Celebration of Learning: Sharing Our Learning about Plants and Pollinators | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G2:M3:U3:L13

Celebration of Learning: Sharing Our Learning about Plants and Pollinators

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • SL.2.3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.
  • SL.2.4: Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
  • SL.2.6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can recite the poem and song about pollination we learned to welcome visitors for our Celebration of Learning.
  • I can use my notes and visuals to present my learning about plants and pollinators to others. (SL.2.3, SL.2.4, SL.2.6)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Celebration of Learning: Welcoming Visitors (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Celebration of Learning: Presentations about Pollination (35 minutes)

B. Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Previewing New Learning: Contributing to the Community (5 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this lesson, students share their Performance Task Posters with visitors during Work Time A. This time is meant to be a celebration but also an opportunity for students to practice their speaking and listening skills (SL.2.4, SL.2.6).

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • This culminating lesson celebrates students' learning about plants and pollinators, and the creation of their Performance Task Posters.
  • In previous lessons, students went through the research process by reading and writing about the process of pollination. In recent lessons, students practiced their oral presentation skills and created posters. In this lesson, they present their research findings to their classmates and visitors.
  • In this lesson, students reflect on the content learned throughout the module as they consider the module guiding questions: "How do we get the fruits, flowers, and vegetables enjoy?" and "How do we become researchers and share our learning?"
  • Visitors are encouraged to ask questions during this lesson. If some visitors are unsure of what to ask students, refer them to the oral presentation questions from Lesson 10.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • During Work Time A, some students may need additional support when sharing their posters. Because each group is self-facilitated, consider periodically checking with each group to ensure that the process is moving smoothly.
  • Some students may become bashful or nervous as they present their work publicly. Encourage them to do their best and remind them that making mistakes is part of the process, and that they will get better at presenting the more they try (growth mindset). Avoid forcing students to participate if they are uncomfortable.

Down the road:

  • This is the final lesson of this module. Students will continue to build their speaking and listening skills as they engage in classroom discussions in Module 4.
  • In Module 4, students will continue their exploration of plants and pollinators as they apply their learning to contribute to the community.

In Advance

  • Confirm where the Celebration of Learning will be held and visitors' attendance.
  • Consider bringing in real fruits and vegetables for students to hold when introducing the "secret" behind how we get the fruits, flowers, and vegetables we enjoy.
  • Pre-distribute Performance Task Posters and oral presentation notecards to designated areas around the room for Work Time A.
  • Post: Learning targets, "Plants around the World," "It's Pollination Time!" Version 1, and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

Consider using an interactive white board or document camera to display lesson Materials.

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1 and 2 to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.
  • Record the whole group singing "It's Pollination Time!" Version 1, and post it on a teacher webpage or on a portfolio app like Seesaw for students to listen to at home with families. Most devices (cellphones, tablets, laptop computers) come equipped with free video and audio recording apps or software.
  • Record students as they present to later use as models for the group. Most devices (cellphones, tablets, laptop computers) come equipped with free video and audio recording apps or software.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 2.I.A.1, 2.I.B.5, and 2.1.C.9

Important points in the lesson itself 

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to present their learning about a topic to an authentic audience, to reflect on ways they have grown as learners over the course of the module, and to take risks in reading and speaking while seeking the support they need.
  • ELLs may feel nervous about performing for visitors; some may still struggle with reading and speaking in the language itself. Support students by providing them with choice about which group they will present to, and empower them to ask their peers for help when they do not understand or need help using their notecards.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • During Work Time A, challenge students to present in partnership with students who need heavier support.
  • Encourage students to use Conversation Cues with other students to extend and deepen conversations, think with others, and enhance language development.

For heavier support:

  • During Work Time A, support students by allowing them to present in partners with students of more advanced language proficiency.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): When sharing and celebrating culminating work, it is important to also document and review the group's learning processes. Continue to highlight aspects of the learning and writing process that were important in this unit by explaining verbally and/or by displaying photo documentation with captions that describe how students learned about pollinators.
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): This lesson offers several opportunities for students to engage in discussion with partners. Continue to support those who may need it with expressive language by providing sentence frames to help them organize their thoughts.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement: Students who may need additional support with writing may feel uncomfortable sharing their work with visitors. Create an inclusive and supportive classroom environment by continuing to emphasize growth and learning rather than relative performance.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

New

  • community (L)

Materials

  • "Plants around the World" (from Unit 1, Lesson 2; one to display)
  • "It's Pollination Time!" Version 1 (from Unit 2, Lesson 5; one to display)
  • What Researchers Do anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 2)
  • Criteria for High-Quality Oral Presentations anchor chart (begun in Lesson 6)
  • Oral presentation notecards (from Lesson 2; one per student)
  • Performance Task Posters (from Lesson 11; one per students)
  • Module Guiding Questions anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 1)

Assessment

Each unit in the K-2 Language Arts Curriculum has one standards-based assessment built in. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Celebration of Learning: Welcoming Visitors (10 minutes) 

  • Gather students and visitors together in the whole group area.
  • With excitement, welcome the visitors to the Celebration of Learning.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:
    • "I can recite the poem and song about pollination we learned to welcome visitors for our Celebration of Learning."
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What work, specifically, will we present to the visitors?" ("Plants around the World," "It's Pollination Time!" Version 1, and our presentations on plants and pollinators.)

