Name: Gabby Garduno Dates of Implementation: November 30th-December 4th

Host School: William Rall Elementary School

Grade Level: 4th

Title: It’s Plant Time!

Overview of the Unit:

The content included in my unit plan is Science and ELA. The students will be learning about

plants while incorporating reading and writing into the lesson. The students will be learning

different aspects about plants for five straight days all connected to each other. The first day is

where the pre assessment will take place. The students will fill out a KWL worksheet. For the

first day they only need to fill out the “What I know” and “What I want to know” sections. This

is so I can see their prior knowledge on the topic and anything I can add for what they want to

find out. Now the students need to plant their seeds. The students will fill out their observation

booklets everyday of their plants they’re growing. The second day is about the parts of a plant.

For their pre assessment they will be receiving a scrambled worksheet. They will need to

unscramble the words given which are all the parts of the plant. This will have them think of

what the parts of the plant are. Then they will draw what the word is and use it in a sentence. I

thought this was a good way to see what they know. I will then be showing the students a

powerpoint including all the parts of a plant and their functions. Following this will be a reading

passage with questions attached. The reading is based on what I just read from the powerpoint

slides. The students will be working with the person next to them for differentiation. The last

part of the day is the post assessment. This will be on their chromebooks through interactive

slides. They will need to match the functions to each part of a plant, and label each part as well.
I think this is a good way to end the lesson because it wraps up everything that they learned in an

engaging way. The third day is about the parts of a seed. This day is exciting for the students

because they will be doing an experiment. The students will be getting a bean seed that they will

need to dissect. They will be getting a worksheet that goes along with the experiment where they

will draw/describe their predictions. As the students are dissecting, I will be reading aloud the

powerpoint that has the functions of each part. They will be able to find each part based on the

powerpoint. Once the experiment is over, they will be getting their post assessment. They will

be labeling each part of the seed on a worksheet. I will be able to see if the students understood

where each part is from the worksheet. The fourth day is about the life cycle of a plant and what

they need to survive. I will be showing the students another powerpoint because I think this is a

great technology learning tool. This will have the definition of photosynthesis, the different

stages of the life cycle, and what the needs are for a plant. After, I will be showing the students a

BrainPOP Jr about the life cycle of a plant. I thought this was a good differentiation for the

students who learn better with visuals. When the video has ended we will be taking a quiz based

on the video we just watched together as a class. Then I will be giving them a worksheet where

they need to label each stage based on the pictures given. Their post assessment will be another

worksheet. The students will need to draw a picture of what each stage looks like. They will

also need to write the four things that a plant needs to grow. I thought this summed up the two

important pieces of information very well. The fifth day is all about the post assessment with

some review. The students will be reviewing with their Measuring Up Science books. They will

be going to the unit which is about the characteristics of plants. They can work with a partner on

this for differentiation. They will be working on this until it is time for their post assessment.
Their post assessment is a three page multiple choice mini quiz. This includes all the topics that

they learned from each lesson. This post assessment wraps up the unit as a whole.

Rationale for the Unit:

The overarching theme for this unit lesson is for the students to learn all there is about plants.

The content that is included are Science and ELA. The students will be learning about a science

topic while completing writing and reading assignments as well. The pedagogy will be student-

centered learning. This is the type of teaching style where students are more engaged in their

own learning. My unit lesson includes high-tech and low-tech approaches. There are times

when the students will just be completing worksheets on paper, but there were other times when

they used their chromebooks. I believe my unit lesson is important to teach because students

need to know about my topic for the future. They will now be plant experts. Ecological Systems

Model Theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner supports that teachers should create environments that are

safe, caring and supportive of students’ learning because students' development is affected by

everything around them. Teachers should be positive role models for their students because they

are part of their students’ environment. This is important when teaching because students notice

your teaching habits. If it seems like you are interested in the topic at hand then so will the

students. This is why I incorporated fun activities for the students to do. Dewey’s Education

Theory by John Dewey suggests that teachers should use hands-on learning because students

learn best when learning is experiential. Students must interact with their environment to learn.

