Gradual Release of Responsibilities of the Teacher Responsibilities of the Student

Responsibility
Valerie Barber
Grade: 1
Day 1 (2/25/2019)

Standards and Objectives:

Science Standard 4
Life Science. Students will gain an understanding of Life Science through the study of changes in organisms over
time and the nature of living things.

Objective 2
Living things change and depend upon their environment to satisfy their basic needs.
C. Describe and model life cycles of living things.

Reading: Informational Text Standard 7

Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.

Materials:
The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle
pencil, colored pencils
paper with circle template
scissors

Essential Questions:
Where do plants come from?
How do they change over time?

Enduring Understanding:
Students will understand that plants have a life cycle that depends on the environment.

Vocabulary:
Seed, Roots, Stem, Leaves, Flower

Adaptations for EL and students with special needs:

Vocabulary cards with pictures
Teacher modeling of task
Provide completed example of task
Book with pictures to introduce topic
Administer pre-test
Phase I 1. Gather students at the carpet Listen to the read aloud, recall
(15 minutes) 2. Explain to students that we are going to be information, engage with new
learning about the plant life cycle. Remind concepts
students about the frog life cycle, which we
learned about a few weeks ago. Make
connections between both
3. Read Eric Carle’s The Tiny Seed
4. Discuss the book, emphasizing the parts of
the life cycle of plants
5. Introduce the vocabulary words on the cards
6. Discuss and draw to show how seeds, roots,
stems, leaves, and flowers fit into the life cycle
Transition to Phase II 1. Ask review questions Ask questions, engage in review
(2-5 minutes) 2. Explain directions for Phase II and model
3. Provide teacher made example for
clarification
4. Ask students if they have any questions
5. Pass out papers
Phase II Walk around the room, providing assistance as 1. Students will cut out a circle
(20 minutes) needed and fold it in fourths.
2. They will draw and label the
plant life cycle; one part in each
quadrant.
3. Color and add details
Transition to Phase III Review concepts from the day before Engage in review
(2 minutes)
Phase III Morning work the next day will be a similar Complete graphic organizer
(15-20 minutes template in which students must label and draw independently
the plant life cycle