SED 464 Signature Assignment

Grant Proposal Based of the Arizona Technology in Education

Association (AzTEA) for a Garden Building Project
2015-2016 Project Proposal
Abigail Vogt
Arizona State University

GRANT PROPOSAL

Abstract
Grand Canyon Preparatory Academy is a rather small charter school. The school is mixed
gender and a uniform wearing school. The classroom contains two white boards and the desks
are arranged in a U-shape in front of one of them. There are science and math posters up on the
walls of the classroom as well that serve as educational aids to the students. As for technology,
the classroom provides one printer, one large computer in the back of the classroom, students are
allowed to bring their laptops and tablets from home to use in class, a few graphing calculators,
textbooks for each subject, and speakers with the projector and document camera. For my garden
building project idea, the essential questions would be which human activities effect the
environment, how do they affect the environment and what is the end product of human activity
on the environment? The students will be building their own garden and they will come up with
one variable they want to tamper with that could be changed by human activity. This project is
not only needed for the simple fact that the school does not have any kind of interactive lab for
student to learn but it is also needed because it hits multiple standards of the state, it is extremely
engaging and it holds real valuable lessons to be taught about problems currently found around
the planet. This garden could be sustained for many years into the future after the initial building
blocks are put into place for the garden. Future students will be able to do the same exact project
without the high cost of starting up the garden. So many people do not grow their own food.
Students do not understand that they have the materials around them that they can bring into their
home and grow their own food! I feel that taking in those resources and creating something they
can use in their real life is very innovative and allows a student to realize that they can put in
their own minds and hands and create the things they buy from the store.

GRANT PROPOSAL

School Environment Narrative

Grand Canyon Preparatory Academy is a rather small charter school. There are only 65
students currently enrolled in the entire school. Of those students, 64% are Caucasian, 15% are
African American, 14% are Hispanic, 4% are American Indian and 2% are Asian. The school is
mixed gender and a uniform wearing school. Students are required to wear the navy blue Grand
Canyon Preparatory School shirt with khaki pants or shorts. They are to have naturally colored
hair and no piercings besides the girls ear lobes as well. The school serves grades 6-12. There
are only two people in admissions. One is the principle as well as one of the teachers and then
the woman who owns the school and handles much of the disciplinary action and makes sure
lunch is available to the students on campus every day. According to greatschools.org, this school
is not doing very well unfortunately. The percentage of students performing where they should
be on the AIMS is only about 70% in each category. In the AZ merit, they only have about 35%
of students performing where they should. Despite these lacking test scores and the F ranking the
acquired from schoolgrades.org, the number of graduates planning on attending college is about
80%.
The actually classroom I will be interning in was not what I was expecting but I am
definitely up for the challenge. Due to one of the teachers having surgery and being out of work
for a period of time, my IMT (intern mentor teacher) Mrs. Olas has been assigned those students
as well as the subjects the other teacher taught. That being said, Mrs. Olas now teaches one
period of biology, one mixed class focused on algebra 2, pre-calculus and calculus, and two
algebra 2 classes. The grades and each classed are mixed as well. At this school, students are
allowed to progress as fast as they are able and feel comfortable to do so. Therefore, if a student
is excelling at a subject, regardless of what grade they are in, they can be moved up to the more

GRANT PROPOSAL

difficult class. Each period consists of 6-17 students. There are windows on two walls that make
up half of each wall, but there are curtains in place so that the teacher can use the projector and
document camera. The classroom contains two white boards and the desks are arranged in a Ushape in front of one of them. There are science and math posters up on the walls of the
classroom as well that serve as educational aids to the students. As for technology, the classroom
provides one printer, one large computer in the back of the classroom, students are allowed to
bring their laptops and tablets from home to use in class, a few graphing calculators, textbooks
for each subject, and speakers with the projector and document camera.
Because this school is a charter school and does not have a district, I chose the district
closest to the school to get an idea of the demographics and information of surrounding students.
The Tempe School District contains about 30,000 students of which 53% are male and 47% are
female. Of those students 65% are Caucasian, 18% are Hispanic, 5% are African American, 4%
are Native American, 5% are Asian, and 0.4% are Hawaiian/ Islander. Tempe District has an
acceptable reputation and students perform to standards on average.
The surrounding community is a working community with about 70% of its population in
the labor force. The majority of household make between 35,000-75,000 a year however there is
a large range of incomes across the community. About 12% of families are considered below
poverty level. The demographics fall almost identical to those of the district. The average cost of
living in this community is said to have been 45,000. The community does have public
transportation while the school does not offer a bus or transportation system for students.
Having been in this classroom several times already, the needs of new technology
become more and more prominent. The students seemed disengaged due to the lack of new
lesson styles and creativity. Even the teacher has to bring her own computer to the classroom to

