First Grade Science Unit: Plants
Brief Description of Unit: Students will build upon their prior knowledge of plants. They will learn parts of a plant, functions of the parts, if plants are living vs. nonliving, plant needs, life cycle, and grow a plant.
Learning Targets:
1: Students will be able to identify the parts of a plant.
Mastery Learning Target
Verbs: label, match, and select (Bloom) choose, name, point to (Krathwohl)
2: Students will be able to distinguish the job of each plant part.
Mastery Learning Target
Verbs: explain, identify (Bloom) describe, tell, and write (Krathwohl)
3: Students will decide if plants are living or nonliving things.
Mastery Learning Target
Verbs: compare, contrast, explain, justify, and summarize (Bloom)
4: Students will be able to use background knowledge about humans to understand the needs of living things.
Developmental Learning Target
Verbs: diagram, design, compare, contrast (Bloom) generalize (Krathwohl)
5: Students will be able to identify what will happen if a living plant is deprived of its needs.
Mastery Learning Target
Verbs: explain, predict, summarize, demonstrate, show (Bloom)
6: Students will be able to display a plant’s life cycle.
Mastery Learning Target
Verbs: label, diagram, design, create, construct (Bloom)
7: Students will be able to successfully grow a plant providing its common needs.
Developmental Learning Target
Verbs: produce, show, perform, display (Bloom) grow
I was having a tough time deciding whether my targets were "Mastery" or "Developmental". I believe most of them were "Mastery" but thought I should have some "Developmental". So I picked two that I thought sounded the most developmental. Let me know your thoughts please!
ReplyDeleteI had a hard time with deciding whether my learning targets were mastery or developmental as well. To me yours seem to be fine. I love how your last learning target is having the students grow a plant. That is a great idea for them to show you that they understand what you taught them.
ReplyDeleteCrystal, as an English teacher, I think one of the most important aspects of a unit is the ability to make connections to the students' lives outside of the classroom. I feel like it is my job to help students to grow to make good decisions about life and the people around them. This obviously applies at other levels of learning as well and other subjects. I really like the "connection" (to students' lives) targets that you created (i.e. Learning targets 4 and 5). As for "Developmental Learning Targets," I find that those types of targets are somewhat up to the teacher. Which parts of the unit do you think will extend further into other areas of study, thus developing them further? I think you made the right choices for which were developmental.
ReplyDeleteHi Crystal --
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be a bit more specific in my comments, because I'm working on the skill of offering concrete feedback to my faculty colleagues who are doing just this kind of thing.
I like your first two learning targets; you might want to substitute the word "function" for "job" for #2, but otherwise, they look good!
I start to have problems beginning with #3. I'm going to suggest an alternative wording that I *think* captures your goal: "Students will determine what characteristics make plants living things." It seems to me that, although you have a first grade science unit, your overall goal with #3 is to get the children to begin that process of thinking critically. So, it's not just the yes/no of living/not, but WHAT constitutes living? Some thoughts, at least, to consider...
Also, I think this might be a developmental goal. I think to myself, the difference between mastery and developmental is that the latter is a "building block" of future learning. So, I think when you are talking about the determination/understanding of life, that this might be more of a developmental goal? I guess we'll see in class...
For #4, a suggestion -- how about asking the children to use background knowledge about themselves, rather than humans in general? This change might allow you also to introduce affective lessons, like respecting life, etc... Again, just a thought...
For the reason I stated above, I'm thinking #4 (with your wording or mine) would be developmental.
For #5, I wonder if you would want to change the verb. "Identify" seems limiting here. How about "explain" or "describe" instead? (and again, I'm thinking developmental).
All of this was very cool. It took me back to those days of growing avocado pits in tiny cups of water! You are probably the coolest teacher ever...keep up the good work. Hope my comments helped in some way.
Crystal, while I agree with ScooperDoo, especially with regard to target #3, I admire the way you mixed verbs from the cognitive (Bloom) and affective (Krathwohl)taxonomies throughout your draft. The textbook reminds us to consider the three teaching activities as interactive and we've had much discussion in class about the limitations of planning that is too linear or rigid. Your draft shows recognition that we should aim to foster both cognitive and affective development in our students and may not be able to effectively do so while compartmentalizing the thinking skills.
ReplyDeleteCrystal,
ReplyDeleteHow much science do you guys do in first grade? As a HS science teacher I really get freaked out with some of the stories that I have heard. I had a 1st grade teacher tell me once that basically they didn't have time for science.
Andy
Crystal, you're science unit on plants is similar to mine in Pre-K. I agree with Dawn that the mix of affective and cognitive goals is important. As the book states there are three domains of learning targets: affective, cognitive, and psychomotor. I tried to include all three in mine, but as Mike, pointed out in regards to my learning targets, I think it is difficult to accurately assess affective learning targets. I like how you have included yours, but in a way that you can actually assess, such as LT 4 where students are utilizing background knowledge. Great job!
ReplyDeleteYou're correct on your mastery classifications. At this level, most science/math will be mastery, while ELA and SS will be developmental.
ReplyDeleteGood job on that.
Michael gives some really good advice, but always remember that learning targets serve your needs, not his or mine. You can dismiss any of our recommendations, but you should be able to justify why you think they don't apply.
I have two specific issues I would like you to address:
"2: Students will be able to distinguish the job of each plant part." First, we usually distinguish *between* things. Second, How is this an affective target (Krathwohl's)?
"4: Students will be able to use background knowledge about humans to understand the needs of living things." You know now that I'm not a fan of the verb "understand," but also the verb "use" here doesn't clarify things any. How about, "Students will find parallels between their needs as humans and the needs of other forms of life." or "Students will transfer their knowledge of human needs to other life forms."