeds are tiny cases containing plants. Seeds come in all
different sizes and shapes and the inside of a seed has a tiny plant
called an embryo. Ask them if they saw the embryo when they were
drawing. The seed also supplies energy and materials for the plant to
grow its first leaves. The leaves supply the plant’s food.
•Not all plants come from seeds. But all plants that produce flowers
come from seeds. Plants without flowers like ferns, mosses, and algae
come from spores. (8 min.)
D. Closure: Have the students come back up front and share the seed
pictures they drew. “Today we learned a lot of information about
seeds.” Write in our third column the things we learned today--give
the kids plenty of time to respond. Have the children go back to their
desks and write individually in their journals three things they
learned. They can use the chart. (3 min.)
Adaptations: For the students who get done early, I will ask them to look at
the chart to pick a question they can investigate individually.
Assessment: In their journals, the children will write three ideas they learned about
plants (seeds) using controlled spelling, grammar, and punctuation. I
will also score the pretest.
Reflection:
This turned out to be a great lesson. The student really got involved in
the observation and spent a lot of time on it. The seed pictures they
drew were very detailed and those of the inside of the seed were
amazing. They noticed the tiniest detail of the seeds. This ended up
being one of my most organized and smooth lessons. I felt I did a
good job of creating a good classroom climate and management was
easy. The students were very enthusiastic so management was
minimal.
Lesson #2: Plants: Seeds and Spores?
State grade 3 science benchmarks:
•Describe the characteristics, structure, and functions of organisms.
•Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events that are based on
observations and can be explored through simple investigations.
Daily lesson science objective: 3.2 After the lesson on seeds and spores, the
students will individually write in their journals three ideas about
flowering and nonflowering plants, comparing and contrasting the two.
State grade 3 writing benchmark:
Demonstrate some control of correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and
capitalization.
Daily lesson writing objective: The student’s journal writing will include few
errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.
Rationale for the Lesson: The children have been learning about plants. It is
important they learn about seeds and spores to understand the sources of
plants. Plants are part of the first grade curriculum.
Materials and Resources: Fern cuttings, apple seeds, and marigold seeds.
Procedures:
A. Anticipatory Set:
Have the students seated up front on the carpeted
area by the board. “Yesterday we learned a bit about seeds. Today we
are going to learn about other plants that don’t come from seeds but
come from spores. Have you heard of spores before?” (Give time to
answer.) “What might a spore look like?” Show them a spore on a
fern. (2 min.)
B. Detailed Outline:
Have students go back to their desks. Remind them
at the end of the lesson they will be asked to add to the science chart-the KWL chart.
•Children will be invited to examine the seeds and spores on their
desks. “You will have 5 minutes to investigate the seeds and the
spores before we begin writing in your journals and writing your
observations. The observation should include how you think spores
and seeds are alike and how they are different.” (7 min.)
•“Now let us talk about the differences between a flowering plant and a
nonflowering plant. Flowering plants grow from seeds. A sprouting
seeds must absorb water before it will start to grow. We learned that a
seed is a tiny embryo and when it starts to grow, the roots go
downward while the stem goes upward.” (7 min.)
•“Nonflowering plants grow from spores. Nonflowering plants are
like ferns, mosses, and algae. A spore is a cell with a thick, protective
covering. It is much smaller than the smallest seed. Spores do not
have an embryo like a seed so the spore develops directly into an
adult plant. On the underside of fern leaves, you can find small
brown lumps. Those lumps produce spores. When the spores are
ripe they fall to the ground and grow into new ferns.” (7 min.)
C. Closure: Have the students come back to the front to share the pictures
they drew of the seeds and spores. “Today we learned a lot of
information about seeds and spores. Let’s write in the third column
some of the things we learned today.” Give the children plenty of time
to discuss. “Return to your desks and write in your journals three
things you learned today. Please use the chart to help remember what
we learned.” (3 min.)
Adaptations: For those who finish early with their pictures, tell them to look
at the chart and pick a question they will investigate individually.
Assessment: In their journals, the students will write three things they have learned
about seeds compared to spores, using some control of grammar,
punctuation, and spelling.
Reflection: Overall, the lesson went fairly well. The students seemed to really
enjoy the lesson. I noticed that giving students free time to explore lets them
discover many exciting ideas. They also seem to learn and notice many
things you may not have taught them. One area that seemed a bit of a
problem was that after I gave them time for exploration and investigation it
was hard to regain their attention. It may be easier if I let them explore, then
ask them to rejoin me on the carpet. That may make a better transition.
