Materials:

• Diary of a Worm Book by Doreen Cronin, 2003
• The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1 – 8: Language, 2006
• Blackboard & chalk to create “Venn Diagram” graphic organizer
• Jar of soil
• Jar of water
• Bin or bag for items related to water and soil
• Plastic bags (ex: Ziploc) for items related to water and soil, if needed
• Sample items related to soil to place in bin or bag
• Sample items related to water to place in bin or bag
• Teacher costume (ex: gardener or farmer)
• Paper and pencils of creation of “thank you” note

1. Teacher, dressed up in soil-related costume, such as a gardener or farmer, asks the students: What is a gardener? What does that person do? Students will volunteer answers and teacher will validate them. Teacher will then ask students: What is a farmer? What does that person do? Again, students will volunteer answers and teacher will be sure they know they have done well.
2. Teacher will draw two overlapping circles on blackboard – a Venn diagram, used as a diagnostic assessment tool.
3. Teacher will ask: What do gardeners need to do their job? Teacher will begin the discussion by volunteering an answer first. Teacher will place it in the first circle (labeled ‘what do gardeners need?’). All student contributions will be placed in this circle. (If ‘water’ and ‘soil’ have not been contributed as answers, gently guide students towards them by asking, for example: And where do gardeners grow their flowers and plants?)
4. Teacher will then ask: What do farmers need to do their job? Teacher will only volunteer first answer if students struggle to volunteer and answer. All student contributions will be placed in the 2nd circle (labeled ‘what do farmers need?’). (If ‘water’ and ‘soil’ have not been contributed as answers, gently guide students towards them by asking, for example: Do the growing vegetables ever get thirsty?)
5. Teacher will ask students to look at contributions in both circles: is there anything in common – anything that both gardeners and farmers need to do their job? These items will be erased from both circles and placed in the overlapping area, in the middle.
6. Teacher will explain that they are going to learn about ‘water’ and ‘soil’ – both things the students identified as being important to vegetation and many people.

Process:

1. Gather children onto the carpet and sit in a chair so that everyone can see the teacher.
2. Hold up the jar of water and the jar of soil to engage the young learners! Explain to the students that we will be looking at how both water and soil help the earth every single day.
3. As a class, identify water bodies and sources of water in Canada and Ontario. Discuss the similarities and differences in the way communities in the world meet their needs for water.
4. (Teacher has prepared and placed several items in a bin that depend on the water and soil for their creation. It’s important to remember that without water and soil, food can’t grow, livestock can’t eat, and trees won’t grow. Example items might include: fruits and vegetables, jeans (cotton plant), creatures, paper (from tree and plant fibers), meat (livestock feed on grains and grasses), air (trees), etc. This information will be useful background data to help them appreciate the book ahead.)
5. old out the bin of items dependent on water and soil and ask volunteers to come up one at a time and take out an item. The students – as a group – should come up with ideas as to how water and soil help this particular item. It is important for children to come up with answers and for teacher to listen and understand what they know.
6. raise feedback and answers from children and put water, soil and bin to the side.

Application:

1. Hold up book “Diary of a Worm” for children and tell them how excited you are to share it with them!

2. Ask them: What kind of creature is on the cover?

3. Ask them: Has anyone here ever seen a real worm? How did you feel?

4. Ask them: What do you know about them?

5. Ask them: Where do worms live?

Explain that without worms, the soil wouldn’t be healthy and it wouldn’t help humans, animals, and vegetation the way it does – we’ll learn more about this in a future lesson. The students should be asked how water contributes to healthy soil. By this point students will have discussed concepts related to: the importance of soil for our earth; the importance of water for our earth; their experiences, feelings, and knowledge of earthworms; and the need for worms to make soil healthy.

Closure:

1. In order to reinforce the main ideas of the lesson, students will be asked to do a think-pair-share activity. Students will be asked to think, individually of something they have learned about worms, soil, and water and share their answer with a partner, and listen to their partner’s answer.
2. Students will write a thank you note to a worm indicating a basic understanding that worms make the soil healthy and how water and soil help us daily. This should include one or two sentences and a matching picture based on this sharing activity.

Assessment and / or Evaluation:

Diagnostic assessment will take place through a Venn diagram created as a whole group.

Application of this tool will involve the teacher drawing it on the board, explaining its structure to the students and leading the discussion by making a contribution to the diagram. Teacher will keep anecdotal notes referring to a student’s ability to formulate sentences, draw on past knowledge, and make conclusions.

This assessment tool was chosen for this activity as it allows the teacher to take note of oral communication and responses. It is effective in this scenario as it is based on their prior knowledge, is interactive and gives the students ownership over the idea of and discussion about water and soil.

During creation of Venn diagram, introduction to book and worms, and think-pair-share activity, observe the students, listen to them, and make anecdotal notes.

Application of anecdotal notes during these activities mean that the teacher can record what students say and do, interpret those ideas, words, and actions, and make note of them privately, linking them to specific expectations when applicable. This can be done during activities or afterwards.

This assessment tool was chosen for these activities as it can reveal strengths, needs, and learning requirements of specific learners while lending it to producing whole group activities for future learning if patterns emerge. It is an effective way of evaluating oral communication especially, and can be accomplished while assisting, interacting with, and listening to students.