Subjects should be taught in interdisciplinary ways to replicate the world in which we live. I

agree with this theory because the students will be learning so much when they plant their own

seeds and checking it everyday. I also planned a bean seed dissection where the students will

really be interacting with this experiment hands on. This brings on more engagement throughout
the classroom because the students will want to learn. The learning context is for the 20 students

who are being taught in the classroom. They will be able to understand the different parts of a

plant, seed, and know the plant life cycle. There are different levels within the classroom

because some students are exceptional while others need the academic support. That is why I

included differentiation into my lessons. Multimodal Learning Theory by Gunther Kress

justifies that teachers should portray new information in multiple and varied ways so students

can use multiple senses to learn. There are different modes of communication and teachers

should use different modes in lessons. I followed this theory by including a powerpoint and a

BrainPOP video for the students who need that visual learning. I also had students work together

for certain activities. Psychosocial Development Theory by Erik Erikson supports that teachers

should have students learn in social settings because individual development takes place in social

contexts. Teachers should know that students’ self-identity (ego) changes with new experiences

(not fixed). This is why I had the students get together in groups. Sometimes students need that

social learning to really understand the topic from their peers.

Goals of the Unit:

The overall goals that are intended for the students to achieve by the end of the unit plan are that

they will be able to develop an understanding that plants are living things that need care, so they

go through stages because of their different parts. They will be able to identify the parts and

functions of a plant and seed. They will also be able to identify the stages of the plant life cycle

and what they need to grow. The students will need to follow the directions when they are given

an experiment to do.

Objective/Desired Student Outcome/Guiding or Essential Questions of the Entire Unit:

For the first lesson, the objectives are the students will be able to follow the directions given to

plant a seed and the students will be able to write about plants using their prior knowledge. For

the second lesson, the objectives are the students will be able to label the different parts of a

plant and the students will be able to identify the different functions of plant parts. For the third

lesson, the objectives are the students will be able to label the different parts of a seed and the

students will be able to identify the functions of a seed. For the fourth lesson, the objectives are

the students will be able to identify the stages of the life cycle of a plant and the students will be

able to develop an understanding of how plants grow. For the fifth lesson, the objective is the

students will be able to access their prior knowledge to answer the questions. All of these

objectives are aligned to the Next Generation Learning Standards for the balance of lower and

higher order outcomes. These objectives are also aligned to Bloom’s Taxonomy for guiding

questions that I have selected.

Assessments and Evaluations of the Entire Unit:

For lesson one, the students will be completing a KWL chart which is a part of their pre

assessment. They will fill out what I know and what I want to know. This will be linking their

prior knowledge which is one of the objectives in that lesson. This is how I will find out what

the students know. I can adjust my lessons based on the information they give me. This

worksheet is their formal and formative assessment. The informal assessment are the questions

being asked to the students. For lesson two, there are two formal and formative assessments

which are the pre and post. The students will be getting an unscramble worksheet about the parts

of a plant for their pre assessment. The students will need to think what the parts of a plant could

be to be able to identify the words. Their post assessment is interactive slides about the parts of a

plant and their functions. They will be labeling plants parts, and identifying functions through a
drag and drop method. Both of these assessments align with my objectives because it includes

the parts of a plant and their functions. The informal assessment would be the questions I ask

throughout the lesson. For lesson three, there is a post assessment which is formal and

formative. The students will be getting a worksheet where they need to label the parts of a seed.

This assessment goes with my objective because they will be able to identify the parts of a seed

by labeling it from a worksheet. They saw this information from their bean seed dissection by

looking at real seed parts. The informal assessment are the questions I ask during the bean seed

dissection. For lesson four, there is a post assessment that is formal and formative. The students

will be getting a worksheet where they need to draw each stage of the plant life cycle and name

the four things that a plant needs to grow. I thought this assessment went perfectly because it

covers both of my objectives for this lesson. The informal assessment will be the questions I ask

the students. For lesson five, there will be a formal post assessment and summative assessment.

The students will be getting a three page mini quiz that sums up everything they learned

throughout the whole unit. They will use their prior knowledge from what they learned

throughout the week to answer the questions which is what my objective states. The informal

assessment are the questions in the Measuring Up book. This is the review they will be doing

before they take the mini quiz. In Bloom’s Taxonomy by Benjamin Bloom it states that teachers

should plan to facilitate students’ higher levels of thinking by using the taxonomy to sort and

classify educational objectives (and questions, activities and assessments) based on complexity.