Lesson #11: The Importance of Plants
State grade 3 science benchmark:
Describe the characteristics, structure, and functions of organisms.
Daily lesson science objectives:
•4.1 After the lesson, students will identify on a post assessment at least four
products that come from plants.
•4.2 Students will be able to write a letter thanking a plant for at least
one thing the plant provides for human life.
Rationale: The students have been learning about plants. Plants are important
because they provide so much for us, including the oxygen we breath. It is
important to know the significance of plant life.
Materials and Resources: 28 pieces of letter writing paper, the story The Reason for a
Flower by Ruth Heller, butcher paper, pasta shells, perfume, bread, medicine
bottle, pasta, paper, and crayons.
Procedures:
A. Anticipatory Set:
Have the children seat themselves up front on the
carpeted area. Ask them if they like spaghetti, pop corn, and perfume.
Let them answer. “Plants help make these things. Without plants we
would not have spaghetti, popcorn, or perfume. We would not have a
lot of things without plants. Do you think plants are important to us?”
(Let them answer.) “Plants do a lot more for us that just look pretty
and smell good. Plants are very important to our lives. We can’t live
without them. Today we are going to talk about how really important
plants are to us.” (5 min.)
B. Detailed Outline:
•“Plants and people are like partners. A couple of days ago, I told you
plants make their own food by photosynthesis. I told you plants use
carbon dioxide to help make their food but carbon dioxide is like a
poison to people. When plants use up carbon dioxide they are
actually helping us to breath. Plants give off oxygen which is the gas
in the air we need to breath. After plants make their food they give
off a gas, oxygen, that allows us to breath”.
•“Plants provide food for us as well as many other animals. Without
plants we would not have food to eat. Plants provide food for many
animals and we eat animals that eat plants. How many of you like
hamburgers? I do too and hamburger meat comes from cows and
cows eat grass. Grass is a plant. Without plants there would be no
hamburgers.”
•“We also eat plants themselves. Raise your hand if you can think of a
plant you eat.” (Let them respond.) “Yes, those are all plants we eat.
We eat different parts of plants. We eat beets, which is a root, and
eat celery which is a stem. We eat pees, which are the seeds of a
plant. We eat many, many plants and plant parts.”
“Many clothes come from plants. Many of our clothes come from
cotton and cotton is a plant. Rubber on the bottom of your shoes
comes from plants. Plants provide an endless amount of things for
us.”
“Plants provide many medicines we take when we get sick. Many of
our medicines come from plants.”
“Can you think of something a plant provided for you just today?
(Give the children time to respond.) “Now I am going to write some
things on the board plants do for us.”
“Now I want you to write a letter to a plant, any plant, thanking it for
what it provides for us. I will read you an example of a letter I wrote
to a plant.”
“When I say ‘go’ I want you to return quietly to your seats. I will give
you a paper on which to write your letter.” Remind them how letters
start, with a salutation, and end with a nice, appropriate closure
including the child’s signature. (25 min.)
C. Closure: Ask individuals to share their letters with the class. I will ask
each to explain why they chose that plant to thank. (5 min.)
D. Posttest: Handout posttest. Tell students that now I want to know how
much they know about plants. Read the questions to them. Encourage
them to use ? if they don’t know an answer. (10 min.)
Adaptations:
Allow students having difficulty with writing and reading skills
to draw a picture of the plant they want to thank. They can even work
with a partner on their project.
Assessment:
In their letter, the students will identify what the plant provided
them and how it was provided. They will identify the various benefits plants
have in their lives. I will also score the posttests.
Reflection:
The student really enjoyed working with the plants. I used this
lesson as a closing for the unit. The students’ letters turned out to be really
wonderful. They put a lot of thought into the letters and most every student
had an idea the minute I gave them the assignment. The only problem with
this lesson was it was done at the end of the day and I was rushed for time. I
ended up extending the lesson to the next day in place of the morning
activity.
Test Construction
For my pretest, I tried to construct the test so it assessed a broad range of
information and to do this in multiple ways. I wanted the students to use higher levels
of thinking. So I tried to incorporate a variety of open-ended questions. I wanted to let
the students show me what they knew about plants.
