Lesson 2:

Millicent Atkins School of Education: Common Lesson Plan Template

Teacher Candidate Name: Claire Gilbert
Grade Level: Second Grade
Subject: Science
Date: 11/18/21
PLANNING
List the Common Core/State Standard(s) to be addressed in this lesson.
2-LS2-1 – Plan and carry out an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.

2.W.8 – Use background knowledge and/or information gathered from sources to respond in writing
to a question.

List the Rationale (cite theories or theorists):

Lev Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) emphasizes the importance of
giving students tasks that are slightly more challenging than what they can do on their own. The ZPD
is the sweet spot within a student’s skill level in which the tasks are not easy for the student but are
also not so challenging that the student will give up. In this lesson, the students have numerous
opportunities to answer discussion questions that make them think. They are also asked to work in
groups to create a poster using information they find independently.

List the learning objective(s) to be addressed in this lesson (specific, measurable, attainable,
timebound). Use the following format: “Students will be able to…”
Students will be able to identify the different things plants need to survive.

Students will be able to write about why plants need certain things to survive.

Describe how the learning objective(s) and the learning outcomes is/are appropriate for the
age/developmental level of the students.

At the second-grade level, science standards ask for students to know the basic needs of plants. The
objectives above focus on having the students learn these needs and being able to explain why the
plants need them. Within this lesson, students work to identify light and water as two basic needs of
plants. Another standard that is set for second-grade students is being able to write out answers to
questions using complete sentences. In this lesson, students will explain the needs of plants using
complete sentences.

Describe the Classroom Demographics: (e.g., ethnicities; gender ratios; special needs,
including those of gifted students, those of students’ physical needs, and those due to
cultural characteristics).
• There are 21 students in the class: 10 boys and 11 girls.
• Two of the students are on reading IEPs (one specific to writing)
Describe your Knowledge of Students: (in terms of the whole class and individual students)
(e.g., language needs; approaches to learning; prior learning and experiences; academic
proficiencies/behavioral differences; areas of interest).
• As a class, there is a struggle to listen and follow directions even when given one at a time.
• While there are a few students that are at the typical level of a second grader, most of the
class is below average and struggles to complete assignments independently.
• This class’s kindergarten year was interrupted by COVID, so they missed out on critical time
to develop social, emotional, language, and cognitive skills.

List the materials/resources you will need to teach the lesson.

• 21 copies of foldables (for pre-assessment)

• Students’ science textbooks
• iPads (one for each group – 7 groups in total)
• large pieces of paper
• Markers
Technology
Describe the instructional and/or assistive technology that you plan to incorporate into the lesson and
explain how it will enhance instruction and student learning.
• Smartboard – to display textbook pages
• iPads – researching plants

Accommodations: Base this on the information you provided for Classroom Demographics
and Knowledge of Students above.
Describe the accommodations/differentiation/modifications you will use to meet the needs
of all learners and accommodate differences in students’ learning, culture, language, etc. *
For the students that get off task, I will ask them a question directly to get their attention back on the
lesson.
If students start getting fidgety and cannot focus, I will have them get up and do a Go Noodle activity.
When assigning groups for the group project, I will pair the students that struggle with reading with
strong readers, so they are able to get past the reading and focus on the science of the activity.

Pre-Assessment: Describe the instrument or process you will use to measure students’ level
of understanding toward the learning objective(s) prior to teaching the lesson.

The students will write what they think plants need on a copy of the foldable.

Pre-Assessment: Describe how the results of the pre-assessment (what the students have
demonstrated they know) will be used to design the lesson objectives, instruction, and post-
assessment. (Include charts, graphs if applicable)
From the pre-assessment, I will be able to use the results to determine how many students
do not know the material before I teach it to them.
Classroom Management
Identify the management and motivational strategies you will use to meet student
behavioral/developmental needs in order to keep students on task and actively engaged throughout
the lesson.
If students do become unfocused, I will work to get their attention back on the math by asking
questions to them specifically and using their names to draw them in.

If students are especially off task and distracting their peers, I will use proximity as a technique to get
them back on track.
Implementation
“I Do”
(Teacher introduces lesson and models expected outcome(s) of learning objectives)
Describe what instructional strategies you will use to model/explain/demonstrate the
knowledge and skills required of the objective.
1. I Do – I will have the helper hand out the preassessment while I give the instructions:
• Students will write the two things they think a plant needs on the lines found on the
handout.
• Then raise their hands when they are done, and I will come grab their sheet.
2. You Do - Students will do preassessment and raise their hand when done
3. I Do – I will collect the sheets
4. We Do – Once everyone is finished with the preassessment, we will have a discussion
to boost engagement.
• Does anyone have houseplants or a garden at home?
• What do you do to help keep your plants alive?
• What happens when a plant does not receive water or light?
5. We Do – In their science books, students will look at the photo of the poppies on
pages 44-45 and will answer the following questions:
• What do you notice about where the poppies are growing?
• Are they getting what they need?
• How can you tell?
6. We Do – As a class we will read through pages 44-45, stopping to discuss throughout.
• What does depend mean? (To need)
• What do plants depend on to live and grow? (Light and water)
• Where are the poppies getting the light they need to grow? (From the sun)
• Where does the foxglove get the water it needs to grow? (From the rain)
• How can you tell if a plant has not had enough water or light? (Leaves turn yellow or
brown, stops growing, starts to droop, leaves wilt)
7. We Do – The students will think back to their plants they have at home and answers
some questions.
• Where do your plants grow? (Inside, outside)
• How do the plants in and around your home get what they need?
- For indoor plants, how do they get water since it does not rain indoors? what about
light?
 8. We Do – What are some things plants depend on to live and grow? (Light and water)
9. I Do – I will divide the students into small groups of 3 and give the instructions for the
next task.
• Each group will have ONE iPad to do research on.
• The group will be assigned a plant [tomatoes, corn, carrots, cucumbers, strawberries,
squash, potatoes, raspberries] and will have to find the answers to the following
questions:
- How much sunlight does your plant need?
- How often does your plant need to be watered?
- How long does it take for your plant to produce its fruit or vegetable?
- What is something fun to know about your plant?
• Each group will get a big piece of paper where they will need include the following:
- The name of their plant
- A drawing of their plant
- A drawing of the food their plant grows
- The answers (IN COMPLETE SENTENCES) to each of the items they researched
- The names of each of the group members
10. You Do – The students will then work in groups to research their plants and create
their posters.
11. We Do – If there is time at the end of class, each group will get to go in front of the
class and present their plant to the class.

“We Do”
(Teacher engages students in guided practice)
Describe the learning activities you will use to provide students multiple opportunities to practice the
skills and content needed to meet the learning objective(s).
**See “I Do” Section

“You Do”
(Students engage in independent practice)
Describe what the students will do to independently practice the knowledge and skills required by
the lesson objectives?
**See “I Do” Section

Lesson Closing
Describe how you will reemphasize the lesson objective(s) and any skills/content that were
taught in an interactive manner (whole/small group, etc.).
If there is time, each group will get to come to the front of the class and present their plant
to the class.

Post-Assessment: APPENDIX: Include a blank copy of the lesson post-assessment you will use to
measure students’ level of understanding toward the learning objectives after teaching the lesson.
The students’ final posters will be used to assess their knowledge of the content.

Analyze
Post Assessment: Based on the results of the Pre and Post-Assessment, to what extent did
students achieve the learning goals/objective of the lesson? Cite examples from the lesson plan,
assessments, and/or video.
If applicable, insert a table/chart/graph before your explanation.
As I collected the preassessments, I noticed that many of the Student Pre Post
students already knew the two main things a plant needs to 1 100% √
survive are sunlight and water. Two other answers that were 2 100% √
fairly common were dirt and food. The next lesson does dive into 3 0% √
how plants use dirt for food, but that is not applicable to this 4 50% √
lesson. Based on what I saw while collecting the preassessment, I 5 100% √
chose to not spend as much time going over the sunlight and
6 50% √
water aspect of the lesson since many already knew it and the
7 100% √
remaining students most likely just needed a reminder. The
majority of the time allotted to my lesson was spent creating the 8 100% √
plant posters. I believe this project was a good way to get the 9 50% √
students practicing several skills including communication, 10 100% √
teamwork, writing, skimming, and scanning. 11 50% √
12 50% √
13 0% √
14 100% √
15 100% √
16 100% √
17 50% √
18 50% √
19 100% √
20 50% √
21 50% √
Reflect
Reflect on your instructional strategies, interactions with students, and classroom management
strategies. Describe what went well and what areas you need to revise in the future. Cite examples
(from video) that support your conclusions.
Describe revisions that you could make if you were to teach this lesson again. Why would you make
each revision? Cite examples from the lesson plan, video and/or student work that would prompt
revisions.
Two successes –
• Engagement
The students were engaged throughout the entire lesson. When we were reading through the
textbook and I asked questions, they were eager to volunteer answers or to read. They were also very
attentive while I was giving the instructions for the poster. Once they were sent to create their
posters, almost all of the students were on task at all times. I walked around and gave feedback while
they worked, and they were very responsive to that feedback as well. And finally, when their
classmates were presenting, the students were very respectful audience members.
• Poster Project
The students really enjoyed being able to work in groups to design their plant posters. I think this was
one of the first times they have really gotten to take control of how they were going to learn. Along
with the boost in engagement from doing this activity instead of a worksheet, the activity had the
students unconsciously working on some very key skills that they will need in their lives
(communication, problem-solving, writing). Most of them also enjoyed showing their finished posters
to the rest of the class.
Two challenges –
• Using the Lesson Plan
This lesson had a lot of questions that I was supposed to ask to get the students thinking. Because of
this, I was trying to refer back to my lesson plan throughout the lesson. I kept losing my place and had
to search for the next question while the students waited. Granted, it did not take very long to find
the next question, in the future I would like to know my lessons better so I do not have to refer back
to the plan in the middle of the implementation of the lesson.
• Gauging Volume Levels
The school that this lesson was implemented in had an open concept, meaning there were no doors
and only sections of wall to divide up the different rooms from the hallways and each other. That
being said, the classrooms surrounding mine are disturbed much more than if we were to have a door
to shut. I really struggled while the students were working on their posters to decide how loud was
too loud. If we had been in a closed classroom, I would have been fine with the volume level, but I
was nervous that the other classes might not be able to concentrate on their own lessons.
Two improvements –
• Popsicle Sticks
In the future, I would want to use popsicle sticks with the students’ names on them to make sure
everyone had a chance to answer questions and participate in the lesson. When I am teaching a
lesson, there is so much to focus on that it is hard to remember who I have called on already and who
has not spoken since the lesson has started. By using popsicle sticks or maybe a checklist, I would be
able to note which students were speaking up.
• Poster Project Instructions
During the implementation of this lesson, I wrote the list on the board of the items that needed to be
included on the students’ posters. I assumed the students would know how to design a poster, but I
should have been much more explicit about how to set up their information.

