Grade Level: Kindergarten Lesson Developer: Jordan Leigh Jones Lesson Plan Title: A Taste of the Sonoran Desert Concept/Topic To Teach: Edible Sonoran Desert Vegetation Standards Addressed: Science - Strand 1: Inquiry Process Concept 1: Observation, Questions, and Hypotheses PO 1. Observe common objects using multiple senses PO 2. Ask questions based on experiences with objects, organisms, and events in the environment PO 3. Predict results of an investigation based on life, physical, and earth sciences Science - Strand 1: Inquiry ProcessConcept 2: Scientific Testing PO 1. Demonstrate safe behavior and appropriate procedures in all science inquiry PO 2. Participate in guided investigations in life science Science - Strand 1: Inquiry ProcessConcept 4: Communication PO 1. Communicate observations with pictures and words Science - Strand 4: Life ScienceConcept 1: Characteristics of Organisms PO 2. Naming body parts Science - Strand 4: Life ScienceConcept 2: Life Cycles PO 1. Describe that most plants will grow to physically resemble their parents Science - Strand 4: Life ScienceConcept 3: Organisms and Environments PO 1. Identify some plants that exist in the local environment PO 2. Identify that plants need the following to grow and survive: water, food, air and space Science - Strand 5: Physical ScienceConcept 1: Properties of Objects and Materials PO 1. Identify the following observable properties of objects using the senses: shape, size, texture PO 2. Compare objects by the following observable properties: size, color, type of material General Goal(s): Students will learn about the plants of the Sonoran Desert, including those which are edible. Specific Objectives: Students will be able to visually identify plants commonly found in the Sonoran Desert. Required Materials: foods derived from Sonoran Desert plants, computers with internet access, Sonoran Desert Explorers website, printed and labeled images of Sonoran Desert plants, rubber stamp with ink pad, tickets to Desert Botanical Garden, transportation to Desert Botanical Garden, adult chaperones, permission slips Anticipatory Set (Lead-In): The teacher will bring in a number of foods that are derived from plants of the Sonoran Desert. These food items may include: prickly pear candy, prickly pear jam, prickly pear syrup, prickly pear ice cream, hot mesquite milk, mesquite flour cookies, mesquite flour pancakes, mesquite honey, desert blossom honey, agave nectar, pickled tender cactus, as well as others. The students will taste some of the food items. The teacher will explain that we live in the Sonoran Desert and that all of these food items came from plants that grown in the Sonoran Desert. Step-By-Step Procedures:
Each student will be assigned one plant from their passports. The student will complete the Kindergarten Activity that can be found in the plant’s page on the Sonoran Desert Explorers website. Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set): The class will go for a nature walk around the school and the surrounding neighborhood or park. Each student should identify 2-3 plants mentioned in the lesson that they saw during the walk. Assessment Based On Objectives: Students will use their Sonoran Desert Passports during a field trip to the Desert Botanical Garden. They will receive stamps for correctly identifying each of the plants in their passports. It is recommended that the students take the two-hour “Magic of Desert Plants” guided tour. Find more information here: http://www.dbg.org/education-programs/field-trips-self-guided-tours. Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities): This lesson should not be difficult for students with learning disabilities, however they may need more guidance during the field trip. Extensions (For Gifted Students): Gifted Students will be given pages including plant labels, but not images, from which they will create their passports. Then they will use the Sonoran Desert Explorers website to accurately draw the plants onto the pages of their passports. Possible Connections To Other Subjects: This lesson includes elements of social studies, health/nutrition and art. |