Soda Bottle Terrariums! Briana DeFilippis EDUC nd Grade MA Standard: Recognize that the sun supplies heat and light to the earth and is necessary for life.

NSTA Standards Connection National Science Education Standards: Board on Science Education. Table 6.3 Life-Science Standards. “Characteristics of organisms, life cycles of organisms, organisms and environments” K-2. Table 6.1 Science as Inquiry Standards. K-4 “Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry. Understanding about scientific inquiry” ask questions, conduct data, think critically about relationships etc. Table 6.8: Unifying concepts and processes: systems, order, and organization evidence, models, and explanation, change, constancy, and measurement, evolution, equilibrium, form, and function.

Assessment -Formative: I will assess student’s comprehension through their ability to build their own terrarium with which the sun is necessary in order for the plant to survive. -Summative: On-going summative assessment as students will care for the plant throughout the year. Sketches of the plant, reflective questioning, and data sheets will allow me to perform a summative assessment of current knowledge. -Formal Cooperative Learning Pairs: Students will work in pairs on their own terrarium. This will be a stable pairing that will carry throughout the summative assessment as students document the day, changes, and measurements of plant growth.

Materials 2-liter soda bottle, cleaned with soap and water, Scissors, Soil, plant seeds, Pebbles, Small plastic animals, Bits of bark, Masking tape, data sheets, camera, markers, pens, crayons, rulers, Data Sheets. Click here to view data sheets _32-33.pdf

5E Model; Engage! Explain to students that our understanding of nature will expand today as we will explore how plants are affected by the sun! Read “Plant A Kiss” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. This book will engage students and illustrate the different components necessary to sustain plant life: sun, water, patience etc. Also will inspire students to ask questions later on such as why?, How?, And What now? Link: =TZWasH_YfBg

Explore! Students will get to immerse themselves in the ultimate level of exploration as they will get to touch soil, pebbles, plant seeds to compose their terrarium. Using the senses to see and feel first hand what goes in to making nature grow and then through the course of the year, exploring the affect that sun has on its growth. As the students are working, I will circulate to explain that all of these materials would not be able to grow a plant by itself; sunlight is necessary. For sunlight and water work together to form a process called photosynthesis which gives plants the energy to survive.

Explain! Students will take photographs of their plant in its beginning, middle and end stages. Students will get to create a drawing/sketch of their terrarium using poster board, markers, crayons, pencils etc. They must clearly map out the different layers of their terrarium. This will be used as a summative assessment to see how students view their terrarium and the different components that contribute to its’ growth. Beyond drawing, students will have to make a predication of what they think will happen to their plant after spending time in the sun. What will change about the appearance. Etc. Similar to this example below but with a lot more color and creativity! :

Elaboration - At this time I will introduce a terrarium that I have been growing at home; one that has blossomed so that students will be able to observe what their terrarium will eventually turn in to. -Re-introduce the term: photosynthesis and explain how this cant be done without the sun. -I will have an open discussion with the class asking about what they have learned about through building their terrarium. Why is the sun necessary? Why do you think this plant was able to grow? Predict what will happen with your plant. Inquiry based questioning is demonstrated later in the slide show.

Evaluation Through inquiry based questioning during the experiment and reflective questioning after the experiment, I will be able to evaluate a student’s understanding of this new concept. (illustrated later) This will require a summative assessment over the course of the year. As the plant continues to grow, how will the students understanding of plant growth and sunlight expand. Students will have data sheets (attached) which will allow them to record or sketch their daily observations of their terrarium. I will be able to observe these for further evaluation as well.

Math Incorporation! As the plant begins to grow above the soil, students will incorporate this experiment into their daily math rituals. They will measure the growth of the plant above the soil, they will note and then chart the daily/weekly growth of this plant, comparing and contrasting with fellow students. This will allow for scaffolding for students will be learning measurement in their current unit plan! They will be able to take information previously learned in the unit and apply it to plant growth, measuring its progress and how the sun has affected this.

Assessment Tools & Data Collection -Running Data Sheets -Photography: Beginning, Middle and End -Sketches of terrarium with predictions!

ELL Learners This project is excellent for ELL learners because while vocabulary is important (nature, sunlight, terrarium, photosynthesis), students aren’t being rigorously assessed on terminology and verbal report. They are using expression of understanding through art (sketching, drawing, photography, measurement). If these ELL learners are being included in a native English speaking class, I will split up the class in to partners while building and assessing their terrarium. This will help with terminology and labeling problems, for they will have a classmate to look to for help.

Inquiry Based Questioning I wonder if we put our plant in the window would it grow more than if we put it in the corner? (put one example terrarium in the corner throughout the year to show how sunlight is important) What do you notice about the plants that grow outside? Have you ever grown plants of your own? What did you notice that is needed to survive? Why do you think sunlight is important for the growth of our plants? What would happen to our plants if we did not provide them with sunlight? Further summative Assessment: What about your changed today? Why do you think that is? What is new? What would we need to change to make this plant grow more efficiently? What might have caused your plant to increase this much in height?