Writing, Speaking, and Listening: Places to Plant a Tree | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA GK:M4:U2:L5

Writing, Speaking, and Listening: Places to Plant a Tree

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • W.K.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
  • SL.K.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
  • SL.K.1a: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).
  • SL.K.4: Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
  • SL.K.6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
  • LK.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • L.K.1e: Use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with).
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can describe in detail familiar places where trees are planted. (SL.K.1a, SL.K.4, SL.K.6)
  • I can describe and paint a place where trees are planted. (SL.K.1, SL.K.6)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During the Opening and Work Time A, use the Speaking and Listening Checklist to track students' progress toward SL.K.1a, SL.K.4, and SL.K.6 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Learner: Observing Places to Plant Trees in the Community (20 minutes)

2. Work Time 

A. Shared Writing: Places People Plant Trees Anchor Chart (10 minutes)

B. Engaging the Artist: Watercolors (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment  

A. Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol: Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards: 

  • In the Opening, students engage in an observation of trees in their community by either participating in a community walk or observing a slideshow of pictures taken by the teacher in advance. The purpose of this activity is to engage student thought about the importance of trees in their community.
  • Similar to the Reasons to Plant a Tree anchor chart, the Places People Plant Trees anchor chart should be created in a way that allows you to remove and move the ideas. In order to manipulate ideas on the Places People Plant Trees anchor chart, consider using double-sided sticky tape or mounting putty as temporary adhesive so that the ideas can be moved and used in the Matching Opinions with Reasons game in Lessons 6 and 9. 
  • Alternatively, consider creating the Places People Plant Trees anchor chart normally by writing on chart paper and creating a separate material with the ideas and icons written on a set of index cards or sentence strips to be used with the Matching Opinions with Reasons game.
  • In Work Time B, students are introduced to watercolor painting. This painting technique will be practiced throughout the unit and will be used in Unit 3 in combination with sketching, taught in Unit 1, to create a beautiful piece of art for the performance task.

How this lesson builds on previous work: 

  • In Lessons 2-4, students engaged in a focused read-aloud of A Tree Is Nice. Beginning in this lesson, students consider the trees in their own communities as they continue to think about the places people plant trees and the reasons why people plant them there.

Areas in which students may need additional support: 

  • During the Opening, one option is to engage in a community walk to observe where trees have been planted. As students walk, they are expected to jot notes on the Places People Plant Trees note-catcher. It may be difficult for some students to multitask in this way, so consider allotting time before shared writing in Work Time A for students to record their observations.

Down the road: 

  • The Places People Plant Trees anchor chart created in Work Time B will be used and revisited as students learn about forming opinions of where to plant a tree and why beginning in Lesson 6.
  • In Lesson 10, students will use information from the Places People Plant Trees anchor chart and the Reasons to Plant a Tree anchor chart to write an opinion statement for Part II of the Unit 2 Assessment.

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Engagement activity (community walk or slideshow) for students to observe trees in the community (see the Opening). If you prepare a slideshow, consider providing a voiceover with more information about where the trees were located.
    • Places People Plant Trees note-catcher for student note-taking by attaching it to clipboards for ease of use during the Opening.
    • Water coloring supplies at student workspaces for Work Time B (see materials list).
    • Model watercolor painting by creating a quick watercolor painting as an example for students.
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

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

Consider displaying a slideshow of photographs if you engage in Activity 2 to discover trees in the community during the Opening.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided by in part by CA ELD Standards K.1.A.3, K.I.C.11, and K.II.C.6

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to exchange ideas and extend learning about a familiar topic by observing pictures of trees or the spaces outside their classroom where trees are planted. 
  • ELLs may find it challenging to articulate in writing what they observe in the pictures or during the community walk on the note-catcher. Offer students the option to discuss what they notice first, then draw and label what they see. Circulate to provide one-on-one support as needed.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • During the Opening, invite students to offer ways of talking about what they notice and observe before reminding them of the frames that are useful (see the Meeting Students' Needs column).

For heavier support:

  • During the Opening, offer additional opportunities to rehearse and then review frames and key vocabulary with a peer or with the teacher.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Continue to support students as they incorporate new learning into existing knowledge. Recall that providing explicit cues or prompts supports students in attending to the information that matters most. Continue to activate background knowledge by previewing the questions you will ask. 
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): This lesson offers several opportunities for students to engage in discussion with partners. For those who may need additional support with expressive language, continue to facilitate communication by providing sentence frames to help them organize their thoughts. 
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue to encourage self-regulatory skills by helping students anticipate and manage frustration by modeling what to do if they need help from their partners.  

