College Mentors for Kids Lessons Technology Integration in Nature Science Grade 6 Overview of Lesson The overall purpose of this lesson is to teach students how to integrate the use of technology in the world of science. Students will be asked to locate plants, given only a scientific name, and formulate a brief scientific report. They will have the opportunity to work in groups to formulate their reports with pertinent information regarding their respective plants. These reports will be delivered in verbal presentation format to the entire class, while a fun snack is enjoyed. Description of Learners and Environment The primary learners of the class are fifteen 6th graders, 11-12 years of age. They will be accompanied by their assigned Purdue college mentors ages 18-22 years. There will be a total of approximately thirty students altogether participating in the lesson. The classroom setting will be split, some of the time will be spent in either the greenhouse or the outdoor surroundings, and the remainder will be in a more “traditional” style classroom. Lesson Content Science : ● Plant scientific nomenclature ○ Genus(pl. Genura) ○ Specific epithet ● Plant common names ● Plant primary nutrients ● Ideal plant environmental factors: Nature Science 1
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College Mentors for Kids Lessons
Technology Integration in Nature ScienceGrade 6
Overview of Lesson The overall purpose of this lesson is to teach students how to integrate the use of technology in the world of science. Students will be asked to locate plants, given only a scientific name, and formulate a brief scientific report. They will have the opportunity to work in groups to formulate their reports with pertinent information regarding their respective plants. These reports will be delivered in verbal presentation format to the entire class, while a fun snack is enjoyed.
Description of Learners and Environment
The primary learners of the class are fifteen 6th graders, 11-12 years of age. They will be accompanied by their assigned Purdue college mentors ages 18-22 years. There will be a total of approximately thirty students altogether participating in the lesson. The classroom setting will be split, some of the time will be spent in either the greenhouse or the outdoor surroundings, and the remainder will be in a more “traditional” style classroom.
Intended Learning Goals At the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:● Utilize technological resources to find enough base
information to locate a named object.● Recognize a live plant from an digital image through
comparison of physical characteristics.● Efficiently and effectively use the Internet to find general
information about a given item or topic.● Discern what information on the Internet is appropriate for
a research report, with minimal assistance from a college mentor or teacher.
● Deliver a concise report, comprised of informational findings about a given topic.
Learning Objectives The learning objectives for this lesson are the following:1. Given the scientific name of a plant, students will be able
to identify pertinent information about that plant, using at least two different technologically located resources.
2. Given an image of a plant, students will be able to identify a live plant within 90% accuracy of the species.
3. Provided information about a plant, students will be able to formulate a verbal report about that plant, within 10 minutes.
4. Provided a number of different resources, students will be able to select only those that are credible for their research, with 2-3 sentences explaining their reasoning behind each selection.
Standards1 Science:
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● 6.3.2 Describe how changes caused by organisms in the habitat where they live can be beneficial or detrimental to themselves or to native plants and animals.
● 6.3.3 Describe how certain biotic and abiotic factors—such as predators, quantity of light and water, range of temperatures and soil composition—can limit the number of organisms an ecosystem can support.
● 6.3.4 Recognize that plants use energy from the sun to make sugar (i.e., glucose) by the process of photosynthesis.
Technology:● 6-8.LST.1.1: Read and comprehend science and technical
texts within a range of complexity appropriate for grades 6 independently and proficiently.
● 6-8.LST.2.2: Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate, objective summary of the text.
● 6-8.LST.4.2: Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
● 6-8.LST.4.3: Compare and contrast the consistency of information gained from reading a text on the same topic to determine credibility.
● 6-8.LST.7.1: Conduct short research assignments and tasks to answer a question, drawing on several sources.
● 6-8.LST.7.2: Gather relevant information from multiple sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions.
Required Materials ● iPads (minimum of 6, preferred 10-15)● Computer & projector/e-board● Research Worksheet● Pens and pencils(optional)● Chocolate or vanilla pudding, milk, & cool whip● Gummy worms● Oreos● Spoons● Cups/Bowls● Napkins/paper towels
Procedure Preparation(15 minutes):The night before class, prepare the dirt pudding snack using the following recipe:
1 The standards for this lesson were adapted from the following: http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/standards/science/2010-Science-Grade06.pdfhttp://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/standards/2014-04-14-contentlit-sciencetech.pdf
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Ingredients:2 Packages (3.9 oz) of JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding4 Cups of cold milk1 Tub (8.0 oz) COOL WHIP Whipped3 Cups of Oreo Cookies1 Package of gummy worms
Instructions:1. Beat pudding mix and milk in a large bowl with a whisk
for approximately 2 minutes or until well mixed and slightly thick.
