RUNNING HEAD: Thematic Unit Plan

Grand Canyon University
RDG 512
Thematic Unit Study
Melinda Chemin

Abstract The following thematic unit all about plants incorporates reading and writing strategies along with science standards. The unit includes text suggestions as well as projects for reading and writing to enhance student learning. Culminating projects provide opportunities for students to display their learning as well as record their thinking during reading. Thematic units provide students with fiction and non-fiction selections to read and respond to. There is also a detailed description of the reading and writing activities to be included with each text selection and whether the selection is to be used as a read-aloud, independent reading, or in a listening center. Writing projects give students practice with the writing process culminating with collaborative group projects and published pieces.

Rationale This thematic unit plan demonstrates the ability to create a unit study including literacy components in content areas. This plan also reflects the teacher understanding of how students learn and must be provided opportunities to read and write in authentic ways in order to demonstrate learning. This meets the requirements for course standards through the completion of the thematic unit demonstrating the understanding of literacy standards that must be addressed in a comprehensive literacy classroom through writing, reading, as well as the understanding that learning must take place in an environment that provides students with various types of reading and writing activities with varying types of groupings.

Instructional Focus Subject: Science Topic: All About Plants Literacy Standards: * LA.2.2.1.5-Respond to a variety of literary selections connecting text to self, text to world, and text to text. * LA.2.1.7- Use a variety of strategies to comprehend grade level text * LA.2.2.2.2-Use explicitly stated information to answer a question. * LA.2.3.5.1-Produce, illistrate, and share a variety of composition Content Area Standards: * SC2.L.16.1-Observe and describe major stages in the life cycles of plants. * SC.2.L.17.1-Compare and contrast the basic needs that all living things have for survival. * SC.2.L.17.2-Recognize and explain that living things are found all over the Earth, but each is only able to live in habitats that meet its basic needs. Time-frame: 3 weeks

Discussion Questions:
*What is a seed? *Are all seeds the same? *How do seeds travel? * What do seeds need to grow? *How do seeds become plants?
*What are the parts of a plant? * Do plants and animals need each other? *What do we use from plants?
*Why are plants beneficial or harmful? *What is the author's purpose in writing this selection?
Introductory and Whole Group Activities: * Read: The Tremendous Tree Book & take a nature walk. Observe and record similarities and differences in plant species and record in leaf books they carry around their necks. Create a class nature walk book of student observations and specimens for class display. * Read: Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden. Display seeds from a variety of plants. Record differences and lead discussion on different seeds from different plants. Create a class flow chart to represent the life of a plant. Students will then plant their own seeds for a classroom garden. * Read: The Giving Tree and create a tree collage from items cut out from magazines that represent the products we get from trees. * Read a poem from Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems daily. Chart important words from each poem daily and emphasize the syllabic pattern. Students will use the chart in the writing center for a culminating writing of their own poem. The class will graph their favorite at the end of the unit.
Literature Circles & Group Reading: * Students will work in groups to read Tops & Bottoms, The Tiny Seed, Once There Was a Tree, and Sunflower House. Each group will complete an assignment sheet for each story to include story structure, vocabulary, text connections and a recommendation survey for each book.
Independent Centers:
Silent Reading and Response Center: * Read: The Big Red Apple and with flower pattern cut-out, story map the life cycle of a plant from seed to plant on each petal. Each student flower will be placed on a straw to display on garden bulletin board. * Read: From Seed to Plant and create a story pie to practice sequencing. Each section of the pie will correspond to each main story event. Students will illustrate on each section and write a sentence describing each stage. The pie pieces will be assembled in order to create a large circle or pie.
Listening Center: * Students will listen and follow along to recorded readings of The Story of Johnny Appleseed, Tiny Green Thumbs, and Cactus Hotel. Students will complete comprehension questions and activities.
Writing Center: * Students will read Autumn Leaves and will choose from a collection of leaves to study and write a descriptive paragraph about the leaf’s size, shape, color, and texture. Student’s writings will be displayed and other students will try to match the leaves to the correct writings. * Writing response to Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems. Students will create their own haiku about plants, trees, and leaves. Final copies will include illustrations and be place in classroom book of poetry. * Creative writing response to unit by creating a class book with each student creating a page. Each page will begin, “If I were a seed…” Each student will write and illustrate in response. * Take it to Your Seat Science Centers: Plant Parts and Life Cycles * Students will explore A World of Plants National Geographic Wonders of Learning. * Untamed Science: Ecogeeks science videos to introduce needs and habitats.
Art Center: * Seed Mosaics: In response to Sunflower House, students will use a variety of seeds to create one of kind mosaics. * Tree Hotel Collage: Response to Once There Was a Tree & Cactus Hotel. Students will create a tree on butcher paper. They will draw or cut out pictures of animals that live in trees. It should represent the importance of trees in providing homes for many animals.
Assessments:
* Completed portfolio of activity center projects based on rubric. * Formal assessment on plant part identification and life cycle. * Informal assessments of participation in class projects and observations. * Final projects will on display for parent night and class writings will be published into school and classroom books.

References

Carpas, J., Hughes, M., Lenzo, C., Oakes, K. (2004). Learning through Literature. Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc. Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson. ISBN-13: 9780135028940.