Orchard Curriculum

Lesson Plans for Living Classrooms

LESSON #2: Flowering Plants in Our Changing Environment

Monday, July 11, 2016 Filed in: Flowering

ALIGNED WITH 2ND GRADE SCIENCE

Blossom and Plant Part Observation in the Orchard

Common Vision’s week-long unit on flowing plants includes hands-on composting and orchard mulching activities that helps tie the orchard into classroom lessons.

STEP 1:

Download Flowering Plants Unit

from EEI (Education and Environment Initiative)

Five lessons provide:

Teacher Background Information
Lesson Procedures
Visual Aids
Student Readings
Assessments that support using the orchard as a classroom

Access EEI Curriculum Catalog >

Viewing password: "teacheei"
Please click the "request password" link if using the EEI resources in classroom.

Recommended Downloads: Student Workbook, WordWall Cards, and Teachers Edition (password required), Teachers Masters, Visual Aids, Reader: Mother Orange Tree

Access all 85 California Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) Curriculum units here! Each EEI Curriculum unit contains a combination of teacher, student, and classroom components that are full of engaging lessons and informational texts. EEI Teacher's Editions are password protected since they contain information intended for teachers and administrators only. Please request a password to gain access to the Teacher's Editions.

STEP 2:

Integration Orchard Overlay

Orchard Integration Chart

Helps tie the orchard into the classroom lessons

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Orchard Observation Activity

A hands-on year-long or seasonal activity that will bring lessons alive through observation of fruit trees

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POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES

(IN ORDER OF TIME COMMITMENT)

OPTION FOUR: FULL LESSON (6-7 days)

FULL EEI UNIT and YEARLONG/SEASONAL ORCHARD OBSERVATION ACTIVITIES. These FIVE LESSONS can be taught in full to achieve Science Standard 2.2.e-f to mastery: plants and animals have predictable life cycles; students know light, gravity, touch, or environmental stress can affect the germination, growth, and development of plants; students know that flowers and fruits are associated with reproduction in plants. Additionally, conduct YEARLONG ORCHARD OBSERVATION ACTIVITY four-season observation, two-season observation, or one-season observation that will provide the hands-on learning to enrich the EEI content.

OPTION THREE: SELECTED LESSONS (5 days)

ONE to THREE EEI SELECTED LESSONS with ONE to TWO ORCHARD OBSERVATION ACTIVITIES. You can apply these lesson concepts to the fruit tree orchard without doing all the seasonal observations. Do the SPRING OBSERVATION and conduct LESSON 1 (Flowers to Fruit), and as options, LESSON 4 (Plant Changes in a Changing Environment), and LESSON 5 (When People Change Plants’ Habitats). And or do the PRE-SUMMER OBSERVATION and conduct LESSON 2 (People Depend on Plant Reproduction), and as options, LESSON 4, and LESSON 5.

OPTION TWO: (3-4 days)

Further Language Arts Extension Opportunity: YEARLONG ORCHARD OBSERVATION ACTIVITY or just ONE (SPRING) to TWO (SPRING and PRE-SUMMER) orchard observations as a way to create a storyline for the tree the students observe. Have the students read California Connection “Mother Orange Tree.” See the following components from lessons if you are only able to do the Common Vision Seasonal Observation Activity, print out and complete (1) “Teachers Edition” Teacher Background, pg 12-16, (2) “Student Workbook” and (3) “Visual Aids” to help support the development of possible storyline content concerning plant uses, how ecosystem help plants, and how the environment and humans impact plants.