This learning experience was developed as part of a science unit on heat, light, and sound energy. The idea in the development of this particular lesson was to help the students understand that plants are producers and make their own food by changing the sun’s energy into sugars.
The teaching objective of this lesson was for the students to understand that some organisms can make their own food through a process called photosynthesis. Students would also learn the things needed for photosynthesis to occur and the waste products of photosynthesis. The students were taught these concepts through the variety of activities that took place during this lesson. The full lesson was implemented and all information was conveyed to the students in an age appropriate way.
The learning objectives of this lesson were for the learner to be able to orally identify the three items a plant needs to make its own food and identify in writing how plants get what they need for photosynthesis to occur. These objectives relate to the major understanding that states plants manufacture food by utilizing air, water, and energy from the sun. Through the reading, discussion, video, Photosynthesis Diagram, and Photosynthesis Equation Activity that took place during the lesson the students were able to learn the process of photosynthesis and identify the three items a plant needs to be able to make its own food. When the students wrote their paragraphs about photosynthesis they were given the opportunity to explain what they learned about how a plant gets what they need for photosynthesis to occur.
Students were able to name the three items a plant needs and were excited to know how to help plants. One student asked, “Miss Turner, shouldn’t our plant be near the window so it can get sun light?” Through him asking this question I knew he was understanding the lesson and already applying it in his life!
Through this lesson, students will be more prepared for life outside school because they will understand the importance of the sun to plants. Students will know that without the sun’s energy plants couldn’t live. This will help them if they have a garden, plant a flower, or try to grow any other plants. Students will know that a plant needs more than just water to live and grow.
The implementation of this lesson went smoothly, but at the completion of scoring the students rubrics it became clear that a couple students had confusion about where the things plants need come from and how a plant absorbs them. When teaching this lesson again I may teach it in two days. I would use day one to introduce photosynthesis with The Magic School Bus Gets Planted video and day two to elaborate on the process.
After the implementation of this lesson I had the lesson peer reviewed. My peer review occurred on Thursday, October 28th, 2010 at Daemen College. During this peer review I had two focus questions for my peers to think about. These questions were, how could I improve my assessment plan and what would be a better essential question? There were many suggestions for how to improve my assessment plan. I took some of their suggestions and changed parts of my lesson to make it better for the future. Two suggestions I used were to make a formal pre-assessment and changing the layout of my Photosynthesis Description Rubric. Without a formal pre-assessment there is no evidence that the lesson actually taught the students anything. My original Photosynthesis Rubric didn’t assess all three areas I was looking at, so I changed the layout and added the other two components. During the peer review one of my peers commented that, “This is a good lesson that was well thought out and is written up nicely, with only a few additions it will be finished!”