I have done this through the students assessments based on what they learned that day. Each

assessment brings thought provoking questions and will have them think critically. (See under

the analysis of assessment section for the evaluation criteria).

Resources for the Unit:

The most used resource for this unit was a website called Teachers Pay Teachers. My host

teacher uses this all the time, so I thought I would give it a try. I used this website to find

activities I could do with the students involving the topic ideas for each day. The students

observation booklet, worksheets, readings, and assessments came from this website. I thought

this website was very helpful because it had all that I needed for their grade level. The

powerpoints I made for the students was my own idea with my own information. I think this

type of technology is a great learning tool for the students because it can be interactive.

Speaking of interactive, I also had the students complete an interactive slide show that came

from Teachers Pay Teachers. All I had to do was edit it to how I wanted it. Then I just put it on

their Google Classrooms so they could access it. This was engaging for the students because it

included drag and drops and filling in the blanks on their chromebooks. Another internet source

I used was BrainPOP. This is a great tool because it can include differentiation from the videos,

and review quizzes. I plan to use this often in my lessons. The bean seed dissection activity

came from Pinterest. I think this is a great platform to look for fun experiments that students will

love. The resource also came with a free printable worksheet that I gave out to the students for

their predictions. I brought in the bean seeds for the dissection. The students also used their

Science books that were given to them on the first day of school. I had them go to a specific unit

that talked about this very same lesson topic. The materials for the students to plant a seed came

from the host teacher.

Letter to Parents/Caregivers:

[Link]

oI/edit?usp=sharing

Lesson Plans:
Attached below are the 5 lesson plans for my thematic unit plan and assessment.

Lesson 1 of 5
Title of lesson: What Do You Know About Plants?

Content Area: Science/ELA

Grade Level: 4th

Number of Students: 20

1. Learning Objectives:

The students will be able to follow the directions given to plant a seed.

The students will be able to write about plants using their prior knowledge.

Assessment:

A) Since this is the first day of the lesson, there are no learning outcomes of previous

lessons. This lesson is more of a pre assessment to link their prior knowledge,

and see what they know.

B) The focus of this assessment is for the students to be able to use their prior

knowledge of plants and write it down. They will be using the KWL chart to

complete the objective. They will also be using their knowledge to plant an

actual seed at the end of the lesson.

C) The method of assessments used in this lesson are formal and informal. The

formal only includes the pre assessment. This is the first day the students are

learning this topic, so only a pre assessment needs to be included. The pre

assessment is the KWL chart. This is linking their prior knowledge. The

informal assessment is just the questions I will be asking the students. I want the

students to participate which is why I will be asking them questions.

D) If students need extra help I can repeat the directions for the activities if needed. I

will listen to the students if they have any issues occurring during the lesson.
 2. NYS Learning Standards:

4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures

that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Science and Engineering Practices

Construct an argument with evidence, data, and/or a model. (4-LS1-1)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in

growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. (4-LS1-1)

Crosscutting Concepts

A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. (4- LS1-1)

4L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or

listening.

3. Materials:

● Pencil

● Plant KWL Chart

● Plastic Cup

● Soil

● Seeds

● Water

● My Plant Observation Book

4. Lesson Process:

A) I will be introducing the topic of plants to the students. I want to see what the

students know and what they want to know, so I will be giving them a Plant KWL

Chart. The students will write on the worksheet where it says what I know, what I

want to know, and what I learned. For now, I just want them to fill out the first

two sections of what I know and what I want to know. This will be their pre

assessment because I’m linking their prior knowledge. They will fill out the what

I learned section on the last day of the lesson. I will be collecting this when

they’re done, and will be handing them back out on the last day of the lesson.

B) To start the lesson off, I will have the students grow their own plants. They will

be watching them everyday, and recording down what they see. They will all be

getting a plastic cup, soil, seeds, and water. They will follow my directions step

by step. Once they have put all the necessities in the cup, they will put it on the

windowsill in the back of the room. I will ask them why we are putting them in

that exact spot. The answer I’m looking for is that plants need sunlight to grow.

