The Tiny Seed

1. The Tiny Seed By Eric Carle Second Grade Cyber Lesson Prepared by Jessica Hovenstine

2. Introduction In the fictional story, The Tiny Seed, you will learn about a tiny seed that travels through the seasons on an exciting journey. You will read about the dangers it faces and how it becomes a beautiful flower.

3. Materials • A copy of The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle • A computer with an internet connection • Reading journal and pencil • Sequencing graphic organizer

4. Before you Read Take a look at the cover and title of the book. Take a picture walk to predict what you think the story will be about. In your reading journal, write one prediction about what you think will happen in The Tiny Seed. Go to the link below to learn more about seeds and plants. Click on the “Helping Plants Grow Well” activity and then take the quiz. How to Grow a Plant

5. During Reading The tiny seed travels for so long that it lives through all the seasons. As you read about the tiny seed’s journey, you will be using the link to the sequencing chart on the next slide. Choose only the important details from the story to write in the chart.

6. During reading After you read each section listed below, stop and click on the link to type the main events into the correct box on the sequencing chart. Chain of Events Pages 1-12 Autumn Pages 13-14 Winter Pages 15-22 Spring Pages 23-26 Summer Pages 27-30 Autumn returns

7. After reading Look back at your prediction in your reading journal. How accurate was your prediction? Discuss with a partner the difference between what you thought was going to happen and what actually happened in the story. Then, go to the link below to answer any questions that you still have about seeds and plants. In your reading journal, write three new facts that you learned about seeds and plants from the link. Click Next, at the bottom of the page, to get to each new web page on the site. The Great Plant Escape

8. Beyond reading Now that you have read The Tiny Seed, talk with a partner about the real and make-believe parts of the story. Take a look at the video on the link below to watch real seeds in action. PBS: The Seedy Side of Plants Using the book and the video, write three real and three make-believe parts from the story in your reading journal and why you think so. Be prepared to share your ideas with the class.

9. Evaluation

10. Evaluation continued

11. Credits Book for Cyber Lesson: Carle, E. (1987). The tiny seed. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks. Websites: The Great Plant Escape http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/case3/c3facts1.html PBS: The Seedy Side of Plants http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/plants/ BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/7_8/science_7_8.shtml Graphic organizer: Chain of Events http://www.educationoasis.com Other thanks: • Becky Caplinger, one of my classmates in RDG 589, helped me develop the graphic organizers used in this cyber lesson. • Another classmate, Megan Zaba, gave me helpful feedback on this cyber lesson. • Dr. Kurkjian’s cyber lesson template and student examples were very helpful in the development of this cyber lesson.

12. Teacher page To begin, ask yourself how you will group your students based on reading ability. This cyber lesson can be done independently by students who are able to read The Tiny Seed. For students at lower reading levels, you can either pair them with a student who can read the book, or you can do the cyber lesson with a small group of students who need more support. I would recommend conferring with students when completing the evaluation so they are able to help assess their own progress on the cyber lesson.