This Science unit is meant to be taught as a collaborative effort between a school library media specialist and a second grade teacher over five 45 minute class sessions. The unit will introduce students to the life cycle of a plant, the parts of a plant, the parts of a flower, and what a plant needs to grow. The lesson will also be used to introduce students to informational books and web resources for the purpose of conducting research. Students will plant seeds and germinate beans while recording observations and make posters as a finished product for presentation and display in a "Library Poster Garden".

Instructional Goals:

1. Students will learn how to locate needed information from a variety of book and web resources provided by the SLMS.
2. Students will learn about plant life cycles and growth.
3. Students will learn through direct observation by conducting an experiment.
4. Students will gain a deeper understanding of life cycles and the relationships between all living things.
5. Students will learn independently and will learn to collaborate and share knowledge.
6. Students will present their finished projects to the class and will supply feedback to fellow students regarding their projects.

 

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will complete worksheets labeling the parts of a plant and the parts of a flower, record four things a plant needs to grow, identify four ways that seeds are dispersed, and identify life cycle stages using informational books and information found on the websites provided by the SLMS.
   
2. Students will complete an interactive web activity to build and enhance their knowledge regarding the stages of a plants life cycle, what a plant needs to grow, ways that seeds are scattered, and the parts of plants and flowers (and their functions).
3. Students will learn about plants and their life cycles by planting seeds and recording their observations on their Science Experiment Logs (Warner, 2006, Science worksheets).
4. Students will learn that all living things have life cycles with similar characteristics and stages. They will learn that living things effect and depend on their environment.
   
5. Students will work together and individually to gather and share information and to learn. Higher level readers will be paired with lower level readers when using informational books to gather facts.
6. Students will summarize and synthesize the information they have gathered into a finished product--a poster, and share this with the class. The posters will then be displayed in a “Library Poster Garden” for others in the school to see.

 

Motivational Goals:

1. Generate interest in the research process.
   
2. Generate interest in the process of scientific inquiry and the living environment.
3. Build confidence in using print and web- based research resources.
4. Reinforce students’ confidence in their ability to learn and use information skills.
5. Promote students’ satisfaction in their research accomplishments.
6. Promote continued learning and exploration.

 

See supporting files for complete lesson plan.

 

buILder - http://www.informationliteracy.org/builder/view/1358/16235

See supporting files for complete lesson plan.

See supporting files for complete lesson plan.

SLMS and 2nd grade classroom teacher