College Mentors for Kids Lessons

Technology Integration in Nature Science

Grade 6
Overview of Lesson

The overall purpose of this lesson is to teach students how to

integrate the use of technology in the world of science. Students
will be asked to locate plants, given only a scientific name, and
formulate a brief scientific report. They will have the opportunity
to work in groups to formulate their reports with pertinent
information regarding their respective plants. These reports will
be delivered in verbal presentation format to the entire class,
while a fun snack is enjoyed.

Description of Learners
and Environment

The primary learners of the class are fifteen 6th graders, 11-12
years of age. They will be accompanied by their assigned Purdue
college mentors ages 18-22 years. There will be a total of
approximately thirty students altogether participating in the
lesson. The classroom setting will be split, some of the time will
be spent in either the greenhouse or the outdoor surroundings, and
the remainder will be in a more traditional style classroom.

Lesson Content

Science:
Plant scientific nomenclature
Genus(pl. Genura)
Specific epithet
Plant common names
Plant primary nutrients
Ideal plant environmental factors:
Climate
Humidity & moisture levels
Temperature
Native region conditions
Plant uses or classifications:
Ornamental, edible/vegetative,
industrial, herbaceous, woody, ground cover, etc.
Technology:
Online research techniques
Basic searches
Google, bing, yahoo,
etc.
General information collection
Check source credibility
Cross reference sources
Advanced searches
Google scholar,

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databases, etc.
Public domain website uses and cautions
Ex. Wikipedia
Key elements of a credible website when
conducting research
Authors, Editors, & Publishers
Presentation & Design
URLs
.edu, .org, .gov
Locating peer-reviewed articles and understanding
their significance
Authors
Abstract
Introduction
Methods & Materials
Discussion/Procedure
Conclusion
Graphics & Data
References
Intended Learning Goals

At the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

Utilize technological resources to find enough base
information to locate a named object.
Recognize a live plant from an digital image
through comparison of physical characteristics.
Efficiently and effectively use the Internet to find
general information about a given item or topic.
Discern what information on the Internet is
appropriate for a research report, with minimal assistance
from a college mentor or teacher.
Deliver a concise report, comprised of
informational findings about a given topic.

Learning Objectives

The learning objectives for this lesson are the following:

1. Given the scientific name of a plant, students will
be able to identify pertinent information about that plant,
using at least two different technologically located
resources.
2. Given an image of a plant, students will be able to
identify a live plant within 90% accuracy of the species.
3. Provided information about a plant, students will
be able to formulate a verbal report about that plant,
within 10 minutes.
4. Provided a number of different resources, students
will be able to select only those that are credible for their
research, with 2-3 sentences explaining their reasoning

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behind each selection.
Standards1

Science:
6.3.2 Describe how changes caused by organisms
in the habitat where they live can be beneficial or
detrimental to themselves or to native plants and animals.
6.3.3 Describe how certain biotic and abiotic
factorssuch as predators, quantity of light and water,
range of temperatures and soil compositioncan limit the
number of organisms an ecosystem can support.
6.3.4 Recognize that plants use energy from the
sun to make sugar (i.e., glucose) by the process of
photosynthesis.
Technology:
6-8.LST.1.1: Read and comprehend science and
technical texts within a range of complexity appropriate
for grades 6 independently and proficiently.
6-8.LST.2.2: Determine the central ideas or
conclusions of a text; provide an accurate, objective
summary of the text.
6-8.LST.4.2: Distinguish among facts, reasoned
judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a
text.
6-8.LST.4.3: Compare and contrast the consistency
of information gained from reading a text on the same
topic to determine credibility.
6-8.LST.7.1: Conduct short research assignments
and tasks to answer a question, drawing on several
sources.
6-8.LST.7.2: Gather relevant information from
multiple sources, using search terms effectively; assess the
credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or
paraphrase the data and conclusions.

