TPACK Template

Subject Science

Grade Fifth
Level

Learning 5.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning, logic, and the
Objective nature of science by planning and conducting investigations in which d) hypotheses are formed
from testable questions; e) independent and dependent variables are identified; f) constants in
an experimental situation are identified; g) data are collected, recorded, analyzed, and
Content

communicated using proper graphical representations and metric measurements; h)

predictions are made using patterns from data collected, and simple graphical data are
generated; i) inferences are made and conclusions are drawn
Online This is a synchronized online activity. All students and teacher will meet on the online class site
Activity Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 3:30 p.m. The teacher and students will communicate using
microphones. Before starting the simulation Growing Plants, the teacher and students will
re-discuss the six scientific method steps (problem/question, research, hypothesis,
experiment, observations/data, and conclusion). The teacher will stress the importance of
defining the variables in an experiment (independent variable, dependent variable, control/
constant variable).

After going over the scientific method, the teacher will go to the cite of the simulation. The
simulation Growing Plants, allows students to watch the growth of a plant. Students get to
choose between three different plant seeds, the type of soil, the amount of water, and the
amount of light a plant receives. From this activity, students should gain a better
understanding of how manipulating variables affect the outcome of an experiment.

Before allowing students to do the simulation on their own, the teacher, and students, will do
the simulation as a class. The teacher will ask one student to give her a question relating to
the Growing Plants simulation. (Example: How does the amount of light affect the growth of
a bean plant, tomato plant, and a turnip plant?) Using the whiteboard tool, the teacher will
write the question. The teacher will then proceed to ask a different student to give a
hypothesis relating to the question, which should be given by student and written by teacher
in an if, then statement. Next, the teacher will ask a student to state the independent and
dependent variables. The teacher will write on the whiteboard the independent and
dependent variables. Then the teacher will ask another student to state the control variables.
After the teacher writes the control variables on the whiteboard, she will begin showing
students how to use the simulation by experimenting the hypothesis. The teacher will show
students how to adjust the amount of light (click on the light bulbs), amount of water (drag the
dark blue line in the middle of the water up or down), and how to place the seed, fertilizer, and
compost into the pot (drag each item to the pot by clicking on them). The teacher will show
Pedagogy

students how to watch the growth of the plant by pressing the play arrow, located at the
bottom right underneath Day:0. She will also show students how to pause and restart the
simulation. When the experiment is over, the teacher will show students how to access the
 data, which is beside the experiment tab. The teacher will inform students on how to take a
screenshot of their experiment and data, by clicking on the camera at the corner of the
pictures. After the teacher shows the students how to conduct a simulation, the teacher will
give students instructions as to what they must do.

*Tips to students: Explain to students the difference between compost and fertilizer. Define
Mass. Explain to students that they should only manipulate one variable because this will
help them receive better results. Inform students that they cannot mix the seeds. The
simulation will only allow for one seed in a pot. However, they can have compost and
fertilizer combined in a pot. The directions on how to use the simulation is on the bottom
left of the screen.

Students must conduct two trials for an experiment and type their results in a PowerPoint.
Once completed, students need to e-mail their PowerPoint to the teacher.
Slide 1 needs to have the question.
Slide 2 needs to have the hypothesis.
Slide 3 needs to have all variables (IV, DV, and constants) listed.
Slide 4 needs to have a snapshot of each pot, as a result of the experiment (at the end
of 50-day or however long they want to see their plant grow).
Slide 5 needs to have a snapshot of the Mass vs. Time line graph.
Slide 6 needs to have a snapshot of Height vs. Time line graph.
On slide 7 students must type up what they have learned as a result of their
experiment. (Was their hypothesis correct or wrong? What can they conclude, What
cold they do to improve the experiment etc.) Students should reflect on their first trial
of their experiment to receive better accurate results for their second trial.
Slide 8 needs to have the second trial hypothesis.
Slide 9 needs to have a snapshot of each pot, as a result of the second trial.
Slide 10 needs to have a snapshot of the Mass vs. Time line graph.
Slide 11 needs to have a snapshot of Height vs. Time line graph.
On slide 12 students need to type what they have learned. (Was their hypothesis
correct or wrong?, Students should compare their second trial to their first trial etc.)

Technology The students will explore the Gizmo Growing Plants on ExploreLearning.com.
Technology

(https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&ResourceID=615)