3rd Grade Plants Unit Blueprint—Helpful Teacher Tips
Helpful Teacher Tips
Advanced Planning for STC Plant Growth and Development module
- Carefully follow the schedule of lessons on page 4 in the Teacher's Guide. Since Wisconsin Fast Plants are being used, it is essential that the correct pacing is maintained.
- While observing plant growth (Lesson 12), complete Activities 1-6 in DSM Soil Science module.
- Lesson 13-15 should be skipped. They do not address essential concepts.
- Student Lab Journal Contents:
- Activity Sheet 1 from STC Plant Growth and Development Teacher's Guide
- Teacher-generated Plant Growth Line Graph (PDF) (this is to be used in place of the one provided in Teacher's Guide)
- Plant Growth Bar Graph (Adobe Reader PDF)
Plant Growth Bar Graph (Microsoft Word) - Plant Growth Graph Summary sheet
- Plant Growth Summary (Adobe Reader PDF)
Plant Growth Summary (Microsoft Word) - Plant Observation Log Rubric (Adobe Reader PDF)
Plant Observation Log Rubric (Microsoft Word) - Teacher-generated observation log (approximately 8 double-sided pages)
Lesson 3: How to Plant Wisconsin Fast Plant Seeds
It is suggested that the teacher make overhead transparencies of pages 26-29 and check off each step as a visual for students to follow the procedure.
Students will begin to keep a log book of observations at this time. At the beginning, it is important to make log entries on a daily basis to establish a routine for accurate drawings. As the unit progresses the teacher and students should decide how often to make entries and drawings.
Lesson 4: Thinning and Transplanting
Students do not need to draw one seedling as stated on step 4, page 33 in the Teacher's Guide because they have already established a science log.
Lesson 5: How Does Your plant Grow?
- Use the teacher-generated graph paper available on the electronic curriculum in place of the paper in the Teacher's Guide.
- Students will use this paper to create a line graph to show plant growth from day 5 to day 35. It is not necessary to graph growth each day. On the days that graph entries are not made, students should complete a log entry.
- Students will need to measure plant growth using a tape measure, not using paper strips or Unifix cubes per directions in the Teacher's Guide.
- This graph will continue until the plants are taken off the water source (approximately day 36).
- Over the next 30 days, students should be given several opportunities to write summaries (3-5 sentences) of their graphs and elaborate on what they can learn from the graphs.
Lesson 6: Observing Leaves and Flower Buds
Do not use Observation Sheet from Teacher's Guide. The information is already captured in the students' ongoing Observation Logs, which were started in Lesson 3.
Lesson 7: Observing the Growth Spurt
Do not use Activity Sheet 3. The information is already captured in the unit-long Plant Growth Graph.
Lesson 8: Why Are Bees Important?
- A "KWL" or some other information generating activity should be conducted to determine students' knowledge about the interdependence of bees and flowers.
- Omit the "Drawing a Bee" art activity Procedure Step 4 on page 50.
Lesson 9: How to Make a Bee Stick
- It is suggested that the teacher make an overhead transparency of page 58 and check off each step as a visual for students to follow the procedure.
Lesson 11: Pollinating Flowers
- Read and discuss pages 16 & 17 in How a Plant Grows prior to conducting the lesson.
Supplementary Resource: Friendships in Nature is a quality read-aloud that explores how various animals and/or plants interact. The book is available though the library. It addresses the following benchmark of the lesson, which is not explicitly addressed through the activities within this module:
5D(3-5)#3: Organisms interact with one another in various ways besides providing food. Many plants depend on animals for carrying their pollen to other plants or for dispersing their seeds.
The book could also be revisited at the end of the unit.
Supplementary Resource: The following web site contains numerous pictures of bees pollinating flowers. Select "Bees on Flowers" and the sub-album "Bees Foraging." The sub-album has approximately 100 photographs.
http://photo.bees.net/gallery/
Supplementary Resource: Diagrams/photographs of flowers
- Easy-to-understand diagrams and explanations of the parts of plants involved in reproduction
- Numerous photos of flowers
DSM Soil Science
Continue to make plant observations while completing the Soil Science portion of the unit.
Soil Science Activity 1
- Step #3 on T.E. page 18: The Teacher's Guide notes that a sheet of cardboard and two clothespins are necessary to complete this activity. Students can use their clipboards instead.
- Discuss with team in advance where the students should dig in order to leave landscape intact. Decide on specific areas and loosen the soil in advance so that students can easily collect samples.
Soil Science Activity 2
- This lesson requires students to observe and draw the particle layers in the tube. It is important to first discuss how each component (sand, rocks, etc.) should be drawn.
- Step 6 on T.E. page 24: The text instructs the teacher to tell the students to put caps on tubes and hold on to them tightly. It is very important to show the students exactly how to shake the tubes, one hand firmly on the top and one hand firmly on the bottom so that the contents of the tubes are not spilled.
- Discuss with team in advance where the students should dig in order to leave landscape intact. Decide on specific areas and loosen the soil in advance so that students can easily collect samples.
Supplementary Resource: Dirt: The Scoop on Soil by Natalie Rosinski is wonderful book on the components of soil. The book is available through the library.
Lesson 15: Harvesting and Threshold of Seeds
Supplementary Resources: The library has several books flagged as appropriate end-of-unit read-alouds.