I N Q U I RY L E A R N I N G P L A N N E R

UNIT TITLE: Where does my dinner come from? From Farm to Table.

LEVEL TEAM TERM DURATIONFoundation- Level 2 Melanie Hollibone

Taryn LumsdenMary BuffonJessica Moro

3 10 weeks (1 term)

UNDERSTANDINGS: FOCUS QUESTIONS:Foundation

All living things have basic needs including food and water.

Been able to compare the needs of plants and animals.

Year 1:

Living things need different environments to grow.

Living things have a variety of external features.

Year 2:

Earths resources, including water, are used in a variety of ways

Living things grow and change.

Foundation: What are living things?Living things have basic needs, what are they?How does the environment affect plant and animal life and growth?

Year 1: What are the needs of different plants and animals?

Living fruit, vegetables and animals have different external features, what are they?

Year 2: How are the earths resources used to assist in the growth of fruit/vegetables and animals?

How do living plants and animals change as they grow?

KEY CONCEPTS:

Plant lifecycles, animal lifecycles, transpiration, byproducts,

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Thinking Processes

Communication Skills Personal Learning Interpersonal Development

Make observations of plant life cycles.

Draw conclusions about plant life cycles through observation and recording of information from practical experiences with seeds and pumpkins.

Represent learning of plant life cycles through a visual diary.

Present knowledge and understanding and engage with a range of communication forms such as oral, written, visual, diaries and through the use of technology including PowerPoint presentations, photographs and video clips.

Using graphic organisers such as the KWL chart for students to identify what they know, want to know and what they have learnt.

Students can use their visual diaries to record learning and development.

Appropriate, positive and effective engagement with peers in pairs and/ or groups.

Students can work together to identify and solve problems as a team.

RESOURCES

Should be included using APA referencing

Dobbins, J. (2013, April 2). A Farmer's Life for Me. Barefoot Books. Retrieved September 22, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr1sQ7kGYlY&list=PL0maGUp7cdUkPJgFg9PL0CAqzSDsWo2UR&index=19

Matthews, P. (2002). A Year on our Farm. Australia: Scholastic.Owen,A. (2003).Old MacDonald had a farm. Minneapolis: Picture Window Books.

Worth,B. (2008).If I ran the rainforest. London: Harper Collins Children's.

Wise Brown, M. (1989). Big red barn. United States of America: HarperCollins Publishers.

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TUNING INLesson 1:Read the book, If I Ran the Rainforest by Bonnie Worth

Using the interactive smart board, present the word Plant in the middle of the board. Activate students prior knowledge about plants through questioning Explore and clarify unfamiliar vocabulary Words that may require clarification Add student responses to the brainstorm on the board to provide a visual for students to activate

knowledge Hand out I wonder cards, where students are to list what they wonder about plants/fruit/vegetables/

anything related Students are to then place their wonderings into the I wonder box Anonymous wonderings can then be shared with the whole class

Lesson 2: Use the thinking routine Think-Pair-Share to explore the question, Where does my dinner come

from? Instructional strategy to activate students thinking and make this thinking visible After students have shared their responses in their pair, hand out yellow post it notes for students to

write down or draw ideas of where their dinner comes from Students are to place the post it note on the Inquiry wall Students select a post it note from the wall to share with the class

Read the book, Old McDonald Had a Farm by Ann Owen

Pose the question, Where does my dinner come from? a second time Hand out pink post it notes for students to add new ideas that they had not initially thought about Students are to add the pink post it notes onto the inquiry wall

Reflection 1:Gather students together once they have placed their wonderings into the I wonder box. Encourage students to draw a wondering out of the box and share it with the class. Pin wonderings onto the board. Once all the wonderings have been shared with the class, ask students if they had any similar wonderings that they had with another student and whether the students found that a particular wondering interested them.

Reflection 2:Gather students together once each student has added a second post it note to the inquiry wall. Discuss with students the differences between what they initially thought of when they pondered the question, where does my dinner come from? and the new ideas that the book may have presented.