GRANT PROPOSAL

do grading, attendance, etc. In order to break this disengaging environment, a student garden
would bring so many aspects to the class that would reignite the creativity and motivation the
students need in this biology class. The garden would allow student to get up and moving instead
of tied down with the noses in books and on the white board as usual. The garden will allow for
multiple new lessons to take place to teach to the same standards that were taught without any
technology. This project would be beneficial to these students in particular simply because of the
environment they are in. The students only receive 25 minutes a day (if that) on physical
education and their lunches are only 30 minutes long. These students seem to become restless
and bothersome being taught in front of books and worksheets for hours at a time. The idea of
having the student build their own school garden as well as get them up and moving is essential
to these students retention in their classes.
Introduction
This project would benefit these students and future students in ways that traditional
book/worksheet assignments cannot. Of course there will be worksheets and the like alongside
the garden building project, but getting them up and moving and getting their hands dirty is a
great way of motivating student to do their work. Building a garden would again extremely
engage these students. It will teach the students responsibility and determination. It will teach
them about plant nutrition, photosynthesis and even plant structure. The need for the project is
very prominent the further we look into how students can use the garden not only to learn about
plant structure, photosynthesis, etc. but they can also bring the garden into the scientific method
and conduct experiments that will aid the students in critical thinking skills and analysis.
This kind of learning is project based learning (PBL) and the program will force students
to think creatively and critically. PBL is a type of teaching that focuses on how the student can

GRANT PROPOSAL

apply the skills theyve learned and how to wrap- up and organize all their finding into a single
or even multiple projects. The garden building project is actually a set of project based learning
activities that students can look at in the future for reflection and information.
The garden building project idea is really innovative in that it requires students and the
teacher to collaborate and really put their minds and hands together to create a project that will
use real world technologies and real, edible food! Seeing that happen right in front of the student
brings the innovation to life and students will be introduced to something they have always eaten
but never really new how it happened.
All these benefits will make the garden building project very impactful to current and
future students. Current students will have the chance to be creative, innovative, responsible, and
analytical, the list goes on. The students are going to be able to away from this experiment
knowing that they learned skills and content that will benefit them in future classes and careers.
Furthermore, future students will be able to use the garden for their own experimentation and
tending to the garden teaches student almost as much as having to build the garden in the first
place. Students still have to know what a plant needs to keep it alive.
Learning Goals and Outcomes
The learning goals and outcomes will initially be expresses to the students outright. Of
course the students may not be 100% sure of what those goals and outcomes mean, but it is an
excellent strategy to allow those students to see what is expected of them up front before any
teaching begins. Once the students have those outcomes and goals floating around in their minds,
thats when the teaching can begin and the students can start piecing the information given
together to match the goals and outcomes they are expected to learn. At the end of the lessons,

GRANT PROPOSAL

those goals and outcomes should be summarized and answered to be sure that each students
comes to a similar conclusion. It is important that the students come to their own conclusions
because it means they went through the thinking process to fully understand what they are
expected to master. For my project idea, the goal would be to understand how human activities
can create potential hazards in the environment. The outcome would be for them to understand
that habitats can be destroyed, removing one species can cause a very large negative impact on
all the other species in the habitat, etc. and all that can be cause by human activity.
Students secretly want to learn whether they express that drive or not. There is something
important to them that they would like to learn about; they have questions about it! As a teacher,
it can be very useful to tie the lesson they are teaching to those curiosities. The essential
questions in a project/ lesson can be connected to the goals of the students by first being sure that
those goals were created from the essentials questions. Why would there be any goals if there
were no questions to answer? However, if we are just starting with goals, the essential questions
can be connected to the goals through discussion with the teacher leading the students toward
their goal. For my project idea, the essential questions would be which human activities effect
the environment, how do they affect the environment and what is the end product of human
activity on the environment?
This project would address stand 3, concept 1 of the Arizona Department of Education
Science Standards. This concept states to describe the interactions between human populations,
natural hazards, and the environment.

