Name: Jenna Ott

Title: Environment Study Grade: Third Grade Dates: Oct 27, 2010

Introduction and Rational:

After studying animals and their habitats, I found it fitting to engage students in a conversation about their own habitats. To begin, students will question the meaning of the word environment, and as our unit progresses, we will have a fuller understanding of the word and its relationship to an ecosystem. I chose to center the unit around these two words because I find them to be important in regards to helping one find their role in the word. My children will understand their environment to be the world around them, but they will understand ecosystem to be the relationship among themselves, plants, and animals. There is a difference, and in that difference I want my children to be able to recognize their own voice in society. In order for my children to see themselves as people with a voice, they must know they matter. They must know they have just as much as an effect on their world as every other living thing, and that everything is always interconnected.

Another purpose of this unit is to help us all see our environment as sacred. I want us to see it as special and worthy of attention. I want us to fall in love with our homes so that we can use our voice to take care of the land and everything that lives and breathes there. If we can do this, if we can learn to take care of what we have been bestowed with, we can see the rest of the world with new eyes. We can appreciate it for what it is, a beautiful mystery, and recognize how blessed we are. We can then choose to expand our reach to other unfamiliar contexts all around the world in need of help.

I believe that in order to fully engage my students I must teach this way. My goal is to help shape global citizens who care about all people around the world and to act according to their beliefs, as if convicted by something large and unseen. For most children, I believe that starting with the familiar and working outward might be a better option. This isn’t the best option for all, for I know that my thinking didn’t quite develop this way (I think I fell in love with distant lands before I valued my own), but I do believe it to be the best option for the majority.

My unit was interdisciplinary because I brought in content from all subject areas. I did this in order to combine the subjects in ways that I thought were closely related. While we were studying habitats and environments from a scientific viewpoint, we were also looking at the ways in which environments change over time, how this affects other things (including their families) and the many ways in which our environment affects who we are. As we thought about these things, we became much more aware of the plants in our environment. We learned about chlorophyll and photosynthesis. We read stories, wrote stories, and created beautiful pieces of artwork centered on the many diverse plants in our environment. We learned how to measure what we found in our environment, and this brought new opportunity as we struggled to describe the various outdoor objects that we brought into the classroom to show and tell and look at. We gradually went back in time as we studied farms and forests. We learned that forests had to be cut down in order to make room for farms, but that farms were needed for food. We learned that our land was at one time covered in forests, and Native Americans lived there!

The last thing focused on in my integrative unit was the relationship between Native Americans and their environment. In order to help students think about this, they spent three days creating a diorama of a Cherokee village and writing a story to go a long with it. They were to write a story as if they were Native American and living in the environment they created.

I am glad that my unit was interdisciplinary because it engaged the kids. I have seen how they respond to lessons that are not connected, and I would never forgive myself if I put them through another two weeks of that. I had a chance to make a difference, a small difference when compared to the 12 years of un-integrated teaching they will most likely receive, but a difference none the less. For two weeks, most every student in the class was excited and eager to learn. Every day I would hear, “Miss Jenna, will we do a science experiment today?” How refreshing to hear students ask to learn!

The bigger question though is this, “Why does integrative teaching engage children more?” One reason integrative teaching is so powerful is because it engages children in life as it is outside of school. Children learn many things before coming to school, and they will continue to learn much more after they leave. Simply experiencing life each day adds to your perception of the world and how you view the world. Learning happens every day. Why “school” someone who already knows how to learn? Will that help them later in life when they are no longer forced to learn?

Integrative teaching introduces the world to students as it is and allows them the power to connect with what they find to be most meaningful. I can see this being of great value, for if a person is interested, the teacher can be a resource to the student by bringing in new, but related items of interest. The teacher will be helping his or her students learn how to sustain their thinking over gradually increasing periods of time. This is so important! I believe this is needed to help students learn to focus long enough to find something new, full of meaning and waiting to be explored.

It is in this way that content can be covered in connected ways that encourage people to enjoy and value learning and wish to purposefully engage in the process on their own after their schooling is complete. This is not the way I covered core content, but it is the way I would have liked to. I think I am just now starting to understand it in this way, but something about it feels right! I can see it working, but it is risky because you hold less control over the outcome. Many people have no faith in this system. Instead, they feel more comfortable with a prescribed list of public school do’s and don’ts. But, most agree that some sort of change is needed, and maybe this is it!

Unit Goals-

Knowledge

Students will understand

• Vocabulary words such as environment, ecosystem, and system.

• They make are a part of the ecosystem they inhabit

• Knowledge is passed down from person to person, and that there is a lot to be learned from one’s family

• The earth is constantly changing, and that even the smallest things can create a change in the environment.

• Rockcastle County has not always looked exactly as it does now

• Why the seasons change

• Why leaves change color in the fall

• The importance and concept of measurement

• Parts of a plant and seed

• The importance of descriptive words in writing

• The importance of timelines and of understanding the past

• Technology’s role in changing the environment and the effect it had on the wellbeing of people

• Photosynthesis

• The ecological diversity in their environment

• The importance of farms

• How forests grow and change over time

• That the same environment they live in was once inhabited by Native Americans.

• Culture is influenced by your environment, and this is evident in the lives of Native Americans

Skills

Students will be able to

• Use a ruler to measure lines and objects

• Find the perimeter of any shape

• See the relationship between perimeter and area

• Take notes

• Ask questions about a given topic and write about what they think the answer might be

• Predict-use information they already know in order to create ideas about what they do not know

• Use the computer to seek answers to the questions they have

• Identify with something (such as a Native American) in order to understand it

• Plan and practice before doing their work

• Create multiple drafts of a writing in order to practice deepen their thinking, and not simply to correct their grammar

• Use natural and unnatural resources to recreate a model Native American environment

• describe and classify any object (and create a name for it)

• work in groups and share power with one another

Dispositions

Students will work towards developing

• Respect for all living things and where they live

• A drive to take their thinking a step further

• Enjoyment of writing as a process and way to gather thoughts and generate new ideas

• The ability to remain hopeful because things always have the potential to change.

• A desire to work hard when things are challenging

• The desire to explore (nature)

• The desire to create change

• Looking and wondering in an attempt to connect with something

• Looking in order to see and understand things that are complex

• A desire to explore (the past)

• A desire to work hard

Content For this unit I was required to teach about plants and measurement Students were expected to

• Draw and label plant parts such as roots, stem, leaves, and flower. • Understand that a seed consists of a seed coat and an embryo • know that photosynthesis is a process in which plants create energy from the sun • understand that they benefit from photosynthesis because all energy originates from the sun

and makes it way to us through plants and animals that eat plants • understand the role of chlorophyll • understand that there are many species of plants • understand measurement in relation to more than just objects and rulers • learn what a ruler was • learn what the markings on the ruler meant • learn how to measure lines to the nearest half inch (and be introduced to ¼ and ¾ of an inch) • create a line of a certain length

Assessments Pre-assessment- During my animal study (which preceded this study) my class spent a brief period of time looking at the words environment and ecosystem. On the animal study test, I included a bonus question that allowed me to see if my children already understood the difference between the two words. I used this information to formulate how I began my unit, and knew that because they did not understand the difference, I was free to introduce my lesson as I had planned. Throughout the unit I created many handouts that were to be assessed individually for completion and effort. They kept these in a folder, and at the end of our study, I could look for signs of deepened thought, engagement, and effort. I could tell if they were at least engaged on some small level by simple completion of the sheet. A lot of times the sheet would serve more as a note page than anything else, and I was just looking for something that showed me they tried to focus during the lesson. It was the case of many students that as our unit progressed, they kept better track of their notes and became more interested in writing about what we were studying. Another thing I looked for was evidence of outside work in their folder. Some students started doing some research at home, and would bring in what they found and put it in their folder. Others would draw pictures about what we were studying, and I would encourage them to stick it in their folder. As we moved through our environment study, we began to look at the lives of those who we shared our environment with long ago. The Cherokee Native Americans had a lifestyle that is unfamiliar to us today. They are of a different culture. In many ways it was shaped by their environment. Students created a model Cherokee village in an effort to help them connect with Native Americans in ways that allowed them to think about what it might be like to live during that time, and in that way. After they completed this, they imagined that they lived there, and they wrote a story about it. Although my unit was over after these two projects, I would have loved to use this as a pre-assessment. My children did

not spend enough time learning about Native Americans, but I think that they did connect with them, which would have lead into some good thinking, I do believe. Final Assessment-There was a written test given to the students on the last day of our study. This was used to assess what the children learned of the required content. It was also used as a feeding board for me to see what I could do better in the future, and what stuck out most to the kids. The hard questions were those that required the children to think more than they are normally expected to. Open ended questions are much more valuable, but much harder for minds that have become scripted. I found it hard to grade these. Although I was not happy with many of their written answers, I felt that their inability to answer these types of questions was not their fault. I knew this before I asked the questions, but felt it was my duty to at least let them try. With the right help, each child could write wonderful, thoughtful responses in no time.