Required Materials

iPads (minimum of 6, preferred 10-15)

Computer & projector/e-board
Research Worksheet
Pens and pencils(optional)
Chocolate or vanilla pudding, milk, & cool whip
Gummy worms
Oreos
Spoons

1 The standards for this lesson were adapted from the following:
http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/standards/science/2010-Science-Grade06.pdf
http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/standards/2014-04-14-contentlit-sciencetech.pdf

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Cups/Bowls
Napkins/paper towels
Procedure

Preparation(15 minutes):
The night before class, prepare the dirt pudding snack using the
following recipe:
Ingredients:
2 Packages (3.9 oz) of JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
4 Cups of cold milk
1 Tub (8.0 oz) COOL WHIP Whipped
3 Cups of Oreo Cookies
1 Package of gummy worms
Instructions:
1. Beat pudding mix and milk in a large bowl with a
whisk for approximately 2 minutes or until well mixed
and slightly thick.
2. Let pudding stand for about 5 minutes (may put in
the fridge to hasten the congealing process).
3. Finely crush the Oreo cookies either in food
processor, or manually in a plastic ziploc bag.
4. Stir tub of COOL WHIP into pudding and mix in 1
cup of crushed Oreo cookies.
5. Cover the top of the pudding with remaining cup
of crushed OREO cookies and insert gummy worms.
6. Place pudding into fridge. Allow a minimum of 1
hour of chilling before serving.
Arrival(2-5 minutes):
Students will arrive to campus and exit the bus at
the Purdue Horticulture Building (see the attached map).
The Purdue student mentors should be informed in
advance and asked to meet their students at the bus to
escort them to the classroom.
Introduction(5-10 minutes):
Bring the class to order with a warm welcome and
proceed to divide the students, with their respective
mentors, into three groups of five students. During this
process walk around to each group and distribute a copy
of the Research Worksheet to each student, along with
an iPad.
Mentors may be asked to assist in
the process of distribution and organization to
increase efficiency.
After dividing and distributing, introduce the topic
for the day and explain the purpose and goals of the two

