Day 1- How do we affect nature? -Within small groups explore the main topic and then come together for a sharing circle. G/O: Have students gain an understanding that they affect nature.

SC ELA

Day 2- -Present scaffolding questions and find out through a KWL chart what student’s know about nature and our effect on it. Students will narrow down to main topic in SC in English and French. G/O: Understanding student’s previous knowledge and misconceptions.

SC ELA FLA

Day 3- -Introduce Yoga initiative and first pose: Sukhasana (Easy Pose).

Followed by an introduction to the planting beans/basil/cilantro activity. End of day activity- Journal about today’s events and what you may have learned. G/O: Planting beans/basil/ cilantro and understanding Yoga imitative.

SC ELA PE

Day 4- -Discuss a plant’s structure. Students use their journals to draw and label plant diagram. (In English and in French) -Yoga pose 2: Padmasana (Lotus Pose). End of day activity: Write in your journals about today’s event. G/O: Understanding plant structure

SC ELA PE ART FLA

Day 5- -Seed Activity: engaging students in the exploration of seeds (e.g.: apple) -Explore symmetry, area in regards to plants -Yoga pose 3: Balasana (Child’s Pose). End of day activity: Nurture plants and make not of any

SC ELA PE MATH

Day 6- -Discuss what plants need to grow. -Conditions -Nutrients -Pollination -Soil -Yoga pose 4: Vrksasana (Tree Pose). End of day activity: Journal about today’s events and document any changes to your plants.

SC ELA PE

Day 7- -Explore how Albertans use the land, through the use of French/English texts. -Yoga Pose 5: Halasana (Plow Pose). End of day activity: Journal plant’s growth G/O: Explore/Alberta’s land

SC FLA ELA PE SS

Day 8- -In the context of ELA and PE, start brainstormin-g your yoga/creative story. -Model and example of a story. End of day activity: Journal about today’s class and what you look forward to within this

SC ELA PE

changes in journals. G/O: Understanding seed component & symmetry

G/O: Understanding what plant’s need to survive and thrive.

unit. G/O: Have start practice what it means to brainstorm ideas and work on creating a creative story that integrates yoga.

Day 9- -Explore plant life cycle -photosynthesis -Within art, make and decorate plant pots. -Yoga pose 6: Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation). End of day activity: Journal on plants and make sketches. G/O: Understanding the plant life cycle

SC ELA PE ART

Day 10- -Mini Lesson in Social Studies/ Science: What soils are present in AB and what type of land are we using. What affects the soil? -transfer plants into soil for further germination -Yoga pose 7: Vatayanasana (Big Mountain Pose) End of day activity: Journal about today’s activities. G/O: Understand soils

SC ELA PE SS

Day 11- -Exploration: Why are plants important to nature and humans? -Yoga pose 8: Garudasana (Eagle Pose). End of day activity: Journal your observations on your plants now being in soil. G/O: Understanding importance of plants in relation to humans/plants

SC ELA PE

Day 12- -Give students an opportunity to work on their creative yoga stories -Yoga pose 9: Reverse Warrior/Peaceful Warrior. End of day activity: Journal about any questions you may want to have answered for tomorrow’s field trip.

ELA PE

Day 13- -Filed Trip to Devonian Gardens!!!

SC ELA

Day 14- -Plan 3-D Plant models and start to

SC PE ART

Day 15- -Finish 3D models.

SC PE ART

Day 16- -Students should finalize

ELA PE SC

-Journal throughout the day about what we learn and see. G/O: Gain a better understanding of plants

work on them. -Yoga pose 10: Virasana (Hero’s Pose). End of day activity: Journal about what you found most interesting on the field trip the day before. G/O: Understandin-g 3D images.

MATH

-Yoga pose 11: Anjali Mudra (Salutation Seal). End of day activity: Journal about plant’s growth and any changes. G/O: Continue to understand the dimensions of 3D images and models.

MATH stores and must self-edit before have a peer or the teacher edit. End of day activity: practice yoga story G/O: Learn how to edit one’s own work and also a peers’

Day 17- Yoga story presentations/ skit (outside or in the gym) G/O: Learn how to present in front of others.

ELA PE SC

Day 18- REVIEW UNIT G/O: Review overarching questions and themes

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Day 19- Test/ Assessment

G/O: Enjoy the scavenger hunt while attaining a good source of assessment.

SC Day 20- Celebration!! -Watch :

-Display plants and their models side by side within and outside of the classroom G/O: Have fun and celebrate!!