My mentor teacher felt my pretest was very well written. But she requested I
make the test a little less open-ended. She felt the students might not be able to perform
their best on the pretest. As a result of Mrs. Teacher’s feelings, I changed the test a bit
and added some multiple choice questions.
The level at which the students performed on the pretest was amazing. Most of
them had a greater knowledge of plants than I had predicted. As a result of my pretest
results, I felt I could go into greater detail in my lessons. And with increased detail and
expectations, I felt the children could do more on the posttest. I felt if I gave the same
test for the posttest, the results would not adequately represent the students’ levels of
learning. On the posttest I wanted to make open-ended questions and allow the
students to perform at a high level of thinking. I knew because of their performance on
the pretest, my students could handle changing the posttest to requiring more
independent thinking.
I wrote a scoring guide to assess my writing objectives. The components of the
guide were drawn from the Oregon Content Standards brochure9 . The s
coring guide follows. I used it with two writing assignments completed throughout the
unit. The first one came early in the first week while the second was drawn from work
late in the second week.
9
Ibid, p. 26.
Name
Date
Plants--Pretest
__________________________________________________________
1. Draw a plant.
2. On the plant you drew, label four parts of the plant.
3. Draw or write three things a sunflower would need to grow.
4. Circle two reasons why plants are important to us.
a.
We use plants to make houses.
b.
Plants make light.
c.
Plants make water.
d.
Plants give us food.
5. What do plants start out as?
6. I think plants are interesting.
a. No.
b. Sometimes.
c. I think they are interesting.
d. I would like to learn a lot
more about plants.
7. I’m confident I can learn a lot about
science.
a. I know I will.
b. I hope I will.
c. I don’t know.
d. I don’t think I can.
Student
Writing Skills Scoring Guide--Plants Unit
Standard
Assigned
I. Spelling
a. Correctly spells
common words
appropriate to
grade level.
|(1) Exploring
|(2) Developing |(3) Proficient |(4) Strong
|Score
|
|
|
|
|
|Spelling
|Several
|Few spelling |No spelling |∑ = __/8
|errors are
|spelling errors |errors exist. |errors exist. |
|pervasive.
|exist.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
b. Limits use of
|Phonetic
|Several
|Only a few
|Phonetic
|
phonetic spelling to |spelling is
|phonetic
|phonetic
|spelling errors |
uncommon or
|pervasive.
|spelling errors |spelling errors |do not exist. |
difficult words.
|
|exist.
|exist.
|
|
|
|
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|
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II. Grammar and Usage |
|
|
|
|
a. Uses correct subject- |Agreement
|Several
|Only a few
|Agreement
|∑ = __/8
verb agreement in |errors are
|agreement
|agreement
|errors do not |
simple sentences. |pervasive.
|errors exist. |errors exist. |exist.
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b. Conveys intended |Meaning is
|Meaning is
|Seldom is
|Meaning is
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meaning.
|nearly
|occasionally |meaning
|always
|
|impossible to |indiscernible. |indiscernible. |discernible.
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|discern.
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III. Punctuation
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a. Uses correct end of |Punctuation |Several
|Very few
|No ending
|∑ = __/8
sentence
|errors are
|punctuation |punctuation |punctuation |
punctuation.
|pervasive.
|errors exist. |errors exist. |errors exist. |
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b. Correctly uses
|Comma errors|Several errors |Only a few
|No errors in |
commas in dates |are pervasive. |in comma
|errors in
|comma usage |
and in series.
|
|usage exist.
|comma usage |exist.
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|exist.
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IV. Capitalization
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a. Correctly
|Capitalizing |Several errors |Only a few
|No errors in |∑ = __/4
capitalizes
|errors are
|in
|errors in
|capitalizing |
sentence beginnings|pervasive.
|capitalizing |capitalizing |exist.
|
proper nouns, titles,|
|exist.
|exist.
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the pronoun I.
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Comments:
|∑∑ = ___/28
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Name
Date
Plants--Posttest
__________________________________________________________
1. Draw a plant.
2. On the plant you drew, label four parts of the plant and tell me what two of those
parts are used for.
3. Write or draw three things a sunflower would need to grow.
4. Write or draw four reasons plants are important to us--what they do for us.
5. What do plants start out as?
6. Write two important things about a seed or spore.
7. Name two ways a seed or spore can travel.
8. I’m confident I can learn a lot about science.
a. I don’t think I can.
b. I don’t know.
c. I hope I will
d. I know I will.
