Modified Lesson

Original Activity

https://cerealcityscience.org/learn-at-home/activities/seed-dispersal/

This lesson does a great job of integrating technology into the lesson. The lesson is rich in videos which will support students who might have limited English or no background knowledge. The videos are age appropriate and engaging. I would probably add a turn and talk before the share, allowing students to practice their answers and allow all students to feel like they have something to share. Additionally I would provide translation devices for my ELL students.

The lesson calls for a book Planting a Wild Garden. I moved the book before the discussion questions, also I found another version of the video that offers Closed Captions and can automatically translate them into other languages. Planting the Wild Garden I will make available additional devices so that if I have multiple languages each student can watch what they need. The closed captions will also support students with hearing impairments and students who might benefit by seeing the words in addition to listening. I would also have a print copy of the book available for students to reference later in the lesson.

I would end the lesson for the day here with the discussion questions: 

I would add a multilingual glossary of words such as (dispersal, travel, features, adaptations, etc) 

Discuss the different ways in which your student thinks seeds can be dispersed. Ask your student:

• Do you think all seeds can travel in the same manner? Why or why not?
• What types of features do you think help seeds travel in different ways?
• What are some general categories that can describe how seeds are dispersed?

The next day I would start with free exploration of seed collections in lieu of the seed hunt due to knowing my school doesn’t have a site capable of making the seed hunt worthwhile. I would encourage students to sort, categorize, draw, and really examine the seeds and seed cards. Students will have a variety of ways to record their observations. Different graphic organizers and blank paper will be available. This adds support for students who might need a more structured format to collect data.  I would also provide hand lenses (this will also support students with vision issues). 

There are more videos of virtual seed hunts. I also would add a personal favorite that is a song. I think music is a great learning tool and can support so many students in remembering and engagement. Seed Song – How Seeds Move – Seed Dispersal

The lesson ends with students engineering a seed or tool that will help seeds move. I have modified the lesson to allow for more choice in the product and the ability to choose to work in partnership. They could create a physical model, drawing, digital model, etc. Additionally, having the videos available to rewatch and the seed collections available to examine as a support for students. 

The final modification to this lesson would be presenting their work. Part of the Science and Engineer Practices (SEPs) is communication. Other digital tools I would add to this lesson would be Flipgrid and Google Slides. This would give students other choices for sharing their work with our class community. Students who might feel uncomfortable standing in front of the class could record their presentation or create a slideshow. This also removes barriers for students with speech issues, allows for closer captions, language translations, etc. 

Reflection:

The initial lesson was relatively strong and offered many features that support the inclusion of UDL strategies such as high engagement, multiple forms of representation, flexibility, accessibility to a wide range of students. The lesson integrated mostly videos as its primary digital tool. The original plan also seems to have too much packed into a single learning session. 

Some weaknesses in the initial plan were its lack of differentiation and support for students with diverse needs such as second languages, ability to read or write, anxiety, etc.  I added more choice and flexibility and two more digital tools (FlipGrid & Google Slides) as options for the final presentation. I also integrated some opportunities for more advanced work for students who need a challenge. 

When using Bloom’s Taxonomy to evaluate the lesson’s approach, you would find that the lesson asks students to work across many of the levels, providing them with foundational and more complex thinking. Furthermore this lesson incorporates many aspects of computational thinking as the students must abstract what structures could help a seed move, look for patterns in their seed observations and sorting, and deconstruct the task of engineering a seed.