Amy+Wagner


 * Title:** The Apple Tree Life Cycle

**Subject and Grade Level:** Science- Grade Two

**Goal**: The children will be able to understand and be able to explain the life cycle of an apple tree as well as the story of Johnny Appleseed.

**Objectives**: The children will explain the life cycle of the apple tree as well as sequence the steps.

**Standards Alignment**: NETS-S- 1.C- Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues. Illinois State Learning Standard- 11.A.1e- Arrange data into logical patterns and describe patterns.

**Initial Engaging Activity:** This activity will be a simple introduction to our unit. It would take class period to complete. I would begin by reading aloud __Johnny Appleseed__ by Jodie Shepard. While reading this story, we would stop to take note of Johnny Appleseed's real name (John Chapman), when apple trees are ready to be picked, and whether we believe the story is true or not. Together we would create a journal entry on the smartboard describing what is True and not True about the Johnny Appleseed story that I have created using PhotoShop. After we have completed this activity, I will give the students the following picture with a piece of note paper. On the notepaper, I want the students to write a sentence describing what they know is wrong with the picture from what they have learned today. They should be able to tell me that Johnny Appleseed planted apple trees, not oranges.



**Concept Development** This part of the unit will take two days. On the first day, the teacher will show the Apple Tree Life Cycle Photostory to the students. The class will stop along the way, to discuss and comment on the process.

media type="file" key="PhotoStory1.wmv" width="300" height="300" align="center"

On the second day, the children will be given printouts of the photos used in photostory to sequence the Apple Tree Life Cycle. Whether or not they correctly cut and paste the pictures in the correct order will display their understanding of the content.

**Reinforcing Activity** This will be a final review of the Apple Tree Life Cycle. It will take one class period to complete. The students will first watch the "How to Grow an Apple" Tree Video that is emebedded on this wiki as review. Then, they will write a journal entry describing the steps in the Apple Tree Life Cycle. Here is the video: media type="custom" key="15460968" align="center"

=Comments(3)= =**The presentation was very age appropriate. The real world application of the unit can be used before or after the field trip. The only addition would be the use of a manipulative so the students have something to feel and play with. A real apple, core, seed, tree etc would give them a visual for them to look for on their field trip. Another use can be real fruit as a snack for the students. Give them apples, grapes and oranges. Have them tell you where they came from and where or how it grows.**=

__**Mini-Presentation:**__ One of the biggest benefits of embedding a video onto a wiki (or another source) are that children are not exposed to comments, advertising, and outside influences that may not be appropriate for school. It is free and very easy to navigate.
 * How to Embed a Video on a Wiki**

First, copy and past the embedding code from your video source (I.E. You Tube). If you would like to clear advertisements, go into your You Tube account, then to manage settings, and click the box for no advertisements.

Go To you wiki, and click on Widget.

Paste the code into the space provided and save.

Your video is now saved to you wiki!

media type="youtube" key="LqS88XWt0hE" height="315" width="420"

Overall, this was a very amusing sight that I think the children would enjoy playing around with. It could be used in education to create a character or discuss body parts in Pre-K. Other than that, there was no clear educationally purpose that I could see. Below, I have listed some Pros and Cons of this website.
 * How I would use my Photoshop picture:**
 * My picture would be used as an exit slip after teaching my students about the Washington monuments. To move on to the next activity, they would have to correctly circle the part of the picture that is not a Washington monument. The correct answer would be to circle the building in the bottom right corner. That building is actually the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL.**
 * Amy Wagner- Evaluation on Grabbabeast:**

Pros: Cons:
 * Very User Friendly
 * Students can create character or send cards.
 * Students can save work.
 * Students can rate other's work.
 * Student's can name beast and it is given the birthday of the day it is created.
 * No clear purpose in education, would need to be used as supplement to a unit that is teacher created.
 * Student's can create other's work, which means they may not get positive feedback from the beast they create.
 * This site allows students access to twitter, facebook, etc.

**Duplicate** Digital Storytelling Is the practice of combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video to create a short movie, typically with a strong emotional component.

__Pros__ __Cons__ __Websites__ __Digitalportfolio.wikispaces.com__
 * No technical skill is required. Digital stories range from the simple to the complex.
 * Students make deep connections with the subject matter shown in digital stories.
 * Digital stories can be effectively applied to every subject.
 * Digital stories can be instructional, persuasive, and historical, or reflective.
 * Allows students to express themselves using their own words and voices giving them ownership over their creations.
 * Teachers and students both need to be aware of intellectual property issues that arise if digital stories include copyrighted images, music, video, or text.
 * Requires a great deal of storage space for programs or institutions.
 * They are difficult to assess because of the broad range of topics and disciplines.

__Resources__ [|www.eportfolio.org] [|www.educationworld.com] __Uses__ __References__ [|www.educause.edu/eli] 7 Things you should know about digital storytelling
 * Students can create one for a project or the teacher can use it as a teaching tool in the classroom.
 * Digital stories can be used for formative assessment through the use of portfolios to show students learning and growth.
 * Helps develop proficiency with multimedia applications and critical thinking.