Next, I will be giving them their own plant observation booklet. We will go over

the questions together as a class that they need to fill in. Then they have to draw

what they predict their plant will end up looking like. They will be filling in their

observations, and a picture of what their plant looks like that day, everyday.

C) To conclude the lesson for today, I will ask the students what they know about

plants. I want to hear what they have to say besides me reading off their papers. I

will also ask them what they want to learn because maybe I can incorporate that

into one of the lesson days.

 Lesson 2 of 5

Title of lesson: Parts of a Plant

Content Area: Science/ELA

Grade Level: 4th

Number of Students: 20

1. Learning Objectives:

The students will be able to label the different parts of a plant.

The students will be able to identify the different functions of plant parts.

Assessment:

A) The learning outcome from the previous lesson would be their own knowledge

about plants. They know how to plant their own seed, so they might know that a

seed is a part of a plant. Plants need seeds to grow. They will be learning even

more parts of a plant in this lesson.

B) The focus of this assessment is for the students to learn the different parts of the

plants. They should be able to label them correctly and know their different

functions. I have chosen an interactive post assessment which includes both

labeling and the functions. They will be submitting this to me, so I can see their

results.

C) The methods of assessments are formal and informal. The formal is the pre and

post assessments. The pre assessment is having the students unscramble the

words that are the parts of the plant. They need to come up with a sentence

regarding that word. I want to see if the students will know anything about the

different parts. The post assessment is a sum up of all the parts and their

functions. They should be able to figure it out from the activities they've done
 throughout. The informal would be the questions I ask throughout the lesson to

grasp their attention.

D) If students need extra help I can repeat the directions for the activities if needed. I

will listen to the students if they have any issues occurring during the lesson.

2. NYS Learning Standards:

4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures

that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Science and Engineering Practices

Construct an argument with evidence, data, and/or a model. (4-LS1-1)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in

growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. (4-LS1-1)

Crosscutting Concepts

A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. (4- LS1-1)

4L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or

listening.

3. Materials:

● Pencil

● My Plant Observation Book

● Scrambled Plant Worksheet

 ● Google Slides

● Parts of a Plant Reading Worksheet

● Chromebooks

● Plant Structure Interactive Slides

4. Lesson Process:

A) I will begin by having the students check out their plants from the day before to

see if there are any changes. They will write their observations and draw their

pictures in their booklet that was given to them yesterday. Once that is done I

will be telling the students that we will be learning about the different parts of a

plant. I will hand them a sheet where they need to unscramble the words which

are parts of a plant. They need to draw a picture of what the word is, and use it in

a sentence. After the students finish, we will go over what the words are

unscrambled. I will allow them to keep it in case they want to look back at it

during the lesson.

B) Next, I will be showing the students my powerpoint of the parts of a plant. The

powerpoint includes what each part of the plant means, and how they function.

Once I go through the powerpoint, I will be giving out a reading passage with

questions attached about parts of a plant. They will be using the text evidence to

answer these questions. They may work with the person next to them to answer

the questions for differentiation. Once all the pairs have finished, we will go over

it as a class to see what their answers are. They can keep the reading and

questions because they might need it for their post assessment.

C) To end the lesson, I will tell them to take out their chromebooks. On their Google

Classroom will be a plant structure interactive assessment. It includes labeling

the parts of the plant and their functions. They will be writing these in and also

doing a drag and drop. If they need to look back at their reading passage they are

allowed. Once they completed all the interactive slides, they can submit it

through Google Classroom. I will wrap up the lesson by asking the students what

they have learned.

 Lesson 3 of 5

Title of lesson: Parts of a Seed

Content Area: Science/ELA

Grade Level: 4th

Number of Students: 20

1. Learning Objectives:

The students will be able to label the different parts of a seed.

The students will be able to identify the functions of a seed.

Assessment:

A) The learning outcomes in the previous lesson were knowing the parts of the plant.

The students learned where each part was on a plant, and can identify their

different functions. One of the parts was a seed, so we will be diving more in

depth with that part today.

