Assessment Context

Assessment Context

The  assessment plan set fort for this assignment involves the following activity and learning objectives

Activity#1: Read a children's trade book Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens and make connections to the different parts of plants we eat.

Learning Outcome: The learner will create a list of plants with edible parts, then using the list students will write sentences describing the edible part that Hare will get and the inedible parts that Bear will get. 

Book Summary: Bear is lazy and Hare offers to help him by planting and caring for the crops while Bear sleeps.   Each planting season Bear chooses if he wants the tops or bottoms of the crop planted.   Bear chooses the tops the first season so Hare plants all kinds of carrots, beets and potatoes.   At the end of the harvest Bear is upset and demands that Hare plant again and that next time he'll get the bottoms.   As you may have guessed Hare plants broccoli, lettuce and other plants that have edible tops.  Bear learns his lesson and starts planting his own crops where he gets the tops, bottoms and middles.

Here is a reading of the story Tops and Bottoms 

• Teacher will read  Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens   Stop reading at p.24
• Students will create a list of plants that have edible middles (stem, some leaves) using what they know about plants, picture dictionaries, textbooks and various other classroom resources
• Then students will write sentences to describe the part of each of the three plants Hare would get and the parts of the plant that Bear would get
• Next students will illustrate a picture of Hare with his edible parts of the plant and Bear with his inedible parts
• Lastly, students will compare what Hare and Bear got in the story and explain why Bear was upset
• After students have finished their assignment the teacher will finish reading Tops and Bottoms

This lesson is an integrated science, reading and writing  lesson.   The lesson involves reading a fiction trade book and drawing connections to real world situations involving edible plants.   Students will respond to the assignment using first grade second semester appropriate writing expectations.

Testing Constraints

Testing Constraints for this assessment plan will be time and materials.  Students will have 25 minutes to complete written and illustrated portion the activity.  Students will have access to picture dictionaries, their textbook and a few classroom materials that contain pictures and explanations of different types of edible plants that can be used for the activity.