Daily Lesson Plans Lesson 1 Purpose I want my students to see themselves as part of their environment. Objectives

• I want my students to connect with their environment by learning what environments are made of, and how everything works together in their environment to form an ecosystem.

• Students will begin to think about the ways in which change takes place, and will learn how to research questions they have such as, “Why do leaves change color in the fall?”

Skills

• Ask questions about a given topic and write about what they think the answer might be • Predict-use information they already know in order to create ideas about what they do not

know • Use a ruler to measure lines and objects

Dispositions

• Respect for all living things and where they live • A drive to take their thinking a step further • Looking in order to see complexity

Materials

• Folders, crayons, markers, vocabulary and note sheet, and writing prompt for homework

Procedure

• We will discuss what we mean when we say the word environment. Ecosystem. System. • Students will draw a picture of their environment on a folder which will slowly become home to

all work from our study. • We will discuss changes that take place in our environment this time of year. We will also

discuss possible reasons why. • Students will take notes on a handout I give them (attached) • We will discuss ways to check our thoughts about why leaves change. As they give me examples

I will create a list on the board, and students will be required to choose two for homework. Possibilities include, choosing to read an article posted on the board and discussing it with a friend. They can choose to complete a fill in the blank hand out that is located in a file folder attached to the board. Other options include talking to their parents, looking things up on the computer, or checking a book from the library.

• Students will learn the definitions of environment, ecosystem, and system. Students will be encouraged to read more about each word in their text book as they write down the definitions, and a poster that I made will be hung for each word.

• For homework, students will be instructed to write about their environment on a handout (attached)

Break • We will list all types of things that can be measured. • I will draw a ruler on the board and help students understand the different markings of an inch.

We will only be focusing on ¼, ½, ¾, and a whole. • We have been studying fractions for a week or so, and I will show my students why an inch can

be broken into fourths and compare it to other things that we have been doing with fractions. • I will help students understand that these markings repeat once you pass 1 inch and will help

them to understand why. • Students will practice by using their ruler to measure lines of various sizes

Reflection It is now the weekend and I am reflecting on the past three days. I think that my science lesson went well. It was everything I hoped it would be, and I think it served as a good introduction to the unit. Students still do not fully understand the words environment or ecosystem, but I think they are on their way. I liked that they drew and talked about their environment first. I do think it connected them to what they were learning, and allowed them to feel more involved. They cared about the leaves changing color because they were thinking about the changing leaves of trees that were familiar to them. When they asked questions about the leaves, they might have been thinking about a tree in their back yard. This wasn’t mentioned in class, but I saw evidence of it in their writings. (S.) wrote about the rotting pumpkins she saw (among other things) and how her dad and the interstate were also part of her environment. (F.) wrote about the games she plays with her sister outside around the trees that are changing colors. (A.) wrote about the hills around his home and his turkeys. (K.) wrote, “When I open my window I hear crickets, birds, and (beezs?), and wind. I think about how the birds, crickets, and wind, beezs make so much noise. I think that because I just wonder how that happens.” I wrote back to her and asked if she liked to fall asleep to those noises. She said she did, and I wonder if that is why she wonders how it works. I liked that I assigned homework, and most of them did it either that evening or the next. I also like that I can tell parents are involved. I can tell this by some of the students writing. (A’s.) writing was all in his words and hand writing, but the organization of his writing was so perfect, and you could tell almost a whole page had been written and erased. I thought that was funny. As for the math, I think it went at least as good as planned. That isn’t to say that it was great, but it was what I expected. Two kids understood, and the rest didn’t. Eventually, I hope to be able to use the skill of measuring more in the unit as an integrated part of something, but for now they need taught the basics. They need practice measuring simple lines, and they need time to study the ruler. I didn’t like that this seemed not to connect with the lesson about ecosystems, but I tried to explain as I walked around why they were going to be learning to measure. Soon they will be measuring plants and other things found in their environment.

Day 2 Reflection Purpose I want my students to learn about change and how it is constantly happening all around them. I also would like for my students to feel empowered as they begin to understand why leaves change color in the fall (a question posed yesterday that they did not understand). Objectives

• Students will understand why the seasons change • Students will understand why leaves change color in the fall and be able to explain it • Students will understand that Chlorophyll and Carotenoid are both chemicals found in plants

Skills • Students will learn to take notes • Students will learn to use a ruler and measure lines • Students will work towards being able to draw what they see

Dispositions • Enjoyment of writing as a process and way to gather thoughts and generate new ideas • The ability to remain hopeful because things always have the potential to change. • A desire to work hard when things are challenging

Materials • Note page, crayons, markers, and “Sky Tree” written by Thomas Locker

Procedure

• Ask students to share about what they wrote for homework (without reading it) • Read selections from “Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream,” written by Nancy Willard

Break

• Ask students to talk about what they learned last night when they researched why leaves change color in the fall

• Learn new vocabulary to help us understand how leaves change, and explain it as a story through the view of one special leaf (they will pick one leaf out of the bucket). There will be a hand out given to them at this point (attached)

• Once they know what Chlorophyll is, they will imagine their leaf as it was in July. • They will trace it and color it green. • They will learn that there is always another chemical in leaves called carotenoid. This chemical is

what makes leaves orange, yellow, and brown (not red). The chlorophyll over powers the carotenoid in the summer, but in the fall the chlorophyll is no longer produced because of the decreasing sunlight. I want them to understand that the carotenoid is always there.

• In order to help them understand this, they will draw their leaf again. They will color this one the colors produced by carotenoid, but they will be encouraged to make it look like the green is fading out.

Break

• Review breaking sections into four parts • Review inches and make connection between a section broken into four parts and an inch • Practice measuring straight lines • Peer check • Teacher check • Finish Endangered Animal article/finish homework/read a book from my selection that deals

with my unit

Break

• Read the book “Sky Tree” written by Thomas Locker

Reflection

Today, after we shared what we observed while we did our homework last night, we talked about how people can learn from their family and what they observe around them. We talked about family traditions, and then I read to them. I started with a poem about pumpkins, and that led into a discussion about pumpkins and Halloween. They thought that pumpkins grew because it was Halloween, and we talked about that for a little while. There was a section that gave advice on how to grow a big pumpkin, and we read and tried to figure out why that would make the pumpkin grow larger. I kept reminding them that these things were learned, and talked about within the family. The things that these people learned were then written down, saved, and now passed on to us. There was something that mentioned canning food, and from there we started talking about why people canned food and the necessity for it then. We also talked about how we get our food today, and how it is much easier, but not necessarily better. Students then told stories of family members who still can food and why they do that. The kids talked about Thanksgiving, and how that meal is always better than other meals because people work hard to cook the food.

We took a break, and when we got back to work we switched gears a little bit. I wish my transition would have been better. We began to talk about their research and what they did last night to learn more about why leaves change colors in the fall. I thought that they were understanding things while I was teaching, but I can tell from their responses on the handout that most of them either don’t get it, or don’t know how to explain what they know. I did a lot of writing the answer in the form of a note back to them. They will see it next time they get their folders. I want to move on, but I also want them to get this. I know that carotenoid isn’t a third grade word, and maybe the process is hard, but all I really want them to know is that the carotenoid is a chemical found in the leaf even in the summer when you see green.

Here is my question. Since we have been talking about integrative thinking, I have been trying to figure out if my thinking is or not. I was really interested in the idea of this chemical always being in the leaf, and eventually being able to express itself when the leaf stopped producing chlorophyll because it reminded me of people who have always had the ability to do something good (carotenoid), but don’t

because something else is in the way (chlorophyll). Is that integrative thinking, or just metaphor, or can it be the same thing, or is it just stretching it too much? I don’t know.

Anyway, I was thinking about that a lot, and it was my goal to talk about that during the lesson. I failed, and felt bad about it until the very end of the day. There were about ten kids still working on their endangered animal article after math and specials. At the same time there was a growing group of kids finished with everything. I struggled with knowing what to do with them because I knew it would leave others out. I ended up reading Sky Tree to the small group of about 10, and it went okay. Our conversation was really good, but not everybody was involved. I really noticed the diversity of thought amongst my students. Some kids were only interested in the art. Others were more interested in our talk about changing seasons. (A.) sarcastically told me it was so beautiful he would cry, and still (almost at the same time, (B.) said the sunlight reminded him of God. (B.) was more interested than anybody else. It was during this book that I brought up my comparison of changing leaves and changing people. (B.) just had one of those looks on his face that showed he was really thinking, and he said, “I think…I get it.” He then explained it to the rest of the group better than I did. But, still, no one else really cared. Except (S.) who tried to understand. She started talking about her dad and how he gets mad at her mom, but really he is a good person, and that he doesn’t mean to throw things. It made me so sad to hear her say that, but I was happy that she was able to think about how her dad has a good side too.

