MD2-+Technology+Assisted+Assessment+Inquiry-Part+1

=Plants =

Standard 4- Life Science: (Utah State Office, n.d.)
 * __ Content Standards: __**
 * Students will gain an understanding of Life Science through studying the nature of living things.
 * Students will understand that living things depend on their environment to satisfy their basic needs.

* Investigate plants and plant growth. (Utah State Office, n.d.)
 * __ Goals and Objectives: __**
 * Students will identify through labeling the four main parts of plants including roots, flower, stem, and leaves.
 * Students will form a prediction on the functions of each plant part.
 * Students will understand and describe the actual functions of each plant part.
 * Students will identify how natural earth elements (food, water, sun, soil, space, and air) help plants to sustain life by listing the conditions plants need for survival.
 * Students will interact with technology (websites, online quiz) to understand and demonstrate their learning of plants including parts, functions, and conditions needed for survival.

__ Technology – NETS for Students: __ (“NETS for Students,” 2007)
 * // Creativity and Innovation // - Students will apply their existing knowledge to produce new ideas, products, or processes; they will utilize models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
 * // Research and Information Fluency // - Students will plan strategies to guide their inquiry. They will locate, evaluate, analyze, synthesize, and ethically use information from various sources and media
 * // Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making // - Students will identify and describe genuine problems and substantial questions for investigation.
 * // Digital Citizenship // - Students will advocate and practice legal, responsible and safe use of information and technology. They will display a positive attitude towards using technology that supports their learning and productivity.
 * // Technology Operations and Concepts // - Students will understand and use various technology systems. They will select and use applications productively and effectively. Students will also transfer their current knowledge to the learning of new technologies.

__ Day 1- Plant Parts __ //Anticipatory Set:// Students will watch, and sing-along with a YouTube video, //Parts of a Plant//, which will introduce students to plants and plant parts. The link to the video is: [] Students will learn about the parts of plants by being exposed to online plant images, as well as images within books. As students identify each plant part, they will draw a picture and label the individual parts in their provided plant journals. Accessing an online activity ([|http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks1science.html#plantlabelmx]) students will practice labeling the parts of a plant. Students will also completete a "Parts of a Plant" worksheet, which will require them to write the plant name next to the corresponding plant part. The worksheet can be obtained from: []
 * __ Brief Abstract of Lesson: __**

__ Day 2- Plant Part Functions __ Students will learn about the jobs of each plant part. They will begin by predicting the job of each plant part, writing their thoughts in their plant journal. Next, as they learn about the actual job of each part, they will record their findings within their plant journals. Students will also watch a video on the job of each plant part, //Plant Parts,// obtained from [] to learn more about the functions of each plant part. Students will interact with the site, [] to investigate about the job of each plant part. Students will be given opportunities to share their knowledge and participate in discussions about plants.

__ Day 3- Plant Survival __ Students will understand the term "survival" and how it relates to plants. They will learn about the six things plants need to survive including air, water, soil, food, sunlight, and room to grow. Students will be shown a video, //The Needs of a Plant,// which will describe the conditions plants need to survive. The students will be given opportunities to learn the song and and sing-along with this video. The link to this video is: []

Students will also interact with and participate in online activities through accessing websites such as: These sites allow students to investigate plant growth the amount of elements needed for them to sustain life. Students will list the six things plants need to survive on the back of their plant journal.
 * []
 * []

// Assessment: // Students will complete the provided online quiz assessment within the computer lab. The quiz will allow students to demonstrate their learning of plant parts, their functions, and conditions needed for their survival. //Closure:// Students will participate in a review of the contents of the lesson. They will discuss the things they have learned with a neighbor. Students will also be given opportunities to participate in classroom discussions by answering questions about the material presented in the lesson and why it is important to learn about plants. // Modifications:  // Various modifications are included throughout the lesson. Some of these modifications include allowing students to work with a partner, re-teaching and reviewing content, providing one-on-one assistance and time for students to ask questions, as well as allowing extra practice time for skills as needed. Each learning style is addressed throughout the lesson’s instruction and within the extension activities.



I will use an online quiz/student response system to assess my students' understanding of plants. The students will complete this quiz individually. Within this quiz, students will be presented with multiple choice, true/false, and short answer response formats. They will be given a picture of a plant, and will be required to label each part through answering provided questions. Students will answer questions relating to the functions of each plant part, as well as describe these functions through short answer responses. They will also respond to a short answer question by listing the conditions plants need for survival.
 * __ Assessment to Assess Student Understanding: __**

The technology tool I will use to assess the learning outcomes of my lesson is Socrative. This is a free, online student response system that allows students to participate in teacher created quizzes. I will create a quiz within this tool, and administer it to my students. The quiz provides real-time results, so it will need to be presented to students live, within the classroom. The quiz will grade the students' responses to objective questions, show their answers for short answer questions, and provide these results in a downloadable Excel spreadsheet.
 * __ Technology Tool: __**

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Here is an example of how some of the questions will be presented to the students in the Socrative website. Since Socrative requires live interaction and administration to view and participate in the quizzes, all of the questions and answers to the quiz are provided below in a Word document. The actual quiz will be provided to students within the Socrative website.