  • Display "Plants around the World." Invite a student to read the title of the poem aloud.
  • Invite the class to recite the poem.
  • Invite students to give each other air high-fives for doing a great job reciting the poem.
  • Display the "It's Pollination Time!" Version 1and follow the same process to introduce and sing this song.
  • Invite students to buzz like bees in celebration of their performance.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with self-regulation: (Encouragement) Some students may feel nervous about presenting their posters to visitors. If students are hesitant or bashful to share, encourage them, but refrain from forcing them to present. (MME)
  • For ELLs: (Identifying Visitors) Help put students at ease by briefly introducing the visitors and identifying them according to their roles within the community. (Examples: visitors who work at the school, teachers, other students, family members)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Celebration of Learning: Presentations about Pollination (35 minutes) 

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:
    • "I can use my notes and visuals to present my learning about plants and pollinators to others."
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What work, specifically, will we present to the visitors?" (our presentations and our Performance Task Posters)

  • Direct students' attention to the What Researchers Do anchor chart.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Who can share with our visitors some of the work that we did as researchers?"(Responses will vary, but may include: took notes; gathered information about pollinators; shared our research through writing)
"What will we share with our visitors today?" (information about the pollinators we researched; our Performance Task Posters about our pollinators)

  • Direct students' attention to the Criteria for High-Quality Oral Presentations anchor chart and share with visitors that students have been practicing their oral presentations using four important criteria.
  • Think-Pair-Share:
  • "Which of our four criteria would you most like to work on as you present today?"(Responses will vary.)
  • Point out that the oral presentation notecards and Performance Task Posters are already at designated areas around the room.
  • Invite students to move to their designated areas with their presentation groups.
  • Invite visitors to follow their students or split them evenly among the groups.
  • Remind students to refer to the Criteria for High-Quality Oral Presentations anchor chart as they present their posters.
  • Invite visitors to listen carefully and to be prepared to share what they liked, and to ask questions.
  • Invite students to take turns presenting to their audience following the same order from the previous two lessons.
  • After all students have shared, invite groups to thank their visitors for listening so attentively and providing such specific feedback.
  • Invite students to help collect materials from around the room before moving on.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with self-regulation: (Peer Support: Presentations) During the presentations, encourage ELLs to seek peer support if they feel stuck or need help reading. (MME

B. Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes) 

  • Gather students and visitors together.
  • Direct students' attention the Module Guiding Questions anchor chart and select a volunteer to read the first question aloud:
    • "How do we get the flowers, fruits, and vegetables we enjoy?"
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What did we learn about our first module guiding question?" (Responses will vary, but may include: They grow from plants. Fruit comes from flowers.)

  • Direct students' attention the Module Guiding Questions anchor chart and select a volunteer to read the second question aloud:
    • "How do we become researchers and share our learning?"
  • Direct students' attention back to the What Researchers Do anchor chart.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What did we learn about our second module guiding question?" (Responses will vary, but may include: We take notes; we use text features; we give high-quality oral presentations.)

  • With excitement, announce that the visitors will have a chance to hear some of the students'specific success using Shout Outs.
  • Post and review the following sentence frames:
    • "Shout out to _____ for _____!"
    • "_____ did a great job _____!"
  • Model using the sentence frames to give a Shout Out. (Example: "Shout out to Marco for giving me feedback on my presentation!")
  • Invite several students to share Shout Outs.
  • Prompt students to say goodbye and thank their visitors as they leave.
  • For ELLs: (Celebrating Achievements) Take a moment to encourage students by acknowledging and explicitly pointing out the achievements of ELLs. Make a point to name areas in which students have improved, especially those who may have struggled.
  • For students who may need additional support with verbal expression: Prior to Work Time B, invite students to prepare and rehearse their Shout Outs. (MMAE, MME)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Previewing New Learning: Contributing to the Community (5 minutes) 

  • Gather whole group.
  • Announce that students have learned so much about pollinators that they will continue to learn about them.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite response from the group:

"What else do you think we might learn about pollinators?" (Responses will vary.)

  • With excitement, tell students that they will be learning about how to help pollinators in their communities!
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is a community? How do you think we might help pollinators in our communities?" (Responses will vary, but may include: A place where people live together. Maybe we will plant flowers and vegetables.)

  • If productive, cue students to provide reasoning.

"Why do you think that?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Tell students that they will soon find out.
  • Commend students on their excellent work as researchers throughout the unit.
  • For students who may need additional support with auditory processing: Scaffoldcomprehension by recording student responses during the discussion for visual display. (MMR)

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