Education Standards
Structure and Function - Grade 4
Overview
Elementary school lessons utilize local phenomenon and are organized by grade level. By organizing instruction around local phenomenon, students are provided with a reason to learn shifting the focus from learning about a disconnected topic to figuring out why or how something happens. #Going 3D with GRC
Lesson - Turning a New Leaf
Student Science Performance
Phenomenon: Leaves are darker green on one side and lighter green on the other side.
Gather:
Students explore by going outside to collect two leaves from 3-5 plants (naturally growing, not potted) carefully observing the leaves to find patterns across the various leaves.
Students develop a question to obtain information for the cause of differences in the leaf color phenomenon.
Students obtain information by reading the article(s) and discussing how the information from the article(s) can be used as evidence to use to answer questions about patterns in the leaf color phenomenon. (reading in Appendix B-2)
(Teaching Suggestions: Safety: Address which plants (and areas) students need to avoid. Students should work in pairs for the collections of the leaves and for the observation period to support science talk. As students provide evidence of patterns, accept various answers. If it does not emerge from the students’ initial observations, use strategies such as flipping one leaf over and keeping one leaf right-side up. Use sufficient time to get many observations and write them on the board during the discussion. A magnifying glass may be helpful for some observation but sometimes does not help with observations of the leaf color. Some useful resources → Leaf website)
Reason:
4. Students use models to make sense of how the structure of the leaf function to meet the needs of the plant.
5. Students construct an explanation that plants have internal and external structures that function to support survival and growth.
Class Discussion:
- How does the structure of the leaf help to support the plants’ survival and growth?
- How do leaves vary in various areas in Hawai‘i?
- How does the plant make food?
- How does the structure of a leaf enable it to function?
- How do leaves help support the plant’s life?
- How does shade affect the green color?
- How does the size of the leaf give the plant help it survive?
(Teaching Suggestions: Focus conversation on structure and function and leaf color differences.)
Communicate Reasoning:
6. Students develop an argument for how the evidence they gathered support the explanation that plants have internal and external structures that function to support survival and growth.
(Teaching Suggestions: Focus on the plants, but make reference to animals structure and function relationships)
Additional Lessons can be found at #Going 3D with GRC (Gathering, Reasoning and Communicating). Original authors were: Lance Nishimura, Debra Hall, and Davina Perkins