B) The focus of this assessment is for the students to locate where the different parts

of a seed are, and know their functions. They will be getting this information

from my powerpoint. They will also be doing a bean seed dissection to

understand more about a seed. Their post assessment will have them label where

the different parts of a seed are.

C) The methods of assessment are formal and informal. The formal assessment is

the post assessment I will be giving them at the end of the lesson. They will be

labeling the different parts of a seed, and I will be collecting this when they are

done. The informal assessment are the questions I will be asking them during the
 bean seed dissection. This is so the students can think about what they’re doing

rather than just completing the dissection individually.

D) If students need extra help I can repeat the directions for the activities if needed. I

will listen to the students if they have any issues occurring during the lesson.

2. NYS Learning Standards:

4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures

that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Science and Engineering Practices

Construct an argument with evidence, data, and/or a model. (4-LS1-1)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in

growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. (4-LS1-1)

Crosscutting Concepts

A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. (4- LS1-1)

4L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or

listening.

3. Materials:

● Pencil

● My Plant Observation Book

● Google Slides
 ● Bean Seeds

● Bean Seed Dissection Worksheet

● Parts of a Seed Worksheet

4. Lesson Process:

A) The lesson will start off with the students checking their plants. They will be

writing down their observations and drawing their pictures of what they see.

Next, I will introduce the next topic which is parts of a seed.

B) The main part of this lesson is the bean seed activity I will be doing with the

students. Each student will get a bean seed that has been in water for 12-24 hours.

This is when the seed will be soft and easy to split open. They will be predicting

what the inside of the seed will look like. They will be drawing their predictions

on the worksheet I give them. Next, they will split open their seed and observe it.

They will describe/draw their observations on the same worksheet. I will be

going through my powerpoint of the parts of a seed as the students are dissecting.

Each slide includes what each part is and what their function is. I will be reading

the slides aloud to the class when they see the certain parts in the bean seed. I

will be asking the students questions during this activity like “Why is the seed

coat so important?”

C) The final assessment that the students need to complete is their post assessment.

They will be getting parts of a seed worksheet. They will need to label the parts

based on the picture. They can color it in when they’ve finished writing. When

they are completely done I will be collecting it from them. I will wrap up the

lesson by asking the students what they have learned.

 Lesson 4 of 5

Title of lesson: Life Cycle of a Plant & What They Need to Survive

Content Area: Science/ELA

Grade Level: 4th

Number of Students: 20

1. Learning Objectives:

The students will be able to identify the stages of the life cycle of a plant.

The students will be able to develop an understanding of how plants grow.

Assessment:

A) The learning outcomes in the previous lesson were labeling the parts of a seed.

They learned where each part is and their functions. They also learned what the

inside of a seed looks like through dissection. Today they will be learning the life

cycle of a plant which includes information about the seeds that they learned

yesterday.

B) The focus of this assessment is for the students to know the stages of the life cycle

of a plant, and what a plant needs to grow. The powerpoint that I am showing

them will help with their learning. I will also be showing the students a BrainPOP

video about this same topic. I think this will be a good differentiation for the

students who need help understanding the idea. I will be giving out a worksheet

that will assess their learning for both objectives. This will be collected.

C) The methods of assessment used in this lesson are formal and informal. The

formal assessment is my post assessment. This will be a worksheet where the

students need to draw each stage of the life cycle, and name the four things that a
 plant needs to grow. I think this post assessment is great because it sums up

everything they learned in the lesson all on one sheet. The informal assessment

are the questions I ask the students to help them better understand the topic.

D) If students need extra help I can repeat the directions for the activities if needed. I

will listen to the students if they have any issues occurring during the lesson.

2. NYS Learning Standards:

4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures

that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Science and Engineering Practices

Construct an argument with evidence, data, and/or a model. (4-LS1-1)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in

growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. (4-LS1-1)

Crosscutting Concepts

A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. (4- LS1-1)

4L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or

listening.