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T)

New:

  • watercoloring (L)

Review:

  • contribute, community, respect (L)

Materials

  • Module 4 Guiding Question anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)
  • Places People Plant Trees note-catcher (one per student and one to display)
  • Clipboards (one per student)
  • Pencils (one per student)
  • Speaking and Listening Checklist (for teacher reference; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Places People Plant Trees anchor chart (new; co-created with students during Work Time A; see supporting materials)
  • Places People Plant Trees anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • Marker (black; used by the teacher to record ideas on sentence strips)
  • Sentence strips (10; added to the Places People Plant Trees anchor chart)
  • Tape (10 pieces; used by the teacher to adhere sentence strips to Places People Plant Trees anchor chart)
  • A Tree Is Nice (from Lesson 2; one to display)
  • Watercoloring supplies:
    • Palette (one per student and one for teacher modeling)
    • Cups of water (one per student and one for teacher modeling)
    • Paintbrushes (one per student and one for teacher modeling)
    • Paper (blank; 8.5" x 5.5"; two or three pieces per student and one piece for teacher modeling)
    • Paper towel (one sheet per student and one for teacher modeling)
  • Model watercolor painting (new; teacher-created)
  • Respect anchor chart (begun in Module 3)
  • Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 2)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

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. Engaging the Learner: Observing Places to Plant Trees in the Community (20 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Module 4 Guiding Question anchor chart and read it aloud: 
    • "How are trees important to us and our community?"
  • Tell students that they will continue learning and thinking about how trees contribute to a community, but today they will focus on where in a community people plant trees.
  • Turn and Talk:

"Where are trees planted in our community? Why do you think they are planted there?" (Responses will vary, but may include: beside the road to block buildings from the cars, in the park to give homes for animals, etc.)

Conversation Cue: "Do you agree or disagree with what your classmate said? Why? I'll give you time to think." (Responses will vary.)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can describe in detail familiar places where trees are planted." 

  • Tell students that they will now observe trees around the school community and take note of where the trees are.
  • Display the Places People Plant Trees note-catcher.
  • Tell students that they will use the note-catcher to record where they see trees in the community. 
  • Distribute the prepared clipboards with the Places People Plant Trees note-catcher attached, and pencils.
  • Consider the following two engagement activities to observe trees in the community:
    • Activity 1:
      • Tell students that in a couple of minutes, they will go on a community walk outside to observe where trees are planted in their community around the school. 
      • Review any school and classroom rules that relate to taking a community walk (e.g., walking with a buddy, staying on the inside of the sidewalk, showing respect for nature, etc.).
      • Transition students outside. Consider pausing near a few different trees to allow students the time to record complete ideas on the Places People Plant Trees note-catcher.
      • After observing at least four trees, transition students inside.
    • Activity 2:
      • Play the prepared slideshow with pictures of trees in the community.
      • Pause the slideshow at a few trees to allow students the time to record complete ideas on the Places People Plant Trees note-catcher.
      • After completing the slideshow, refocus whole group.
  • Turn and Talk:

"According to the notes on your Places People Plant Trees note-catcher, where have people planted trees in our community?" (Responses will vary.)

"Are these places the same or different from the places we saw in the Picture Puzzle protocol?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Circulate and listen in as students discuss. Consider using the Speaking and Listening Checklist to document progress toward SL.K.1a, SL.K.4, and SL.K.6.
  • Tell students that next they will help create an anchor chart that tells different places where people can plant a tree.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: (Discussion Frames) Before going outside or starting the slideshow, rehearse a few question and observation frames in pairs so that students can generate ideas and practice oral language during the activity. (Example: "Where do you notice trees are planted? I notice there are trees ____ [on the sidewalk].") If watching the slideshow, consider stopping at each slide to encourage students to Turn and Talk using the frames. (MMAE)
  • For students who may need additional support with written expression: Offer partial dictation or a note-catcher with prewritten sentence frames to support expressive skills. (MMAE)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Shared Writing: Places People Plant Trees Anchor Chart (10 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Offer students specific, positive feedback on their engagement during the community walk/slideshow. 
  • Remind students that they have been exploring trees in many ways. They have explored the different things trees need to survive and how trees help other living things survive, and also different ways to enjoy trees. Today they have explored where trees are planted in different communities. 
  • Direct students' attention to the Places People Plant Trees anchor chart and read the title aloud. 
  • Tell students that they will use the ideas gathered from their Places People Plant Trees note-catcher to generate a list of different places people plant trees.
  • Turn and Talk:

"Where do people plant trees?" (Responses will vary, but may include: next to schools, in a park, by the river, etc.)

