LessonFarm.Com
Home | Search/Browse Lessons | Questions?
Welcome Guest
Login | Register
     
 
A Lesson on I Like Plants Export Lesson as PDF | Save As Favorite

A Lesson on I Like Plants Grade: Grade 4
Subject: English Language Arts
Created by: Ashley Noe
Lesson Length: 45 minutes
Keywords/Tags: Vocabulary, Reading, Language Arts
Lesson Description: This lesson is full of new vocabulary words for Grade 4 students. It is a fun read and will keep their attention.
Common Core Standards Covered with This Lesson
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.2: Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2e: Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
 
     
     
 
Lesson Content: Reading
Instructions: Please read the following reading passage as many times as needed (aloud and silent) before starting to go through other lesson pages. Understanding the content of this passage is very important since the lesson activities will be all about this content. Feel free to print the passage if needed.

I Like Plants

Even when I was very young, I always loved plants. When we walked to school, I would look at the different plants. I would make up names for them. I would draw pictures of them. When my teacher asked us to draw a picture of anything we liked, I always drew pictures of plants. 

When I got to high school, I took a course that was all about plants. Most students took the course in biology. But I took the course on plants. We went into the park to identify different species. It was amazing. I found out that there were at least 27 different kinds of plants in our neighborhood park. There were also about12 different kinds of trees. Some were deciduous. We were there in spring, so they had their leaves. 

I learned that weeds are not really bad plants. They are interlopers. They come from another environment. Somehow they get to the new environment. It could be that animals bring them. The animals might pick up the seeds on their fur and carry them to the new habitat. Then they fall off and start to grow. 

When I went to college, I knew that I wanted to study plants. I wanted to be a plant scientist. I wanted to be a botanist. I took classes in math, English, and history. They were good classes. But it was the science classes I loved. 

Now I teach at a college. I teach about plant life. I explain how fertilizers can help plants grow but also can destroy the balance of nature. I teach about helpful insects. One of the most helpful insects for plants is the ladybug. Ladybugs are small insects that eat aphids. They can protect plants by eating the aphids that would eat the plants' leaves. There are about 5,000 kinds of ladybugs. In winter the ladybug hibernates. Then in spring it comes back out and starts to protect the plants again. Several states have named the ladybug their state insect. I teach students ways to help the environment like that.

I teach about ecology, too. I teach how important decisions are. I explain that if you introduce a non-native herbivore into an environment it can cause problems. For example, in Australia long ago people brought rabbits. The rabbits ate so many plants that they caused a problem. This invasive species ate plants that other animals depended on. The rabbits even killed trees. They ate the bark off the trees, and the trees died. Some people think that Australia's desert has expanded significantly because of the introduction of the rabbits. They say it is a 
very big problem. If they had understood ecology, they might not have brought those rabbits. I hope my students take what they learn and make good choices for the environment.

I keep learning more about plants and the animals that depend on them, and I teach students what I learn. I learn from my research on the Internet now as well as going to the park and studying the plants in my community. I share what I learn when I teach, and I write books that help people learn about nature.

 

 
     
     
 
Task 1: Vocabulary Activity (40 points)
Instructions: Please complete the following vocabulary activity by choosing the correct meaning of each word selected from the passage and use of each word correctly in a sentence.

Vocabulary Questions

Word/Phrase: habitat | Tier: 3 | Points: 10
Q1 The author in our story says "The animals might pick up the seeds on their fur and carry them to the new habitat." What does the word "habitat" mean in this sentence?
A. Environment in which plants and animals live *
B. Machine
C. Stage of growth
D. Stages that an organism goes through during it's life

Which one of the sentences below uses the word "habitat" correctly?
A. Cattle, sheep, horses, and ponies habitat in the fields.
B. My habitat is home *
C. A habitat has no pigment in it's body
D. It is a habitat for me to get good grades

Word/Phrase: interloper | Tier: 2 | Points: 10
Q2 The author in our story says "I learned that weeds are not really bad plants. They are interlopers." What does the word "interlopers" mean?
A. Extremely good
B. An intruder *
C. Brightly colored
D. Very rare

Which one of the sentences below uses the word "interloper" correctly?
A. John was welcomed to the party because he was an interloper.
B. My ice cream was an interloper because it was delicious.
C. The fox sneaking into the hen house was an interloper. *
D. At an antique store, I found the best interloper jacket.

Word/Phrase: hibernates | Tier: 3 | Points: 10
Q3 The author in our story says "In winter the ladybug hibernates. Then in spring it comes back out and starts to protect the plants again." What does the word "hibernates" mean in this sentence?
A. To die
B. To become very hyperactive
C. To fly away
D. To go into a dormant resting state *

Which one of the sentences below uses the word "hibernates" correctly?
A. The pelican hibernated away from the man.
B. The bears hibernate for many months. *
C. After living a long life, the parrot finally hibernated.
D. The hamster hibernates and jumps around when I let him out of his cage.

Word/Phrase: invasive | Tier: 2 | Points: 10
Q4 The author in our story says "The rabbits ate so many plants that they caused a problem. This invasive species ate plants that other animals depended on." What does the word "invasive" mean?
A. To be new
B. To be interesting
C. To be colorful
D. To intrude in an undesirable way. *

Which one of the sentences below uses the word "invasive" correctly?
A. The cockroach colony was unwanted and invasive. *
B. My mom just bought an invasive, shiny car.
C. I really enjoyed that movie because it was so invasive.
D. The painting had so many different shades of blue, it was so invasive.

Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.4,
 
     
     
 
Task 2: Discussion Activity (30 points)
Instructions: This discussion forum will have questions for students to respond. Read the posted questions, and respond to each. Students are responsible for posting one initial and and two peer responses for each topic.

  Topic Title Replies

Message What sort of things does the author like to teach about?
What sort of things does the author like to teach about? Why does he find them interesting? Use specific examples from your reading to show your thought process.
Sent on: Feb 22, 2015 by: Ashley Noe
0

Message Why does the speaker of the text teach at a college?
The speaker says, "Now I teach at a college". Why do they teach at a college? 
Sent on: Feb 22, 2015 by: Ashley Noe
0

Message Why is plant life so important to the author?
What does the speaker of the text like about plants? Why is plant life so important to the author?
Sent on: Feb 22, 2015 by: Ashley Noe
0

Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.2,
 
     
     
 
Task 3: Writing Activity (30 points)
Instructions: You are to write and post here how the author used a childhood interest to develop a career. Make sure to provide specific examples from the text.
Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2e,
 
     

University of South Florida Patent & Copyright Office © 2017 (Tech ID # Pending)