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different activities.
Give a brief lesson regarding proper research
technique and the expectations of the verbal research
summary reports using the Epipremnum aureum as an
example.
Research is a multistep process,
each level of which requires a deeper
understanding and attention to detail.
The first step is to get a general
knowledge summary from a basic search engine.
Students may use their preferred choice of search
engine; the most common two being Google and
Bing. A good first site to skim and glean general
information from is Wikipedia. In research,
Wikipedia is often the selected first stop because it
generally provides a broad overview of the given
topic, however it may not be used as a primary
source. Though advancements and monitoring has
greatly improved over the past several years, it
used to be that virtually anyone could post on
Wikipedia, thus drastically decreasing the
websites credibility. As mentioned, this is less
likely the case today, much of the information
posted to Wikipedia has been checked for
accuracy, nonetheless it is not credible enough to
be a primary resource. Today, Wikipedia falls
under websites classified as public domain, which
means that the site is not included in a
bibliography or citation.
The second step to performing
quality research after gaining a general subject
matter overview is to begin looking for credible
resources to answer the present questions. When
looking for credible resources there are some
major indicators that one should look for. First,
one should look at the URL ending of a website, in
general, any website ending with a .org, .edu, or
.gov is concerned to be a source of credible
information that has been reviewed closely before
publication. Second, one should look at who the
authors, editors, and publishers of the websites are,
and what qualifications they have. In the case of
this project any websites affiliated with colleges,
universities, the USDA, the FDA, or national
gardens, is most likely a credible source produced
by experts in the agronomy and horticulture fields.
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Lastly, one can look at the design of the webpage.
Credible websites generally look professional in
terms of structure and the way items are organized
within the page. This however, should be your last
line of test, because while this is the norm, there
are exceptions to the rules.
Finally, if there are questions that
remain unanswered within the basic search, an
advanced search may be used. Within an advanced
search, more modifications and details can be
singled out to get more specific search results. It is
often easier to find more credible resources within
such searches as well. One type of resource in
particular, commonly found in more advanced
searches of databases and digital libraries, is peerreviewed articles. Peer-reviewed articles and
journals are documents that have undergone
extreme editing and scrutiny before seeing
publication. The information present in such
documents is always credible, reliable information.
Here are some key characteristics to recognizing a
peer-reviewed article when one comes across one.
First, almost always there is some sort of
annotation or marking that labels an item as peerreviewed. Second, there are almost always several
authors listed, most of whom have PhD suffixes.
Third, peer-reviewed articles have a distinct
layout: Abstract, Introduction, Method,
Observations, Conclusion, and References. An
abstract is a summary describing the general
findings of the research and the overall content of
the article, which can serve as a checkpoint in
determining relevance to a given topic. Fourth, the
research described in the articles is first hand, all
the observations are written by the experiments
performers not in summary of other peoples work.
Lastly, many peer-reviewed articles contain
supporting data, graphics, and charts to support
and visually relay the findings.
During the research portion of the
activity, students will be expected to put these
skills into practice and demonstrate their abilities
discern which websites are credible and which are
not. Each group must record the websites that they
use.
Greenhouse Activity(5-10 minutes maximum):
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Following the research lesson, each group will be
given the scientific name of the plant they are expected to
find in or around the greenhouses.
Group 1: Juniperus procumbens
Group 2: Asarum canadense
Group 3: Peperomia obtusifaus
The groups will walk to the greenhouses located
directly behind the Horticulture Building to begin the
search of their specific plants.
Students are advised to quickly look
up an image of their respective plants for visual
comparison, however they are not required to do
so. They will however, be asked to send an image
found on the Internet as part of their assignment.
Mentors are to accompany the
students and provide assistance as needed when
navigating the greenhouses.
Students will take a picture of the
plant that they find.
Once they have found their plant, students and
mentors will walk back to the classroom to regroup.
Every student is expected to be
present in the picture; mentors can use an iPad or
their phone to take the picture of the students.
Research Activity(10-15 minutes):
Students will be given 10-15 minutes to research
their plant within their groups. Each member is expected
to contribute toward the research and be prepared to give a
brief answer to one of the questions present on the
Research Worksheet.
Students may use their college
mentors as resources and advisors in the research
process. They may research whatever they want
about their plant so long as they are able to answer
all of the questions on the provided worksheet.
Once they have found the necessary information,
students will determine who will summarize each question
during the group presentation activity.
Even though each student will
verbally present only one question, every
individual is expected to have a complete answer
written for each question on his or hers respective
worksheet. It will not, however, be required to
write information about each group's presentation
other than for personal gain and knowledge.
While the groups are figuring out
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the final details of their presentations, one or two
mentors from each group will be asked to help in
the serving and distribution of the dirt pudding
snack.
Presentations/Conclusion(5-10 minutes):
Each of the three groups will present their research
findings about their plant to the rest of the class.
Each individual student is required
to participate in the verbal presentation.
Question 1 and question 2 on the
Research Worksheet may be presented together
to make for more even distribution of presentation
time.
The students can eat their dirt pudding while they
watch the other groups present, and may take notes as they
will.
If there is any time remaining after each group has
presented, a time of questions and answers about the
different plants can be held.
At the conclusion of class, students will hand in
their individual Research Worksheets and the mentors
will escort their students back to the bus.
Assessment

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Students will be evaluated first on their degree of

participation within the group activities, which is to be
determined by general evaluation of the college mentors.
Students will be evaluated on their ability to
identify an object from photographic imaging, by emailing a copy of their group picture, as well as the one
they located online.
Students will be evaluated on their ability to
discern credible information from information that is not,
through the listing of those sources used to complete their
worksheets and the accompanied reasoning behind each
one.
Students will be evaluated on their level of
information comprehension based both on their verbal
portion of the presentation, and the written work the
include on their individual worksheets.