  • Circulate and listen in as students discuss. Consider using the Speaking and Listening Checklist to document progress toward SL.K.1a, SL.K.4, and SL.K.6.
  • Select three or four students to share out; use a marker to record the ideas on sentence strips and tape them to the Places People Plant Trees anchor chart. Refer to the Places People Plant Trees anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Tell students that there is another source from which they can collect information about where people plant trees: the text A Tree Is Nice.
  • Display A Tree Is Nice and invite students to give a signal if they see a place where trees are planted as you do a brief picture walk (e.g., in a forest, beside a stream, behind a farm, etc.).
  • Record these ideas on sentence strips and attach them to the Places People Plant Trees anchor chart.
  • If time permits, invite students to reread the anchor chart with you.
  • Provide specific, positive feedback on students' ability to generate lots of places where people plant trees.
  • Tell students that the information they collected today will help them answer the Module 4 guiding question as they continue thinking about how and why trees are important to us and our community.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Visual Cues and Reviewing Prepositions) Circle or shade over with a light color crayon the prepositions on the Places People Plant Trees anchor chart to bring students' attention to the prepositions. As you do this, prompt students to repeat the prepositions after you. (MMR)

B. Engaging the Artist: Watercolors (20 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group. 
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

"I can describe and paint a place where trees are planted."

  • With enthusiasm, tell students they will have the opportunity to use watercolors to create beautiful scenes that show different places where trees grow, but first they need to learn the proper way to use and care for the watercoloring supplies! 
  • Tell students that watercoloring is a painting technique that uses paint mixed with water. Artists use a wet watercolor paintbrush to transfer the paint from the brush to the paper. 
  • Remind students that in Unit 1 they practiced sketching. In this unit, they will practice watercoloring. In Unit 3, they will use both sketching and watercoloring to create a beautiful and inspiring piece of art.
  • Tell students that you will show them the steps they will go through to create their own watercolor paintings. 
  • Invite students to pantomime the steps as you teach them how to care for and use watercolors.
  • Think aloud as you model the following routine using a model watercolor painting: 
    1. Carefully open the palette.
    2. Dip your paintbrush into the cup of water one or two times.
    3. Gently mix the wet paintbrush into the color. Tell students that you should always start a watercolor painting with the lightest color.
    4. Gently sweep the paintbrush across the paper to paint.
    5. Rinse the brush thoroughly before using another color. 
    6. Repeat steps 1-5.
    7. Once the painting is complete, thoroughly rinse the brush, clean the watercolor palette with a damp paper towel by blotting gently, and carefully close the palette.
  • Emphasize that in order to use watercolors properly, you need to start with the lightest color, add just the right amount of water and rinse your brush between colors so that the colors do not get mixed together on the palette.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What is the same about watercolor painting and other ways of painting? What is different?" (Responses will vary, but may include: They both use paint and paintbrushes. Watercolor paintings use water. Watercolor paintings look soft or blurry.)

Conversation Cue: "Do you agree or disagree with what your classmate said? Why? I'll give you time to think." (Responses will vary.)

  • Tell students that today they will get to experiment with watercoloring and can paint anything they would like. Tell them that in future lessons they will have more specific pictures to paint.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What will you paint with the watercolors today?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Transition students to their workspaces and point out the watercoloring supplies already there.
  • Guide students through the watercoloring routine previously modeled. 
  • Tell students that now that they have learned how to care for and use these supplies, they will continue watercoloring over the next couple of lessons as they learn about different places where people plant trees and the reasons why.
  • For ELLs: (Oral Language: Extending Reasoning) When students share what they are going to paint during this lesson, encourage them to practice using the word because to extend their thinking and give a reason. (Example: I am painting a cake because it is almost my birthday.)
  • For students who may need additional support with sustained effort: Invite students to take a quick finger-stretch break once or twice throughout the work time. (MME)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol: Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)

  • Refocus students whole group.
  • Direct their attention to the Respect anchor chart and briefly review it.
  • Remind students that they can show respect in many ways: for themselves, for others, and for materials.
  • Tell students that they are going to use the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol to discuss how they respected the classroom and community space today. Remind them that they used this protocol in Modules 2-3, and review as necessary using the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol anchor chart. Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.
  • Guide students through the protocol using the following prompt: 

"How did we respect our space today?"

  • If time permits, invite students to engage in another round of the protocol with a new partner.
  • Provide specific, positive feedback on students' ability to respect the classroom, community, and one another as they discovered more about different places where people plant trees.
  • With excitement, tell students that in the upcoming lessons, they will read about a woman in Africa who shared her knowledge about trees with the community to help people.
  • For ELLs: (Partner Share-Out) Invite students to share what their partners said.
  • For students who may need additional support with auditory processing: Reduce barriers to metacognition as students share by providing a visual reminder of the focus for what they are sharing during the protocol. (MMR)

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