GRANT PROPOSAL

Project Based Learning

Activities
This project is designed for a 10th grade biology classroom. The students will be building
their own garden and they will come up with one variable they want to tamper with that could be
changed by human activity. This means that they will have to first research what plants need to
survive, human impact on the environment, etc. Once they have completed their research, they
will write a request for materials and a procedure for their experiment including all parts of the
scientific method. Then they can finally build their gardens outside in a designated area. After
they have been able to create their living system, they can do their experiment. After the
experiments are complete, they will have to create a website showing their findings and
discussing the impact of human activities on the environment. The skills they are required to use
to carry out this project align very well with their learning outcomes and state standards which
will be explained below.
Goals and Objectives
After completing this project, students will be able to use many different scientific
processes such as questioning, hypothesize, planning and conducting experiments,
communicating their results, critical thinking and appropriate measuring procedures. Students
will be able to design a solution to a problem, to understand the relationship between science and
technology, and the ways people are involved in both. Students will be able to analyze the
impact of science and technology on human activity and the environment. Furthermore, on a
more content specific note, students will be able to create a living system where they can list the
relationships among organisms within populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes;

GRANT PROPOSAL

describe how organisms are influenced by a particular combination of biotic (living) and abiotic
(nonliving) factors in an environment; and diagram the biogeochemical cycles and energy cycles
in an ecosystem.
Essential Questions
While completing this experiment, students should keep many questions in mind so they
can relate what they are learning to real world problems. These questions revolve around the
high goals/ objectives of the project stated above. They are as follows: Why is it important to
understand the way that energy moves through the living system you are creating? What kind of
problem is there in the world where being able to create your own garden to grow your own food
would be useful? Why is it important to have such a structured layout for my thought processes
in creating my garden? How may the world benefit from this kind of project? How might
understanding biogeochemical cycles better my understanding of cycles that occur thought out
the plants?
Standards
Strand 1: Inquiry Process
Inquiry Process establishes the basis for students learning in science. Students use scientific
processes: questioning, planning and conducting investigations, using appropriate tools and
techniques to gather data, thinking critically and logically about relationships between evidence
and explanations, and communicating results.
Strand 3: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

GRANT PROPOSAL

10

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives emphasizes developing the ability to design a
solution to a problem, to understand the relationship between science and technology, and the
ways people are involved in both. Students understand the impact of science and technology on
human activity and the environment. This strand affords students the opportunity to understand
their place in the world as living creatures, consumers, decision makers, problem solvers,
managers, and planners.
Strand 4: Life Science
Life Science expands students biological understanding of life by focusing on the characteristics
of living things, the diversity of life, and how organisms and populations change over time in
terms of biological adaptation and genetics. This understanding includes the relationship of
structures to their functions and life cycles, interrelationships of matter and energy in living
organisms, and the interactions of living organisms with their environment.
Need for Project
This project is not only needed for the simple fact that the school does not have any kind
of interactive lab for student to learn but it is also needed because it hits multiple standards of the
state, it is extremely engaging and it holds real valuable lessons to be taught about problems
currently found around the planet. Because the project is so hands on and student driven,
students will be motivated to make the project there own and really take away a wealth of
knowledge that align the states standards. For example, one strand ( I would argue even two
strands) heavily emphasize on students the opportunity to understand their place in the world
as living creatures, consumers, decision makers, problem solvers, managers, and planners. This
project teaches them that place because they experience first-hand what they can grow and the

GRANT PROPOSAL

11

consequences of making their garden (living system) into whatever they form it to be. Another
example, one strand states that students need to understand the relationship of structures to their
functions and life cycles, interrelationships of matter and energy in living organisms, and the
interactions of living organisms with their environment. The project forces student to do the
research on these topics in order to create their system and see to it that it thrives. The project
incorporates new technologies that student may or may not be familiar with to make a garden.
Certain shelter, materials, soils, measurement tools all come into play to teach students just how
essential technology can be to their living system. This project would add so much value to the
curriculum and really support the students needs in terms of state requirements and technology
needs.
Project Impact
The impact this project will have on students and on students coming into the class in
future years is tremendous. The students will walk away with this deeper understanding of how a
living system works and how human activities have consequences in that environment. Project
based learning really makes every single student pour their creativity and critical thinking into
making the project what it is supposed to be. They are given enough freedom to bring in their
own innovation and that really sticks with student in the long run. It is something they will
remember in the future as one of the more impactful lessons they had in grade school because
they were able to make it their own and they were forced to think through every part of the
problem being addressed. In years to come, future students can continue to work and maintain
those gardens so they can walk away with the same impact.
As a teacher, it will be impactful in the way that it will shape my practice into something
more student driven than teacher driven. Instead of micro-managing the classroom, I will have to

