It Starts With You
Learning Sequence 7
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Introduction
This week we get to learn about how plants adapt to live in the arctic regions and how they use the sun’s energy and the water below the ground to produce their own energy.
The class will watch a video on the process of photosynthesis and try to explain it in their own words. The story is called ‘The Factory Inside the Leaf.’
They will also have a chance to decide what role they are going to have whilst developing their class book on amazing animals. This week we will be focusing on botany, but also allowing the class to work collectively towards one common goal!
This week we are going to discover the wonderful world of plants. Did you know that there is a flower in the Arctic that follows the sun to create a mini sauna where flies can take a break from the cold?
This week we are going to meet Jocelyn and learn all about how the plants of the arctic survive and thrive.
We are also going to learn about photosynthesis and ask you to decide which part of the class book on Amazing Animals you are going to complete.
This week we will all become botanists and if you ever thought that plants were boring and unimportant, think again!!
Weekly Keywords
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Introduce the spelling word list and choose from this list of tasks that can be repeated and expanded upon if necessary.
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Copy the words into a spelling list/Vocabulary book for later reference.
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Put each of the new words into a sentence and underline the new vocabulary in red pencil
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Place the words in alphabetical order in a list.
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Use a dictionary to define each of the words and place them into a vocabulary book.
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Try to represent each of the words using a picture or a symbol and play the guessing game. (which image is matched to which word)
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Write a paragraph containing all of the new vocabulary.
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Make a vocabulary wall containing all of the new words.
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Use a thesaurus to find synonyms for the words and create a synonym list.
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These words will help you during this week’s lesson. You may already know some of these words however practice makes perfect!
First, read the words and then try to define them as simply as possible.
An example has been completed for you. You can write these into your books, and draw a picture to match or simply complete the task card.
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Read and Discuss - ‘Weekly Warm-Up Activity'
This week your children will start to understand the resilience of nature. They will realise that no matter how difficult the environment and the climate, nature will always persevere to exist and thrive.
The Arctic is a cold and desolate place, but nature has evolved over millions of years to thrive. This week we will start to look at the various ways in which nature, espcially plants work within the ecosystem to protect their survival.
Ask your children to watch the introduction video and read the information task card and attempt to answer the following questions.
Thai activity is only a warm up activity and should only be done verbally if possible?
Listen to the video with Jocelyn and read the following document and try to answer the following questions.
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What is permafrost?
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How do flowers attract flies to help them pollinate?
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Why do Arctic plants need to grow very quickly
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Why are the cliffs always green with grass and moss in the arctic?
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How tall if the Arctic forest?
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How many species of plant are there in the Arctic region?
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Why do plants gather between rocks?
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Why are there no trees in the Arctic region?
Your Weekly Goal Check-In
Students may wish to stand up and share their accomplishments with the rest of the class. This is a great chance to reflect on how the challenge is going and how people in the classroom are coping with the success and the hurdles that the challenge entails.
Take out your goals for tackling climate change and talk to the person next to you about which ones you have accomplished in the last week and what hurdles you have faced so far. Discuss which goals you are going to achieve this week and share ideas about how you are going to achieve them.
Tick off any goals that you have already achieved and track your progress. You are changing the world!
Well done!
What is Photosynthesis? - ‘Watch and Create
Photosynthesis is one of the most difficult topics to teach. What happens inside a leaf as a leaf creates its own energy is a phenomenon that is almost unbelievable.
Ask the children to watch the following video which explains how photosynthesis works and ask the children to create their very own diagram to explain the process.
We call this story ‘The Factory within the Leaf’.
Plants are also called ‘Producers’ because they have the amazing ability to create their own energy.
They use carbon dioxide, water, sunlight and chlorophyll to create their own energy. This is called Photosynthesis, but how does it work?
Watch the video to find out more about how photosynthesis works and once finished, try to draw a diagram describing how photosynthesis happens inside a leaf.
The simple example diagram may help you remember the process more clearly. Be creative and remember, you can always watch the video again to help.
