Unit Planning

I have been planning my unit around my dream unit ideas. For my dream unit, I am focusing on the life cycle of a plant. My big idea focuses on the life cycles and growth through the creation of a classroom garden.

I have come up with many different essential questions for this unit. Here are my top three unit essential questions:

1. What are the key stages in the life cycle of a plant, and how do they contribute to the growth of a plant?
2. What are the basic needs of plants, and how do these needs change as a plant grows from seed to maturity?
3. What environmental factors influence plant growth, and how can we create optimal conditions for plant development in our classroom garden?

The learning goal that I have created for the students is connected to my first essential question: What are the key stages in the life cycle of a plant, and how do they contribute to the growth of a plant?

My Unit Goal

Students will create a model that highlights the key stages in the life cycle of a plant and write a paragraph of at least 5 sentences describing how each stage contributes to the growth of a plant, by the end of the unit.  

Connection To Students

This unit plan will connect to students' lives in a few different ways. The first connection is that many of my fifth-grade students have voiced their interest in hands-on learning experiences. Unfortunately, there are little to no opportunities where students are learn through hands-on experiences in the classroom. With this unit plan, as a class, we will brainstorm what we would like to grow in our garden. Students will be invited to share their family and community gardening experiences, traditions, and/or knowledge. My hope for this unit plan is not only to teach students about plant life cycles but also to connect the learning to their own lives and communities, making it a more meaningful and memorable educational experience.

How Will I Assess Learning

The students will have the opportunity to express their learning through two different informal assessments. The first opportunity will be through the creation of a model, which will highlight the key stages in the life cycle of a plant. The life cycle models will be assessed using a rubric that I will make. Then, students will write a paragraph, of at least 5 sentences, describing how each stage in the life cycle, contributes to the growth of the plant. Students will use their models to help guide their writing. The written paragraphs will be evaluated through a rubric (which I have not made yet!).

Planning

As I plan for this unit, I am wondering, where are my students at now? What do they already know about plants? Are they familiar with the life cycle of plants? What are their experiences with planting and gardening? My questions can go on... As I think of a starting place, I am wondering how I can create a pre-assessment, where I can gather students' current knowledge, and then leverage their familiar knowledge as a starting place.