(http://esseacourses.strategies.org)
Crops Investigation #13
Goal:
Students will integrate all of the research data from this cycle and
prepare and give an oral presentation.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
- integrate the research data that they have been collecting
- prepare and give an oral presentation to the class or prepare a written
report of some type
Standards Met:
Overview:
Student groups will prepare a presentation designed to inform their family
about the field(s) that have would be best to farm in, the crops that might be
best to plant, and methods for fertilization and crop rotation.
Materials:
- research that the students have been collecting throughout this module
- a handout that explains how the student presentations will be scored
- a scoring rubric for the teacher of the student group
- a scoring rubric for the students of the other student groups or a
worksheet for the students to complete about the presentations by the other
groups (something to make the presentations an active activity for the
entire class)
Resources:
Actions:
Prior to the lesson:
- The students have completed all of the worksheets in this cycle and their
soil analysis from Investigaiton 6.
During the lesson:
- Remind the students that the purpose of this module is for them to
find a location with soil that will be good for establishing a new field and
that this field will need to be farmed sustainably. Furthermore, the
students will need to convince the rest of their family of their plan.
- As the culminating activity in this module, the students must
compile and integrate all of the research that they have been conducting in
the previous weeks. Students should be given at least one full class
period for their presentation preparation.
- The format of the presentation is at the discretion of the
teacher. It may be a Powerpoint presentation, poster presentation, or
explanation of an information brochure that the group has prepared. It
is suggested that this presentation incorporate technology.
- The presentation should have at least 3 elements: (1) choice for
the new field location; (2) choices of crops that will be sown in this
field; (3) an explanation of how they will farm the field in a
sustainable manner. All of these elements were part of the worksheet
the students completed in activity C3 on farming decisions.
- As each group is making their presentation, all members of the
class should be active members of the audience. The audience is the
"family" that the students are trying to convince of their farming
plan. The audience could be made active by allowing the other student
groups to score the presentation. Alternatively, the other students
could complete some form of worksheet about the presentation and vote on the
group's plan.
Extensions:
-
Assessment:
Each student will be scored on their part in the group presentation. If
a "listening" worksheet is used, each student can be scored on their
responses to the other group presentations.
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.