Unit Plan: Miniature Garden World Story Project

Science / Grade 1-2

Big Ideas

Arts

  • People connect to story through the arts (Arts 1)
  • Engagement in the arts creates opportunity for inquiry through purposeful play (Arts 1)
  • Inquiry through the arts creates opportunities for risk-taking (Arts 2)

Science

  • Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment (Science 1)
  • Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment (Science 2)
  • Water is essential to all living things (Science 2)

Applied Design, Skills & Technology

  • Designs grow out natural curiosity (ADST)
  • Skills can be developed through play (ADST)

English Language Arts

  • Language and story can be a source of creativity and joy (ELA 1/2)
  • Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us (ELA 1/2)

 

Essential Questions

Students will keep considering…

  • Where could this be?
  • What is scale?
  • How do we build a garden?
  • What skills do we need?
  • How do we build a garden?
  • What do we need to build a garden?
  • What steps are required in building a garden?
  • How can I express my story in my garden?
  • What do plants need to grow?
  • How do plants grow?
  • How can I express my story in my garden?
  • What will happen in my story?
  • What will happen in my story?
  • How can we make a story interesting?
  • How do I publish a piece of work?
  • What makes a good copy?
Evaluative Criteria

N/A

Monitoring Progress

Teacher will monitor progress:
Teachers can monitor progress through ongoing formative assessment including but not limited to:

  • Self-assessment of these skills: of the skills required, what are your goals for the project?
  • Reviewing paper project plan
  • Peer assessment – share your plan with a class and receive feedback
  • Reviewing 3D garden
  • Story word list
  • Story map
  • Rough draft
  • Final story book
Resources

N/A

Reflection

How will teachers and their students reflect on and evaluate the completed project?

Teacher Reflection

  • What aspects of the unit went well?
  • What did students struggle with?
  • What did you struggle with?
  • What would you add/revise the next time you taught this unit?
  • Were there any unintended outcomes?
  • Were students engaged?

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

EXECUTE THE LEARNING PLAN

LEARNING EVENTS:

  • These learning events/activities are suggested activities only. 
  • In some cases the plans are not fully completed lesson plans. 
  • The teacher may choose some lessons/activities to span over several lessons. 
  • Teachers may add, revise and adapt these lessons based on the needs of their students, their personal preferences for resources, and the use of a variety of instructional techniques.

Learning events are enriched for students when teachers consider the “WHERE TO” acronym and guiding organizer by Wiggins and McTighe.

> Click here for more information on WHERETO

<h2>Where To</h2>
<table style=”height: 1175px;” border=”2″ width=”813″ cellpadding=”8″>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width=”67″><strong>W</strong>here:</td>
<td width=”212″>Where are we going in this lesson Why? What is expected of my students during and after this lesson?</td>
<td width=”378″>• Present the performance task to students early in the unit • Post essential questions; students can generate their own questions as well • Check for  misconceptions</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=”67″><strong>H</strong>ow:</td>
<td width=”212″>How will I hook and hold student interest during this lesson?</td>
<td width=”378″>• Use a provocation as an entry point • Present students with a mystery or challenge</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=”67″><strong>E</strong>quip:</td>
<td width=”212″>How will I equip students for expected performances? How will I make sure to teach the foundational skills so that they can understand and complete tasks?</td>
<td width=”378″>• Access understandings and experience with solid instructional practices • Consider strategies that work for divers e learners • Incorporate literacy 44 strategies</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=”67″><strong>R</strong>ethink and Revise:</td>
<td width=”212″>How will I help students reflect, rethink and revise their ideas, writing, and tasks?</td>
<td width=”378″>• Have students rethink the big idea • Have students reflect on  their learning  to build understanding</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=”67″><strong>E</strong>valuate:</td>
<td width=”212″>How will students self-evaluate and reflect on their learning after each lesson/task?</td>
<td width=”378″>Some ideas for self-evaluation include:
<p style=”padding-left: 30px;”>• Ticket out the door • Rubrics and checklists • Formative assessments and feedback</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=”67″><strong>T</strong>ailor:</td>
<td width=”212″>How will I tailor learning to varied needs, interests and styles? (refer to the NVSD Adaptations Checklist).</td>
<td width=”378″>• Differentiate to your students with the product, the process and the content</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=”67″><strong>O</strong>rganize: <strong> </strong></td>
<td width=”212″>How will I organize and sequence the learning in each lesson and transition to a new lesson?</td>
<td width=”378″>• Start with the end in mind</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan=”3″ width=”657″>Please note that the order in which teachers present this to their students is not mandated to the order of the acronym.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style=”text-align: justify;”>

The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:

  • Where could this be?
  • What is scale?
  • How do we build a garden?
  • What skills do we need?
  • How do we build a garden?
  • What do we need to build a garden?
  • What steps are required in building a garden?
  • How can I express my story in my garden?
  • What do plants need to grow?
  • How do plants grow?
  • How can I express my story in my garden?
  • What will happen in my story?
  • What will happen in my story?
  • How can we make a story interesting?
  • How do I publish a piece of work?
  • What makes a good copy?
Week 1 - Lessons 1 & 2

The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:

  • Where could this be?
  • What is scale?
  • How do we build a garden?
  • What skills do we need?

