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

Nature Science

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, databases, etc.
Public domain website uses and cautions

College Mentors for Kids Lessons

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

Nature Science

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 behind each selection.

College Mentors for Kids Lessons

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

Procedure

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
Cups/Bowls
Napkins/paper towels
Preparation(15 minutes):
The night before class, prepare the dirt pudding snack using the
following recipe:

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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College Mentors for Kids Lessons

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 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

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College Mentors for Kids Lessons

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. 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 peer-reviewed
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 peer-reviewed. 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,
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College Mentors for Kids Lessons

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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):
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,
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Assessment

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however, be required to write information about each group's

presentation other than for personal gain and knowledge.
While the groups are figuring out 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.

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 e-mailing 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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College Mentors for Kids Lessons

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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