Charter Developed Lessons

April - My Own Plant

My Very Own Plant

Our unit in science this month was focused on living things. Students learned all about plant systems and the different ways plants adapt to their environment to help them survive. Students used modeling clay to bring their plants to life. In science we have been learning about living systems. Students were able to build upon what they have learned and highlighted structural characteristics of their plants, such as colours, shapes of leaves,, root system and whether it was a seed or bulb plant. They also had to identify 2 adaptions that their plant would have to survive in its ecosystem. It was fun to see, students creativity sore as they background knowledge to create their unique plants.

Curricular Outcomes

Language Arts

Questioning can help focus research topics and process
access knowledge from a variety of sources to critically answer questions or expand knowledge

Science

Plants can detect sensory stimuli, such as light, gravity, temperature, and touch, which help them grow and survive.
Organisms are living things that respond to stimuli and include plants, humans, and other animals.
Represent observations of objects in space as they connect to seasons, plants, and animals in a local area.

Charter Outcomes

Land Stewardship & Conservation

a. I can understand the value of land

b. I can identify practices of sustainable agricul

Land Stewardship & Conservation

b. I can identify practices of sustainable agriculture

Charter Method

Experiential Learning
Tiered Lesson Plan
Sensory, graphic, & interactive scaffold learning
Teacher-centered instruction
Hybrid style of learning

March - Spring on the Farm

Spring time on a Farm

Our unit in science this month was focused on Space. We discussed how the earths rotation and tilt affects our seasons and this morphed into a discussed about how seasons affect life on a farm. We then read A Prairie Year by Yvette Moore and Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet which gave us a deeper understanding of what typically takes place during each season on the farm, for example it is common for farm animals to be born during the early spring because farmers are busy in the fields during summer and fall. Students took their knowledge of the spring season and created postered to illustrate what might be happening on a farm during this time. Posters included ideas such as planting, baby animals, and equipment maintenance in preparation for fieldwork.

Curricular Outcomes

Language Arts

Questioning can help focus research topics and process
access knowledge from a variety of sources to critically answer questions or expand knowledge

Science

Plants can detect sensory stimuli, such as light, gravity, temperature, and touch, which help them grow and survive.
Organisms are living things that respond to stimuli and include plants, humans, and other animals.
Represent observations of objects in space as they connect to seasons, plants, and animals in a local area.

Charter Outcomes:

Animal Outcomes

I can describe characteristics and features of animals in our farmyard
I understand the procedures for the care of animals in our farmyard
I can understand the life cycle ie. reproductive system of animals in our farmyard

Land Stewardship & Conservation

b. I can identify practices of sustainable agriculture

Charter Method

Experiential Learning
Tiered Lesson Plan
Sensory, graphic, & interactive scaffold learning
Teacher-centered instruction
Hybrid style of learning

January / February - Growing Greens

Growing Greens

Winter can feel very long, so we brought some spring into our class by planting some seeds. The students planted bush beans and nasturtiums. Before we started students did some researching. They researched germination rates for our seeds and then made predictions for how long it would take for our seeds to sprout and how long it would take for them to flower. They also examined types of fertilizer we could add and its role, as well as how long our grow lights should be shinning on our plants per day. We looked at the life cycle of our plants to have a better understanding of what to expect in the growing process. Finally students got a chance to plant their seeds and then the hard part.... waiting for them sprout. Students kept a seed journal to document the growth and loved seeing the changes from day to day. We also faced some issues that come from indoor planting.... our flowers were getting leggy and our beans were growing so fast that we needed something for the vines to climb. Each student had to stake a plant or make sure the vines were supported .

This has been a great project for the students as they have demonstrated their responsibility in caring for their plants. It also gave them a small taste of how fragile plants can be. The best part of this project was see the excitement from the students in the morning when there was a new sprout, leaf or flower. They were so excited to watch our plants grow!

Curricular Outcomes

Language Arts

Questioning can help focus research topics and process
access knowledge from a variety of sources to critically answer questions or expand knowledge

Science

Plants can detect sensory stimuli, such as light, gravity, temperature, and touch, which help them grow and survive.
Organisms are living things that respond to stimuli and include plants, humans, and other animals.

Charter Outcomes:

Land Stewardship & Conservation

a. I can understand the value of land

b. I can identify practices of sustainable agriculture

c. I can identify renewable and non renewable energy sources

d. I can identify negative and positive impacts of human agriculture on the environment

Agriculture and Society

c) I can identify how skill using hand tools affects the amount of labor involved

Charter Method

Experiential Learning
Tiered Lesson Plan
STEM
Multigrade projects

December - Christmas Tree Farm

Christmas Tree Farm

The idea for this months lesson happened quite organically when students were discussing getting Christmas trees and if it was good or bad environmental practice to chop down a tree for Christmas. We started doing some research and it quickly became apparent that there was a lot to learn! We read the book "Christmas Farm" by Mary Lyn Ray which gave students a introduction to the process that was involved in tree farming. From there we learned about the life cycle of a Christmas Tree (7-9 years!), the most popular types of trees and how to differentiate between them. Students were then challenged with creating their very own Christmas tree farm. This included creating a map of their farm with a legend, and using their problem solving skills to determine how many trees to plant and how to price their trees based upon a chart from last years sales. Just like a real business, students had to create advertisements to promote their farm and decide what attractions they wanted to include at their farm. We also had a chance to partner with the grade 6 class to create Christmas tree decorations with natural materials we found outside. It was a fun and engaging way to learn all about the practice of Christmas Tree farming!

Curricular Outcomes

Language Arts

Questioning can help focus research topics and process
access knowledge from a variety of sources to critically answer questions or expand knowledge
Relate how connections between audience, purpose, and text form can influence creative expression.