3. Materials:

● Pencil

● My Plant Observation Book

 ● Google Slides

● Life Cycle of a Plant Worksheet

● Life Cycle & Plant Needs Assessment Worksheet

4. Lesson Process:

A) I will start off the lesson by having the students take out their plant observation

booklets. They will write down their observations and draw their pictures of what

their plants look like that day. I will tell the students that today we will be

learning about the life cycle of a plant, and what they need to survive.

B) I will be showing the students another powerpoint about the life cycle of plants.

This includes a slide about photosynthesis, the stages of the plant cycle, and what

a plant needs to survive. I will be asking the students questions throughout the

slides. I will then show the students a BrainPOP JR about the plant life cycle. I

think this will definitely help some students understand it more in case the

powerpoint didn’t help. We will then take the BrainPOP quiz together as a class.

The quiz is available after we watch the video. Then I will have the students

complete a life cycle of a plant worksheet. They will need to write each stage on

the line provided based on the picture. They will be picking the stages from the

word bank that is given. When they’re done they can put this in the science bin in

the back of the classroom.

C) I will end the lesson with the students completing a post assessment. This

worksheet will have them draw each stage of the life cycle of a plant. It also

includes a question about the four things that a plant needs to grow. They will

need to write those down on the lines provided. When they have finished this
assessment I will be collecting it. I will then ask the students what they have

learned during this lesson.

 Lesson 5 of 5

Title of lesson: Plant Wrap Up

Content Area: Science/ELA

Grade Level: 4th

Number of Students: 20

1. Learning Objectives:

The students will be able to access their prior knowledge to answer the questions.

Assessment:

A) The learning outcomes in the previous lesson were to know the stages of the life

cycle of a plant and how they can grow. This summed up everything they needed

to know about plants because it included the process of photosynthesis also.

Today is where they will be reviewing all that they have learned these past few

days.

B) The focus of my assessment is for the students to take their prior knowledge from

past lessons and put it down on paper. They will be getting a mini quiz which

includes everything that they have learned this past week. The questions are

multiple choice, and this will be collected.

C) The methods of assessment are formal and informal. The formal assessment is

my post assessment which is a sum up of everything they have learned. They will

be given a three page mini quiz that has questions all about the functions and the

life cycle of plants. The mini quiz is a review of all the lessons I taught during the

week. The informal assessment will be the questions in the Measuring Up book.
 D) If students need extra help I can repeat the directions for the activities if needed. I

will listen to the students if they have any issues occurring during the lesson.

2. NYS Learning Standards:

4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures

that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Science and Engineering Practices

Construct an argument with evidence, data, and/or a model. (4-LS1-1)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in

growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. (4-LS1-1)

Crosscutting Concepts

A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. (4- LS1-1)

4L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or

listening.

3. Materials:

● Pencil

● My Observation Plant Book

● Measuring Up Book

● Plant KWL Chart

● What Do You Know About Plants Post Assessment Mini Quiz

4. Lesson Process:

A) Today is the last day of the unit plan lessons. The students will of course begin

with checking out their plants. They will describe and draw their pictures of what

they see. The last page of this booklet has questions about what they have learned

and the three main things that a plant needs to grow. The students will answer

these questions as well. I will tell the students that today is where we will be

reviewing what we learned throughout the week.

B) I will tell the students that we will be going over what we learned this past week

because they will be taking a post assessment mini quiz at the end. The students

will take out their Measuring Up books, which is one of their Science books.

They will open up to page 55 which is the unit called “Characteristics of Plants.”

This unit has questions and readings all about what they just learned. I will have

them work with a partner for differentiation to complete this until it is time for the

mini quiz. Some students may work outside in the hallway with their partner for

some silence. Some students also work better in the hallway because of the

atmosphere. Before they complete the mini quiz, I will be giving them back their

Plant KWL charts they completed on the first day of the lesson. They will now

fill out the last section which is “What I learned.” When they write down

everything I will be collecting it back from them.

C) I will now hand out the post assessment mini quiz. It’s called “What Do You

Know About Plants?” This includes three pages of multiple choice all about what

they just reviewed. It has questions about the functions of the parts of a plant,
photosynthesis, and the life cycle of a plant. They will be working alone on this.

Once the students finish this I will collect it.

