Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: Planting Science

Content Area: Science
Grade Level(s): 2nd Grade
Content Standard Addressed: S2L1.B Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the
life cycles of different living organisms. Plan and carry out an investigation of the life cycle of a plant
by growing a plant from a seed and by recording changes over a period of time.

Technology Standard Addressed:

3. Knowledge Constructor

Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity:

Planting Science
URL(s) to support the lesson:
https://plantingscience.org

Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity in your
classroom:
I would use Planting Science in my classroom by teaching my class about seeds and plants first. I would
make sure they have an understanding about how seeds go from seeds to flowers to plants and then give this
project. I would introduce Planting Science by showing some previous projects from their website and explain
what this online project is. The online learning project provides volunteer scientists, resources and activities
to support innovation in teaching, learning and mentoring. I would divide my classroom into 4 groups and
each group is in charge of planting a seed of a different kind. The four groups would have either a sunflower,
strawberries, cucumber or a bean.
Each student will meet with their group members and decide on who does what (plant the seed, weed the
weeds out, water and monitor). Then the students will watch the seed- plant process over time. Next, the
students will go on Plantingscience.org (with the teacher monitoring and using the teachers account) and
submit their seed that they have and that they would like to see the process that a scientist does. By following
their given scientist with their given seed with the process of a seed to a plant they would see that it relates
to real life scenarios and that people actually do this daily. The students will see an importance to knowing
the life cycle of plants and recording the process. By watching their own process along sides with a scientist
they can see if they are doing all the right steps to make the best plant possible. After the plant grew the
students would need to write a report about how their process went overall and if it matched up with what
the scientist had as an ending result.
What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom?
Computer for each group

Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of them may not be
addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and often beyond their
school: The students will collaborate with their peers and mentors outside the classroom by working
in a group of students in their classroom and working with a scientist online ( with teacher
supervision).
b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing original
products as a result of engaging in a project): The students will get to decide on what group they
want to be in based off what plant they want to grow.

Spring 2018_SJB
 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities
c. Higher-order thinking: The students will develop and use higher order thinking by using their data
along with what the scientist final data is based off what seed they had. It will make them think and
understand that people do this daily (scientist, farmer, etc.). it will also give them the understanding
about the life cycle of a plant is.
d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product: Students
will publish their original work on the classroom website for all to see. The teacher will post each group
work to Plantingscience.org for the rest of the world to see and use. Anyone who wants to know about
the life cycle of a plant can use this information and see how those 4 seeds develop.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☒ Evaluating ☒ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4: Integration
☒ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL:

I would extent this lesson idea to all students by placing them in a group who has a good student to help
guide them. If the student is blind, I would place them in a group who is good at working with others. I would
have that student be in charge of how the plant feels, smells and how the dirt feels (dry- more water or wet-
no water needed). If a student was an ELL student, I would place them in a group who has a student who is a
strong leader or someone who knows their language to help guide them. I would also have the directions to
the project in their language for better understandings. If a student had dysgraphia I would have them play
the role of the observer and have another student in their group write down what that child observed/ saw.
Or I would have stencils for that student to use to help them write down their observations.
Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies:
I could implement this experience and still comply with my districts Internet Safety and Student Privacy
policy by having all of the parents sign a consent form that their child could participate in this project and
could collaborate with a scientist under a teacher’s supervision. I would also follow the policy by having all of
the students give me a copy of their final project and ill submit it to Plantingscience.org and they can submit it
to the classroom website for their friends and family to see.

Reflective Practice:
After designing this lesson idea, I feel that this activity could impact student learning because once they go
outside and notice more of the plants, they’ll know the life cycle stage that the plant is in. They could notice
more thing about plant and who plants seeds and who evaluates them. To further extend this science project
I would have each group make a presentation of their observations along with the scientist observations and
talk about it with the rest of the class. Every student will get to see the observations of all four seeds
(strawberry, sunflower, bean and cucumber seed)

Spring 2018_SJB