Create a display area with the title, Where does my dinner come from where students can add new ideas to the inquiry wall.

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FINDING OUT SORTING OUTHow can we: Take students beyond what they already know? Challenge their ideas, beliefs and attitudes? Enable them to use skills and knowledge to collect new information? Provide a range of experiences to develop our understandings?

How will students sort out, organise, represent and present what they have found out? Ho can they communicate and express what they know? How will they use preferred ways to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and values?

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Lesson 3:Building on from what students have learnt about the lifecycle of plants and vegetables, the children will further explore what happens above and below the ground when a seed is planted.

Introduce the children to the type of seed that we will be using (a broad bean seed) and pose questions as to what the children think the seed is, what will it grow, have they seen one before and allow time for discussion.

Ask the children if they are aware of how the seed grows in the early stages (e.g. seed, plant root system and seedling) and write these ideas down as a class brainstorm. This will not only aid in oral language development, but also development of vocabulary specific to the topic (define unknown topic vocabulary as a group).

Show the children the created PowerPoint presentation that displays the plant lifecycle (images of seed to root development and so forth to growth of seedling) to create a concrete image of the information being presented.

Discuss with the children that we will be working in mixed age/ability groups to plant one broad bean seed in a jar with cotton wool and the other in a small pot in soil with the aid of showing the children that although we may not see anything growing above the soil, there may still be things happening to the seed underground that we cannot see (reason for using the jar and cotton wool to show the children that what growth and changes are happening to the seed that we cannot see above ground).

Allow the children to think in their groups about what care is needed for the seeds what does the plant need to survive?

Explain to the children that each group will be creating a visual diary that will consist of pictures, thoughts, ideas, new understandings, new vocabulary or anything that they feel is relevant that they will collectively work on throughout the remainder of this unit. The children will also be instructed to photograph both their jar and pot each week and place it into the diary, along with writing about any changes that they have noticed, further predictions, new learning and so forth.

Children are then to write down in their visual diary as a group, 3 things that they predict will happen to the seeds, 3 things that they want to know more about and 3 new things/words that they have learnt about the plant lifecycle/growth thus far.

Lesson 5:Furthering on from what students have previously learnt about the lifecycle of plants and vegetables and what happens above and below the ground when a seed is planted, students will be responsible for collaboratively building a kitchen garden to explore and review the needs of plants.

Brainstorm with students a range of fruit and vegetables they eat and pose questions in regards to how the plant grows, what it may need to grow, allowing adequate time for group discussion.

Discuss with students the process of growing plants and review the needs of different types of plants. Lead this into a discussion about what plants need to survive and how this differs/is similar to what we as humans need to survive.

Have children divided into groups, with each group taking a section of the kitchen garden, two groups with fruits (strawberries and tomatoes), while the two other groups will take vegetables (e.g. cucumbers and pumpkins). Discuss how clean water and soil are necessary for plants to grow, the maintenance the plants need. Have children tend to their garden during Inquiry lessons, whilst also encouraging children to look after their garden outside of the classroom during lunch and recess.

After students have planted the kitchen garden, show them photos from different stages of the lifecycle of their seeds, what their seeds look like at this moment in time, discuss what they have had to do in order for their seeds to survive, how this will differ from what they will need to do for a whole garden of plants. For example, you can see the roots growing in the jar but we cannot see them in the soil. Furthering on from growing seeds in a jar and planting them in the ground, discuss with students what the seeds look like when they are older and have had time to grow in the kitchen garden. Discuss the three things they each wanted to know more about, their findings and whether they have found this out. If they havent, continue to find out how they can. Continue to add photos but this time of their plants at different stages in its growth and photos of what they have to do in order for it to survive. Encourage children to label their photos using diagrams, words or sentences to explain their understanding.

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Lesson 4:Building on from what the children have learnt about animals, present the children with different pictures of dairy products (for example cheese, milk, cream, butter, yoghurt, ice-cream) and have a picture chat about what the products are, which animal the children think that they come from and how they think that the product got produced from the animal (how does it get into our fridge?)

