Summative Week

This week wraps up our unit, Plentiful Plants! The children will be completing two activities that will showcase their understanding of the three lines of inquiry and concepts:

• Form: The features of plants in our local area
• Function: How animals/people use plants
• Responsibility: The needs of plants in our local area

In the first activity the children match the word of the plant part to the picture.

The second activity the children are creating a diorama of a forest scene. Today they painted the background and on another day they will add features they collected from the forest; leaves, twigs, pine cones etc.

They will also be given one plastic animal and one person to place in their diorama. Debbie will meet with each child individually and ask them to describe the different ways their animal and person is using the plants in their diorama, demonstrating their knowledge.

Building a nest in the forest

Line of Inquiry: How animals use plants

Yesterday the children displayed an understanding that animals use plants for food and to camouflage for protection. The idea that animals use plants for shelter wasn't as familiar to them. To explore this idea we watched a video of two eagles working together to build a nest. Then the children used their imagination to transform themselves into eaglets and we flew into the forest to build a nest.

After looking at the heights of the trees the children agreed to use their imagination again and build their nest on the ground and pretended to be high in the trees.

What will the baby birds eat? Worms was their answer but they did not want to eat worms. After a lengthy explanation of how some people do actually eat worms from Nicky we decided to use Cheerios instead since they "look like worms curled up in a circle"

After the nest was built everyone took a turn being a parent eagle feeding their hungry eaglets!

Assessments

Line of Inquiry: How animals use plants

An informal assessment was done to help understand the children's knowledge of how animals use plants. We looked at the mural they made last week and the children expressed their knowledge. It was evident that the children know that animals use plants for food and to camouflage for protection. What was missing was an understanding that animals use plants for shelter. We will explore this tomorrow.

The children cut out animals and placed them on the mural remembering the different ways animals use plants. An example of this understanding was when a child placed a brown pill bug on a brown tree and said "My little pill bug saw the raccoon and it ran to camouflage."

Cutting with scissors is an important skill and is a part of Kindergarten readiness. The children have a variety of skill and confidence. I took this opportunity for the children to practise this skill and reflect on their confidence and ability. The children assessed their skill before the activity and then  after. They were given three options:

• I am good at cutting
• Sometimes when I cut it turns out the way I want it, sometimes it doesn't
• When I cut it doesn't turn out the way I want it

All the children assessed their skill as being good at cutting, except Nicki who thought sometimes he was. The group was quiet, deep in concentration, as they cut out the animals. Rocco said, "This is harder than I thought!" After the activity the children reflected on their beginning assessment and decided if their idea changed or stayed the same. Nicki changed his idea to "I am good at cutting". Rocco and Sarah changed their thinking to "Sometimes when I cut it turns out the way I want it, sometimes it doesn't" and the rest of the children's thoughts stayed the same.

Function: How animals use plants

After a spontaneous walk this morning in the forest to pick salmon berries the children came back full of enthusiasm about the forest. We recalled the animals we saw on our walk: slugs, LOTS of them! and spiders and birds. We researched other animals live in Pacific Spirit Park and found pictures of them.

The children dramatized the different ways animals use plants; for food, shelter, protection and to raise their young. They especially enjoyed dramatizing being young animals! They used various shades of greens, browns and other forest colours to paint a forest scene. They were encouraged to include plants in the different layers of the forest and to remember all the reasons why animals need plants.

The children coloured their pictures of animals and chatted about where they're found and what they use plants for. Next group time they will practice using scissors to cut them out and add them to their forest scene.