GRANT PROPOSAL

12

step back and let the students do the thinking for themselves and learn strategies to guide them in
the right direction.
The community will be impacted too! If student learn what their actions do to the
environment and they learn to grow their own food, the community will become much more
healthy and self-sufficient simply because its people know that their actions impact the
environment they live in.
Assessments
Formative and Summative Assessments (Popplet Screenshot)

Tools
For all of these assessments, I would be using a rubric to grade the assignments due to the
nature of the assignments. There are many areas of performance where a student can fall in

GRANT PROPOSAL

13

which is why a rubric is probably the best way to be able to give a grade to that range of
possibilities. The tool I will use to create those rubric will
be Rubistar. Students will be using Weebly to submit work for some of the assessments. Within
the Weebly will be a compilation of the assignment they were assigned throughout the project. It
will a place where they can learn from their passed assignments as well and improve upon those
assignments.

Technology Support
The support for the technology required to complete this project will come from the
district if the proposal is approved. The school already has many of the resources that are needed
for the project besides the needed materials for the garden building. Therefore, the school/ IMT
will be providing the area of land the garden will be in, microscopes, classroom, water, etc.
Sustaining the Project after the Proposal Period
This garden could be sustained for many years into the future after the initial building
blocks are put into place for the garden. Future students will be able to do the same exact project
without the high cost of starting up the garden. The garden will also provide educational
experiences for classes other than biology as well. Nutrition classes in the future can look at the
vegetables that are growing their and assess the benefit of growing your food at home rather than
buying them at the store. The only thing the garden will need is someone to work it over the

GRANT PROPOSAL

14

summer which the biology teacher in place should be able to do effectively without any high
costs or significant time cost.
Innovation
So many people do not grow their own food. Students do not understand that they have
the materials around them that they can bring into their home and grow their own food! I feel
that taking in those resources and creating something they can use in their real life is very
innovative and allows a student to realize that they can put in their own minds and hands and
create the things they buy from the store. Growing plants, instead of learning about how to grow
plants puts a whole spin on the way a student learns about plants. The environment where the
student even changes because they have to go outside and put their hand to work.
Budget Table and Narrative

Budget Table
Product

Materials for
Building and
Growing the
Garden

Cost

Total

Miracle-Gro Moisture
Control Potting Mix

11 (10lb)
bags

$19.59 per
bag

$215.49

8-Foot x 4-Foot x 6Inch Raised Garden

Bed Wooden Frame

2 frames

$86.82

$173.64

2-Gallon Watering
Can

4 cans $9.42 per can

$37.68

Trowel Spade Shovel/

Hand Bow Rake Fork
Garden Tool Set

2 sets $9.99 per set

$19.98

4 cages

$8.79 per
cage

$35.16

1 set

$12.95

$12.95

4 bags

$19.59 per

$78.36

Plant Cages
30 Vegetable &
FruitSeed Variety
Pack - Survival Nongmo Varieties
Materials Needed

Quantity

Miracle-Gro Moisture

GRANT PROPOSAL

15

Control Potting Mix

8.8-Pound Miracle
Mulch

1 bag

$14.70

$14.70

3lb Nitrogen Fertilizer

1 bag

$11.00

$11.00

Triple Super
Phosphate

1 bag

$13.18

$13.18

Potash (Potassium)
Fertilizer

1 bag

$17.64

$17.64

10lbs (1
box)