College Mentors for Kids Lessons

References/Reference
Materials

Sander, M. (2009). STEM, STEM education, STEMmani. The

Technology Teacher, 20-26.
This article discusses the history of STEM, its integration
into the educational system, and its incredible importance to
the future success of America as a nation. Mr. Sanders
begins by recognizing the fact that STEM careers are
among the most important in society, but sadly fewer and
fewer people are entering the fields resulting in an
oncoming massive shortage of strong mathematicians,
scientists, and engineers. He credits this shortage primarily
to the education system for not engaging students in these
content areas early enough to build a true passion for the
subjects. For too long, STEM has been viewed solely from
a career perspective, but in Mr. Sanders opinion, it
desperately needs to become a central point for curriculum.
However, a common misconception has been to teach each
subject matter, science, technology engineering, and
mathematics as a separate unrelated entity of its own. Mr.
Sander has found though, that this approach is all wrong,
that STEM needs to be viewed as one interconnected
subject. In the design of our lesson plan we took ahold of
this concept, and rather than choosing only one content area
of the four, we decided to combine science and technology
in a unified lesson. We strove to demonstrate through
activity how the world of technology serves the scientific
domain, through the elementary concept of research. In the
scientific world where research is ever the central focal
point, students often overlook the fact that technology is
centrally connected to effective research.Furthermore,
technology brings a different meaning to the concept of
research as we can use computer devices to research
research, but not without some sifting and sorting. This was
the major overarching goal that we based our lesson plan
around.
Cotabish, A. Dailey, D., Hughes, G., & Robinson, A. (2013). The
effects of STEM intervention on elementary students
science knowledge and skills. School Science and
Mathematics, 113(5), 215-226.
This article is a summary of a study performed to see how
student test scores and general science conceptual
knowledge changed with the implementation of rigorous
STEM courses. Testing students pre and post study, the end
results were overwhelmingly in favor of the more rigorous

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science based courses. Within the study, the ways in which
STEM education was carried out varied from intensive
professional development, to inquiry-based instruction, to
strictly rigorous classroom instruction. The general
conclusion of the study was that with the enhancement and
variability of teaching methods within the STEM oriented
program, drastically increased student ability to process,
conceptualize, and perform science content based
knowledge. These encouraging results and the methods for
teaching provided helped to shape the way in which our
lesson plan was designed. Having a fast moving class with
several different, but interrelated tasks to accomplish pushes
students to function towards their high potential and
ultimately gain a better scientific conceptual understanding.
We modeled this design in our lesson plan. Furthermore, to
stretch the boundaries, we even had two different types of
activities combined towards a common goal. The
greenhouse activity stimulates those students that need to
have a physical and tangible lesson where they can observe
first hand and then take back to the classroom to research in
a sort of inquiry-based format with a rigorous time pressure
component added on. Overall, based on the information in
this article we strove to develop a lesson plan that was well
versed in methods to expand the minds of our students.
Indiana State Standards:
http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/standards/science/2010Science-Grade06.pdf
http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/standards/2014-04-14contentlit-sciencetech.pdf
Purdue University Map:
http://www.purdue.edu/campus_map/
Worksheet Picture:
http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/eoc/special_topics/teach/sp_climate_ch
ange/p_greenhouse.html

Link to our Youtube video:

http://youtu.be/XkY941A643M

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College Mentors for Kids Lessons

Purdue University Campus Map

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College Mentors for Kids Lessons

Research Worksheet
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College Mentors for Kids Lessons

1. What is the scientific name of the plant you had to find? Identify the genus and
the specific epithet.

2. What is the common name of the plant you had to find?

3. What are the ideal environmental conditions(e.g. temperature, humidity, natural

habitat, etc.) for the plant you had to find?

4. What are the primary nutritional need of the plant you had to find?

5. What is the classification of the plant you had to find? What are its primary uses?

6. Name one or two interesting facts or studies about your plant.

List a minimum of two website resources used. Explain, briefly, why you used each one.

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