Literacy Integration Unit on Wiki: Unit Map

Topic/theme: Plants Essential Questions supporting topic/theme and literacy development: 1. What are plants and how are they important? 2. How do you think plants grow? 3. What is the purpose of the plants parts like the leaves and flowers? 4. What are the important structural parts of plant? 5. Are all plants alike?

Texts

How they support the topic/theme The book follows the process a seed goes through to grow into a plant. This book focuses on variety of seeds. It also includes pictures of the seed and the final plant that is produced from the seed. The is full of adjectives about the different seeds. This books explains plant reproduction, seed dispersal, pollen transference, and seed germination. This a fun book to read that explains the plant parts and basic photosynthesis. This book provides lots of photographs and details about every aspect of plants. The book also highlights plant growth. This book explains the life cycles of plants. It also labels the different parts of the plants. This book breaks down the different types and categories of vegetables.

The Tiny Seed By Eric Carle A Seed is Sleepy By Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long From Seed to Plant By Gail Gibbons Oh Say Can you Seed? By Bonnie Worth (Dr. Seuss) Eyewitness Plant By David Burnie The Life Cycle of a Flower by Molly Alojan The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons

Activities in this unit and how they support each of the following areas of literacy: READING During this unit the students will read several book on plants. The students will also need to read a website about plants. The teacher will read a couple of the books to the whole class. WRITING The students will be required to complete several writing assignments. They will write a letter to their seed explaining the growing stages (life cycle) it will go through. Then they will keep a journal on the observations of their seed as it grows. The students will also fill out several charts/diagrams on seeds SPEAKING All students will be expected to participate during class discussion throughout the unit. The students will also complete several small group activities that will require group discussion. At the end of the unit each students will tell the class one fact they have learned about plants LISTENING VIEWING The students The students will need to will observe the listen in order to seed that they correctly follow planted every all of the other day for instructions. the next two They will also weeks. The need to listen as students will the teacher also view a reads books website during aloud. The the lesson to students will provide more also need to in-depth listen to their knowledge classmates about plants. during the group activities/ discussions.

Literacy Integration Unit on Wiki: Unit Map

Activities and Assessments Skill they are intended to measure
(comprehension, vocabulary, content knowledge, motivation, etc.)

Knowledge they are intended to measure

K-W-L Chart

Motivation, content knowledge

Plant Journal

Viewing, Vocabulary, Comprehension, content knowledge Content knowledge, motivation

Venn Diagram

Letter

Comprehension. Content knowledge, Vocabulary, motivation

Semantic map

Content knowledge, Comprehension, vocabulary Vocabulary

Get Part Smart worksheet

Plant poster

Comprehension, Vocabulary, content knowledge

The KWL Chart will be used to measure what the students already know about plants. This is also a great activity to help students retrieve background knowledge on a topic. At the end of the lesson the students will fill out the L part of the chart to show what they have learned. The students will be required to complete a journal every other day on the changes the seed has made. The students will need to used learned vocabulary words to explain the stages the plant is in. The students will be given two seeds one seed will be to plant, while the other seed will be to compare similarities and differences. This will provide the students a variety of seeds to show that not all seeds are alike. After planting the seed the students will write a letter to the seed, explaining the different things that will happen to it as it grows (life cycle). This will be a fun activity to motivate the students and assess their comprehension on the plant life cycle. Toward the end of the unit students will complete a semantic map on plants. The different branches can include, but are not limited to environment, characteristics, and parts. This work sheet will allow the students to build their vocabulary on the plant parts. After completing the worksheet they can put it in their daybook reference. At the end of the unit the students will need to create a poster in pairs. The poster will need to include the life cycle, label the plant, and include facts that were learned throughout the unit.