Day 3 Purpose I want my students to learn from pumpkins in multiple ways. This will allow the student the opportunity to study the pumpkin for extended amounts of time. Objectives

• Students will be able to use skills learned in other subject areas such as measurement, art, and writing to learn about the pumpkin.

Skills • Students will learn how to measure with a measuring tape • Students will practice using descriptive words and writing complete sentences • Students will use logic and reasoning to think through questions when some information is

missing Dispositions

• The desire to explore (nature) Materials Small pumpkin, big pumpkin, measuring tape pumpkin seeds, paint, paintbrushes, cups of water, paper towels, and hand out packet

Procedure

• Explain pumpkin centers and switch every 20 minutes 1) Pretend you have a pumpkin. Write a sentence about where your pumpkin is located, and

discuss what else is in your pumpkin’s environment. Paint a picture of your pumpkin in its environment.

2) Trace a pumpkin seed, crack it open, and look inside. Write about and draw what you see. Think about why a seed has a seed case. Taste the seed and choose three descriptive words to describe how it tastes. Choose three words to describe its texture. Use these words in sentences.

3) Measure a big and small pumpkin 4) Feel the insides of the pumpkin. Read about the different parts all pumpkins have. Circle the

ones that this pumpkin has. Leave parts that this pumpkin doesn’t have un-circled. Think about why those parts aren’t here now.

Reflection

I think that today was a very fun day. It was our Halloween party, and so all the kids were extremely hyper. I went dressed as a tree, but my nickname for the day became Miss Mama Nature. The funniest comment I received came after a hug from (S.) who said, “I always wanted to hug a tree.” I know lots of people do pumpkin activities around this time of year, but the main reason I chose to do it was because it came up in the almanac book I read on Thursday. I tried to make that connection but I think the kids could have cared less. They were just excited to get messy when they saw me cut the pumpkin open. I think the centers could have been better if I would have made sure they each had equivalent amounts of work. The switching of the centers was very hectic, but we managed okay and everybody made it to each center.

While it was happening, I felt that they weren’t really learning. After looking over the packet however, I can tell that they did. I think the paint your pumpkin center really helped me see that they are starting to understand more about the word environment. Almost everybody put more thought into their sentence than I had anticipated them to do. Each of the other centers worked out ok too. I noticed that for centers 2 and 4 to be successful, I was needed to help them continue questioning. They found everything easy, until I would point them to something else, or make them really think something through. I didn’t catch on to this until about the third group, so I do worry about the first and second groups that were at those centers. I know the math went well, because I asked Nikki to help them. I knew that the measurement center would be difficult because they are still learning, but she was there to help, and I was very grateful. Centers are intimidating to me because of that reason. I wonder how it will all work out when I am the only one in the room.

Day 4 Purpose I want my students to understand that changes happen in their environment everyday, that they are changing, and that change can be both a good and bad, depending on how you react and what you do about it. Objectives

• Students will see how almost everything is changing every day in some way • Students will understand why the seasons change • Students will think about why this matters, and what their role is in their changing world

Skills • Students will be able to divide a line into equal parts • Students will be able to sequence pictures • Students will be able to create a equally distributed timeline

Dispositions • A drive to take their thinking further • the ability to remain hopeful because things always have the potential to change • the desire to create change

Materials • “Changes” written by Marjorie N. Allen and Shelley Rotner, page 9 of Plants-Kids Discover

Magazine note sheet, scissors, glue, and rulers Procedure

• Read the book Changes, written by Marjorie N. Allen and Shelley Rotner • Review why the seasons change as the earth rotates on its axis around the sun.

Break • Changes-We experience change every day. What is one thing that is different about today? It is

not the same as yesterday. People have experienced lots of change throughout time. The school room we sit in did not look the same last year, or the year before. Make a list of things that can change over time. I want them to say things like, their environment (plants, people, rivers, lakes, animal populations), classroom and governments.

• Pass out copies of page 9 of Plants-Kids Discover Magazine (attached). Have them cut and scramble the three pictures of seeds of plants. Seeds change over time. Have them glue these pictures underneath their frog life cycle timeline in the proper order. Tell them that from step 1 to 2 there is about 5 days. From step 2 to 3 there is about 2 to 3 weeks depending on plant.

• Pass out a timeline of a frog life cycle. • Change happens all the time in ecosystems. Everything is dependent on one another. Change

has even happened in Rockcastle CO. I will create a list of questions about their environment and Rockcastle County. Describe the next few weeks as a backward exploration of Rockcastle County (their ecosystem). Who better to start with than themselves?

• I will have them write their birthday on an index card. They will write down their favorite thing to do in Rockcastle County. I will take these pictures home and put them on a poster. The poster will go at the end of their time line. It will hang in the spot where the elephant posters hung.

• Students will create a list of questions to ask their parents. They will have a handout with questions that I want them to have no matter what, but there will also be room for them to write in their own questions. The questions will emphasize how things have changed from one generation to the next.

• Their homework will be to interview their parents.

Break • I will pass out a hand out (attached). Children will be required to measure each line. Divide it

into four parts by measuring it. They will then take four statements and sequence them on their timeline.

• When they finish, they will go through several steps in order to help them create a timeline of their life.

Reflection This morning I drove to Roundstone quite happy and excited for the day. Over the weekend, my unit took a new turn. I was disappointed because my teacher is not quite happy about it, but I tried to remain confident in my work. I feel like the kids responded well, and will be excited for the next few days. If I could do it again, I would make the connection between the plant and the frog flow more. I would also make sure that my kids understood why they are dividing up lines for their math lesson. I failed to let them know because I knew that not everybody would be moving on to create a timeline of their life. I am happy with today because it gives me direction, and it allows me to feel as if I am teaching with purpose, even if my teacher does not see it that way. No school on Tuesday

Day 5 Purpose I want my students to understand themselves as affected by change, and be able to place themselves as a member of their community which has also changed over time. I want students to understand that before their county was like it is today, it consisted of more woods and more forests. Objectives

• Students will understand how the career opportunities of people were affected by their environment

• Students will see farms as complex and vital to their well being and community Skills

• Students will sort and classify information • Students will measure real life objects

Dispositions • Looking and wondering in an attempt to connect with something • Looking in order to see and understand things that are complex • A desire to explore (the past)

Materials “Redwoods” written by Jason Ching, 2010 poster, 1910 poster, farming sort game, vegetables from the farmers market, large white piece of paper, and Procedure

• Point out poster “Who we are: 2010” • In groups of three, discuss what you learned from your parents (as they do this I will walk

around and pull out common themes.) • Address common themes as a class • List jobs of parents on board-students will write what they want to be on a post it note and stick

it on the board. • Break • Come and discuss jobs of 1910 (100 years ago-tell them that this is called a century) • Why do you think farming was more popular back then? Did some of these other jobs even

exist? • What do you know about farms? • Education, farm size, farm products, farm business, hard work of farming • Farm information sort activity • What kinds of farms are there? Animal and crops • Fall crops-change over time verses cyclical change • Show corn stalks, peppers, summer crops

Break • Parts of corn-go through parts of plant, and demonstrate with the corn stalk (quickly) • Math connection-get out a big piece of white paper. Lay it on the floor. Let kids watch me trace

the entire length of the corn out. Get a yard stick and draw a straight line by the corn. • Measure the line. Explain that it lands on a mark on the ruler that we don’t know what it means. • Talk about estimating-compare to rounding-we only use the ¼, ½, ¾ marks on the ruler. • Set out veggies from farmers market and have kids trace, estimate, and measure by rounding • If time, leaf math worksheets (attached)

Break • Redwoods comprehension worksheet (optional) and read-a-loud “Redwoods” written by Jason

