Learning Engagement 1: Understanding the importance of plants.

Learning Objective: To understand the importance of plants.

Introduction and context setting

Students will use the ‘Connect-Extend-Challenge’ visible routine in their notebooks. This visible routine helps students to draw connections between new ideas and prior knowledge.

Connect – What do you already know about plants? Why are plants important? 

Extend – Why do you think it is essential to grow plants and preserve their sustainability? What is the scientific process of plant growth?

Challenge – What are you curious to know? What is puzzling you? Are the same plants available in all countries? 

Activity

Instructions for teachers

The teacher will inform the students that they will be reading some information from the Qur’anic Botanic Garden website to research about plants and their connection with culture, heritage and Islam. 

Resource 1:

Link in English: https://qbg.org.qa/about-us/.

Link in Arabic: https://qbg.org.qa/ar-about-us/

Instructions for students 

The students will be provided sufficient time to read the information on the provided link and complete the quiz, Resource 2: Understanding the Importance of Plants. Then they will pair up with another student in the class, or three according to the numbers of students in the classroom setting and will discuss their responses. They can use a different colored pen to make any important or interesting notes from their discussion. 

Teacher checkpoint for students responses for resource 2:

Q1) c

Q2) Words might be provided for low ability students in random order

Botanic, Holy Qur’an, Preservation, Seedling, Sidra 

Q3) b

Q4) c

Q5) b

Q6) a  (This quote is referred in the Holy Qur’an from Surah An-Nahl – chapter 16, The Bees – verses 10-11) 

Q7) d

Reflection

The teacher will facilitate students to share their perceptions on the cultural, heritage and Islamic connections and their responses. 

Learning Engagement 2: Researching and identifying the significance of plants.

Learning Objective: To research and identify the significance of plants.

The teacher will explain to the students that they will research the following link with resource 3::

English site link: https://qbg.org.qa/qbg-plants/

Arabic site link: https://qbg.org.qa/ar-qbg-plants/

The students will work in pairs or three depending on the class size, to find research and identify the plant images on   Resource 3: Researching and identifying significant plants  using the table next to the images to write down their findings.  They can add any questions they may have next to the image or near the table what they would like to know more about this plant, or want to know more about the information they found and highlight the country the plant originates from (their habitat) and/or distribution. For example, students might want to have a deeper understanding about the difference between a hadith and connection with the Holy Qur’an. They might want to know what the references refer to, the meaning of the numbers. Students might want to know if the plant is used for traditional medicines, and any results of beneficial effects.

Peer Reflection:

Peer reflection provides opportunity for the students to work collaboratively and discuss and check their understanding of the information found. The students will pair up with another pair of students to compare their findings. They will look at the previous links and come to a common understanding that they have found the correct plant, required information, and understood the significance and Islamic and cultural connections of the information provided. They can use a different colored pen to add information that is missing. They are encouraged to add any further questions they might have. 

Plenary

The teacher will facilitate a class discussion on their findings and provide opportunities to address their questions. The students would be encouraged to note down their questions to research with family and relatives and share their answers back with the class. 

Action

The students will be encouraged to instill their learned knowledge about some of these plants and raise environmental awareness with their local community and family to take good care of plants. Students can write a smart (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely) goal on how they will take care of plants and sustain or raise environmental awareness within their home, school, community, or nation. For example, By the end of the month, I will help to check on the plants in my home and make sure they are well maintained with the correct amount of water, right temperature, air, sunlight, and nutrients every week.