Play the children the YouTube clip A Day on the Farm (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaXFKlYm11o) which allows the children to visually see how milk comes from cows and the processes that milk goes through to get to the consumer.

After watching the video, allow the children to discuss and reflect upon what they have just watched.

Ask the children probing questions such as: how do they think the milk then becomes other dairy products? Where does the milk go? How is it processed? In order to get the children to predict what they think will happen and also display any prior knowledge.

The children will then be divided into 2 groups. One group will be experiencing milking the cow and the other group will be making butter . This will allow the students to experience how to milk a cow as well as being able to physically turn milk into butter.

Concrete materials/experiences

Reflection Gather the children back into a group and have a discussion about their findings, experiences, and wonderings as a result of the activities.

To summarise the childrens learning, present them with a picture of a farm/barnyard, a factory, a supermarket and a house. Ask the children which order they go in (what process do the dairy products follow e.g. farm to the factory, etc.) and promote

Lesson 6:Building on from what the children have previously learnt about animal by products, have a discussion with students what they already know about farms, writing their knowledge on a large piece of butchers paper into the KWL chart. Read the book Big Red Barn. Discuss the farm animals they saw in the book. Discuss as a class what the children eat for dinner. Ask children probing questions to see if they know where this comes from? For example, ham and bacon come from a pig, a cows job and role is to provide us with milk and they provide us with chops and sausages.

Divide students into 6 groups and have each group given one farm animal (pig, cow and sheep, two groups will have the same animal to discuss as a class similarities and differences they each had). Have children discuss, draw or write about their farm animal to share with the class.

After students have read the book and completed their specific animal, have children discuss as a class each animal, relating this to their everyday lives. Have children discuss any new knowledge they have gained and whether this has answered any of their predictions or wonderings that were completed in previous lessons of the unit.

Use a KWL chart with students to track, sort, organise and represent what the students already know, writing this in the K column. In the W column document what the students want to know and in the L state what the students have learned about a topic. Use the KWL chart to initially direct students thinking, encouraging them to brainstorm and pose questions. Have students continuously return to the chart to revisit their questions What they want to know and answer these when appropriate in the What students have learned column. Children can openly communicate and express what they know onto the chart with other students and teachers in the class. Students can use a variety of ways and techniques to demonstrate their knowledge and skills throughout the lesson using pictures, diagrams, words or sentences catering for a range of learning styles.

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GOING FURTHERHow can we extend and broaden the unit? What other perspectives or dimensions can we explore? What are the ways which students can negotiate their own personal inquiries?

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Lesson 7:Read the book A Year on Our Farm by Penny Matthews and Andrea McLean to the students so they can make connections to the previous lessons whilst introducing the topic of harvesting.

Take the students out to the kitchen garden they have created and pick/harvest the fruit and vegetables that have grown. Ask them we need to do to the fruit and vegetables to eat them pick them and wash them. I will cut open the fruit and vegetables to start a discussion about the seeds how they are on the outside of the strawberries, but the inside of the tomatoes, pumpkins and cucumbers; the different sizes, shapes etc. Ask the students if they know what we could do with the seeds.

Start a discussion about how seeds are used to reproduce the plants. This will begin the discussion of the life cycle of fruit and vegetables. Explain the life cycle of a pumpkin beginning as a seed (show pumpkin seeds), growing into a plant with leaves and flowers (show picture of a pumpkin plant), and then pumpkins grow on the vine of the plant and is picked/harvested.

As a group we can list the names of the stages of a pumpkins life cycle.

Activity:To sum up the students learning of plant life cycles, they will get into their groups with their visual diaries and draw pictures to illustrate each stage of the pumpkin life cycle. They will have our group list of the headings for each stage to assist them. Through the scaffolding of mixed ability groups, students will write short sentences to accompany their illustrations.

