Plants and Animals Unit Introduction

Overview
This is a Kindergarten Science Unit that integrates English
Language Arts, Math, Art and Health. The unit is titled Plants and
Animals, and was adapted from the Kindergarten Harcourt Publishers
California Science Teacher Edition. Each lesson from this teacher
edition has an essential question that I used for each lesson. The
lessons, however, I adapted in several ways in order to integrate more
subjects as well as accommodate for all of my learners in the
classroom. The unit was created to be centered around a culminating
learning activity, a field trip to the Petaluma Pumpkin Patch. The
Pumpkin Patch volunteers provide an educational tour of the patch,
which includes a walk into the garden and to the animal pens.

How will this unit be introduced and concluded?

The unit will be introduced with a story. We have read several
stories over the past few weeks that include real characters (i.e. a boy,
a rabbit that doesnt talk) as well as fictional characters (i.e. talking
flowers, talking animals). The first essential question will introduce this
unit: What are Living Things? The separation of real versus fictional
story characters is a great way to introduce an essential question like
this to young students. This will lead into what animals are like, what
they need, and how they grow and change. The same essential

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questions about plants will follow. The unit culminates with a field trip
to the pumpkin patch where volunteers give us an educational tour of
where the pumpkins are grown and what animals they have and where
they live, what they eat, etc. The real-world connection between our
unit and this field trip is meant to solidify their understanding. In the
last lesson, we will be leading into our next unit: 5 Senses. We will be
using our pumpkins we brought back from the pumpkin patch (each
student took home 1 pumpkin approximately the size of their head) to
complete a Pumpkin Journal, where we weigh, describe, and make
predictions using our pumpkins.

How are Multiple Intelligence Teaching Strategies and Blooms

Taxonomy utilized in this unit?
The Plants and Animals unit was adapted with Multiple
Intelligence Teaching Strategies and Blooms Taxonomy in mind. This
group of students in particular has so many different types of learners,
so I made sure to include lessons and student activities that
accommodated all different types of learners. I included English
Language Arts lessons that compliment the strengths of our
verbal/linguistic learners. We have a poem or song for almost every
lesson (and on days we dont have a new poem or song, we often
repeat the ones we have learned) to make that connection with our
musical and bodily-kinesthetic learners. There are art activities for our

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visual/spatial learners, and plenty of partner activities for all of our
interpersonal learners. Many of the students in this class are a
combination of several of these types of intelligences, so having such a
large amount of these types of lessons and activities incorporated into
this unit was absolutely crucial.
Students are applying their knowledge throughout this unit, as
well as making connections between plants and animals (and
humans!). One of the most important aspects of Blooms Taxonomy at
the Kindergarten level is Create. This is incredibly important to their
learning, and it is incorporated throughout this entire unit.

How are 21st Century skills developed in this unit?

21st Century Skills are embedded all throughout this unit.
Students are asked to think critically at the beginning of each lesson
when they are challenged with a new essential question. They make
predictions, they fill out inquiry charts and observation charts, and we
close each lesson with what we noticed and what we wonder. Students
are not simply going through the motions in this lesson, their
observations and curiosities is what guides these conversations. We
take advantage of the technology the school has provided us by using
the ELMO projector to create more interesting lessons, and connecting
the laptop to it to make the songs and videos come alive. They have
been introduced to a search engine by the technology teacher in the

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library, so the next step is for students to find their own pictures to use
for the observation charts.
Creativity is so essential at this grade level. Having students use
their creativity to show their learning is an important part of this unit.
One of the main assessments for the students on their understanding
of the essential questions on animals is when they create their clay
models of an animal as a baby and as an adult. They create pictures
which, for this group in particular, has highlighted their creativity as
tremendously. This additional outlet for sharing knowledge has been
extremely beneficial.
Collaboration is also one of the most common themes in this
unit. At the kindergarten level, simply working cooperatively with
others is a huge lesson in itself. This is why so many of the lessons in
this unit include group work and, more specifically, EEKK partner work.
EEKK partners were made at the beginning of the year, and have been
adjusted as the year goes on. They are mostly partnered one EnglishOnly student and one English Learner student, and have been adjusted
as strengths and areas of improvement have fluctuated throughout the
year. Students love the partner activities, and it is beneficial both in an
academic sense and in a classroom environment sense.