 

WEEK 1 – LESSON 1

Content

Hook: Introduce idea of an imaginary garden

Activities

  • Show picture of a fairy garden or imaginary garden (ie. Hobbit world, etc.)
  • Look at scale of items/ homes in the garden
  • Link/ connect to other “little” people (The Littles, the Hobbit, etc.)
  • Explain summative assignment

Essential understandings

  • Stories take place in unique settings

Evaluation

  • Introduce garden project

 

WEEK 1 – LESSON 2

Content

Core competencies

Activities

  • In partners, create mind map of skills needed to create a miniature garden
  • Link to core competencies posters

Essential understandings

  • We need to use all our core competencies for this project

Evaluation

  • Self-assessment of these skills: of the skills required, what are your goals for the project?
Week 2 - Lessons 1, 2 & 3

The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:

  • How do we build a garden?
  • What do we need to build a garden?
  • What steps are required in building a garden?
  • How can I express my story in my garden?

 

WEEK 2 – LESSON 1

Content

  • Criteria for garden

Activities

  • Co-create criteria with class: soil, outside collection, bucket, plants, rocks
  • Introduce idea of drainage: how can make sure soil doesn’t get soggy?

Essential understandings

  • Gardens need drainage
  • Rich soil is needed to grow plans
  • Plans need sunlight and water to grow

Evaluation

  • Formative

 

WEEK 2 – LESSON 2

Content

  • Plan for the garden

Activities

  • Students describe and draw their garden in plan /paper form
  • Set goals for the project
  • Outline the story being told in the project

Essential understandings

  • Designs require plans with multiple steps
  • Plans may need to change along the way

Evaluation

  • Formative: submit paper project plan
  • *Peer assessment – share your plan with a class and receive feedback

 

WEEK 2 – LESSON 3

Content

  • Collection

Activities

  • Go outside, Collect natural items (i.e. small stones, moss, rocks, etc)
  • Ask students to bring in imagination objects from home (trolls, animals, etc.) for the garden

Essential understandings

  • Stories take place in unique settings

Evaluation

  • Formative

 

 

Week 3 - Lessons 1, 2 & 3

The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:

  • What do plants need to grow?
  • How do plants grow?
  • How can I express my story in my garden?

 

WEEK 3 – LESSON 1

Content

  • Build the garden

Activities

  • Set drainage systems : rocks and soil (teacher brings in soil)

Essential understandings

  • Plants have needs to survive

Evaluation

  • Creating 3D garden

 

WEEK 3 – LESSON 2

Content

  • Plant the garden

Activities

  • Plant plans in gardens (use microgreens, or quick-sprouting seeds from the grocery story)

Essential understandings

  • Plants have needs to survive

Evaluation

  • Creating 3D garden

 

WEEK 3 – LESSON 3

Content

  • Design garden

Activities

  • Add collections and miniature objects (brought form home) to the garden, as per design set at the beginning of project

Essential understandings

  • Stories take place in unique settings

Evaluation

  • Creating 3D garden

 

Week 4 - Lessons 1 & 2

The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:

  • What will happen in my story?

 

WEEK 4 – LESSON 1

Content

  • Story map

Activities

  • Create word map for their story

Essential understandings

  • Stories have multiple elements

Evaluation

  • Story word list

 

WEEK 4 – LESSON 2

Content

  • Story map

Activities

  • Create story map
  • Outline plot, setting, characters, etc. for what will happen in the story (See Reading44)

Essential understandings

  • Stories have multiple elements

Evaluation

  • Story map

 

Week 5 - Lesson 1

The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:

  • How can we make a story interesting?

 

WEEK 5 – LESSON 1

Content

  • Write story

Activities

  • Teach story hooks
  • Model from other stories — read books, beginnings of books, etc.
  • Start writing story

Essential understandings

  • Stories are unique

Evaluation

  • Rough draft

 

Week 6 - Lesson 1

The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:

  • How do I publish a piece of work?
  • What makes a good copy?

 

WEEK 6 – LESSON 1

Content

  • Finalize story
  • SACC

Activities

  • Peer editing
  • Make story books to publish in book form
  • Self-assess core competencies used in the project — refer back to skills map at beginning of unit
  • Present stories

Essential understandings

  • Stories can be published
  • I can still make stories

Evaluation

  • Final story book

 

The following resources are made available through the British Columbia Ministry of Education. For more information, please visit BC’s New Curriculum.

Big Ideas

The Big Ideas consist of generalizations and principles and the key concepts important in an area of learning. The Big Ideas represent what students will understand at the completion of the curriculum for their grade. They are intended to endure beyond a single grade and contribute to future understanding.


Visit the Ministry of Education for more information

Core Competencies

orangecommunicationCommunications Competency

The set of abilities that students use to impart and exchange information, experiences and ideas, to explore the world around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital media

bluethinkingThinking Competency

The knowledge, skills and processes we associate with intellectual development

greensocialSocial Competency

The set of abilities that relate to students’ identity in the world, both as individuals and as members of their community and society


Visit the Ministry of Education for more information

Curricular Competencies & Content

Curricular Competencies are the skills, strategies, and processes that students develop over time. They reflect the “Do” in the Know-Do-Understand model of curriculum. The Curricular Competencies are built on the thinking, communicating, and personal and social competencies relevant to disciplines that make up an area of learning.


Visit the Ministry of Education for more information

 

 

 

Additional Resources

First People's Principles of Learning

To read more about First People’s Principles of Learning, please click here.

For classroom resources, please visit the First Nations Education Steering Committee.