Tina Sanders: Puttering Around the Pond PBL Reflection

Puttering About The Pond Journal

Week 1: We began this unit with a question: How do you know something is living? We took a walk outside to observe the nature around us. As we walked, I asked students to notice what they saw. One student noticed a bird flying overhead. Another saw a leaf of a tree move. Another noticed a limb on the ground. One last students saw several rocks lying around. I asked the question again, “How do you know something is living.” There were the typical responses: “The bird is living because it moves.” “The limb is still so it is not living.”

As we walked around I began to sing this Living/Non-Living Song: It is living, It is living, I know why! I know why! It breathes and grows and changes, It breathes and grows and changes, It’s alive! It’s alive!

It’s not living, It’s not living, I know why! I know why! It stays the same forever, It stays the same forever, It can’t change! It can’t change!

Once we sang the song, students began to realize what it takes for something to be considered living. We went inside and I used the Secret of the Pond video to further ignite student’s interest to learn about the pond ecosystem.
The students worked in pairs to draw 3 things that are living and 3 things that are not living.

Reflection: I have always wanted to visit a pond at the beginning of this unit. However, I am limited to when I can take the field trip because we can only take so many trips and at the time of year Greenville County makes us teach this unit, not many animals are out yet. The other aspects of the introduction worked out.

Week 2:  Plant Introduction – What Do Plants Need To Survive?

What Happens When Plants Don’t Get What They Need? We had 4 plants. Each one was used to demonstrate what happens when a plant doesn’t get what it needs. One Plant was given everything. A second Plant was given everything except water. A third Plant was placed in a closet filing cabinet so that it could not get any light. Finally, the last Plant was placed in a Zip-Lock bag (no air).  Plants were observed throughout this unit for changes. The last week of the unit, we will look at them one final time and note our observations. 

We sang the following song to teach students about plant needs.                                                                                                                

Watch them Grow By: Vera Corbett to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”                                                                                  

Plants need soil, water and sun. We can watch them grow, it’s fun!                                                                                                          

First, we will plant a seed. Make sure it has the soil it needs                                                                                                                   

Then we sprinkle water on top. Count to 10, then you stop.                                                                                                                   

 Place it somewhere not too hot. If you do, you’ll need another spot.                                                                                                         

Plants need soil, water and sun. We can watch them grow, it’s fun!

Week 3:  Curriculum Groups This week, students picked which animal they wanted to learn more about. There were 40 animals for them to choose from, so every student was able to pick an animal they were interested in. I facilitated the discussion about the 3 areas of the pond animals could exist in while my assistant allowed students to look at pictures of the pond animals and choose their favorite. This week, we began systematic research of animals in their natural habitats. We watched 2-3 minute videos each day that taught about the animals students chose to learn about. For the next 25 days, we researched in this manner. This allowed all students to get more involved in the learning process even if their parents could not/would not help them. It also allowed other students to learn about all of the animals. Students were eager each day to learn which of their animals we would learn about that day. Also, we drew the animal of the day using a Youtube site arthubforkids.com  This artist teaches students to draw the animal with step by step directions. Students used the drawings to help them as they wrote the book of the day. Students wrote 2-6 facts about the animal and then read it to their teacher.

Week 4: Students will begin work on their 3D Animal Project. They will draw, research, and create a 3-D model of the animal. We continued to watch 2-3 minute videos each day that taught about the animals students chose to learn about. For the next 25 days, we researched in this manner. We also used arthub for kids to continue their learning growth. As projects come in, students will teach the class about their animal. We read non-fiction books about life at the pond. Students and teachers began building the pond habitat. Students painted rocks, grass, plants, etc. Then they placed their animal in the correct level of the habitat.

Week 5: Diorama Project Work Students will review what they have learned about their chosen animal. They will create a Diorama that shows what they know about the animal’s dietary and environmental needs. Final Project Work - Students complete work on their final project. They had the choice and voice of which of their projects to present to the class. They can use any of the following:  Video, Chatterpix, Draw & Tell, Poster, Puppet Show, Diorama, or a choice of their own to share what they learned.

Week 6: Food Chains Project Work: Students discussed with their parents what their animal eats and what eats their animal. Then come to school and tell about their animal’s place in the food chain. Food Chain Game: Students acted out a living food chain by pretending to be one of the characters in the chain. Food Chain Link: Students completed the page showing where their animal fits on the food chain. We sang a song to help students remember how the food chain works:

Food Chain Song:                                                                                                                                                                                               

I’ve been working in the food chain all the live long day.                                                                                                                                 

In the middle of the food chain, I’ve got no time to play.                                                                                                                             

Can’t you see the green plants growing, that’ energy okay.                                                                                                                       

Consumer eats up the producer. Predator eats prey.                                                                                                                                   

 Who’s for lunch today? Who’s for lunch today?                                                                                                                                               

 Eat or be eaten, that’s the only way.

Week 7: Habitat Share Out: We had 7 classrooms who studied 7 different habitats. We rotated students around over a period of 7 days where they learned about the 7 habitats. They completed 1 page a day in a book where students wrote some facts about each of the ecosystems including temperature, plants and animals that thrive there and a fun fact. The teacher stayed in their habitat to teach about the facts. The teacher assistant traveled with the class. New students came in and viewed the created habitat and the student’s projects.  Then they were better able to absorb the new knowledge they were given.