Unit Framework- Email the teacher
Title: Community/Prairie Project
Subject and Level - Science / Second Graders and Third Graders
Learner Description - The students are from two heterogeneously grouped classrooms in a small suburban school district.
Overview - Brief description of the unit
Guiding Questions
Students will engage in series of cooperative activities to learn about their suburban community. At the same time, they will increase their knowledge of prairies that once covered the state of Illinois using a variety of resources. Students will then examine similarities between the two communities.
Rationale
Why would you teach this unit?
Some first and second grade students had established a garden on the Eisenhower School site. The site includes a vegetable garden, perennial garden, and an annual garden. These students were interested in learning more about plants native to the area with the long term goal of adding an additional site specifically for native prairie plants. Their interest became the inspiration for this project. It is also based on second and third grade curriculum requirements. The study of communities is the focus for third grade social studies. Plant life and animal life are main units of study in second and third grade science. The interaction with community members and the eventual creation of a prairie garden will keep the students involved with a high level of interest. Technology will be used to enhance each step of the project.
Why would this qualify as an engaged learning unit?
These engaged learning indicators are addressed -
Vision of Learning
Tasks
Assessment
Instructional Model
Learning Context
Grouping
Teacher Roles
Student Roles
Access
Operability
Organization
Engagability
Ease of Use
Functionality
Goals - Content, Cognitive and Social:
Through their involvement with community members and hands-on work with prairie plants, students will heighten their awareness and involvement with their community and school.
As the students work through this project they will increase their knowledge and skills. They will gain a perspective of where their community fits in the world. They will learn about the interaction and importance of components within a community. They will also increase their knowledge of interaction of plants and animals within a prairie community. The skills to be gained include researching, working together, sharing ideas, making decisions, writing, self-evaluating, measuring, graphing, interviewing, listening, speaking, and presenting. Technology will be used as a tool to achieve these goals.
What state standards does the unit address?
English Language Arts
3.A.1 Construct complete sentences which demonstrate subject/verb agreement; appropriate capitalization and punctuation; correct spelling of appropriate, high-frequency words; and appropriate use of the eight parts of speech.
3.C.1a Write for a variety of purposes including description, information, explanation, persuasion and narration.
4.A.1b Ask questions and respond to questions from the teacher and from group members to improve comprehension.
4.A.2b Ask and respond to questions related to oral presentations and messages in small and large group settings.
4.B.1a Present brief oral reports, using language and vocabulary appropriate to the message and audience (e.g., show and tell).
4.B.1b Participate in discussions around a common topic.
4.B.2b Use speaking skills and procedures to participate in group discussions.
5.A.1a Identify questions and gather information.
5.A.1b Locate information using a variety of resources.
5.A.2b Organize and integrate information from a variety of sources (e.g., books, interviews, library reference materials, web- sites, CD/ROMs).
5.C.1a Write letters, reports and stories based on acquired information.
5.C.1b Use print, nonprint, human and technological resources to acquire and use information.
Mathematics
10.A.1a Organize and display data using pictures, tallies, tables, charts or bar graphs. 10.B.1b Collect, organize and describe data using pictures, tallies, tables, charts or bar graphs.
10.B.2b Collect, organize and display data using tables, charts, bar graphs, line graphs, circle graphs, line plots and stem-and-leaf graphs.
Science
12.B.1a Describe and compare characteristics of living things in relationship to their environments.
12.B.1b Describe how living things depend on one another for survival.
12.B.2a Describe relationships among various organisms in their environments (e.g., predator/prey, parasite/host, food chains and food webs).
Social Studies
14.D.1 Identify the roles of civic leaders (e.g., elected leaders, public service leaders).
16.B.1a (US) Identify key individuals and events in the development of the local community (e.g., Founders days, names of parks, streets, public buildings).
16.D.1 (US) Describe key figures and organizations (e.g., fraternal/civic organizations, public service groups, community leaders) in the social history of the local community.
17.A.1a Identify physical characteristics of places, both local and global (e.g., locations, roads, regions, bodies of water).
18.B.1b Identify major social institutions in the community.
18.B.2b Describe the ways in which institutions meet the needs of society.
Learning activities
Research
In order to gather information about prairies and communities, students will engage in variety of activities which will include the following:
Community Booklets
Students in the second and third grades will be grouped together to create and research a seven-page community booklet. The booklet will consist of the solar system, the world, the continents, our country, our state, our town, and our local community. Each child will be responsible for creating a page while working within a "page" group. Students will then regroup and share their individual pages in a "book" group. Book groups will consist of a member from each "page" group thus creating six complete booklets.
Community Interviews
After reviewing the final page of the community booklet, students will brainstorm to compile a list of important components of a community. They will then vote to select ten key community members for interviewing. Students will then have an opportunity to select three members of their community that they would like to interview. Teachers will group students into ten groups based on their interests. Once they are grouped, students will decide who to interview and create a list of appropriate interview questions. Students will set up, videotape, photograph, and conduct the interviews. After all the interviews are completed, individual groups will meet,view their iMovie clips, write summaries and thank you notes. As a culmination of this part of the project, all students will assemble to review and reflect upon the value of a community by creating a T-chart of the first two essential questions: What is a community? Why is a community important?
Prairie Mural
While collecting information about prairies, students will make a list of plants and animals found in an Illinois prairie community. From these lists students will select plants and animals that are native to our region in northeastern Illinois. Working with partners students will then create a file card of information to be added to a group file box called a "Recipe for a Prairie Community." From the recipe box each partnership will select a plant and/or animal to reproduce for the mural. Along with the representation students will attach a length of string to indicate approximate size. Size relationships will also be shown by making bar graphs on computers. Once these are completed students will place their reproductions on a teacher-created tall grass prairie background. Next partners will read a lesson about food chains in our third grade science textbook and record answers to lesson review questions on "sticky" notes. These will be placed on a chart for a whole class discussion. Then partners will apply the information by assembling a food chain consisting of plants and animals from our prairie mural. Finally, as a culmination of this part of the project, all students will assemble to review and reflect upon the value of a prairie community by creating a T-chart of the next two essential questions: What is a prairie community? Why is a prairie community important?
Venn Diagram
Small groups of students will meet to compare and contrast the two communities as they prepare a graphic organizer to record their discoveries.
Finally, all students will have an opportunity to contribute their ideas to a whole-class Venn Diagram which will lead to a discussion to answer the last essential question: How are the two communities related?
Student Assessment
Assessment will be ongoing and evolve with the project. Products will be assessed using student generated rubrics whenever possible. Individual and group expectations will be discussed and observed.
Resources
Management
Students will work with partners, in small groups, with their own class, and with combined classes. Flexible groupings, differentiation, and multisensory tasks will be among the methods used to accommodate special needs and learning styles. We will also structure our activities with minimal change to the regular classroom environment. At times students will work in the library, computer lab, and in small meeting rooms. Equipment will be available on site for student use.
Unit Evaluation
What was effective?
What wasn't effective?
What will we do differently next time?
Extension Activities: