Topic: Seeds and Plants Grade: Kindergarten Educator: Cristin Smith

Redesigned Curriculum Planning Framework

Establishing Goals
What core competencies and shared values for learning together will students be developing & practicing over time?
Creative thinking – I get ideas when I play. My ideas are fun & make me happy.
I get ideas when I use my senses to explore.
Critical Thinking- I can reflect on and evaluate my thinking, products, and actions.
I can ask open-ended questions and gather information.
Communication- I ask and respond to simple questions.
I can recount simple experiences and activities and tell something I have learned.
I present information clearly and in an organized way.
How will growth be documented by teachers and by students? Through conversations and documentation throughout by the educator. Students will be videotaped answering a few questions about the needs of plants, the parts of a plant, and seeds.These
video clips will be shared with parents. Students will have the opportunity to plant their own seeds and observe them growing into plants. They will use clipboards to record the changes that they notice as the plant grows over time. Together time will allow
for opportunities to share learning and observations with peers that is happening . The teacher will document as this occurs.
Big ideas: Science
• Students will understand that plants and animals have observable features.
• Daily and seasonal changes affect all living things.
• What specifically do you want students to understand? Students will understand the needs of plants and how those are similar to their own needs. Students will understand the parts of a plant and how each plant part has a special role.
• What connections do you want them to make? Knowing that all living things have needs and what those needs are.
Physical and Health Education
Understand

• Knowing about our bodies and making healthy choices helps us look after ourselves.
English Language Arts
• Stories and other texts can be shared through pictures and words.
• Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.
Essential questions:
• Students will keep considering how do the different features of plants help them meet their basic needs? What are your basic needs?
• What thought-provoking questions will foster inquiry, meaning-making, and transfer? Are our needs similar or different to plants?
• How do plants help us and our environment?
• Are the parts of the plant similar or different to us?

Curriculum Competencies: Science

• Questioning and predicting by demonstrating curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world. Observe objects in familiar contexts. Ask simple questions about familiar objects and events.
• Planning and conducting by using senses to make observations.
• Process and analyze data and information by experiencing and interpreting the local environment. Representing observations and ideas by drawing.
• Applying and innovating and transferring and applying learning to new situations.
Do

• Communicating by sharing observations and ideas orally.

ELA
• Comprehend and connect by using play and other creative means to discover foundational concepts of print, oral, and visual texts. Begin to use language to identify, create and express ideas, feelings, opinions, and preferences. Begin to
use sources of information and prior knowledge to make meaning. Engage actively as listeners, viewers, and readers, to develop understanding of self, identity, and community. And exchange ideas and perspectives to build shared
understanding.
 Topic: Seeds and Plants Grade: Kindergarten Educator: Cristin Smith
Content:
Science
• Basic needs of plants
• Parts of plants
• Adaptations of local plants
Know

• Local First peoples uses of plants

• Living things make changes to accommodate daily and seasonal changes

Physical and Health Education

• Relationships between food, hydration, and health
• Practices that promote health and well-being

Communicating Student Learning

(Making Learning Visible)
• How will you provide with clarity about, and understanding of the learning intentions for
the work at hand and the criteria for success? I will model behavior that demonstrates
curiosity and a sense of wonder about plants. During our soft morning start learning
activities will be set out for children that relates to the content. I will circulate will the
Assessment children are at learning stations and give an explanation of what each station offers.
• Students will use clipboards to document their observations of their bean plant. They will be
• for provided with many opportunities to share their observations by means of class discussions.
• How will you design thoughtful classroom discussions and questions that generate evidence
• as of learning? Think-pair-share – what do you think are the same or different between plants
• of and humans. Talk about your ideas with a partner. Share these ideas to the rest of the class.
See/think/wonder- What do you see happening with the seed? What do you think about
Learning these changes? What does it make you wonder?
Think/Puzzle/Explore – What do you think you know about the needs of plants? What
questions or puzzles do you have? What does this topic make you want to explore?
What makes you say that? – What’s going on with the plant? What do you see that makes
you say that?
Learning Plan*
• How will you make the learning accessible for ALL learners to succeed? I will encourage students to show their learning in
a way that is meaningful and best for them. This can include artwork, samples of their best work, or another way that this
student and I discuss. We will brainstorm and use pictures beside words to help children build a connection between the
word and what it represents. Students will have differentiated expectations during journal writing depending on their
ability. Dramatic play opportunities using puppet theatre to retell “Jack and the Beanstalk”. The house centre will be
changed into a garden nursery where children can buy and sell items needed to tend to plants.
How might First People’s Principles of Learning inform the planning & learning? We will have an elder come into class and
share oral stories about different plants in our communities and how they are used. This demonstrates to the children that
learning embedded in memory, history, and story. This also shows that children that learning recognizes the role of Indigenous
knowledge.
How will you intentionally build a safe and caring learning environment? I will model appropriate behavior to the children.
And remind that students regularly of our class motto. “Safety First and Kindness.”
How will you create opportunities for collaboration & co-teaching? I will try to incorporate Big Buddies activities that are
related to the Plant Unit. I will ask my colleagues for any resources, materials, or stories that would foster curiosity in my
students. I will keep open communication with the Indigenous Liaison in the school to ensure I ham using authentic First
Peoples resources. On the field trip to the Garden Centre I will make sure an expert is available to talk to the students about
the different between native and Invasive plants in our communities and how native plants can be planted in our communities
to help the environment.
 Topic: Seeds and Plants Grade: Kindergarten Educator: Cristin Smith
• How will the process of learning be documented and valued? I will take pictures of the bean • How will you facilitate connections between students and the curriculum content? Instructional Strategies
seeds as they begin to sprout in their Ziploc greenhouses. Then when the seeds are Through hands-on experiential learning in the school garden, dissecting a bean seed, for Differentiation
transplanted into a clear plastic cup the students will observe and make drawings of how and planting and observing their own bean seed growing. We will watch age-
their plant is changing over time. The students will also answer a few questions about the appropriate videos about the needs and parts of plants that are designed to engage • Open-ended tasks &
needs of plants, and I will videotape these interviews to share with their parents. Students children in their learning. teaching
will create artwork that features plants and the 5 main parts, and it will be displayed in the • How will you provide opportunities for students to access and activate background • Gradual release of
classroom. knowledge? By using different thinking routines like “I used to think… but now I responsibility
• How will you design opportunities for students to reflect on their learning? We will use think”. “K-W-L” brainstorming through think-pair-share or together time on the • Literature circles
together time to reflect and share what we have learned about plants. Before our field trip carpet. • Information circles
to the garden centre we can use think/puzzle/explore. When we return students can share • How will you provide opportunities for them to acquire and build background • Numeracy circles
any answers they found out about what was puzzling to them earlier. Students will have the knowledge? I will read stories about seeds and plants. Provide short videos that are • Cooperative learning

Connecting
opportunity to share their learning in a videoclip that will be distributed to their parents via relate to the curricular content. Discussions during together time at the carpet. • Inquiry
Freshgrade. Outdoor time in the gardens and exploring around the outside school grounds. Fun • Project-based
• Where will students have the opportunity to share their understanding in order to receive art projects that are related to plants. Poems during literacy time. learning
feedback, revise and improve? Partner talks, drawing in their journals throughout the unit • How will you design the learning to increase student engagement and motivation? • Problem-based
using different sentence starters, conversations during together time will allow for students Sensory bins that can be used during soft start in the morning. Magnifying glasses by learning
to share their learning, listen to others ideas and perspectives, and gain a deeper the “I wonder” light table so children can look at different seeds and plants close-up. • Play-based learning
understanding about plants. Retelling stories in puppet theatre. Planting and observing our own plants growing. Visiting a garden centre to see the • Learning through
• How will you put learners to work as learning/teaching resources for each other? Students vast amount of different types of plants. Fun and engaging videos and songs about design
will be given many opportunities to share their ideas with each other. Together time at the plants and their needs and parts. • Choice
carpet also provides many opportunities to be teaching/learning for the classroom • Culturally responsive
community. teaching
• How will you ensure that students are owners of their own learning? Students will be given • Models
opportunities to self-reflect by colouring the emoji that reflects their personal level of
• Manipulatives
learning. They will each have a short conversation with the teacher to discuss what they
• Text sets
need to further deepen their own learning.
• Service learning
• Workshops (reading
• How are you communicating your understanding of your students’ learning? I will be • How will you provide opportunities for students to interact with new ideas, build writing & numeracy)
documenting a lot during this unit by taking notes, pictures, and video. Through this understanding by adding on new information and revising former information? The • Learning with
documentation I will be able to assess each child level of understanding. I will use samples Explanation Game routine to help students identify something about plant or seed. technology

Processing
of work, conversations, documentation, and unit end interview to see how the child has met And then question why it is that way. This may lead into a new inquiry about the • Other…
curricular outcomes. differences between plant species.
• How are your students communicating their understanding of learning? Class discussions,
observing and noting changes of their plants, needs of a plant activity, parts of a plant
activity, journal writing with specific sentence starters, artwork, video interview, and core
competencies self-assessment
• How will parents contribute to the understanding of their child’s learning? Parents will be
Communication able to comment on any updates to their child’s portfolio on FreshGrade. and email. During
soft start or afterschool connecting with any parents that would like to have a short
• How will you provide opportunities for students to show acquired information in
of learning conversation of their child’s learning.
personalized, thoughtful ways? Art stations, journal writing, talking photos of things
• How will you ensure timely and on-going communication amongst all stakeholders? I will

Transforming
update FreshGrade so that parents can see what their child is up to at school. This will
hopefully encourage meaningful discussions at home about what the child has been
learning and is interested in while at school.
about plants that interest them, class book about the unit that they create with a
page of their own about something they find interesting or neat about plants, and
students sharing in a video clip something that they were excited to learn about
plants and sharing that on FreshGrade with parents.
 Topic: Seeds and Plants Grade: Kindergarten Educator: Cristin Smith
• “A little Seed” by Eric Carle
• “Plants” by Pie Corbett, a singing and rhyming book
• “How Do Plants Grow” by Terri Mack
• “Discovering Plants through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for
Children” by Bruchac and Caduto
• “Living Sunshine: How Plants bring the Earth to life” by Bang and Chisholm
• “Miss Maple’s Seeds” by Eliza Wheeler
• “Ten Seeds” by Ruth Brown

Resources
• “A seed is sleepy” by Dianna Aston
• “Lighthouse Seeds” by Pamela Love
• “And then the Seed grew” by Marianne Dubuc
• “Luke and the Little seed” by Guiliano Ferri
• “Curious George discovers plants” by Monica Perez
• “Curious George plants a seed” by Sandra Willard
• “Ants in your pants, worms in your plants” by Diane DeGroat
• “Seeds, bulbs, plants, flowers” by Helen Orme
• Needs of a Plant video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUBIQ1fTRzI
• Magic School Bus plant and seed videos
• “What I see in Spring” worksheet
• Needs of a Plant booklet
• Parts of a plant worksheet

What core competencies and shared values for learning together did students develop & practice over time?
How are students reflecting on their growth?

* Adapted from: It’s all about Thinking: Collaborating to Support All Learners in English, Socials Studies and Humanities by Faye Brownlie and Leyton Schnellert. Framework created by Macmillan, Hunter & Duby.