2. Let pudding stand for about 5 minutes (may put in the fridge to hasten the congealing process).
3. Finely crush the Oreo cookies either in food processor, or manually in a plastic ziploc bag.
4. Stir tub of COOL WHIP into pudding and mix in 1 cup of crushed Oreo cookies.
5. Cover the top of the pudding with remaining cup of crushed OREO cookies and insert gummy worms.
6. Place pudding into fridge. Allow a minimum of 1 hour of chilling before serving.
Arrival(2-5 minutes):● Students will arrive to campus and exit the bus at the
Purdue Horticulture Building (see the attached map). The Purdue student mentors should be informed in advance and asked to meet their students at the bus to escort them to the classroom.
Introduction(5-10 minutes):● Bring the class to order with a warm welcome and
proceed to divide the students, with their respective mentors, into three groups of five students. During this process walk around to each group and distribute a copy of the “Research Worksheet” to each student, along with an iPad.
○ Mentors may be asked to assist in the process of distribution and organization to increase efficiency.
● After dividing and distributing, introduce the topic for the day and explain the purpose and goals of the two different activities.
● Give a brief lesson regarding proper research technique and the expectations of the verbal research summary reports using the Epipremnum aureum as an example.
○ Research is a multistep process, each level of which requires a deeper understanding and attention to detail.
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○ The first step is to get a general knowledge summary from a basic search engine. Students may use their preferred choice of search engine; the most common two being Google and Bing. A good first site to skim and glean general information from is Wikipedia. In research, Wikipedia is often the selected first stop because it generally provides a broad overview of the given topic, however it may not be used as a primary source. Though advancements and monitoring has greatly improved over the past several years, it used to be that virtually anyone could post on Wikipedia, thus drastically decreasing the website’s credibility. As mentioned, this is less likely the case today, much of the information posted to Wikipedia has been checked for accuracy, nonetheless it is not credible enough to be a primary resource. Today, Wikipedia falls under websites classified as public domain, which means that the site is not included in a bibliography or citation.
○ The second step to performing quality research after gaining a general subject matter overview is to begin looking for credible resources to answer the present questions. When looking for credible resources there are some major indicators that one should look for. First, one should look at the URL ending of a website, in general, any website ending with a .org, .edu, or .gov is concerned to be a source of credible information that has been reviewed closely before publication. Second, one should look at who the authors, editors, and publishers of the websites are, and what qualifications they have. In the case of this project any websites affiliated with colleges, universities, the USDA, the FDA, or national gardens, is most likely a credible source produced by experts in the agronomy and horticulture fields. Lastly, one can look at the design of the webpage. Credible websites generally look professional in terms of structure and the way items are organized within the page. This however, should be your last line of test, because while this is the norm, there are exceptions to the rules.
○ Finally, if there are questions that remain unanswered within the basic search, an advanced
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search may be used. Within an advanced search, more modifications and details can be singled out to get more specific search results. It is often easier to find more credible resources within such searches as well. One type of resource in particular, commonly found in more advanced searches of databases and digital libraries, is peer-reviewed articles. Peer-reviewed articles and journals are documents that have undergone extreme editing and scrutiny before seeing publication. The information present in such documents is always credible, reliable information. Here are some key characteristics to recognizing a peer-reviewed article when one comes across one. First, almost always there is some sort of annotation or marking that labels an item as peer-reviewed. Second, there are almost always several authors listed, most of whom have PhD suffixes. Third, peer-reviewed articles have a distinct layout: Abstract, Introduction, Method, Observations, Conclusion, and References. An abstract is a summary describing the general findings of the research and the overall content of the article, which can serve as a checkpoint in determining relevance to a given topic. Fourth, the research described in the articles is first hand, all the observations are written by the experiments performers not in summary of other people’s work. Lastly, many peer-reviewed articles contain supporting data, graphics, and charts to support and visually relay the findings.
○ During the research portion of the activity, students will be expected to put these skills into practice and demonstrate their abilities discern which websites are credible and which are not. Each group must record the websites that they use.
Greenhouse Activity(5-10 minutes maximum):● Following the research lesson, each group will be given
the scientific name of the plant they are expected to find in or around the greenhouses.
○ Group 1: Juniperus procumbens○ Group 2: Asarum canadense○ Group 3: Peperomia obtusifaus
● The groups will walk to the greenhouses located directly behind the Horticulture Building to begin the search of their specific plants.
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○ Students are advised to quickly look up an image of their respective plants for visual comparison, however they are not required to do so. They will however, be asked to send an image found on the Internet as part of their assignment.
○ Mentors are to accompany the students and provide assistance as needed when navigating the greenhouses.
○ Students will take a picture of the plant that they find.
● Once they have found their plant, students and mentors will walk back to the classroom to regroup.