SC

Essential Questions 1. Since we always plan with the learning needs of specific students in mind, write a general description of the learning characteristics of the class you are imagining you are planning for. Our class is comprised of twenty-five students coming from a diverse range of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Three students are affected by ADHD and one is affected by Asperger’s syndrome. There are two ELL students in the classroom; one is a newly immigrated student from Spain and the other is a first-generation Somali-Canadian student. Our class also contains three gifted students. 2. Write a description of the physical layout of your school and classroom Our class has its desks centered around an open teaching area. There is a table at the front of the classroom for the teacher to invite students who require differentiated education to collaborate with the teacher or peers during activity time. The class’ SMART board is located right behind that desk. The blackboard is located behind class’ SMART board. A window is located on the eastern wall. Student work is prominently displayed on the southern and western walls and underneath the blackboard. There is a map of the teacher’s desk is located in the back corner of the class.

Legend

SC

ELA

FLA

PE

SS

Art

Math

G/O

Science

English Language Arts

French Language Arts

Physical Education

Social Studies

Art

Math

Goals and Objectives

Rationale and Purpose

i) How did you decide on an interdisciplinary theme, issue, or phenomenon for inquiry? How does this topic live in the world and (if appropriate) in the secondary program of studies?

We discussed big picture questions that were relevant to our lives and the world. We chose environmentalism as a theme and “What is our relation to our environment” as a question because we felt that it was one of the most significant topics our generation and the next has to face for continued existence on our planet. We decided to narrow the topic to plants and how they relate to humans as it is a subject that is part of the grade 4 curriculum and a topic that we could address through different disciplines.

ii) Why is this topic worthwhile for students to learn? What do you want them to learn about in this interdisciplinary unit?

This topic is worthwhile for students to learn because environmentalism itself is a multifaceted topic, and by definition, multidisciplinary. Knowledge regarding environmentalism can immediately affect a diverse range of day-to-day activities including gardening, recycling, and choosing greener alternatives when provided with the choice. Increased environmental knowledge is also likely to affect many long-term perceptions regarding the environment including eating a local diet, reducing one’s carbon footprint, and promoting environmental activism.

iii) What diverse disciplinary contributions were made and what did individuals contribute (please provide 2-3 sentences from each group member).

I, as a Physical Education specialist chose to explore activities that would develop physical literacy in my students that did not make up the dominant culture and was foreign to my own cultural background. By moving away from a Eurocentric mindset, I can provide my students with a multicultural PE experience while simultaneously expanding my own perspectives and knowledge. I, as a Science specialist concentrated on the “Big Idea” students need to take away for this unit which, is to consider plants as a food and oxygen source. Gaining an understanding of how plants affect humans and the nature will develop students’ critical thinking. As such students will consider the importance of keeping our forests alive and vivid.

As a French specialist, I chose to incorporate the vocabulary that students would be learning in English, but also teach them in French. By writing and drawing in both languages, students will develop the understanding of both languages. As an Elementary English language arts specialist, literacy is at the core of every subject discipline and that is why I chose to include journaling at the end of each day. Reflecting helps students to work on their writing and at the same time reflect on one’s learning.

iv) How did you address critical and compelling issues such as social justice, social and cultural diversity, FMNI cultural perspectives, inclusive learning, and special education, to name only a few important considerations?

Yoga is an inclusive physical activity that offers accessible entry points to all and provides many opportunities for those who wish to challenge themselves. It is an activity that does not place value on one individual over another, but instead creates a sense of harmony when groups of individuals collaborate as a group. It is strongly concerned with balance, both of the body and with the world around us. It is that sense of balance, it’s strong ties to the planet’s natural energy that makes it an ideal platform to teach environmentalism.

v) How did you use interdisciplinary activities to stimulate and engage your thinking/creative processes and thus take up learning and teaching in new ways.

The Physical Education program offers a great deal of room for creative expression within the curriculum, so instead of using Physical Education as a standalone component of the curriculum, I looked to other curriculums for inspiration. With this in mind, different yoga poses become different tableaus in a drama production. The sequence of motion then becomes a story to be told. Through interdisciplinary thinking, Physical Education distances itself from its previously isolated experience and integrates itself with English and French Language arts. Considering the science unit of “Plant Changes and Growth” has been considered as the starting point where many other disciplines have been incorporated. For example, as students are engaged in their journals they are also required to apply Language Arts and Fine Arts. Going deeper into the unit we considered a project of creating 3D plant life cycle which further required mathematical skills to be incorporated. No single science unit can be completed by isolating and ignoring other disciplines.