Understanding By Design Unit Template

Title of Unit Plant Growth-Indoor Garden Grade Level 4

Curriculum Area Science, Physical Education Time Frame 12 lessons spread over 4 weeks, and
then maintenance
Developed By Heidi Exner, Kajsa Hansen, Alisa Nixon, and Amy Swanson
Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)
Content Standards
Health and Life Skills K-9 (Grade 4)
Wellness Choices: Students
will make responsible and informed choices to maintain health and to promote safety for self and others.
Personal Health
Students will:
W-4.5 analyze the need for variety and moderation in a balanced diet; e.g., role of protein, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, water, vitamins

Science Grades 1-6 (Grade 4)

Topic E: Plant Growth & Changes
General Learner Expectations
Students will:
4-10 Demonstrate knowledge and skills for the study, interpretation, propagation and enhancement of plant growth.

Understandings Essential Questions

Overarching Understanding Overarching
Why are plants important What are the parts of a
to humans?
Students will use their knowledge of plant growth, changes, and What do plants need to grow?
waste in our world, to build a classroom garden that will help How can we make our
encourage healthy eating choices, and develop an understanding classroom a home for plants?
of the importance of Responsible Consumption and Production, How can growing plants help
and Food Security. our world?
Why
Topical
plant?
What is our classroom
environment?
What is the life cycle of plants?
How do plants reproduce?
What are the different types of
plants?
Which plants are food?
How do plants help make us
healthy?

Related Misconceptions
lack of knowledge about plants in general
Responsible consumption is only about recycling

Knowledge Skills
Students will know Students will be able to
.
The importance of plants to humans, and ecological Nurture a plant through one complete life cycle, use the
sustainability. The plants growth and development cycle, and what design thinking process, and be able to communicate what they
conditions affect plant growth know about the plant life cycle

Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)

Performance Task Description
Students will use design process to design and build a classroom garden that takes into consideration the
classroom environment and the needs of the specific plants being grown. Students will track and journal their
Goal
observations of plant growth in the garden. Students will come to an understanding of how growing your own
food can contribute to food security and responsible consumerism.
Role Scientists, researchers, gardeners
Audience Themselves, Teacher, Parents, rest of the school community
Situation Plant growth will take place in the classroom
Product/Performan A classroom garden, grown from seed to harvest
ce
Students will grow 2 or 3 different types of plants from seed to harvest, and be able to describe the
Standards practicality of their garden, the classroom environment, and the growth cycle of their plants through drawing,
journaling, and discussion.
Other Evidenc
Anecdotal notes, plant diagrams, journals, participation, class discussion, self-reflection, peer-evaluation

Learning Plan (Stage 3)

Where are your students headed? Where
have they been? How will you make sure
the students know where they are going?
How will you hook students at the
beginning of the unit?
Students are to develop an understanding of the importance of plants to
humans and how we can affect plant growth. We will be assuming limited prior
knowledge from Grade 1, There is a great deal of pre-learning before the design
process, the design process itself requires they know where they are going. There is
also an inquiry question for each lesson.
We have two videos to show them, and smart board mind map, and generally
experiential learning, getting to play with dirt is engaging.
What events will help students experience
and explore the big idea and questions in
the unit? How will you equip them with
needed skills and knowledge?
How will you cause students to reflect and
rethink? How will you guide them in
rehearsing, revising, and refining their
work?
How will you help students to exhibit and
self-evaluate their growing skills,
knowledge, and understanding throughout
the unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise
personalize the learning plan to optimize
the engagement and effectiveness of ALL
students, without compromising the goals
of the unit?
How will you organize and sequence the
learning activities to optimize the
engagement and achievement of ALL
students?
From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)
The field trip to Calgary Zoo, and the design process, also they are reading and
researching how best to build their gardens, they will be going for a walk to explore
their local environment, and doing a lunch box activity
Students will be presenting and critiquing their own gardens to the class, peer
assessment based on two stars and a wish, journaling on the health of their plants,
exploring the idea of fod security through reading and hook videos.
Students will be able to see their growing skills through the development of
their garden and the growth of their plants, their journaling and self-assessment of
their garden designs, analyzing how well they met their plants needs.
This unit is universal by design, with multiple opportunities for students to use
different means of expression, through visual arts in their journals, oral
presentations, written journal entries, small and large group discussions. Low
performing students can participate at their own level of understanding in the
planting and design phases, the experiential nature of the unit allows for movement
and many levels of entry into the project.
We will front load information through the use of videos, link their learning to
their real lives through the importance of plants to humans, bring in different types
of plants for them to experience, and use the design process to structure and create
their projects. At the end they will get to eat their experiment.
WEEK 1
Lesson 1: Hook - Video:
TED - apartment gardening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhvfOlPYifY
Little Green Thumbs Grow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFBvZUWSb5o

Why are plants important?

Describe importance of plants to humans and environment.
Give examples of plants being used for food, shelter, roles they play in environment.
Activity - Smartboard mind map of how plants are important to us, and to our world.

Lesson 2 Pre Learning

What are the parts of a plant?
Parts of the Plant - draw and label diagram in science journal
Bring a few different plants to go over the different parts and their functions (enough for students to be able to look at in groups of 4)

Lesson 3 : Empathise & Define

What do plants need to grow? How can make our classroom a home for plants?
Requirements for plant growth (empathize)
How can we grow plants in the classroom? (define)
Read: Plant Secrets

Lesson 4 - Ideate
What can we build to grow plants in our classroom?
Have students start designing their plant-growing structures and layout of their classroom garden.
Recognizing different plants that occur in their local community (walk around the community - field trip)

Lesson 5 - Ideate
What is the life cycle of a plant?
Field trip to Calgary Zoo - gardens
Expert talk about plant life cycles
Continue refining their design for their gardens

WEEK 2

Lesson 6 - Prototype
How do plants reproduce?
 Create the garden - building garden container design.
Learn and describe how flowering plants can be propagated.
Learn and describe how seeds are dispersed
Different student groups can come up with their own unique design

Lesson 7 - Prototype
Planting the seeds!
Have students plant their seeds & bulbs
Start journal entries sketching, labeling, and describing their plants (beginning of the lifecycle)

WEEK 3/4
Lesson 8 - Testing & Refining
What are the different kinds of plants?
Students are continuously nurturing plants through their lifecycle now
Look at plants and classify them based on their characteristics
Look at plants with special needs
Observe how various designs are working, compare/contrast
Continue journal entries about their plant growth

Lesson 9
How can growing plants help our world?
Continue with journal entries about their plants
Address UN Outcomes Zero Hunger, Responsible Consumption & Production, Good Health and Wellbeing
Read: Good Garden, Potatoes Growing on Rooftops

Lesson 10
Which foods are plants? How do they help make us healthy?
Continue journal entries
Discussion about healthy eating (relate to plants they are growing)
Lunch box activity - identify healthy plant based foods in their lunches

Lesson 11
What have we learned? Group presentations.
Continue journal entries
Revisit outcomes - parts of plant, requirements for growth, go more in-depth
Group Presentation of planter designs.

Lesson 12
What have we learned? Group presentations.
Group presentation of planter designs
Final journal entry (draw out their whole plant life cycle from start to finish)
Read: The Gardener, Rosarios Fig Tree