Ching Reflection Overall my lesson went well, and I left satisfied. But, if I could do it again, I would change my focus. I would nix the timeline, and focus just on a story of change. Not a concrete story of change, with names and dates, but an accurate story none the less. This story would use language that allows the kids to know that as our unit goes on, they are going back in time. One problem with the timeline was that some of their parents told them that Rockcastle Co. has not changed. That put a damper on things, but I do have to realize that people view change differently. I am really glad that so many kids did their homework. I think that working to help families come together is fun and necessary. Another big jump was going from today’s jobs to yesterday’s jobs. This was a big jump, but it made sense to the kids as we went (I think). They were very interested in learning about the jobs you could have had in the 1910’s (I choose that year because it was 100 years ago). I did this because I wanted students to see how many jobs had a connection with farming. They realized that there are fewer farming jobs today by comparing these jobs with the jobs of their parents. This led to a great discussion about technology and how it affects all areas of our lives in good and bad ways. We then talked about farming in the past and farming today. One student lives on a farm and I asked her if it was ok to interview her in front of the class. I asked her a few questions, and she answered as best as she could. The farm information sort I did with the kids could have been executed better. I rushed it, and it was not very meaningful to anyone. At this point I strayed from the lesson plan, and showed my students what I had originally thought were ghost tomatoes. I didn’t tell them what I thought they were at first because I wanted them to think about what they thought they were. I received all kinds of answers. It became a little hectic because they were all so excited. This was fine until (S.) started saying that she didn’t need to look at it anymore because she just knew that it was a cherry. She told everyone else to stop guessing. At this point, I had tried three times to unsuccessfully get their attention. I raised my voice enough to silence them. By the time I was done I felt like they understood me better and it was good. First, I asked them if they thought I only told them to be quiet because I didn’t want to hear their voices. They said, “Yes.” I then explained that I was asking them to be quiet in order to help them learn to think. I told them that sometimes we think by working together and thinking out loud. Other times we think quietly in our heads and we reflect. I asked them to just sit and stare at their plant for three minutes. Their next response was definitely more thoughtful. No longer did anyone assume they knew everything there was to know. This allowed us to think together as people shared what they thought. This also allowed people to share one at a time, because each child valued the thinking of the other person (or, they were scared of me). As they shared their responses, I eventually told them my story and they all laughed. They love hearing stories that involve my mistakes. When we were finished, I reminded them that in order to figure out what something is, we must look closely at it. Describing something can help us learn to classify. I directed their attention to the window where I had my display of interesting objects. We talked about how each of these objects could be described by their physical properties. When I mentioned physical properties, I was connecting our plant study to our matter study. When they have free time, one thing they can do is describe the objects on display. As they describe it, they can write down their observations in a chart that I made for them during their matter study. It’s the same chart, so they are familiar with it, and the lessons from that study are being reinforced. One cool way in which the

chart has changed involves the physical property of size. Originally they would write small, medium, or large. We talked about how subjective that was, but now that they know how to measure they can really give an accurate estimate of their object’s size. The rest of the lesson went as planned. Students are still having a hard time measuring, but I have faith they will get there in the proper time. After all my work to help them understand ¼ and ¾, I was told today that they only have to know ½. This makes me feel good because some of them will now be ahead of the game.

Name: Jenna Ott Date: 12/11/10 Age/Grade: 3rd

Subject: Environment Unit Lesson 6

# of Students: 19 #of IEP: 2

Goals:

One goal is that students would understand the complexity of farms of realize that farming takes a lot of

work, but does a lot of good for our world. Another goal is for students to understand photosynthesis in

a way that allows them to know they are connected to everything else on the planet through the

transfer of energy from the sun to plants, from plants to their bodies, and from their bodies to the earth

and other animals.

Objective:

1. Students will be able to understand that food is produced on farms and explain some of the day

to day jobs of a farmer

2. Students will understand that farming has greatly changed over time with the addition of new

technology.

3. Students will understand the term photosynthesis, what it creates, and what is necessary for it

to occur in plants.

Essential Question(s):

1. Why are farms important for our community’s wellbeing?

2. How does our community affect the environment and cause it to change?

3. If photosynthesis creates energy for plants from the sun, and I eat plants, am I connected

to the sun?

Connections:

SC-04-2.3.2-Students will describe and explain consequences of changes to the surface of the Earth

SC-05-3.4.1-Students will describe and compare living systems to understand the complementary nature of structure and function.

SS-EP-4.4.1-Students will describe ways people adapt to/modify the physical environment to meet their basic needs (food, shelter, clothing).

Academic Expectations:

AE 1.10-Students organize information through development and use of classification rules and systems.

AE 2.2-Students identify, analyze, and use patterns such as cycles and trends to understand past and present events and predict possible future events.

AE 2.6-Students understand how living and nonliving things change over time and the factors that influence the changes.

AE 2.10-Students understand measurement concepts and use measurement appropriately and accurately.

AE 2.19-Students recognize and understand the relationship between people and geography and apply their knowledge in real-life situations.

Context:

Students will learn about farming practices today in order to help them see their dependency on other things such as plants and farmers, and teach them the value of hard work. Students will learn about photosynthesis today because without it, there would be no glucose in the plants, and eating what is grown on the farm would be useless.

Resources:

• Cassie Sluder of Berea College-farmer • “Living Sunlight,” written by Molly Bang • Homework response sheet • Ingredients and supplies for cornbread

Procedures:

Cassie Sluder from Berea College is coming to talk about her work at the Berea College farm • Day to day job responsibilities • What is it like living in the farm house at Berea College? Do you ever have to work late

at night? • Rotation of animals to prepare soil for new plants. • Interrelationship (system) between plants and animals. Goats eat weeds and cows eat

green grass and this all works together to keep the field healthy.

• Read Living sunlight and try to explain photosynthesis How do plants produce energy? What would life be like if they did not? Homework Writing-Imagine a world in which tomorrow you awoke to find all the plants gone. What would that mean for animals? What would that mean for humans? Would our ecosystem ever be the same?

Break for lunch

• Read short article about cornbread • Discuss ingredients in cornbread, where they come from (including what state grows the

most of this ingredient), and the photosynthesis process that plants undergo in order to create the energy that is inside the ingredient we eat.

• Demonstrate measuring cups, teaspoons, table spoons • Have volunteers come up and put the stuff in the bowl after class decides which

measuring tool we should use to match the recipe. In order to include more people, I will explain that sometimes we will use multiple 1/4 cups instead of one ½ cups.

• I will explain to kids that when they get back from gym their cornbread will be waiting for them. First, they have to go burn off energy so that they need more energy.

Math Measurement-

• Visualize each inch as a pan of cornbread. Cut it in four pieces. If I eat the first section how much did I eat, if I continue to eat each section how much of the cornbread will be gone. Follow that pattern with your ruler. ¼, ½, ¾ whole.

• Trace ruler, mark where all the lines are. • Draw every line on the ruler-even the ones you don’t know the name of. • Draw each line as the length you see (the half should be the

longest line) take this with you home and memorize • Emphasize that each inch can be broken into four sections. • Quiz-They will complete 12 measurement problems. They are the same problems they

did a week ago. I want to see if they have improved.

Student Assessment:

1. The students will be assessed on participation in classroom discussions.

2. Ongoing assessment will include discussion questions throughout the lesson.

3. Students will be assessed on their ability to write thoughtfully tomorrow when they bring back

their writing homework.

4. Student’s math will be assessed when they comple 12 measurement problems.

Reflection:

I was so excited that Cassie was able to come and share with my third graders. The kids loved her, and she did such a great job. After she left we continued to talk about farms and the food they

provide for us. This led to a great discussion about how food gets energy, and what food would be if it did not have energy. I led this discussion through the use of the book, “Living Sunlight.” They loved this book. (A.) said, “This is the best book I have ever read, I mean that you have ever read to us.” Everyone agreed. During our discussion I learned that the students had never heard the word carbohydrate. That surprised me. One child asked if it was the same as cardiac. Another asked if it was an African word. When I explained that it was an English word they were amazed. I then explained the food pyramid. It fit so well with our talk about energy and photosynthesis, and I was very pleased. A funny misconception arose during our story of photosynthesis. Several really good questions arose, and the children tried to respond to one another as best as they could. One child asked, “Can one person find all the plants in the world or in the US?” One person thought that he asked, “Can you find all the plants in the world in the US?” That child explained why you could not. The first child said, “That is not my question.” I explained how if my research was accurate, I knew that there were over 400,000 species of plants. After talking about species, (J.) said, “Yeah, 400,000 species of plants is like how there are 4 species of babies.” I didn’t really know how to respond to this, so I said, (J.) I don’t know what you mean. Eventually Nikki and I realized she had watched the movie, “Babies.” It’s a documentary made by Disney that follows the lives of four babies from four different cultures. We then compared and contrasted the words species, race, and culture. The cornbread lesson went just as well because the kids were so excited. I could tell that making them choose and explain why they chose each measuring tool was very helpful to the students. As we reviewed measurement principles, I was able to see some improvement in the kids that had not quite picked up on it yet. While students ate their cornbread they asked all sorts of questions. My favorite discussion occurred when (J.) asked, so how does it get hard. I said that I thought heat did it, and I asked them to think about other things that they have seen turn from a liquid mess into a solid. (J.) looked at me at said, “That explains everything!” I thought she was being sarcastic, but then she went on and said. “You have cupcake batter and you stick it in the oven. It becomes hard. Muffins become hard. Lots of things become hard when you put them in the oven.” This kid makes me laugh all the time. She reminds me of myself, I think.

Refinement:

Next time, I would go into more detail about each of the ingredients used in the making of the cornbread. I would want to bring in wheat to show students what it looked like before it was flower. I would also want to spend more time thinking about why cornbread was an important cultural food, and why it has remained popular even today. I would also want to discuss the impact of large scale farms and how they contrast with small farms like the one our guest speaker works at.

