Grade 3 STP: Plant Diversity

As we launch our Grade 3 unit of inquiry, Sharing the Planet: 'Plant Diversity', students will inquire into the related concepts: interrelationship, sustainability, habitats, diversity, living things (including: plants) and adaptation. They will be investigating: 

• Conditions plants need to grow within different habitats 

• The interrelationship between plants and other things 

• Sustaining plant life

   

We are delighted to have the opportunity for students to learn throughout this unit with an urban gardener, Jon Walsh. Jon Walsh is a New Zealander who has been living in Japan for almost 20 years. He is an urban farming and sustainability instructor and consultant based in Tokyo. Since 2012, he has taught nearly 1,000 people including individuals, families, students, and working professionals how to grow healthy urban food to improve health, support the environment, and reconnect with Nature. 

Read more about Jon Walsh through these links: Conversation with Jon Walsh, urban farmer in Japan and Grow your own food. 

The first learning experience involved learning how to sow seeds and plant seedlings;

Students applied their learning by planting herbs in the classroom and are trialling the best methods for sustaining their plant life by considering how they might meet the needs of the plant best in order for them to thrive.  

What can you do at home to connect with learning about Plant Diversity? 

SOLO Taxonomy and Word Vocabulary List

This parent version of the SOLO taxonomy may support you to have discussions with your child by asking some of the guiding questions. The questions develop across the SOLO from a shallow understanding where factual knowledge is developed to a more deeper understanding where conceptual understandings are formulate. The Vocabulary Lists are a guide for the possible vocabulary that may be explored throughout the unit of inquiry. It is encouraged that you explain and explore the words within this list with your child in their mother tongue. Perhaps you may talk about the concept of some of the words in English and also in your home language in order to deepen their understanding of them.

IDEA: You might explore the question: How do we use plants to help us at home? (for example: what products or medicine do we have that are made from plants, what materials within our home are from plants, how do the fruits and vegetables we use grow?)

IDEA: Plant as a family! Could you trial growing any herbs in a small herb garden? What conditions would these need in order to grow and thrive?

 

ACTION:

Additionally, if you see your child taking action as a result of their learning at school, we would LOVE to hear about it! As action is often taken outside of the learning environment, we often don't know about these opportunities that you as parents are witness to, even a short email telling us about something your child did or said at home as a result of their learning helps us know how the PYP is supporting the development of life long learners that take action!

Please contact our PYP Coordinator (ssmyth@seisen.com) or your daughter's homeroom teacher.