Other Resources:
TOMATOES
Tomatoes are not always red!
 It takes 40 to 50 days for tomato plants to produce tomatoes.

It is important to plant tomato seeds at least 24 inches of apart.

Tomato plants need around 6 to 8 hours of sun each day.

Tomatoes are actually a fruit!

There are over 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.

Tomato plants need 1 to 2 inches of water every week to grow big and healthy.

China produces the most tomatoes in the world.

Tomatoes keep your heart healthy.

CORN
Another name for corn is maize.

For the biggest and most corn at harvest, the corn needs sun all day.

Corn can be grown as different colors: black, blue, purple, green, red, and white.

South Dakota is part of the “Corn Belt” where it is easiest to grow corn!

Corn needs about 1 inch of water each week.

The United States is the biggest corn producer in the world.

It takes 60 to 100 days for corn to completely grow and produce more corn.

Corn can be used to make fireworks, soap, paint, and lots of other non-food items!

On average, a corn cob has about 800 kernels!

CARROTS
Eating cooked carrots is better for you than eating raw carrots.

Carrots are usually orange, but can be purple, red, white, or yellow.

Carrot plants need about 1 inch of water each week.

About 88% of carrots are made up of water.

People used to wear carrot leaves in their hair as a fashion statement!

Carrots need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day.

California produces most of the carrots in the United States.

The darker the carrot is, the sweeter the taste!

 After 70 to 80 days, a carrot is usually grown and ready to be pulled from the soil.

CUCUMBERS
Cucumbers can be up to 2 feet long!

Cucumbers are 95% water.

It is best for cucumber plants to have at least 8 hours of sunlight each day.

The leaves on a cucumber plant give shade to the growing cucumbers.

Cucumber plants should get at least 1 inch of water per week.

It takes 50 to 70 days for a cucumber plant to produce a cucumber.

Cucumbers can be used to sooth sunburns.

When cucumbers are pickled, they become pickles!

STRAWBERRIES
Strawberries are the first fruit to get ripe in the spring.

About 1 billion pounds of strawberries are produced in California each year!

Strawberry plants need 1 to 2 inches of water every day!

It takes a full year for a strawberry plant to start producing strawberries.

Strawberry plants grow back year after year, without being replanted.

94% of Americans eat strawberries.

Strawberry plants need over 10 hours of sunlight every day!

A strawberry has about 200 seeds!

Strawberries are grown in every state in the United States.

SQUASH
When the squash is dried, it is often used as a container.

A pumpkin is a type of squash!

Squash plants need 1 inch of water each week.

Native Americans used to cut pumpkins into strips and weave them into mats to sleep on.
 In order to produce the most squash, the plant should get at least 6 hours of sunlight.

It takes about 60 days for the squash plant to produce squashes.

There are hundreds of different types of squash.

In 2011, the United Sates produced 743.8 million pounds of squash.

POTATOES
There are thousands of different types of potatoes.

At least 6 hours of sunlight is how much sun a potato plant should have each day.

Potatoes are cooked and served in many ways: mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, French fries, and
hashbrowns are a few examples.

Potato plants need 1 to 2 inches of water each week.

The average American eats 124 pounds of potatoes each year.

It takes about 60 to 90 days for a potato plant to produce potatoes.

Potato chips are one of the most common snack foods in the world!

Idaho is the largest producer of potatoes in the United States.

A potato is 80% water.

RASPBERRIES
There are over 200 varieties of raspberries!

Raspberries are usually red, but can also be purple, gold, and black.

Raspberry bushes need 1 to 2 inches of water each week.

About 90% of the raspberries sold in the United States are from Washington, California, and Oregon.

Every raspberry is actually made up of about 100 individual little parts.

Raspberry bushes grow best with at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day.

Raspberries are one of the healthiest fruits to eat!

It takes two years for the raspberry bush to produce raspberries.

Unlike most berries, raspberries do not ripen after they are picked.