5.39 per box

$5.39

$5.88

$5.88

1 pack

19.95 per
pack

$19.95

10 lamps

$18.66 per
lamp

$186.60

4 bulbs

$9.14 per
bulb

$36.56

$10.59 per
gauge

$52.95

1 pack

$20.99 per
pack

$20.99

1 pack of
each

small- $6.89,
medium$7.31, large$10.26

$24.46

2 kits $13.67 per kit

$27.34

Instant Ocean
Iodized Salt

for Experiement
with Plants from
Garden

bag

Laboratory
Thermometer, Partial
Immersion, Pack of
10
LED Clip Desk Plant
Lamp Flexible Neck
GE Lighting 22752 50Watt BlackLight R20
Light Bulb, 1-Pack
Plant Light & PH Test
Gauge
4" Plastic Flower
Seedlings Nursery
Pot/pots , 100 Pack
Non-Latex Gloves
(small, medium,
large)
Rapitest Soil Test Kit

Sub - Total

$1,009.86

Total
Inlcuding $1041.28 from
Tax and
Amazon.com
Shipping

Narrative
The first set of materials are the products needed for the students to build and grow a
garden form which they will use the plants to do their experiments. The frames for the garden are
needed for the reinforcement of the garden and so that they garden is not trampled and protected
so that it lasts for future classes. Within this frame is where the 110lbs of soil will be placed to

GRANT PROPOSAL

16

create a food bank for the garden. The plant cages will be used to help grow the tomato and
strawberries plants, for these plants need to grow upright for proper growth. The watering cans
and the trowel/ digging fork kits will be needed to tend to the garden and help it grow throughout
the course of the semester. Four watering cans are needed so each group can water the garden as
well as two kits which is four tools the groups can use to tend to the garden. Lastly, the seed
variety pack will provide all the seed the students will need for their garden as well as plenty of
seeds to plant in the classes to come.
The second set of materials are all needed for the experiments the student will be doing to
the plants in the garden. Once the plants have grown a significant amount, the student will be
picking which plant they are going to use for their experiment and they will transfer that/ those
plants to pots that will be grown inside the classroom. That is why the pots are needed and this
pack offers enough at a discounted price that students in future classes will be able to use them as
well. These pots are also why more soil is needed in this section of the products. It will fill the
pots that the students transfer their plants to. The lamps are needed to provide the experimental
plants with a light source indoors. The mulch, potassium fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer and
nitrogen fertilizer are all needed for students who chose to change the amount of one of those
nutrients a plant needs to survive. Similarly, the black light bulb is needed for students who are
going to test how different kinds of light affect plant growth. The Instant Ocean and salt are
needed for students testing the effects of different kinds of water on plants. The pH meters and
Rapitest Soil Kits are for recording the soil measurement and being sure the experiments are set
up correctly. They are also used for data and results sections. Same for the thermometers which
can also be used for students who test the effect of temperature on plant growth. The gloves are
for student to where when dealing with the fertilizers so that they are not coming in contact with

GRANT PROPOSAL

17

any chemicals. All of these materials come in packages that are big enough for students in future
years to do the same activity for about 4 years. The lamps, thermometers and pH meters are all
equipment that can also be used for different experiment and they are tools that are usable in the
coming years until it breaks.
All these materials which are used for gardening teach students valuable lessons about
what they can use to grow their own food and do their own experiments. They will learn that
there are so many variable that can be testing using this kind of equipment and which one have to
be controlled using this equipment. For example the pH meters are used in pools, restaurants etc.
and students are likely to use them again in the future. Using these materials will give the
students a real understanding of what a plant needs to grow simply by seeing all those things
coming together in one place to grow a garden. They will understand what type of skills they
need to have to manipulate these tools in a way that is going to yield them real fruits and
vegetables that they can eat from home. That is so important! Students need to understand the
biology behind plant growth as well as why it is important to be able to grow their own food or at
least know how the food they buy is being grown. These tools really send that message home and
put their minds (and hands) to work.
References
AZCCRS High School Science Standards
Proximity One Demographic Website
Grand Canyon Preparatory Website

GRANT PROPOSAL

18

Appendix
Inquiry Based Lesson Plan

Teachers: Abigail Vogt

Subject: Biology 10th Grade

Standard:

Strand 1: Inquiry Process

Inquiry Process establishes the basis for students learning in science. Students use scientific
processes: questioning, planning and conducting investigations, using appropriate tools and
techniques to gather data, thinking critically and logically about relationships between evidence
and explanations, and communicating results.
Strand 4: Life Science
Life Science expands students biological understanding of life by focusing on the characteristics
of living things, the diversity of life, and how organisms and populations change over time in
terms of biological adaptation and genetics. This understanding includes the relationship of
structures to their functions and life cycles, interrelationships of matter and energy in living
organisms, and the interactions of living organisms with their environment.
Objective (Explicit):

SWD their understanding of where plants get their food by investigating the myth of soil
consumption through experimentation and recognizing that soil is neither added nor subtracted
before, after or during plant growth.