9. I think plants are interesting.
a. I would like to learn a lot
more about plants.
b. I think they are interesting.
c. Sometimes.
d. No.
Tables of Specifications
1. Science
Objectives
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
2.1
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
4.1
4.2
|
Pretest Items
| 1
2
3
4
|
|
| X
|
X
|
| X
|
|
X
|
|
|
|
|
|
X
|
X
|
5
X
X
X
|
| 1
|
|
| X
|
|
| X
|
|
|
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|
|
|
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|
|
2
Posttest Items
3
4
5
6
X
X
X
X
2. Writing: Objective components matched to scoring guide
Component
Spelling
Grammar & Usage
Punctuation
Capitalization
3. Science Attitudes
Objective
6.1
6.2
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|
|
|
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|
Criteria
Ia
Ib
IIa
IIb
IIIa IIIb
IVa
| Pretest Item
|
#6
|
#7
|
7
| Posttest Item
|
#9
|
#8
|
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Pretest and Posttest Data
Names
Andrew
Beverly
Connie
Deborah
Cluster 1 Avg.
Emma
Fred
Gweneth
Hayley
Immanuel
Jacqueline
Kelsey
LaRon
Cluster 2 Avg.
Mannie
Nelson
Ophelia
Quincy
Ramone
Steven
Trent
Udall
Walker
Cluster 3 Avg.
Xavier
Yasmine
Zephyr
Philip
Helen
Cluster 4 Avg.
Hanna
Vern
Cluster 5 Avg.
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Overall Scores |
Writing Skills
Science Content Achievement
Pretest
100
93
93
93
94.75
86
86
86
86
86
86
86
86
86.00
80
80
80
80
80
80
80
80
80
80.00
73
66
66
66
66
67.40
40
0
20.00
77.70
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
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Posttest
100
100
100
100
100
91
91
100
96
87
100
100
96
95.00
91
83
100
96
83
91
91
96
83
90.44
100
100
83
96
74
90.60
74
91
82.50
|
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|
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|
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
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|
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|
Gain
0
7
7
7
5.25
5
5
14
10
1
14
14
10
9.00
11
3
20
14
3
11
11
16
3
10.44
27
34
17
30
8
23.20
34
91
62.50
|
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|
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|
Pretest
8
7
7
5
6.8
8
7
7
7
6
7
5
4
6.4
5
3
4
3
3
3
2
8
3
3.8
5
1
2
4
3
3.0
0
1
0.5
96.04
|
18.33
|
4.6
|
Spelling |Grammar/Us.
|Pre
Post |Pre
Post
Andrew
| 6
8
| 7
8
Beverly
| 6
8
| 6
7
Connie
| 5
8
| 7
7
Deborah
| 7
8
| 7
8
Cluster 1 Avg. |6.0
8.0
|6. 8
7.5
Emma
| 7
7
| 6
7
Fred
| 6
6
| 5
7
Gweneth
| 6
7
| 5
8
| Punctuation
|Pre
Post
| 8
8
| 8
7
| 7
7
| 7
7
| 7.5
7.3
| 6
8
| 6
7
| 5
7
Science Attitude
| Capitalizing
|Pre
Post
| 3
4
| 3
3
| 3
4
| 3
3
|3.0
3.5
| 4
4
| 3
2
| 3
3
|
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|
Posttest
8
8
6
8
7.5
8
8
7
6
6
7
6
6
6.8
6
6
4
8
5
4
0
8
2
4.8
5
5
3
5
5
4.6
0
3
1.5
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Gain
0
1
-1
3
0.8
0
1
0
-1
0
0
1
2
0.4
1
3
0
5
2
1
-2
0
-1
1.0
0
4
1
1
2
1.6
0
2
1.0
|
5.5
|
0.9
| Total Scores |
|Pre
Post | Gain
| 24
28
|
4
| 23
25
|
2
| 22
26
|
4
| 24
26
|
2
|23.3
26.3 | 3.0
| 23
26
|
3
| 20
22
|
2
| 19
25
|
6
Hayley
| 7
Immanuel
| 4
Jacqueline
| 6
Kelsey
| 6
LaRon
| 5
Cluster 2 Avg. |5.9
Mannie
| 6
Nelson
| 6
Ophelia
| 5
Quincy
| 7
Ramone
| 4
Steven
| 6
Trent
| 5
Udall
| 6
Walker
| 6
Cluster 3 Avg. |5.7
Xavier
| 4
Yasmine
| 4
Zephyr
| 3
Philip
| 3
Helen
| 3
Cluster 4 Avg. |3.4
Hanna
| 2
Vern
| 2
Cluster 5 Avg. |2.0
6
7
6
7
7
6.6
7
7
7
7
7
7
5
6
5
7.3
5
4
5
4
6
4.8
3
4
3.5
| 5