Modifications:

B.A.-reader, prompter, prompting/cueing, extended time

Name: Jenna Ott Date: 12/11/10 Age/Grade: 3rd

Subject: Environment Unit Lesson 7

# of Students: 19 #of IEP: 2

Goals:

My goal for today’s lesson is to help students see themselves as creative individuals who are able to plan

and create art. I also want students to write about their work and realize that they can write about the

work of other’s as well. This is personal writing, and in turn, I hope that my students find value in it.

Objective:

1. Students will describe art and think about how it makes them feel

2. Students will learn how to use visual context clues to “name” what is unfamiliar

3. Students will engage in creative process by developing a plan for their art work, and working to

create it. Students will connect this to the writing process.

4. Students will be able to draw, point out, and measure several plant parts.

5. Students will create an artist’s statement about their work

Essential Question(s):

1. How does color affect mood?

2. How does creating art compare to creating a writing piece?

Connections:

AH-04-4.4.1Students will create artwork using the elements of art and principles of design. AH-04-3.4.1Students will identify how art fulfills a variety of purposes.

SC-04-3.4.1Students will:

• compare the different structures and functions of plants and animals that contribute to the growth, survival and reproduction of organisms

• make inferences about the relationship between structure and function in organisms. MA-EP-2.1.1Students will apply standard units to measure length

Academic Expectations:

AE 2.22-Students create works of art and make presentations to convey a point of view.

AE 5.2-Students use creative thinking skills to develop or invent novel, constructive ideas or products.

AE 6.1-Students connect knowledge and experiences from different subject areas.

Context:

Students will be able to take what they have learned about plants and measurement, and create something new and beautiful from the knowledge they possess.

Resources:

• Various Georgia Okeefe art

• A plant with roots to observe

• Part of plants worksheet and note sheet

• Paper, crayons, and colored pencils

• Rulers

• Index cards

Procedures:

• Review photosynthesis and how energy comes to us through the plants ability to produce sugar from sunlight.

• Review parts of plants by using a real plant and poster • Label parts of plants on worksheet and go over together as a class

Break for bathroom

• Look at Georgia O’Keefe’s plant paintings. As a class students will identify colors used and discuss why they think the artist chose those colors. What emotions do they evoke?

• Students will look at one Georgia O’Keefe painting and try and name it. • Students will choose a partner. I will pass out various copies of plant art. Students will

name it and answer questions about it. They will then write the title they give it on the white space around the painting. They will also fill in the space around the painting with adjectives that they think about or feel when they look at this painting.

• In pairs, students will present their painting to the class. I will take their work and make a class book out of it.

Break for lunch

• Draw own plant picture-just use pencil for a rough draft • Measure leaf, stem, and width of all roots. Nikki and will check their measurements and

then they can start on their final copy. • Recreate paint picture with crayons and colored pencils-think about the colors you

choose (medium)

• Write a sloppy copy of your artist’s statement. I will read it before they write their final copy on an index card.

• Students will grade themselves by answering a series of questions involving their ability to follow directions, measure their plant, identify why they used the colors they used, and how much effort they feel they put into their work. They will receive these questions before they start. There should not be any confusion.

• Students can work on articles, read, draw, or work in the classification center when they are done.

Student Assessment:

1. The students will be assessed on participation in classroom discussions.

2. The students will be assessed on the completion of handouts.

3. Ongoing assessment will include discussion questions throughout the lesson.

4. Students will grade themselves at the end of today’s class using a checklist and thinking about

their effort level

Reflection:

Today was probably my favorite day so far. The students responded well to almost every part of my lesson. I was impressed by the amount of thought they put into their work, and I think this was because we had a sloppy copy and a final copy. Students had time to think of what they really wanted. Some of them made changes to make their final copy more of what they want. I connected this to the writing process and it made sense to the kids. I wish I could do more lessons like today, because I could tell that (besides the measurement aspect of their work) the kids felt free to do what they like. I loved working with them as they finished. I had said that they had to finish their article, but after that it was up to them. They could read, draw, write, or work in the classification center. It was funny, because I thought that only those who had already started working in the classification center the other day would want to do it. To my surprise they almost all wanted to do it. I feel bad though, because many who are still working on their article wanted to do it but could not. I tried to observe the kids more today during this time in order to figure out where to go on Monday. I know where I am going, but not how to get there. I do like the freedom that was experienced today and I hope to discover a way of having more of this time incorporated into my day. I like the idea of having optional centers. I just don’t know how to assess the students when they learn in this way. As for assessment, I am excited about giving a folder grade. I didn’t know how to turn my system of plus and minus into something useful for Nikki, but after talking we decided I could give each student an overall grade for their folders.

Refinement:

Next time I give more time for presentations of their work, and I would help the kids develop their artist statement a little more in order to take them further in their thinking about the process.

Modifications:

B.A.-scribe

Name: Jenna Ott Date: 12/11/10 Age/Grade: 3rd

Subject: Environment Unit Lesson 8

# of Students: 19 #of IEP: 2

Goals:

Students will learn how the forest grew in order to understand the complexity involved in its growth,

and the meaning of its destruction. They will deepen their thoughts by attempting to put them in

written form.

Objective:

1. Students will understand how forests can start from a single seed.

2. Students will understand that people make decisions based on their needs and wants that

directly affect the environment.

3. Students will make predictions and write about them.

4. Students will understand more about seeds and seed dispersal.

5. Students will understand how to sort objects such as seeds.

Essential Question(s):

1. How do forests grow, and what does that mean for me as an individual?

2. How do seeds take root and grow?

3. How do plants reproduce and spread?

Connections:

PL-05-1.1.1 Students will describe effective social interaction skills (e.g., identifying emotions, listening, cooperation, communication, sharing, empathy, following directions and making friends) that promote responsible and respectful behavior.

RD-EP-4.0.1Students will connect information from a passage to students’ lives (text-to-self), real world issues (text-to-world) or other texts (text-to-text - e.g., novel, short story, song, film, website, etc.).

SC-EP-3.4.3Students will describe the basic structures and related functions of plants and animals that contribute to growth, reproduction and survival.

SC-04-3.4.3Students will compare a variety of life cycles of plants and animals in order to classify and make inferences about an organism.

Academic Expectations:

AE 1:2-Students make sense of the variety of materials they read.

AE 1.4-Students make sense of the various messages to which they listen.

AE 1.10-Students organize information through development and use of classification rules and systems.

AE 2.3-Students identify and analyze systems and the ways their components work together or affect each other.

Context:

Students are gradually going back in time to see how change has affected their environment. Students have learned about farms. Now they are learning about forests, because forests had to be cut down in order to make room for the farms. Students will learn about seeds in order to value forests and their ability to start with a single seed.

Resources:

• Rockcastle Co. Story handout

• notes page

• “How the Forest Grew,” written by William Jaspershon

• Seeds

• blank bar graph

Procedures:

Reading group • Phonics-long U and /oo/, open and closed syllables • Story

o Activate prior knowledge o Background

o Preview the story Genre Focus Question

o Vocabulary How do you think these words will relate to the story?

• Reading groups Homeroom

• I will begin by recalling our study of farms, crops, and how they receive energy from the sun through photosynthesis.

• I will then ask students to think about the creation of farms. They serve a purpose, and they were created because of that purpose. People made a choice to clear land in order to grow food and raise animals.

• Before there were farms there were many, many forests. • I will read a short paragraph to my students about Rockcastle Co. It is taken from the

website. Students will then answer four questions related to what I read and what they have studied previously this year (Bluegrass region and natural resources)

BREAK • Students will think about what it would be like to live in a land completely covered in

forest. How would life be different? How would it be the same? • Was the forest always there? How did the forest grow? • I will read a book conveniently titled, “How did the forest grow?” I will read until page

16. It is written by William Jaspersohn. As I read I will ask them to close their eyes and practice visualizing, and I will tell them that when I am done, I will have them respond in writing to the text by making predictions of how they think the forest will continue to grow over time.

• Before they write, we will discuss. I want students to note that in this story, the forest had been cut down, the land had been used for farming, and then the forest began to grow again after the farming family left.

• After they write, I will ask, “What happened first.” -A seed sprouted. • I will ask, “How did it get there?” –The book doesn’t say… • Let’s explore ways in which seeds travel? All plants start out as seeds, so every plant you

see is where it is because of the way in which it travelled. • Students will list ways they think seeds travel • Students will learn the meaning of the word Dispersal • Students will think about different types of seed dispersal and tests that can be done in

order to see if the seed would be able to travel that way. As they do this, I will have seeds that can be tested like the chart says. Students will see that different seeds have different properties. This means that some seeds will travel in certain ways, and other seeds will travel in different ways.

• Students will discuss other ways in which seeds travel, and think of ways that they can test certain seeds.

