ALEX Learning Activity

After completing the before activity and defining keywords for the life cycle of a plant, students will read "Flowering Plants" from the Gale Elementary Online Collection. Students will participate in a class discussion to broaden their understanding of key terms to gain a deeper understanding of the life cycle of a plant. Students will create word definitions for the following words: seed coat, germinate, photosynthesis, pollination, and reproduction. 

This learning activity was created as a result of the ALEX - Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) Resource Development Summit.

Students will be able to create definitions in 3 words or less for new academic, content-specific, grade-level vocabulary including seed coat, germinate, photosynthesis, pollination, and reproduction by making connections to previously learned words about the life cycle of a plant.

1. The teacher will begin by showing students a flowering plant. 
2. The teacher will show a picture of a plant on a Jamboard on page 1 of the Jamboard. The teacher will guide the discussion to lead the students to make the connection that plants with flowers are flowering plants. The teacher will prompt students to make observations about the picture of the flowering plant or the "real life" flowering plant. The teacher can either share the Jamboard link with students for the students to make observations on a digital sticky note, or the students can share their observations verbally.
3. The students will read Flowering Plants as a whole group. The teacher may choose to use the online version or provide students with a paper copy of the text. As the students are reading, the teacher will use a web graphic organizer on page 2 of the Flowering Plant Jamboard to record the students' responses after each section: Types of Plants, Life Cycle, and Help from Animals. The teacher will ask the students for some important keyword details from that section. The teacher may share the Jamboard with students to share responses on sticky notes or project the Jamboard whole group for verbal responses. 
4. The teacher will guide the students to use their knowledge of grade-level terms such as seed coat, germinate, photosynthesis, pollination, and reproduction to make deeper connections to the text. The students may highlight the words in the online version of Flowering Plants by clicking on the word and choosing a color to highlight the word. If given a paper copy, the students may use a highlighter to highlight the words. 
5. The teacher will lead a class discussion to order the stages of the plant life cycle. 
6. The teacher and students will work together to create a short summary definition of seed coat in Flowering Plants. The teacher will challenge the students to describe the term "seed coat" in three words or less. Students must carefully re-read the text, think about the meaning of the word and their background knowledge, and use this to create a new meaning of the content-specific word. The students will write the definition on notebook paper. 

The students will create new word meanings for the remaining highlighted words: germinate, roots and stems, leaves, flowers, and pollination. The students will describe the terms in three words or less on notebook paper. Students will continue to carefully re-read the text, think about the word's meaning and their background knowledge, and use this to create a new meaning of the content-specific word. 

The teacher will collect the definitions from each student when they are finished. The teacher will use the formative assessment to determine if the student was successful in making connections and creating definitions in 3 words for new academic, content-specific, grade-level vocabulary. 

Approximate duration of the learning activity: 31-45 minutes

Teacher Materials and Resources

Flowering plant (students may pick a flower outside before the lesson)

Interactive whiteboard and computer with internet access

Flowering Plant Jamboard (the teacher can share the link with students for students to write observations on sticky notes or use the picture for students to share observations verbally). 

Flowering Plants Level 2 Text (project if using digital copy) 

Flowering Plants Level 1 Text (one copy for the teacher during small group intervention) 

Flowering Plant Jamboard page 2 (the teacher can share the link with students for students to share responses on sticky notes or use the web graphic organizer for students to share observations verbally). 

Flowering Plant Jamboard page 3 (used in a small group to provide a visual as students are defining each word)

Student Materials and Resources

computer (if using the digital version of the text and or/Jamboard)

notebook paper

Flowering Plants Level 2 Text (one copy per student if using a printed copy of the text) 

Flowering Plants Level 1 Text (one copy per student during small group intervention if using a printed copy of the text) 

The background knowledge and advanced preparation required for the learning activity:

• Students should have a basic understanding of life cycles (there are multiple stages). Students may complete the Planting Vocabulary Knowledge Part 1 section of the lesson before completing Part 2. During the "before" lesson in Part 1, students are introduced to vocabulary associated with the life cycle of a plant and build on their background knowledge to gain a deeper understanding of plant life cycles. 
• The teacher or students need to pick a flowering plant before this lesson. 
• Teachers should read both Level 1 and Level 2 texts to become familiar with the keywords in the context of the text. The teacher needs to print a copy of the Level 1 and Level 2 texts if the printed version will be used during the lesson. The Level 2 text is on grade level and the Level 1 text may be used during intervention. 

Acceleration:

Write a story: The students will write a story with the following words: seed coat, germinate, photosynthesis, pollination, and reproduction. The students will incorporate the words to explain the life cycle of a plant. The story may contain characters and dialogue. 

Intervention:

If students were not successful in defining the words in 3 words or less, the teacher will work with students in a small group and access the Level 1 text: Flowering Plants. The teacher will review the following words: seed coat, roots and stems, flowers, and pollination. The students will read the text in the small group. The teacher will use pictures of each word on page 3 of the Flowering Plant Jamboard as the teacher and students are defining them together. 

Interdisciplinary Connection(s) course of study standards

SC15.3.6  Create representations to explain the unique and diverse life cycles of organisms other than humans (e.g., flowering plants, frogs, butterflies), including commonalities such as birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

This lesson should be used in conjunction with Planting Vocabulary Knowledge Part 1 (before activity) and Planting Vocabulary Knowledge Part 3 (after activity).