Evidence of Mastery (Measurable):

Mini lab- report containing all of the following:
- Introduction: Include your prelab observations, information on equipment used (types of seeds). This is where
your hypothesis is written. The hypothesis should be written as an "if..then" statement that attempts to answer
the question about whether plants actually consume soil as they grow.
- Experimental Design: Describe your experiment. Make sure your design can answer the following questions:
~ How will you tell if the plant(s) have actually consumed the soil?
~ Do you have a control? What is the purpose of the control?
- Results: Record data over the period of time you observed your plants. Data may include observations of the
plant's growth as well as measurements of soil and plant weight, or height of the plant. Good scientists record

GRANT PROPOSAL

19

data very carefully and often organize information into charts and graphs.
- Conclusions: Here is where you actually answer the question: Did the plants consume the soil? Use your data
to support your statements. Remember to write in complete sentences. For example, you would say "plants do
/do not consume soil ..... I know this because... ". Do not recopy your entire data here, but do use observations
and data to support your final answer to the question.
Sub-objectives, SWBAT (Sequenced from basic to complex):

Create a hypothesis answering the question, Do plants consume soil for food?
SAY: Plants do/ do not consume soil as food.
Discuss in a group the basic nutrients a plant need to survive and grow.
SAY: The basic nutrients a plant needs to survive and grow is water, carbon dioxide, soil
(nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) and sunlight.
Consult with lab partner to design an experiment that will disprove the idea that plants obtain
their food from the soil.
SAY: The experiment will be set up so that the soil can be weighed after the plant has grown to see
if any soil was lost or consumed during plant growth. (will vary from student to student)
Analyze results from experiment and provide support for a possible answer to the initial question
of the experiment using results.
SAY: The plant does/ does not consume soil because the soil did/ did not lose weight during plant
growth.

Key vocabulary:

Materials/Technology Resources to be used:

Sunlight light from the sun (energy)

Carbon Dioxide - a colorless, odorless gas produced by
burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration
Nitrogen - a colorless, odorless unreactive gas that forms
about 78 percent of the earth's atmosphere
Phosphorus - a poisonous, combustible nonmetal that exists
in two common allotropic forms
Roots - the part of a plant that attaches it to the ground or
to a support, typically underground, conveying water and
nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches
and fibers
Water - Water is a transparent fluid which forms the
world's streams, lakes, oceans and rain, and is the major
constituent of the fluids of organisms
Garden - a piece of ground, often near a house, used for
growing flowers, fruit, or vegetables

- 4 bean seedlings (bean seeds just beginning to

sprout), any seeds can be substituted
- 2 cups or plant containers
- Soil of any type, a variety of soil types may be
available
- Balance or Scale / Rulers to measure plants
- Prezi
- b.socrative.com
- scientific notebooks

Engage (Make content and learning relevant to real life and connect to student interest)
Ask student why there is a warning on plastic bags? Students should eventually answer that they can suffocate
small children not under supervision. After this, they will be asked Like humans need air to survive, what do
plants need to survive?

Explore

GRANT PROPOSAL
Teacher Will: Explain to the students that they will
be creating an experiment answering the question,
Where do plants get their food? After facilitating a
quick discussion to give the students ideas for their
experiment, the teacher will pass out materials and
aid students having trouble with their experiment.
Then the teacher will go over safety procedures for
this experiment (do not eat any materials like seeds,
do not break scale). Teacher will also stop students
at different points of the experiment to be sure every
student is on track. For example, after creating their
hypothesis, the teacher will make sure they are
ready to make their procedures accordingly.

20
Student Will: Design an experiment answering the
question, Where do plants get their food? They
will first create a hypothesis they can test and write
it down in their notebook. After consulting with
their lab partners, they will write down the
procedures for their experiment (record the before
weights of their soil, control, independent/
dependent variables, etc.) in their notebook and then
get the teachers okay to begin. After the experiment
has been carried out, students will record the after
weight of the soil, plant length, etc. They will use
this data in the next part of the lesson. Clean up!