• By the end of this lesson students will also understand the word, reproduce.

Break • Each group will get a zip lock bag full of seeds. They will sort the seeds based on

common traits and create a graph. I will over emphasize how cool seeds are, and how

neat it is that every plant’s seed is different and unique. They will also write down the definition for heredity and reproduction. Students will then have the opportunity to play with the objects in the classification center, learn about redwood trees, read, draw, or create patterns out of the seeds they are working with.

Student Assessment:

1. The students will be assessed on participation in classroom discussions.

2. The students will be assessed on the completion of their handouts.

3. The students written work will be assessed

4. Ongoing assessment will include discussion questions throughout the lesson.

5. Students will be assessed on their bar graphing skills

Reflection:

At first, the book I chose didn’t go over well. It was pretty dry, but as soon as I started telling it (instead of reading it) their mood changed. They liked the drama I added, and they were hooked. I had them close their eyes, and pretend they were a part of the story. It was funny. As they closed their eyes, they really got into it. A few of them would act like they were grasping for things in the air. It got a little carried away as they started making sound effects, but eventually we found our flow. After we read and discussed the beginning of our book, I had students write down their predictions of what they thought would happen next. This was not a good idea, because the kids didn’t have enough background information to make a prediction. They were confused, and instead of telling me how the forest would grow, many of them wrote about how a tree would grow over time. Next time, I would have them write, but I might have them write a descriptive extension instead of a prediction. That was my first idea, and now I’m sad I changed my mind. On another note, my time management skills were lacking today. We ran out of time for some of my lesson, but I improvised, and all was ok. Seed dispersal was something required of me to teach, and something that fit perfectly into my story of how the forest grew, but it already known by most of the kids. The lesson didn’t really need as much as I had planned. I knew they understood right away. Of course they would; they cover seed dispersal every year. Last, I loved my math lesson. They needed the hands on experience with seeds, and it connected with my classification center. It was also good review for graphing, which we hit a few weeks ago.

Refinement:

Next time I will have more seed variety, and examples of what the seeds turn into. I would also like to spend more time with the children learning about seeds and what is needed in order for them to take roots.

Modifications:

B.A.-Scribe, prompting/cueing, and extended time

Day 9 Purpose The purpose of today’s lesson is to teach about culture and how it is affected by the environment. Objectives

• Students will learn about culture, what it is, why it varies, and why it is important to value diversity

• Students will be introduced to Native Americans and the Cherokee tribe • Students will write an article about Native American villages

Skills • Students will create a writing piece based on prior knowledge and new research

Dispositions • Enjoyment of writing as a way to gather thoughts and generate new ideas. • Respect for all living things and where they live • A desire to take their thinking farther

Materials “Giving Thanks” by Chief Jake Swamp, Cherokee article, paper, and pencil

Procedure

Reading Group • Phonics-long U and /oo/, open and closed syllables

o Clue sentences (write sentences down and fill in the blank) o Have students create clue sentences for other students to try

• Dictation • Review vocabulary and ask how it relates to what they read yesterday and how they

predict it will relate to what they will soon read. • Reading groups • Theme connections

o Students will answer questions at their seats about the story • Writing

o Introduce descriptive words-ask students if they are better able to understand what they read when they can easily visualize or when there is no description.

o Read Grandmother spider brings the sun (have them follow along) o Students will list descriptive words or phrases they see. They will discuss how

that makes the piece better. It allows the reader to visualize in their head. o Students will make a list of descriptive sentences about a photo from Anglin

falls. Homeroom

• Where did we leave off yesterday in our story of the forest? Lightening struck which made room for new trees to grow. Trees that needed lots of sunlight to grow could not grow because they were over crowed. Some trees had to die in order to make room for new trees. The ecosystem is sustained because different things work together to create it. Change is a good thing.

• The forests in this area were once inhabited by Native Americans. What do you think being Native to America means? I will point out that even these people came to America at one point, but they were here a long time before any of our relatives came. Unless, of course, our relatives were Native Americans.

• Students will create a definition for native. a. Being a member of the original people of a particular place.

• We will list things we think we know about Native Americans. We will say that these may or may not be right. Sometimes we lump Native Americans together and think they are all the same, but they are not. Each group is special in its own right. Students will look at the map that shows different tribes in different regions.

Break • Why does it matter if we learn about Native Americans? Why should we care? • Students will create a definition for the word culture-A group of shared attitudes,

values, goals, and practices that characterizes a group of people. I will mention here that some cultures have different beliefs, and that when we learn about them we have to understand that we sometimes view things differently.

• Why should we study different cultures at all? Would you want somebody to study your culture? What would they say?

• One way we can find out more about Native American culture is by reading writings written by their people. I will introduce the book “Giving Thanks” by Chief Jake Swamp.

• In groups students will read this book, and list the things Native Americans are thankful for.

• We will come together and talk about the book as a whole group. • Students will learn that the Cherokee people once inhabited areas in KY, but also in

other surrounding states. • Students will then get in pairs and read through an article about the Cherokee people. • Students will have a note page and will together decide what is important. • Students will be told that tomorrow they will be creating their own 3D Cherokee village,

and that they need to research what these places were like in order to make it the most accurate. They will also be writing about the village they need, and will need to reference this article in their description.

• Lunch • Students will learn the meaning of perimeter and area, and I will show some examples

on the board. • Students will complete some practice problems • Students will create a rough draft of their Cherokee village by drawing it on graph paper.

They will find the perimeter of all objects. They will find the area of some objects. Reflection I became very bitter towards my cooperating teacher today. After my recorded lesson, which I thought went as well as it could (under the circumstance that it was scripted and I couldn’t do much besides what was in the book), she decided to lecture my students about proper behavior. I was so upset with myself because I didn’t know what I had done wrong, but I thought it must have been something. She made it apparent that she felt I didn’t know how to control them. I didn’t think they needed controlled. As she continued her lecture, my irritation with myself turned into irritation with her. She started explaining to the children why she was upset, but her reasons were everything opposite of mine. Instead of wanting her students to learn to read and write so that they can become productive, global

citizens, she wants them to learn how to read so that they can go to college and earn enough money to buy shiny things that she knows they want. After being told how horrible they were, they were bribed with thoughts of all the stuff that money can buy. Even though I know it is a prevalent view in America, it made me sick. After hearing this, I knew that I could no longer continue to feel bad about doing things differently. We have differing views of the world, and I can’t continue to feel bad about not fitting in. Based off of her speech to our children, I know that I don’t want to fit in to her idea of who I should be. Even so, it is still hard when you come into the knowledge that you are thought of as strange. I was mad and on the verge of tears, but I pushed on. Later, when my homeroom kids came into the room, I had a new peace that I had not previously felt. We had a conversation about the words native and culture, and I felt really good about it. However, the writing assignment did not go as well as I had hoped. There was simply not enough time. The assignment did not teach them much about the Cherokee tribe like I had wanted, but it did cause them to start recalling information from previous years. It also evoked many questions, which was a good thing because it prepared them for the next day’s activity. Nikki didn’t really talk to me much throughout the day. That was ok. I was convinced she hated me and all my lessons, but I think that the reason I felt that way was because really, I was mad at her, and I let my thoughts get carried away. I don’t think she really hates me. We just don’t understand one another at all. I will say that I think she tries to understand me. She is encouraging sometimes and apologizes every once in a while, but then there are times when we argue and I feel like she despises me for a few days. It gets really confusing when I try to sort it out. I know her speech to the children will affect the way I view her from now on, but I also need to remember that the way I view her is sometimes warped, and causes me to misinterpret what she says. I am beginning to ask myself if I am doing enough to try and understand her.

Day 10

Purpose Students will develop a Native American Diorama in order to connect with Native Americans and see themselves in their place. Students will learn to imagine what life would be like as Native American. Objectives

• Students will create a Native American Diorama Dispositions

• Respect for all living things and their homes • Looking in order to connect with, see beauty, and understand

Materials Ruler, handouts, rubric, shoeboxes, graham crackers, chocolate icing, and other things for Native American Diorama Procedure

Reading Group Phonics-plurals, homographs, and homophones Reading Test Centers-Comprehension, phonics review, and direct object reteach Homeroom

• Math-Perimeter (Have students find one of a certain shape before giving them the definition)

• Write down definitions of perimeter • Complete practice problems

Break • Explain Diorama and purpose of such an activity • Students will make a list of things they think should be included • I will explain rubric, and help them think through what they need to do. I will give

students time to go and collect things they think will help them make their project. • Students will start. • I will tell students that they can bring stuff from school the next day.