Reflection of the Unit:

1. To what extent were the students productively engaged in the learning process?

The students were engaged throughout the whole learning process. The students seemed

excited when I brought up my topic of plants. They loved planting their seeds, and were

excited to check their plants the next day to see if anything had sprouted. I tied in an

experiment because I know the students love doing them. They were engaged because

they were listening to see the different parts of the seed in front of them. Overall, I think

the students were very interested in the learning process.

2. Were students interested and motivated to learn during these lessons? Why or why not?

Did you make changes during the lessons to enhance interest or motivation?

The students were very interested and motivated to learn during these lessons. They were

participating whenever I asked them questions, and seemed eager to learn more. One of

my students kept talking about topics that I would be teaching the next day which made

me happy because he was excited to know more. I kept the students motivated by having

them work with a partner on certain activities. They didn’t get distracted from this

because they know it’s a privilege. They finished all their work that needed to be done.

3. Did the lesson allow for students to achieve mastery of the objective(s); and engage in

activities and learning situations that were aligned with district, state, or national

standards?

The students completed all the tasks that needed to be done for the objectives to be

mastered. The students had time to themselves later on if they needed extra time. Their

post assessments allowed me to see which students need more help and which students
 understood it all. The activities and learning situations that the students engaged in

aligned with my NYS Standards.

4. Did you adjust your teaching strategies and activities as you taught each lesson? How

did you adjust throughout the unit? If so, why and how?

One adjustment that I made was have the students read my powerpoint aloud instead of

me reading it to them. One of the students asked if they could read a slide and then all

the other students wanted to do the same. I had different students read each slide to the

class which helped with their reading skills. I became more comfortable teaching the

lesson everyday. I asked them questions that weren’t even in the lesson plan because

they just came to me while teaching.

5. What kind of feedback did you provide to your students? In what way did it impact

student learning?

Whenever I saw something from a student that I liked I said “I like how you’re doing …”

instead of just saying good job. That way the students know what I like because I

specifically said it. If I just said good job then they wouldn’t know what I liked exactly.

This impacted their student learning because it boosted their ego. They wanted to keep

going because they know I like their work. At the end of the lesson, I also told them they

were listening and behaving well which gave them marbles in their jars. This is the type

of reinforcement we do in the classroom.

6. What feedback did you receive from the students indicating they had achieved

understanding and that the objective(s) were met for the lessons? (Formative Assessment)

At the end of each lesson, I asked the students what they had learned. They were able to

tell me the main points of the lesson that they learned which made me happy. This means
 they were paying attention and understanding the content. The activities and worksheets

that the students did for their formative assessment meant that the objectives were met for

each lesson. The formative assessments included the objectives and all the students

completed them. This means that the students were able to complete it all with no help. I

received verbal and nonverbal feedback from the students.

7. If you had the opportunity to teach these lessons again to this same group of students,

what would you do differently? Why?

If I had the opportunity to teach these lessons again I would have the students read all the

powerpoints that I provided in my lessons. That way I can hear each student read aloud,

and see what words they need help on. I will also be able to hear their fluency when they

read. I would also include more work on their chromebooks for technology purposes.

Some students work better on their chromebooks, so I could have done a differentiation

for that. Overall, I thought my lesson went very well, and wouldn’t make any drastic

changes.

2. Analysis of Assessment- Pre-and Post-Assessment of Unit:

Pre-Assessment

1.

KWL Chart Worksheet

Knew a lot of Knew the Didn’t know much information

information obvious

information

Student 1 *
Student 2 *

Student 3 *

Student 4 *

Student 5 *

Student 6 *

Student 7 *

Student 8 *

Student 9 *

Student 10 *

Student 11 *

Student 12 *

Student 13 *

Student 14 *

Student 15 *

Total number of 3 10 2

students at

information

level
 2. The students needed to describe what they know about plants for this pre assessment

through a KWL chart worksheet. From the table above, it seems like most of the students

knew the obvious information about plants. The obvious information I am stating here is

that the students knew that plants need water, soil, sun, and air to grow. I will be going

over this in one of my lessons. The students will also be learning some more new

information other than what they wrote down. Some students knew a lot of information

about plants meaning more than what they need to grow. Two examples that student 15

said are “The roots help the plant get water and some plants make air out of carbon

dioxide.” This student was using their prior knowledge to come up with this information.