Explain

Co-Teaching Strategy/Differentiation: Students may be offered a template for the lab notebook with
section to fill in the blank with key words or phrases. Intern/ co- teacher may work student through their
experiment step-by-step if need be. Students may be given multiple attempts at experiment or extended
time.
Teacher Will: After experiments are finished, the
teacher will engage students in a discussion based
explanation. They will ask students questions like
What were your results? Why do you think those
are the results you got? Do your results support
your hypothesis? Can we support an answer to the
question, Where do plants get their food? Then
the teacher will give a short lecture on the basic
nutrients plants need to survive and where the plants
get those nutrients.

Student Will: Engage in the discussion providing

answer to given questions such as The soil did not
lose any weight during the experiment. This
supports my hypothesis that plants do not consume
soil for nutrients. It seems plants must get their food
from another source. Students will record these
statements as their conclusions in their notebook.
Students will answer socrative questions during the
lecture.

Elaborate

Co-Teaching Strategy/Differentiation: Student may be given more time on socrative questions. They can
also be given a template to takes notes on during the lecture.
Teacher Will: Ask students to create a new design
that can bring one basic nutrient to a plant. Teacher
will give an example such as the two liter bottle and
cloth example where the bottom half of a two liter
bottle holds water, the top half is turned upside
down and the spouts and a cloth is put into the
water, the soil and the plant will be put in the top
half. This design allows the plants to get water
without be watered every day. Teacher will walk
around room and aid struggling students.

Student Will: Create a design original to

themselves that will provide one nutrient to a plant.
The student will draw a diagram of the design in
their notebook and explain why the plant need the
nutrient and how their design brings the nutrient to
the plant. They will then be given the option to
present their design to the class if theyd like but
they will not actually be creating the design for this
lesson. The student only needs to demonstrate that
they know where a nutrient comes from that a plant
need and that their design will provide the nutrient
to the plant.

Co-Teaching Strategy/Differentiation: Students struggling with design ideas may be given an examples
worksheet with a few vague ideas they can build off of. They may be able to take their notebook home and

GRANT PROPOSAL

21

bring their design the next day if they need more time.

Evaluate
Ticket Out: The students will be asked to answer a final set of questions on socrative to assess their understanding
of where plants get their nutrients. This will provide an opportunity for the teacher to evaluate student progress
toward achieving the educational objectives and know where he/ she needs to revisit in the next lesson.

Rubric for Plant Inquiry Research Report

Plant Inquiry Research Report

Teacher Name: Ms. Vogt
Student Name:

________________________________________

Format: 2 pages, double spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman

CATEGORY

5-4

1-0

Amount of
Information

All topics are

addressed (Why
does the plant need
that nutrient? Where
do they get that
nutrient? Can that
nutrient be replaced
by another?). There
are at least 3
nutrients analyzed.

All topics are

addressed (see 5-4
point column for
topics). There are at
least 2 nutrients
analyzed.

All topics are

addressed (see 5-4
point column for
topics). There are at
least 1 nutrients
analyzed.

One or more topics

were not addressed.
Nutrients are unclear
or absent.

Content

Information clearly
relates to the main
topic. Each nutrient
includes 3-5
supporting details
and/or examples.
Introduction and
conclusion included.

Information clearly
relates to the main
topic. Each nutrient
includes 1-2
supporting details
and/or examples.
Introduction and
conclusion included.

Information clearly
relates to the main
topic. No details
and/or examples are
given for each
nutrient. Introduction
and/ or conclusion
included.

Information has little

or nothing to do with
the main topic. No
introduction and/ or
conclusion.

First Draft

Detailed draft is
Draft includes all
neatly presented and required information
includes all required and is legible.
information.

Draft includes most

required information
and is legible.

Draft is missing
required information
and is difficult to
read.

GRANT PROPOSAL

Sources

All sources
(information and
graphics) are
accurately
documented in the
desired format. At
least 3 sources
used.

22

All sources
(information and
graphics) are
accurately
documented, but a
few are not in the
desired format. At
least 2 sources used.

All sources
1-0 sources used.
(information and
Not accurately
graphics) are
documented.
accurately
documented, but
many are not in the
desired format. At
least 1 sources used.