| 5
| 6
| 6
| 6
| 5.5
| 5
| 6
| 6
| 6
| 4
| 5
| 5
| 4
| 6
|5.9
| 5
| 3
| 2
| 4
| 2
|3.2
| 0
| 0
| 0
6
5
6
7
5
6.4
6
7
8
6
6
6
4
6
4
6.6
5
6
6
5
4
5.2
3
2
2.5
| 6
| 5
| 5
| 5
| 5
| 5.4
| 4
| 6
| 6
| 6
| 3
| 4
| 5
| 5
| 6
|5.0
| 6
| 3
| 4
| 4
| 4
|4.2
| 0
| 2
|1.0
6
7
6
8
7
7.0
7
6
6
6
6
6
5
7
6
6.1
7
4
5
4
3
4.6
3
5
4.0
| 3
| 2
| 3
| 3
| 3
| 3.0
| 2
| 3
| 3
| 3
| 2
| 2
| 3
| 3
| 3
|2.7
| 2
| 2
| 3
| 1
| 3
|2.2
| 1
| 0
|0.5
2
3
3
4
3
3.0
2
3
4
3
3
2
3
3
2
2.8
2
3
3
3
3
2.8
1
2
1.5
| 21
20
| 16
22
| 20
21
| 20
26
| 19
22
|19.8 23.0
| 17
22
| 21
23
| 20
25
| 22
22
| 13
22
| 17
21
| 18
17
| 18
22
| 21
17
|18.6 21.2
| 17
19
| 12
15
| 12
19
| 12
16
| 12
16
|13.0 17.0
| 3
10
|4
13
| 3.5 11.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-1
6
1
6
3
3.3
5
2
5
0
9
4
-1
4
-5
2.6
2
3
7
4
4
4.0
7
9
8.0
Overall Scores |5.1
6.2
|4.8
5.9
|5.0
6.1
|2.6
2.9
|17.5 21.0
|
3.5
Interpretation of Results
Science Content
The preassessment I gave indicated a great deal of science learning had already
occurred. The overall scores were high--see the percentage scores at the bottom of the
science Pretest column in the table labeled Pretest and Posttest Data.
As a result, I felt I could make the posttest much more detailed and open-ended.
Because of that change, I felt the students were able to show me what they had learned.
I also believe the posttest was much more within the students’ range and ability level.
I allowed the students to express more of their total learning on the posttest rather than
spoon feeding the information I wanted them to learn by giving them a multiple choice
test.
Every child, except Andrew, showed a learning gain. (And Andrew had a
perfect score on both tests so he couldn’t show a gain.) I am particularly proud of this
widespread improvement because the posttest required the students to do more higher
level thinking. I found it interesting, and typical, that the bottom cluster received the
highest learning gain. The top cluster received the lowest learning gain. I feel this
exhibits that the top students came to the unit fairly well equipped with the information
I was going to present. I found it interesting that as the clusters went from highest to
lowest, the learning gain went from lowest to highest. I feel this is a result of the
students in the lower clusters having more to learn. They came out of the unit with a
great deal of information they did not know before my teaching.
A couple of students, in particular Imannuel, from the second cluster, made very
small gains. I feel his learning gain score actually reflected that he learned a great deal.
Immanuel had to able to think at a higher level to accomplish the same score on the
posttest. Immanuel is one our IEP students. He has a great deal of difficulty with
reading and writing. Hanna, who is near the bottom in cluster 5, seemed to show a
broad learning gain. Hanna has similar skills in reading and writing to Immanuel,
however she is further behind in both areas.
When I clustered the results it was difficult to choose students who would fit into
each cluster. My first cluster contains the students who are the highest scorers; their
scores all range in the “A” area. The second cluster contains a group where the
students had the exact same scores so I thought the spread of learning gains would be
interesting. The third cluster is similar to the second. The last two clusters were quite a
bit different. I felt I needed to separate the last two children into their own cluster
because they were so far behind the others.