Once you have completed your diagram your job is to teach the process to somebody else. You are now a botanist just like Jocelyn, so make sure that you share your newfound knowledge!
Research Project - A Special Plant
During this activity, we want your children to take inspiration from the pants of the Arctic and start a research project on a local plant in your community.
As plants have been around for millions of years, many of them have hidden secrets or superpowers that we often forget. Allow your class to venture into the playground, take a walk in the forest or set this task as homework.
The children may wish to work in groups or teams but the objective of the activity is to allow the children to have choice and freedom and use research to guide their knowledge.
This week we want you to research a special plant in your local area. AS we have learned from Jocelyn, plants are amazing and some are capable of doing unbelievable things.
This week we want you to get your community excited about plants by finding a local plant that does something unique and tell the community all about it.
For example some plants can talk to each other using underground root and fungal networks. Others eat flies and even disguise themselves as animals and insects to help spread their seeds. Your job is to find a plant in your local area that also does something remarkable.
Use the example poster to help you design your own and once finished, you may wish to use your poster to help other people understand the amazing world of plants.
Closing Video
This week we have started to understand how important plants are in the environment and how they have evolved over thousands of years to be able to survive in the harshest environments on earth.
Without their amazing ability to create their own energy and produce seeds, fruits and leaves, human beings would not exist on earth today and it is this week that we realise the crucial role that plants play in the food chain and our lives.
Next week we will start to create our class book, so remember which team you are in and meet up over the next week to discuss when you will start designing your part of the book.
Ongoing Follow-Up Activities
Extension Activity #1 - Leadership Program Week 7
Each week we will request that your older students over the age of eight, to buddy up, or partner up with a younger child in your school, and every week they will pass on the knowledge they have gained from this lesson and take it to the younger cohorts within your school and develop their own leadership skills
Please take a look at the very simple and child-friendly Lesson plan that I have developed above and this should be read and understood by the students before they prepare their lesson and their learning for a younger child
The reasoning behind this methodology is to develop leadership, confidence, responsibility and communication skills between the older and younger students within your school. This will bring the cohort closer together and build a sense of community throughout your entire educational establishment.
Charles S. Lauer said ‘Leaders don’t force people to follow—they invite them on a journey.’ It is now time for you to invite a younger child to take a journey with you. A journey of discovery!
Each week we will be asking you, as an older student to buddy up with a younger student in your school
We want you to pass on the knowledge you have gained this week to a younger student whilst developing leadership mentorship and with the responsibility of working with the youngest student in the school.
You may think that this is a task which has no meaning. However, to the younger child in the school, it will have a huge influence on the way that they approach education and the way they feel within school.
You will be a continuous safety net, almost like a Big Brother or sister to a younger student in the school whilst also developing leadership communication and the confidence to be able to lead into the future.
Use this template to help you plan your lesson and gather your resources before you head down to the younger children’s classroom to reteach what you have just learned.
Extension Activity #2 - Class Book Production
Collaboration is key when it comes to the success of our students. This week we are going to ask your class to decide on which role they wish to take on when producing their class booklet on the animals that reside in your country.
Read the sample book from last week named ‘The World’s Most Amazing Places’ which can be found on the link below and explain each part of the book and the job involved in creating it.
Allow your class to split into teams and give them two weeks to complete their task. Your class manager will be in charge of gathering all of the various parts together and compiling the finished book ready for upload the Upschool library.
Last week you started to produce a class book on the various animals within your country. By now many of the children in your class may have completed their animal fact file.
This week we need to start thinking as a team and assign different tasks to different groups in your class. There are many things that need to be included when we produce a complete book.
Take a look at the task card and as a class decide who is going to create each part of the book as we get ready to publish it on the Upschool Library.
Get together as a class and decide which people in your class are going to tackle each of the tasks.
Important – If you are working alone on this project then you will need to use your creativity and research skills to make sure that your book has as much research as possible.