Science

Plants can detect sensory stimuli, such as light, gravity, temperature, and touch, which help them grow and survive.
Organisms are living things that respond to stimuli and include plants, humans, and other animals.

Math

Solve problems using addition and subtraction, including problems involving money.
Multiply and divide 3-digit natural numbers by 1-digit natural numbers using personal strategies.

Charter Outcomes:

Land Stewardship & Conservation

a.I can understand the value of land

b.I can identify practices of sustainable agriculture

c. I can identify renewable and non renewable energy sources

d. I can identify negative and positive impacts of human agriculture on the environment

Agriculture and Society

1) I can identify ways that simple machines contribute to society.

a) I can identify the use of simple machines in agriculture (hand tools)

b) I can explain the reasons why simple machines reduce human labor in agriculture

c) I can identify how skill using hand tools affects the amount of labor involved

Charter Method

Experiential Learning
Tiered Lesson Plan
STEM
Multigrade projects

November - All about chickens

Students were busy this month learning all about chickens. We have laying hens and broiler chickens in our barnyard and while we studied both types of chickens, we focused mainly on our laying hens. We learned about the life cycle of a chicken and what takes place during the process of laying an egg. Students also conducted science experiments to determine how to tell if an egg is fresh or not (fresh eggs float) and how to tell the difference between hard boiled and raw eggs. We also learned about the different grades of eggs and measured and weighed a dozen of our farm fresh eggs from our barnyard to determine what size they would be sold as in a grocery store.

Charter Method

Experiential Learning
Tiered Lesson Plan
STEM
Multigrade projects

Curricular Outcomes

Science

Students analyze organisms and relate external structures to functions.

students will relate the external structures of animals to their functions.
Compare external structures of various plants and animals in relation to function.

Students investigate evidence and reflect on its role in science

Collect reliable data during investigations.
Draw conclusions using reliable and valid evidence from investigations.

Charter Outcomes:

Animal Outcomes

I can describe characteristics and features of animals in our farmyard
I can understand the difference between domesticated and wild animals
I can label the body parts of animals in our farmyard
I can understand the health of animals in our farmyard
I understand the procedures for the care of animals in our farmyard
I can understand the life cycle ie. reproductive system of animals in our farmyard

I can identify animals in our farmyard roles in society

I can identify the costs associated with caring for animals in our farmyard

October - Red wigglers

Summary

In Science, we have been looking at the role waste plays in our world and its environmental impacts by studying different methods of waste management. We created our own pop bottle composter to help understand the process of decomposition but wanted to take it to the next level with vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is similar to traditional composting however it is a much quicker process and the composter can be placed inside and does not need to be aerated.

First we researched how to create a proper environment for our worms to thrive. Students then worked as a team to put our composter together, collect the supplies and assemble the bedding material and waste. The grade 3 class then gave us some of the worms from their worm composting system to get us started. Students have been tracking what they put into the composter and love checking how quickly the worms are able to break down our waste. We are looking forward to the spring when we can take some our of rich compost and add it to our New Humble garden. Vermicomposting provides a great example of learning in action as students as able to observe and make predictions about the composting process.

Curricular Outcomes

Science

Students investigate the management of waste and describe environmental impacts

students will compare the different methods of waste management and discuss their environmental impacts.
understand how responsible methods of waste management can reduce negative environmental impacts.

Students investigate evidence and reflect on its role in science

Collect reliable data during investigations.
Draw conclusions using reliable and valid evidence from investigations.

Charter Outcomes:

Land stewardship and Conservation

I can understand the value of land
I can identify practices of sustainable agriculture (natural fertilizer)

Charter Method

Experiential Learning
Tiered Lesson Plan
STEM
Multigrade projects

September - Garden Harvest

The grade 4 class loved getting into the garden to help with the harvest! Before the the garden was harvested, we explored and observed the plants in the garden and took note of what plants grew really well, what plants did not and discussed what role rain, sunshine and natural weather phenomenon could have played. It was easy to see that the beet plants thrived this summer and as a result we had a plentiful harvest with some very giant beets. While the most traditional way to use beets is to cook them and eat them as it, the students brainstormed creative ways to use and eat beets. As a class the students decided to make chocolate beet cake. This cake uses a beet puree and is a great way to use up some beets. However the students were very surprised when one of our large beets gave us enough puree to make 3 cakes! Students took turns measuring, mixing and their hard work paid off into a delicious cake!

Want to make a delicious beet cake? Click here

Curricular Outcomes:

Science

Students investigate the systems of Earth and reflect on how their interconnectedness sustains life

Students can understand the importance of sunlight and warmth on organisms
Students can understand how plants need water to survive
Changes in one system such as weather patterns and water distribution can impact another system

Health and Wellness
Students examine nutrition and explain how it informs decision making about food.

Understanding that a variety of foods are required to provide different nutrients for body functions and well-being
Food choices can affect the ability to acquire essential nutrients.

Charter Outcomes:

I can identify my plant (Science, Math, LA)
1. I can identify the basic needs of my plant (i.e. sunlight, water, nutrients, fertilizer)
2. I can identify natural cycles involved in the needs of my plant (water cycle, seasonal changes, etc.)
I can describe the basic needs of my plant (Science, Math, LA)
1. I can plant and harvest my own crop (PEW)
I can identify my crop’s use in society (PEW, Social, LA)
1. I can make recipes that use my crop (Math)
2. I can identify how my crop contributes to human health
3. I can demonstrate food safety practices

Charter Method:

Experiential Learning
Tiered Lesson Plan
Sensory, graphic, & interactive scaffold learning
Teacher-centered instruction
Hybrid style of learning
STEM

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