SEEDS

1. SEEDS Literature Focus Unit EDU 315 Nicole McCrory

2. Literature Selection • The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle • The Lorax by Dr. Suess • From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons • Seeds by Ken Robbins • How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan, Loretta Krupinski (Illustrator) • The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland, Tatsuro Kiuchi (Illustrator) • A Seed is Sleeping by Dianna Hutts Aston, Sylvia Long (Illustrator) • Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum • What Are Seeds? by Molly Aloian • The Life Cycle of a Tree by Bobbie Kalman; Kathryn Smithyman;BarbaraBedell • Oh Say, Can You Seed? All About Flowering Plants by Bonnie Worth; illustrator Aristides Ruiz • What Do Roots Do? by Kathleen Kudlinski; illustrator David Schuppert • To Be Like the Sun by Susan Marie Swanson; illustrator Margaret Chodos-Irvine

3. THEME STUDY • Students will take part in a thematic unit on seeds and plants. This unit will integrate reading, writing with social studies, science, mathematics, art, music, and physical education. • Students will develop an understanding of seed growth and development, plants and seed/plant terminology, optimal growing conditions, and types of seeds.

4. Language Arts: Reading Activities • Students will read various fiction and non-fiction books and poetry about seeds and plants through silent reading, partner reading, guided reading, and reading aloud. • Students will read their seed stories and poems to the class. • Students will share their seed journals.

5. Language Arts: Writing Activities • Students will write a letter to someone who lives on a farm. They need to ask detailed questions. • Students will write a What is it Poem. • Students will write a seed to plant poem. • Students will add seed and plant words to the Word Wall. • Students will write a journal on seed growth • Students will create lyrics to a photosynthesis song.

6. Language Arts: Speaking Activities • The students will use the author’s chair to read their stories and poems aloud. • Students will join in a grand conversation on what seeds they like/dislike and why. • Students will participate in a small group discussion about What Do Roots Do? by Kathleen Kudlinski • Students will participate in a reader’s theatre of To Be Like the Sun by Susan Marie Swanson

7. Language Arts: Listening Activities • Students will listen to audio versions of seeds and plant literature • Students will listen as the teacher discusses seeds and plants and how they grow and why. They will listen as the teacher shares information about North Dakota seeds. • Students will listen respectfully to their peers as they share their seed stories, poems, and journal entries. • Students will listen to their peers opinions during grand conversations. • Students will listen to photosynthesis song

8. Language Arts: Viewing Activities • Students will view seed and plant paintings by famous artist. • Students will view photographs of seeds and plants. • Students will take a field trip to a farm to observe seeds and plants and take photographs. • Students will view the word wall. • Students will take a nature walk to observe the plants. • Students will view plant videos (see technology ideas) • Students will view artistically displayed poems.

9. Language Arts: Visually Representing Activities • Students will take photographs on their field trip. • Students will display their poems in an artistic presentation. • Students will create a seed Word Wall. • Students will view their own plants growing in the classroom. • Students will create seed pattern.

10. Science Activities • Students will investigate the seed cycle through experiments such as growing their own plant. • Students will view seeds with a microscope. • Students will dissect a seed and label parts • Students will investigate different types of seeds. • Students will research soils and what types develop good plants. • Students will investigate different types of fertilizer

11. Mathematics Activities • Students will graph the development of their plant. • Students will measure their plant growth. • Students will create patterns using different seeds. • Students will graph results from soil experiment. • Students make diagrams from fertilizer research.

12. Social Studies Activities • Students will complete a KWL chart about farming seeds. • Students will create a Venn diagram by comparing crops in various parts of the United States. • Students will create a map of ND crops. • A local farmer can visit the classroom • Students will discuss importance of seeds and plants for North Dakota. • Students will investigate different seeds from other countries.

13. Music and Art Activities • Students will make paper plants. • Students will mount and title photographs taken outdoors. • Students will create an artistic background for their poems. • Students will make instruments using seeds to make music. • Students will make masks using different types of seeds. • Students will listen to photosynthesis song.

14. Physical Education • Students will play vocab relay. • Students will go on a field trip to a farm. • Students will plant a tree as a class • Students will participate in a seed and plant scavenger hunt with pedometers • Students will plant a garden.

15. Technology • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1_uez5WX1o • http://www2.bgfl.org/bgfl2/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/science/plants_pt2/ • http://www.growandlearn.org/ • Digital photography • Newspapers • Audiotapes of literature • Magic School Bus: Plants Seeds Video • Way Cool Science: Seeds and Plants By Max Orbit Video • Bill Nye the Science Guy videos

16. Language Art Strategies • Activating background knowledge: students will think what they already know about seeds and plants. • Brainstorming: students will think of many ideas related to seeds and plants through writing activities. • Predicting and Monitoring: students will predict the plant growth and keep track of plant growth in a journal. • Playing with Language: students will use language creatively through stories, poems, and journals. • Revising: students will make changes to written activities. • Visualizing: students will draw pictures in their minds.

17. Language Arts Skills • Print: students will recognize words on the Seed Word Wall. • Comprehension: students will recognize literary genres of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. • Language: students will apply various skills in their writing activities: stories, poems. • Reference: students will make venn diagrams, graphs, read newspaper articles

18. Grouping patterns • Large Group: grand conversations, field trips, nature walk, viewing videos, word wall, Venn diagram, farmer visit. • Small Group: small group discussions, creation of instruments, writing plant journals, mounting and titling plant photographs, identification of ND crops. • Individual: writing stories, poems, letters, journal entries

20. Assessments • Journal entries and KWL Chart: Rubric • Participation in grand conversations • Analytical Writing Traits Rubrics and peer conferences for stories and poems • Performance assessment of author’s chair, small group science experiments • Math graphs, Venn diagrams, plant journals and Social Studies maps: Checklist • Spelling test with words from the Seed Word Wall • Active participation in physical education and music performances • Portfolio of art work: plants, poetry presentation, and photography