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Backyard Sunflower, story and photographs by Elizabeth King
Sunflower House, by Eve Bunting
Chart paper for writing lists of words for poems
Prepared labels for the various parts of a Cinquain poem, used as headings for each list
Prepared sunflower petals
Orange or brown construction paper – 2 18”x12”pieces
Green paper for a couple leaves and to cover 4’ wooden stick (see session 3)
Permanent markers
Plastic flowerpot, filled with gravel
Pencils
Sunflower seeds, peat pots, soil, and water
Optional:
Grow-lab
Sunflowers, Edited by Susan Lauzau (a coffee table book that could be used to inspire creative poetry writing)
Big Yellow Sunflower, by Frances Barry (a fold out and find out book)
This unit of study is designed for integration with classroom study of plant growth and adaptations after the subject has been introduced in the classroom. Depending on the instructional space, media specialist may want to prepare the following display to help organize class discussion and generated lists. It may also serve as a way of communicating to others visiting the media center some of the on-going learning taking place. See SM1_SunflowerPoetry for a sample of what final display may look like.
Display:
Cut a piece of yellow bulletin board paper, approximately 5 feet long and tape to a wall or a window (such as one adjoining a computer lab). Prepare labels for lines 2-5 of the sunflower poem and mount to 9’’x12” pieces of construction paper.* Affix labels to top of bulletin board paper so that they form columns. Underneath mounted labels, place chart paper or contrasting construction paper for each list that the class will be contributing to during the lesson. Line 2 label might look like this:
How does a sunflower look? (2 words)
* The first line of every poem will be “sunflower,” therefore no list will be generated for line 1 of the poems.
Session 1
Direct Instruction:
TL will ask the class leading questions about what plants need to live and grow. The CT may choose to record answers on a white board or projection screen. TL will introduce plans for the three session unit starting this day. Students will be learning about sunflowers and how they grow. “We will be writing poems about sunflowers. We will be planting our own sunflower seeds and later we will be able to take our sunflower plants home.” During this time the TL will also introduce the concept of a Cinquain poem to the students and point out the prepared display with room for their class lists.
TL introduces a form of Cinquain poetry and explains that the following format will be used to develop Sunflower poems for this unit:
Line #1 - The word Sunflower will be the first line of each poem.
Line #2 - Visual words (choose 2): e.g. golden, yellow, sunny, bright
Line #3 - Action (choose 3): e.g. growing, blooming, drooping, dropping, reaching
Line #4 - Feels (two words together): e.g. soft leaves, prickly florets, strong petals
Line #5 - Another name (two words): e.g. garden giant, happy face, sunny friend
TL suggests that the class explore some fiction and nonfiction books about sunflowers to brainstorm lists of words that can be used to describe the lifecycle of sunflowers.
Modeling and Guided Practice:
TL reads parts of the nonfiction selection, Backyard Sunflower, by Elizabeth King. TL explains that students should be listening for and thinking about words that could describe their sunflowers. TL highlights photographs, picking out the various stages of growth and development and showing that plants have a lifecycle. TL models one or two examples of describing words and action words. A collaborating teacher can play an active role here by recording for the class and coaching them on the use of appropriate vocabulary and putting words into categories according to the lines as described above. The list will grow as the lesson progresses.
The TL will then read the fiction selection, Sunflower House, by Eve Bunting while students listen for more “describing” words. Instructors ask students questions to prompt them to share what they are learning about the lifecycle of a sunflower, e.g., “What happens to the seeds that we don’t eat?“ Students may talk about the coincidence that the plants were in a circle in the story, and the lifecycle is also a kind of circle.
Independent Practice: TL will close this lesson by asking students to answer an essential question: “What do sunflowers need to live and grow?” This could be a whole class activity or perhaps a “ticket out the door” activity where individual students or pairs of students fill out their ticket before being dismissed. (SM2_SunflowerPoetry)
Sharing and Reflecting: TL will explain that these lists of sunflower vocabulary words are a start and that the class should add to lists as they continue learning about the lifecycle of sunflowers in their science studies in the classroom. TL asks class to bring the lists back to the library for session #2 when they will refer to the lists for a poetry writing exercise.
Session 2
The class will return to the media center with CT, usually within a few days of the first lesson. The teacher will bring the lists that the students have continued to work on in the classroom. Students will share their updated lists with the TL.
Set-up:
One table area will be prepared with sunflower petals and pencils. A wall or shelf space should be available nearby for posting lists that class brainstormed.
Separate tables will be set up with soil, water, sunflower seeds, permanent markers, trays and peat pots.
Direct Instruction:
TL will show the students a sample sunflower petal (SM3_SunflowerPoetry), explaining/reviewing the lines of the Cinquain poem and where they will fit on the petals. TL will explain that two activities will be completed during this lesson: 1) students will work in pairs to write a poem using their class lists as a resource and 2) students will each plant their own seeds so that they can observe first hand the life cycle of a sunflower.
Modeling and Guided Practice:
The CT will have prepared a list of students, paired heterogeneously according to ability. The CT will supervise the writing process while the TL will supervise students as they plant their seeds (labeling pots w/ initials). After each student completes their planting they will return to writing their poems. Students who complete their writing early will have the option of working on an activity chosen by CT and TL, e.g. labeling the parts of a plant.
Sharing and Reflecting:
This session will conclude by gathering students together and discussing how they will be caring for their plants during the next few days. If a grow lab is available, it could be set-up either in the library or the classroom and a watering schedule could be discussed. Another option would be to place plants on a cart near a window and possibly rolling it outside during the day to provide optimum sunlight.
Session 3
CT and TL will maintain close communication about the progress of the plants and any watering schedule that may have been arranged if the plants are in the media center. Since the media center is hopefully a busy place, a tentative time will have been scheduled for the third session within five days of the second lesson. This usually allows enough time for most plants to sprout, yet not become too leggy for transport home after the third session. Close communication and flexible access will allow instructors to change the time of the third session to suit the needs of the students and their plants.
Set-up:
Media specialist will have prepared a large sunflower as follows… (SM1_SunflowerPoetry)
• For the head of the flower, draw and cut out 2 large circles from orange or brown construction paper.
• Using black permanent marker write the word “Sunflower” across the middle of each circle, and to dot the circle to look like seeds.
• Place students’ poem petals around the back edge of one of the circles; some should be face down and some face up if a two-sided flower is desired. Start gluing petals to circle, reserving other circle for later.
• Prepare wooden stick by covering it with green paper and gluing or taping a couple paper leaves to the stick near the base.
• Place top end of stick near the back middle of circle with glued-on petals.
• Use strong tape to hold stick in place.
• Place remaining circle on top, being careful to align so that the word sunflower is right side up across the middle of each circle.
• Use additional small pieces of strong tape, rolled sticky side out to affix some front and back petals to each other and secure the stick in place.
• This takes a little trial-and-error to find the right combination and placement of tape and glue, but with patience it will work!
• Display sunflower by pushing base of stick into a flower pot filled with gravel to hold the sunflower upright. Place in front of display used in Session 1.
Sharing and Reflecting:
The TL will present the final display with the completed sunflower and call on pairs of students to find their petals and share their poem with the class. TL may start the poem presentations by modeling a petal that she and the CT wrote together.
CT will then present the sprouting plants and lead a discussion on how students will prepare to take their plants home and where and how they might plant and care for them at home. Students will be instructed to work in cooperative pairs to fill out a care plan for their plants. (SM4_SunflowerPoetry). Finally, TL and CT will distribute plants. The prepared sunflower of poems will be displayed in the media center for all to see.