Some students didn’t know much information at all. This means that they didn’t even

include what a plant needs to grow. Student 8 talked about how to repot a plant, and

student 10 said that plants smell good. They didn’t know much information about plants,

but that’s okay because this was only their pre assessment. They will be learning more

information throughout the week. I hope there will be more boxes filled out for the

“what I learned” section when the lessons are over.

3. After reviewing the data, the pre assessment will play a strong role in my growth targets.

An initial growth target for the unit outcomes is that the students will be able to identify

the different parts of a plant and different parts of a seed. The students will also be able

to develop an understanding of the life cycle of plants. For the students who didn’t know

much information, they will be learning about what a plant needs to grow from their

experiment of planting a seed. They will also see this in my powerpoint.

Post-Assessment

1.
 “What Do You Know About Plants?” Mini Quiz

Entire Class

Above Grade Level On Grade Level Below Grade Level

Student 1 *

Student 2 *

Student 3 *

Student 4 *

Student 5 *

Student 6 *

Student 7 *

Student 8 *

Student 9 *

Student 10 *

Student 11 *

Student 12 *

Student 13 *

Student 14 *

Student 15 *

Student 16 *
Student 17 *

Student 18 *

Student 19 *

Student 20 *

Total number of 4 7 9

students at grade

level

*Note- There are more students for the post assessment because I had a few absent, or students

were pulled out of class for the first day.

By looking at the table above, you can see that many students had a growth in their post

assessment compared to their pre assessment. Many of them went from not knowing much

information about plants to knowing a lot of information. The below grade level students had

scores from 67 to 33. The on grade level students had scores from 83 to 92. The students above

grade level had perfect scores of 100. One of the students who didn't know much information

for the pre assessment got a 100 on the quiz, so that made her go to above grade level. Once this

student learned the information during the lessons, she knew more. Some students who usually

do well were put in the below grade level. This might be because they forgot the information

from the past days. Their learning progress does seem to be progressing steadily. I think the

students tried their best, and I am happy with the results.

“What Do You Know About Plants?” Mini Quiz

Group of Students

Above Grade Level On Grade Level Below Grade Level

Student 16 *

Student 17 *

Student 18 *

Student 19 *

Student 20 *

Total number of 0 3 2

students at grade

level

The table above is showing the students who did not complete the pre assessment because of

other circumstances. I wasn’t aware of what these students knew about plants because they

didn’t fill out their KWL chart worksheet. They still took the quiz because they were here for

the other days, and learned about the plants. None of these students earned a perfect score

because they were either pulled out of class or absent that day. Three students were on grade

level, and did well. The other two students did not do so well because they weren't there. I will

not be penalizing them for this because it’s unfair. One of the students earned a 92 which is only

one question wrong. This student seemed very into the lessons which is why he earned this

grade. This student has definitely had growth in his learning. I will keep my eyes open on the

students who are below grade level because they might be needing extra help.

“What Do You Know About Plants?” Mini Quiz

 Individual Needs

Above Grade Level On Grade Level Below Grade Level

Student 3 *

Student 10 *

Total number of 0 2

students at grade

level

The table above is showing the students with individual needs. These students go to reading and

math support. They are also ENL students because their first language is Spanish. Student 3

knew the obvious information in the pre assessment, but student 10 didn’t know much

information. Student 3 received a 33 on the quiz, and student 10 received a 42. These students

were pulled out for their support classes at the times I was teaching sometimes which may have

caused these grades. I did have them complete the post assessments for the individual lessons, so

they could be caught up on the new information. These are the students who need a little extra

help when it comes to assignments. I think they would have been better at this topic if they were

not pulled out from the classroom. I will be watching their growth and checking their learning

progress.

2. I graded the students quizzes using “the grader” that my host teacher has in her

classroom. This gives you options of how many questions there are which mine was 12.

Then you go to the number of how many questions were answered wrong, and it will give
you the percentage grade. I put the students grades on each of their papers. I also put

their grades in my host teachers grading book under the science section. Their scores are

under plants, so she knows what assignment the grades were under.