Lesson Plan Worksheet

							LESSON PLAN
Name: Callie Daniels

Lesson Title: Plant Classification

Grade level: 3rd Grade

URL of Original Activity (if applicable):
http://devacaf.caes.uga.edu/main/lessonPlan/ClassificationPlantsinSchoolyard.pdf

A. Target Audience
The target audience will be around 20-25 3rd graders in a general education classroom. The
socioeconomic status of the learners will mostly be upper-middle. The students are diverse in
their race and cultural background. There are two students with disabilities. (autistic, ADHD)

B. Environment

The beginning of the lesson will begin in the classroom, and will then be taken outside
(preferably on a nature trail). The students will be using digital cameras to take pictures of
different types of plants. Then the students will come back into the classroom to print out the
pictures to make a poster board.

C. Summary of Lesson
The main point to this lesson is for students to be able to distinguish and classify plants due to
specific physical features. The teacher will begin the lesson by teaching about all different types
of plants and their physical features. A worksheet will be given to each student with pictures and
descriptions of each plant and their specific features. Then the students will be put into groups.
Each group will receive one digital camera that they will use outside on the nature trail to take
pictures of different types of plants. After returning to the classroom the pictures will be printed
out and the students will group together the plants based on their different physical features. To
determine which groups to put them in they will use the worksheet and chart. Each group will
make a poster of their different categories and share it with the class. Students will learn about
the different types of physical features of plants and the categories they fit into.

D. Alabama Content Standards Addressed
7.) Describe the life cycle of plants, including seed, seed germination, growth, and reproduction:
Classifying plants according to their features

E. ISTE Technology Foundations Standards for Students Addressed


Grades K-4 Standards
CONTENT STANDARD A: SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
A1. Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry:



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Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.

   •   Plan and conduct a simple investigation.
   •   Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.
   •   Use data to construct a reasonable explanation.
   •   Communicate investigations and explanations

F. Student objectives for the lesson
2. Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively,
including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
Students: a) interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts or others employing a variety of
digital environments and media.

G. Length of the lesson activity
This plant identification activity could take around 3 hours, or 3 science class periods

H. Preparation
To prepare this lesson the teacher must first make a worksheet for the students with pictures
about the different classifications of plants. The substitute will use this worksheet to go over the
lesson with the students. The set up required would be to check out the digital cameras from the
media centers and getting the supplies for the students to make their poster for their presentation.
Making a worksheet with a chart on it will also help students during the classification process. It
would also be useful to pre-organize the students groups in order to have the students work well
together.

I. Plan and schedule of activities
This lesson will start in the beginning of the day. In the first part of the activity the teacher will
teach the students about the different physical features of a plant. The teacher will use pictures
and use very specific descriptions so that the students will know what to look for when they go
outside. Before the students go outside the teacher will give the students a worksheet with
pictures and descriptions of different plants with specific features for the students to review.
After teaching about plants in the classroom the teacher will divide the students into pre-
organized groups. Each group will have one leader who will be the official picture taker. The
class will all go outside together and each group will take 20 pictures. After the students have
photographed 20 plants, they will come inside and print out their pictures from the printer in the
classroom. Then the students will go to lunch and recess. Printing out all of these pictures will
take some time so after lunch and recess is when the students will start working on grouping
their pictures together in different categories. Each group will make one poster and share it with
the class.

J. List of materials needed
 The materials needed for this activity are: handouts for the students, poster board, markers, glue,
scissors, digital cameras, and a photo printer.




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K. Assessment
The main point issue of classifying plants due to physical features directly corresponds to the
Alabama Content Standards (7) which states that students should be able to “classify plants
according to their features.” The Communication and Collaboration objective states that students
should “use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including
at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: a)
interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts or others employing a variety of digital
environments and media.” By working in groups, using cameras, and make a group poster I think
all of these objectives have been met. The Content Standard a: science as inquiry says students
should plan and conduct a simple investigation, employ simple equipment and tools to gather
data and extend the senses, use data to construct a reasonable explanation, communicate
investigations and explanations. Again by working in groups and working together to make a
final presentation covers these standards.

L. Adaptations

For the students with disabilities, there are many opportunities for them to be an active member
of the group. For instance, if the autistic student is non-verbal, they may have the job of gluing
the pictures to the poster board, or actually taking the pictures while outside. Telling the students
the plan for the day will also help the students with disabilities because it will give them a little
more structure. This lesson appeals to all different types of learners including visual, auditory,
and hands-on. If the digital cameras have technical difficulties, the students will get their
pictures from the internet.


M. Justification
Using digital cameras and a photograph printer in the classroom gives students a different way to
learn. By taking the pictures and grouping them into different categories they are actually
learning by doing instead of learning by listening. Getting the students outside for a little bit will
also give the students a little break from the normal school day. When students use the digital
cameras they will be having fun, and learning at the same time. Using this technology puts some
excitement into plant classification.




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