○ Every student is expected to be present in the picture; mentors can use an iPad or their phone to take the picture of the students.
Research Activity(10-15 minutes):● Students will be given 10-15 minutes to research their
plant within their groups. Each member is expected to contribute toward the research and be prepared to give a brief answer to one of the questions present on the “Research Worksheet”.
○ Students may use their college mentors as resources and advisors in the research process. They may research whatever they want about their plant so long as they are able to answer all of the questions on the provided worksheet.
● Once they have found the necessary information, students will determine who will summarize each question during the group presentation activity.
○ Even though each student will verbally present only one question, every individual is expected to have a complete answer written for each question on his or hers respective worksheet. It will not, however, be required to write information about each group's’ presentation other than for personal gain and knowledge.
○ While the groups are figuring out the final details of their presentations, one or two mentors from each group will be asked to help in the serving and distribution of the dirt pudding snack.
Presentations/Conclusion(5-10 minutes):● Each of the three groups will present their research
findings about their plant to the rest of the class.○ Each individual student is required to participate in
the verbal presentation.○ Question 1 and question 2 on the “Research
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Worksheet” may be presented together to make for more even distribution of presentation time.
● The students can eat their dirt pudding while they watch the other groups present, and may take notes as they will.
● If there is any time remaining after each group has presented, a time of questions and answers about the different plants can be held.
● At the conclusion of class, students will hand in their individual “Research Worksheets” and the mentors will escort their students back to the bus.
Assessment ● Students will be evaluated first on their degree of participation within the group activities, which is to be determined by general evaluation of the college mentors.
● Students will be evaluated on their ability to identify an object from photographic imaging, by e-mailing a copy of their group picture, as well as the one they located online.
● Students will be evaluated on their ability to discern credible information from information that is not, through the listing of those sources used to complete their worksheets and the accompanied reasoning behind each one.
● Students will be evaluated on their level of information comprehension based both on their verbal portion of the presentation, and the written work the include on their individual worksheets.
References/Reference Materials
Sander, M. (2009). STEM, STEM education, STEMmani. The Technology Teacher, 20-26.
This article discusses the history of STEM, its integration into the educational system, and its incredible importance to the future success of America as a nation. Mr. Sanders begins by recognizing the fact that STEM careers are among the most important in society, but sadly fewer and fewer people are entering the fields resulting in an oncoming massive shortage of strong mathematicians, scientists, and engineers. He credits this shortage primarily to the education system for not engaging students in these content areas early enough to build a true passion for the subjects. For too long, STEM has been viewed solely from a career perspective, but in Mr. Sander’s opinion, it desperately needs to become a central point for curriculum. However, a common misconception has been to teach each
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subject matter, science, technology engineering, and mathematics as a separate unrelated entity of its own. Mr. Sander has found though, that this approach is all wrong, that STEM needs to be viewed as one interconnected subject. In the design of our lesson plan we took ahold of this concept, and rather than choosing only one content area of the four, we decided to combine science and technology in a unified lesson. We strove to demonstrate through activity how the world of technology serves the scientific domain, through the elementary concept of research. In the scientific world where research is ever the central focal point, students often overlook the fact that technology is centrally connected to effective research.Furthermore, technology brings a different meaning to the concept of research as we can use computer devices to research research, but not without some sifting and sorting. This was the major overarching goal that we based our lesson plan around.
Cotabish, A. Dailey, D., Hughes, G., & Robinson, A. (2013). The effects of STEM intervention on elementary students’ science knowledge and skills. School Science and Mathematics, 113(5), 215-226.
This article is a summary of a study performed to see how student test scores and general science conceptual knowledge changed with the implementation of rigorous STEM courses. Testing students pre and post study, the end results were overwhelmingly in favor of the more rigorous science based courses. Within the study, the ways in which STEM education was carried out varied from intensive professional development, to inquiry-based instruction, to strictly rigorous classroom instruction. The general conclusion of the study was that with the enhancement and variability of teaching methods within the STEM oriented program, drastically increased student ability to process, conceptualize, and perform science content based knowledge. These encouraging results and the methods for teaching provided helped to shape the way in which our lesson plan was designed. Having a fast moving class with several different, but interrelated tasks to accomplish pushes students to function towards their high potential and ultimately gain a better scientific conceptual understanding. We modeled this design in our lesson plan. Furthermore, to stretch the boundaries, we even had two different types of activities combined towards a common goal. The
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greenhouse activity stimulates those students that need to have a physical and tangible lesson where they can observe first hand and then take back to the classroom to research in a sort of inquiry-based format with a rigorous time pressure component added on. Overall, based on the information in this article we strove to develop a lesson plan that was well versed in methods to expand the minds of our students.
Indiana State Standards:http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/standards/science/2010-Science-Grade06.pdf