Reflection

Next time I teach perimeter and area I will be much more prepared. I can’t help that the printer was broke at school today, but I should have been more prepared to work without the handout I made. I learned a lot about what not to do, and I felt bad that my lesson was so poor. But my feelings were deeper than just today’s lesson. I feel bad mostly because I know there is not enough math time in my unit. I have focused primarily on subjects that I enjoy, and have left out math. I ended up ending math early because I knew it was failing. I instead decided to get them started on their diorama project. I enjoyed having the rubric for this project, because it allowed the kids to have a solid understanding of what was expected. I also gave them a chance to change it, but they chose not to. I gave them this opportunity because I felt like it would allow them to feel like they had ownership of this project. After the students came back from special classes there was a little bit of extra time. I decided to try my attempt at teaching perimeter again. Instead of the lesson feeling forced and irrelevant, it became more problem solving based, and the kids were eager to play with each problem. It was more

than just adding sides together. This time I gave them the perimeter and the shape, and they had to give me the measurements of each side. They had to recognize the difference between a square and a rectangle. With rectangles there is always a wide array of answers. We made a chart of all possible answers, looked at the patterns, and discussed why perimeter of rectangles worked this way. I felt much better during this lesson, and I felt like I redeemed myself a little bit.

Day 11 Purpose Students will develop a Native American Diorama in order to connect with Native Americans and see themselves in their place. Students will learn to imagine what life would be like as Native American, and create a written story about it as well. Objectives

• Students will learn how to manipulate materials to make them look like what they want • Students will improve their writing skills as they write about what they imagine life would be like

as a Cherokee Native American Dispositions

• Respect for all living things and their homes • Looking in order to connect with, see beauty, and understand

Materials Shoe boxes, glue, tape, play dough, paper, hand out Procedure Reading Group

• Phonics • Review homophones and homographs; students will create their own and decide which type

they are. • Students will discuss plurals, state the rules of regular plurals, and then create a story using at

least five words from the board. They will have to write in complete sentences and will need to make sure they are using each word in the proper way.

• Categorizing (seasonal animals , types of animals, common traits) • Comprehension questions • Grammar-direct objects and pronouns (questions out of reteach book) • Choose one comprehension question and work on restating and writing with details from text.

Homeroom Speaker- Neil Douglas will come discuss Native Americans and their place in their environment. He will show students replicas of traditional Native American tools and toys. He will also show the kids what tools were used to help Native Americans make fire without a match, and demonstrate this practice outside. Break

• Have folders passed out folders, pass out art…tell students that they should take their folders home and look through everything in order to study. Create a name for our book

• Do you have a farm? Discuss items brought in today to create farms. • Do you have a winter house? How can we make our winter homes? (Look at picture and discuss) • Tell students to imagine that they live in the home they create. Think about what they would be

doing in the morning, in the evening, and at night. What would it be like to sleep in these homes or have to go out every day and work on the farm, or hunt? Help students begin writing

Break • Math practice-measurement and perimeter

Reflection

I was so excited that the speaker came today. He was excellent, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed him. One little girl stood up in the middle of the lesson, interrupted him, and said, “Miss Jenna, thank you. He should come every day!”

Her comment made me smile quite a bit, and I’m sure it made the speaker happy too. After the speaker left, we got started once again on our projects. The kids love them. I love them because the children are able to play while they work. I did realize that next time I do something like this the first thing to go will be my allowance of kids to bring in stuff from home. Even though we had discussed what was appropriate and relevant to Native Americans, the kids did not get it. I had a child bring in an alligator and a palm tree. It made for some interesting scenes and some interesting conversations as I tried to help the child see why it didn’t fit.

If I did this lesson again, this project would be a pre-assessment. So many misconceptions were brought to my attention through this activity. If it were my own classroom and I had more time with my students, it would be that, and I could address whatever misconceptions I saw.

The only reason this is a summative assessment is because my unit is over. There is no way it should really be one. They had a one day intro to Native Americans, and then jumped into this. If I had more time, I would keep the study going and go more in depth with the Cherokee tribe. I would focus my attention on the Cherokee tribe, and look at their views of battle. Several stories I heard from the kids involved violence, and I would like to look into that and help my kids see that violence is not glamorous. It makes life painful. I would also become more informed on the specific animals that the Cherokee tribe hunted so that my kids could get a better picture of what type of animals to include. Last, I would make sure that students knew that the Cherokee tribe was only one tribe amongst many, and that although they share some common traits, each had their own important culture and way of life.

It is fun to think of what could have been, but at the same time I am not disappointed. I enjoyed studying plants, farms, and forests first, and I think that Native Americans fit well into that backwards timeline idea I first had. It might not have been executed as well as it could have been, but I think it is something they will remember, and their misconceptions will hopefully be addressed as they get older.

Day 12 Purpose Students will take a test in order to show what they have learned over the course of our study Objectives

• To assess student’s learning about plants and their environment • To assess student’s learning about measurement and perimeter

Dispositions • The drive to work hard • Respect for all living things and their homes • Looking in order to connect with, see beauty, and understand

Materials Environment test, math assessment, diorama supplies, and paper Procedure Reading Group-

• Phonics-review • Spelling Test • Grammar Review • Classification-book genres, details from the story of the week • “Desert Diversity” Discussion and Venn Diagram

Homeroom

• Environment Test • Math quiz

Break

• Students will write or finish writing a story about what life would be like if they lived in the Cherokee environment they created.

Reflection It was hard to leave today. Even though I knew I would be back, I knew that it would never be the same. This was my last real day with these kids, and it was hard. I hated that the last day had to be test day. The first half of the day was boring, but after the test was taken and the kids started writing I discovered how much fun it could be. Like always, I wish I had more time, but I can honestly say that I think this writing project went so much better than the rest of my attempts to have the kids right. I was able to conference with students, and help them think more about they wrote. They weren’t writing two copies just to proof read and work on coherency. They also added feeling to their second attempts at writing, and after talking with me, some of them changed the entire direction of their story.

(A.) wrote a story about his responsibility to protect his village from war. He is a kid who loves to watch wrestling. He likes fighting, and was excited to tell me about the thief he killed. But, this scared me. I couldn’t let him go without asking him some questions. I asked him what the family of the man he killed was going to think, and he told me that he would kill them too.

Now I know that this truly is fiction in this little boy’s head, but it is so troubling. I think I had one of my first difficult conversations with a student, because I said some stuff to (A.) that he didn’t want to

hear. I think I hurt his feelings because I was not praising him for the great story that he thought he had written. I was never once mean, but I needed to challenge and question his thinking. He gave me one of those, “I think you are crazy” looks. I had asked him to think about what life would be like in five years if he killed the family of the thief. Would the violence ever end? Would you always be brave, or would you be afraid sometimes? Would you want to live in fear? How could you stop it?

I thought I was talking to myself, but when he came back, he had erased the part about killing the thief’s family, and had instead decided to invite the family over for thanksgiving. He smiled at me when he brought it back to me. He was proud of it. I was a little less scared for his future. I know that his Native American story had very little to do with Native American’s, but it was important none the less.

Unit Reflection

I have chosen in this unit reflection to also address each of the questions intended to help me reflect on the creation of my unit

The evolution of my environment unit caused a lot of stress, but in the process I realized I liked the stress that was caused. I like planning almost more than I like teaching because it allows me to spend time thinking about what I find most important, and it gives me hope that others can learn to see it as important too. I find water to be very important, and my unit last semester was a little easier to plan because I already valued and wanted to protect clean water. I was going to teach about exploration this time, but I ended up on what first appeared to be a unit about plants.

I don’t value plants. Well, I didn’t value them. I guess you could say I see them in a new way now, although I am not quite sure what that means for me. At first I was upset. I wanted to be able to bring the magic of plants to my children, but I couldn’t see it myself. What was I to do? I am the girl that ended up in the elementary education program because she didn’t want to take Botany. Would I have ended up in a middle school science classroom if I had been less afraid of plants? Why was I afraid of plants anyways? Well, I know I didn’t want to take Botany because I felt like the lists of plants to memorize were too overwhelming, and that they would leave me hating life.

Maybe it was the approach I was scared of, rather than the actual class. In order for me to value plants, I would need to be shown their magic. Only then could I take this to the classroom, and only then could I have any chance of connecting the content with my kids.

I went to my garden. I planted a garden last spring near the old gear up office and poultry farm, and when I returned in the fall everything was almost dead. I let all sorts of summer memories flood into my mind as I started collecting items that I could take to my classroom. I felt like I was somewhere I shouldn’t be, and even though it was beautiful, it was a little haunting. I had not done a very good job with my garden. I had abandoned it half way through the summer, yet things had grown. I saw my lavender that had grown from left over seeds that my first graders planted and I was reminded of my water unit. I saw my cucumbers that I had been sure would never grow, and felt sad because everything had gone unnoticed, uneaten, and was now dying alone. I know this sounds weird, but I developed an interest in the process of decay that night. I didn’t know why it mattered, but I knew that somehow it did, and I wanted to share.