How will instruction be differentiated to ensure all students

access to the curriculum?

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With this class being half English Only and half English Learner,
this unit was tailor-made to ensure all students access to the
curriculum. Almost every lesson in this unit opens with either a song or
a poem, and body movements to match. The poem or song always has
a direction connection to the lesson for that day, which gives students
an additional outlet for comprehension. Our class-made charts and
pictographs are extremely visual and interactive, and we have a movie
on pumpkins that highlights our essential questions on plants. These
alternative methods of exposure to this material has been especially
beneficial for our ELs. Grouping strategies are also created for success,
with partners complimenting each others strengths. These EEKK
partners have really brought our class together as a whole. We have
embraced each other and our strengths, our areas that need
improvement, and the ways we learn best, so I have made sure to
include as many EEKK partner activities in this unit as I could. This
healthy classroom environment has a low affective filter as a result.

How will English language acquisition/development be

facilitated?
The focus on the essential question to start each lesson is
extremely important to English language acquisition and development
in this unit. The essential questions are phrased simply, but can still be
confusing to those still learning English. By breaking down the question

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at the beginning of each lesson before we get into the lesson itself,
were able to ensure understanding before moving on into the lesson.
The inquiry charts and observation charts that will remain on our
Science Wall when completed and will be revisited weekly also help to
reinforce the language acquisition and development. In all of the
lessons that include a poster, chart, pictograph, etc., I have laminated
word cards that will be taped on. For many of these words I also have
picture cards that will be placed next to them. Words like water,
soil, light, space, root, leaf, stem, etc. all have laminated
word cards and picture cards that we go over explicitly and often.
Having students, especially ELs, come up and tape either the word
card next to the picture card or the picture card next to the word card,
is a great way to continue developing their English acquisition (and can
also be an assessment of sorts). Constant exposure and spiraling back
all benefit English language acquisition and development.

How will student learning outcomes be assessed?

Student learning outcomes are assessed throughout this lesson,
both formatively and summatively. Looking at their work (i.e. workbook
pages, picture books, pumpkin journal, etc.) will help me assess them
on a daily basis. I will also be pulling students 1-on-1 during their 30minute choice time at the end of the day throughout this unit. I will be
doing this for each student two times each week (4 times total for the

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unit) and asking them questions related to the lessons we have done
so far. This will either be a conversation, asking them a direct question
(i.e. What are the 4 essential needs of a plant?), or having a
conversation and asking them to explain what they know about a
certain word or topic. I will be keeping a running record for each
student which I will keep in their file. The summative assessment for
the essential questions on animals will be the explanation of their clay
animal models. The summative assessment for plants will be the 1-on1 conversation about the 4 essential needs of a plant. I will assess
informally during EEKK partner activities and when students are
working on workbook pages or picture books independently. There is
also a rubric for the Pumpkin Vine Art Project which will be used to
assess that project.

Are GLAD Strategies incorporated into this unit?

There are several GLAD strategies incorporated into this unit.
The Science Big Book is one of the main cornerstones of this integrated
unit, and almost every lesson begins with reading from the Big Book.
We also create several interactive charts together. For the lesson on
what animals needs, we read from the Big Book then we fill out an
Inquiry Chart as a class. We also use an Observation Chart later in this
unit, when we talk about what plants need. The observation chart has
pictures and word cards of the essential needs of a plant, and we fill

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out the chart together using our observations. The GLAD strategies
that have been incorporated in this unit will benefit all the learners in
this class, especially the English Learners.