Overall, I was satisfied with the results. I feel my students learned a great deal
and accomplished each of my goals and objectives. I also feel they were better able to
show their learning by responding to open-ended questions.
Attitude Results
The highest possible score on both the pretest and posttest was 8. Clusters 1 and
2 wound up with nearly perfect, or very positive posttest scores. The kids in clusters 3
and 4 averaged about neutral though two students on the posttest had scores of 8.
Something was wrong for Trent. His attitude score was nearly negative to begin with
and got worse. I think I need to talk to him to find out what happened. The two kids in
the fifth cluster weren’t too excited about science. Hanna apparently disliked it when
she began the Plants unit and still feels the same way. Vern may have become at least
ready to think about science in more accepting terms.
I’m not too sure what I learned from these two tests and the students’ attitudes. I
was, for example, never sure they took responding to the two questions very seriously.
And I think a few were perplexed I even asked about their views.
Writing Skills
Generally, everyone’s writing scores improved. The first three clusters gained a
bit in writing but the bottom two groups, as in content, improved the most. Given the
limited writing experience of the children, it is likely their improvement may have been
due to practice as much as my teaching. The additional writing activities in which they
participated likely helped their improvement as much as any instruction.
I do worry about Walker. His performance seemed to fall back. His content
scores didn’t increase much and his attitude score decreased slightly. Something has
gone wrong for Walker. Ramone, on the other hand, made significant writing score
gains, his attitude score moved from mild disinterest to neutral, but his content score
changed little. Something in the writing area made sense to him and his performance
grew dramatically. I should interview both Walker and Ramone to try to determine
what may have influenced their performance.
Reflective Essay
I had a wonderful experience this term. We have been taught for so long you
will never learn how to do something until you actually perform the action yourself. I
feel that through our field experience it was intended we will become teachers through
teaching. We had the opportunity to practice the profession we are pursuing. It is
amazing how when you practice, the result is always an improvement. At times you
may feel like you are getting nowhere or even that you are regressing but what is
actually happening is you are learning. I feel like all this happened during my field
experience.
I learned so much in my field experience. My mentor teacher could not have
been a better example to follow and model. Mrs. Teacher allowed me to have as much
experience as possible. She modeled what an effective and productive class should look
like and allowed me to dive right in. I received daily feedback and suggestions to make
my teaching more productive.
Last term I felt very unsure about my classroom management abilities. After this
term I feel very confident. I have developed skills to help me maintain a class with ease.
I am still learning but the progress I have made in this area is so great. I was simply
amazed at Mrs. Teacher’s fast and considerate response to every situation. I feel I
learned from this. I know it will take time for me to have the same kind of wisdom as
Mrs. Teacher, but because I had the chance to see a wonderful teacher in action I know
what I want to become.
I also learned a lot from my students. Every child is different. Although we
stress that all students are different, I think we really come to realize the huge
differences when we teach. I think I have become more considerate of the students’
differences and have developed a respect for the abilities of all my students. I feel I
have really learned about developmentally appropriate curriculum and learning in
general.
My teaching philosophy has not really changed all that much. I still feel children
need to actively learn and get involved to develop the whole person. I enjoyed my
experience and I appreciated the students and my mentor teacher immensely. The
atmosphere was perfect for learning. My mentor teacher feels that students need to
explore and be involved in active inquiry to foster their learning.
My professional goals have been reaffirmed. I am striving to become a
wonderful teacher. I have learned children will keep you on your toes. The entire
experience taught me a great deal about teaching and myself. I was amazed how
teaching is completely exhausting, but also the little things that make it all worthwhile.
25
Literature Resources
Aquarosa, Mano (1989). Monster Garden. New York: Harcourt Brace.
Ehlert, Lois (1991). Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf. New York: Harcourt Brace.
Heller, Ruth (1983). The Reason for a Flower. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.
Kuchalla, Susan (1989). Now I Know All About Seeds. New York: Harcourt Brace.
Mallinson, George (1985). Silver Burdett: Science. Silver Burdett Co.
Robbins, Ken (1998). Autumn Leaves. New York: Scholastic Press.
Wolff, Ferida (1996). A Weed is a Seed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Videos
The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed (1995).