I chose to center the unit around the words environment and ecosystem because the study of these words allow me to teach about change. After all, change is what is happening to vegetation as it rots. I knew that I wanted to talk about the ways environments change over time, and how each part of an ecosystem is responsible for those changes.

My students were to connect with this study because they were a part of it. They are a living thing amongst many other living things in their environment. They are a part of their ecosystem as well. They notice change taking place all the time. Connecting them to the main themes was easy, but now I had to develop ways to address the school’s curriculum as well.

I went through some power points that my teacher uses for teaching about plants and snatched all of the vocabulary words my students would be expected to know. I made a list and divided the words into sections. I developed lessons around two or three words each day, and made sure that my lessons were designed in a way that allowed the words to be used and thought about for more than five minutes when they were written on the board. Each time I would also try to point out how these words related to our environment and ecosystem study.

I had an idea for a journey in which I would send my students back in time to explore the history of their county. We could note the ways in which their environment changed throughout time, and we could discuss ways in which these changes either affected or were affected by culture. We could also learn about timelines! I was excited, because it made a lot of sense to me. I went online to find Roundstone’s curriculum map and found that a lot of what I wanted to do was just right for third grade social studies. Unfortunately my class does not spend a lot of time with social studies until next nine weeks, and the history or Rockcastle County is a second grade concept. I was discouraged a little, and had to re-spin some of my ideas in order to make it work in my context. Even though my teacher voiced her opinion, I had control, and ended up choosing to just go for it. I can’t always make everyone happy.

I knew that integrative units obviously included social studies, and I couldn’t see the logic in ignoring it. But I did approach it a little differently that what had originally been planned. This change was more because I was finding that some of my ideas were not working well. The good news is that the change worked well. I had created a timeline for us to keep track of information on as we went back in time, but I decided to get rid of it. It was a little confusing and hard to manage, and children could just as easily imagine going back in time instead of viewing this timeline on the wall. Adapting the learning experiences I had created for my children was a nightly occurrence. Every night I would come home and rethink what I would do the next day because this or that had happened, or this or that hadn’t happened, and it was hard but I liked it.

I selected resources for my unit by visiting the curriculum library and grabbing everything and anything that I thought might be of use. Later, I would browse the books looking for something that dealt with whatever I was trying to teach. I found some great books along the way. My favorite was “Living Sunshine” written by Molly Bang. This book was good because it was written as if the author was sitting in the room talking with the children. It was a story, but it was science, and my students are better for hearing it. They not only understand photosynthesis, but they realize why it is important, and how it keeps the earth going.

I know that they understand these things because of the work they kept in their “environment” folder. Almost every day I would give my students a packet of handouts created by me that walked us through the lesson. There were spots for notes, art work, readings, writings, or whatever we were doing that day. These folders allowed me to keep tabs on the progress of each individual student, but they were hard. Third graders are not organized creatures, and I was not prepared for the amount of time checking these folders would add to my work load each night. Overtime, however, I developed a system and knew what I was looking for as I assessed them. I used a check, dot, and dash system to keep track

of their work. If at the end of the day many had received dashes (low), I would spend time re-teaching the next day.

Some of the things I watched for while I assessed their work (especially their written work) was the amount of thought that was evident. At the end of the unit, I hoped that those that received dashes at the beginning would later receive dots, and then maybe even checks. I worked to see this happen by writing comments and questions on post it notes to my children to help them think more about their writing. Most of the time, I would get answers back to my questions, and it would make me so happy. There were obvious improvements in some children, but it was not that way for all. For most children, two weeks is simply too short.

One important aspect of my unit were my “centers.” These were set up to be used during free time. They were optional, and they were an experiment. I wanted to see if students could be trusted to work when not forced. There were two centers. One was about Redwood trees, and came to life after I read half of the class a book about those types of trees. The children loved the trees so much that I promised them pictures. I hung the pictures on a bulletin board and asked children that were looking at the board to write about what they saw. This was another attempt to help them practice taking the thoughts from their head and putting them down on paper. The second center was a big hit. Anytime I brought in something from our outdoor “environment,” the students were challenged to describe and classify it. They were challenged to give it a name even if they didn’t know what it was really called. Students would measure the objects, use adjectives to describe them, and place them in categories.

There was a rule that you must be doing something, but besides these two options students could also read, write, or draw. By the end of the two weeks only 4 children had yet to start keeping track of these things (and this was because most of the time, these students had a hard time completing required work). I would call my center a success. It was so popular, in fact, that children would bring things from home to add to it! They would ask, “Do we have to do more?”

I would respond with something like, “If you would like to.” I would be so surprised when they would get up and grab another object. Some even asked for more objects, and when they got to that point I instructed them to turn their research into a bar graph (because we had previously studied those in our animal unit).

I did give a final test at the end of the unit, but I accompanied it with a very fun project that the children enjoyed. I loved that the children were able to show what they knew in two different ways. The written test was short answer and multiple choice. It focused on key concepts and vocabulary words that I had been expected to cover. Some were very easy, but others required more thinking from them because they were open ended and opinion. They did not do as well as I would have hoped.

But the concluding project is what I think my students will remember. As we finished our environment study we began to learn about Native Americans. My students were learning about the ways in which Native Americans lived in relation to their environment. As they created their Dioramas, they imagined that they were a part of the Cherokee tribe, and eventually wrote a story about life at that time. During this last writing piece, I really tried to help my students have an opportunity to develop

the dispositions that I hoped for them. They were unable to really explain to me why it was important to study Native Americans. I wanted my students to understand that it was important, because all people are important. Studying the environment is important because we are a part of it, we come from it, we can learn from it, and it inspires people in different ways all of the time. Inspiration is important because it defeats fear and produces hope, and could save us all, if we let it move us into action. I think I just discovered why I should care for the environment. I think it just began to click for me as I wrote that sentence! This is why I like writing, and this is why I wanted my children to end their time with me by writing a story.

I want them to enjoy writing because it can lead to new ideas and to new appreciations. As students wrote, I helped guide them from simply writing about why they created the diorama the way they did to writing about themselves living long ago in the village. This, I hoped, would help develop the disposition of respect for different people and ways of life. It would also help students deepen their understanding of the role that environments play in our lives. We are not static humans. We are molded and shaped by what is around us just as much as the Native Americans were. We simply have more modern day distractions, so life looks a little different. Change has created the life we now live, and change will continue to happen to create life in the next century and on into the future. We are a part of our ecosystem, in which every part plays a role, and if we don’t like what we see we can work to create what we want. We can work and work and work, and maybe someday, if we are lucky, we will see our efforts produce something good. But if not, at least we will know we didn’t give up or give in, and we can rejoice in spite of it all, even though we might be sad.

Bibliography of resources for Students:

Books ABCedar-An alphabet of Trees, written by George Ella Lyon

And So They Build, written by Bert Kitchen

Arrow Hawk, written by Lola Schaeffer

Changes, written by Marjorie N. Allen and Shelley Rotner

Counting on Woods, written by George Ella Lyon

Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream, written by Nancy Willard

Dancing Teepees, written by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

Ever Living Tree-The Life and Times of a Coast Redwood, written by Linda Viena

How the Forest Grew, written by William Jaspersohn

Hiawatha, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In the Woods, written by Ermanno Cristini Luigi Puricelli

Jack’s Garden, written by Henry Cole

Legend of Indian Paintbrush, written by Tomie Depaola

Living Sunlight, written by Molly Bang

North American Indian, written by David Murdoch

Over in the Garden, written by Jennifer Ward

Redwoods, written by Jason Chin

Seeds and more seeds, written by Millicent E. Selson

Sky Tree, written by Thomas Locker

Magazines Frank, Majorie. Kids Discover-Plants. New York City: Christopher Grewe, 2006.

Price, Sean. Kids Discover-Ecology. New York City: Mark Levine, 2002.

*Books in bold were used in actual lessons, the rest were on display for reading during free time.

Speakers

Cassie Sluder-A junior nursing major from Berea College, who works and lives on the farm.

Neil Douglas-An Assistant professor of agriculture and founder of the Berea College primitive arts club.

Bibliography of resources for Teachers

Books

Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream, written by Nancy Willard

How the Forest Grew, written by William Jaspersohn

Living Sunlight, written by Molly Bang

Sky Tree, written by Thomas Locker

Omnivores Dilemma, written by Michael Pollan

Magazines Frank, Majorie. Kids Discover-Plants. New York City: Christopher Grewe, 2006.

Price, Sean. Kids Discover-Ecology. New York City: Mark Levine, 2002.

Websites

Dalton School. House 43 Digest Online. October 2010 <http://blogs.dalton.org/fedonchikt/>.

Eco Kids. Forests: Seeing the Forest through the Trees. October 2010 <http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/forests/index.cfm>.

EDU Place. October 2010 <http://www.eduplace.com/ss/act/town.html>.

mbgnet. Biology of plants. November 2010 <http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/downloads/seeds.pdf>.