Reflection:We will come back together collectively and each group will take turns to stand up and share their work from their visual diaries to the cohort. They will explain their illustrations and diagrams and read out their words and sentences that accompany the pictures. In doing so, children are practising their oral language and presentation skills.

Lesson 8:Students will watch the sing along clip a farmers life for me collectively on a big screen projector which will activate prior knowledge and introduces the topic of animal products. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr1sQ7kGYlY&list=PL0maGUp7cdUkPJgFg9PL0CAqzSDsWo2UR&index=19

Activate students prior knowledge of meat, dairy through a brief discussion. Then a woollen blanket and a leather purse will be passed around and the question how do these items connect to our topic of inquiry? will be posed to the students. Discuss how we use sheep skin and wool to keep us warm, making blankets and clothing; use leather from a cow to make boots, bags etc. Ask if they know what else we can use animals for?List and briefly explain some by-products of cows and sheep so students gain an insight into the many uses of animals other than food.

Activity:Two handouts will be given to students, one with pictures of animals, and another with pictures of by-products (See appendix 3). They are to cut out the pictures and match the animal to the products they make. The cards would have the names of the products/animals underneath to promote literacy skills, recognition of the words, encourage reading.

Reflection ! 8

ASSESSMENT SUMMARY (ONGOING: FOR, AS and OF learning)What are the cumulative and summative opportunities for assessment? How can teachers and students monitor progress? What strategies can we use to cater for variance in learning styles and progress? How can we allow for expected and unexpected outcomes? How can we provide opportunities for self, peer, teacher, parent assessment?

INQUIRY STAGE DESCRIPTION PURPOSETuning In (Lesson 1) Teacher will use questioning and

anecdotal notes to assess what students know about plants.

What is a plant? What does a plant look

like? What do plants require? What plants are edible?

Create a link with fruit/vegetables

What are the different environments in which plants grow?

FOR

Tuning In (Lesson 2) Teacher will rove around the room during think-pair-share to assess students prior knowledge of where does their dinner come from.

The teacher will use the sticky notes displayed on the wall and class discussion to assess the activated prior knowledge from the use the resource.

FOR

OF

Finding Out (Lesson 3) Visual diaries will be collected as work samples that display what the children have learnt about how seeds grow through informed predictions and notes about what they have learnt as a result of the lesson.

OF

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Finding Out (Lesson 4) As children are working through their activities, the educator is to rove and ask the children probing questions.

Group discussion/reflection at the end of the lesson will also inform the educator of the knowledge that the children have gained.

AS

OF

Sorting Out (Lesson 5) Teachers will continue to use the visual diaries to assess students knowledge. This will demonstrate what students have learnt through answering their predictions and findings. The use of photos in the visual diaries will highlight students understanding in regards to the lifecycle and elements of a range of plants.

OF

Sorting Out (Lesson 6) As students work in groups have the teacher roving to explore students understandings of the characteristics of each animal that group is completing. Through teacher roving, ask probing questions to find out students knowledge in regards to their animal, e.g. what meat comes from that animal.

AS

Going Further (Lesson 7) Students will be assessed by the work samples in their groups visual diaries and their oral presentation of this information to the entire cohort.

Doing the work in the visual diaries is assessment AS learning.

The oral presentation is an assessment OF learning.

Going Further (Lesson 8) Whilst students are working on their matching task, the three educators will roam the room to have roving conferences and will have a short checklist to indicate their level of understanding of the topic.

Assessment OF what they have learnt, and assessment FOR what needs to be taught in future lessons regarding this topic.

INQUIRY EVALUATION

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Overall, the inquiry unit was well received from the students. The children were consistently engaged and responsive to the lessons. The lessons provided the students with appropriate opportunities to develop understanding of the topic. The unit may have been improved by adding an excursion to a dairy farm or the Collingwood Childrens Farm so students can have an active, hands on experience that places them within the context of the inquiry unit topic. Furthermore, the children may have benefited from further exploring meat and the processes related to meat. We decided not go into too much detail as children may have found the information too confronting.

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