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Crops Investigation #2

Goal:

This activity is designed to introduce the vocabulary to be encountered in the Soils and Crops Module.

Objectives:

Students will use their prior knowledge to generate a list of words they will encounter as they complete the crop rotation module.

Standards Met:

Overview:

This activity is designed to introduce concepts and vocabulary relating to the broad topic of crop rotation. The end product of this activity will result in the generation of a "word list" and initial word wall. Extensions of this activity, recommended for each additional lesson, will result in daily "word walls" that tie vocabulary from the initial list to that day’s activity.

Materials:

Resources:

Actions:

Prior to the lesson:

     

During the lesson:

  1. Have your students work in small groups.
  2. Have each group generate a list of the words that come into their minds when they hear the word "soil." Allow no more than 5 minutes for generation of this list. These lists should be written in the students' science notebooks/journals.
  3. Compile the group lists into a master class list using the method of your choice. Each student should copy the master class list into their science notebook/journal.
  4. Repeat 2-3 with the words "crop," "roots," etc.
  5. On a fresh sheet of paper or portion of the classroom board, write "crop rotation" across the top. Below it, make a T-chart; one heading should be "in", the other "out."
  6. Conduct a class discussion to organize the master class list of words into the crop rotation "in" and "out" categories. Words placed in the "in" category should only be those that are directly applicable to crop rotation. Guide the class discussion so that this is the outcome. The final T-chart should be copied into students’ science notebooks/journals.

Extensions:

  1. Revisit the word wall daily and generate a daily "wall" using the words from the "in" category.
  2. Revisit the word wall daily and add new vocabulary items to the "in" list.
  3. Do Frayer cards for each word.
    4.  

Assessment:

Notebooks will be checked for completeness. Complete notebooks will receive 10 points. Incomplete notebooks will be downgraded according to the policies of individual classrooms.

Reflection:

Please write a reflection after you teach this lesson to help us make improvements. Reflections should be e-mailed to j.okeefe@moreheadstate.edu and c.wymer@moreheadstate.edu. If you also complete student reflections, please include these as well.