In Ms. Santana’s classroom at Glenn York Elementary, a recent lesson on plant systems and adaptations took root in a natural way as students observed real plants up close.
Each student was asked to bring a plant from home — be it a succulent, an orchid, or a fiddle leaf fig — to give the class an array of plant types to learn from. Ms. Santana even brought a giant pineapple plant!
After reviewing the jobs of a plant's roots, stems, leaves, and flowers, Ms. Santana presented her students with environmental scenarios for them to determine where each plant would thrive.
If the plant has long, deep roots, do you think it wants to live in a dense rainforest that gets moisture constantly? If your plant has a short stem, what does that mean for how it converts energy from the sun?
Students then took a closer look at the plant they brought from home to determine what adaptations it made to survive in its environment. After assessing their own plant, they examined a classmate's plant to look for differences or similarities and discuss why the two plants might have developed different characteristics.
To tie it all together, and check comprehension, Ms. Santana then had her students write a summary paragraph that comparing and contrasting the two plants and what they learned from them.
In the end, her students weren’t just learning about plants, they were branching out as scientists and writers!
See more photos: https://flic.kr/ps/2kqhMR