Learning Engagement 1: Understanding the importance of plants.

Learning Objective: To understand the importance of plants.

Introduction and context setting

Students will use the ‘See, Think, Wonder ’ visible routine and record the responses in their notebooks. This visible routine helps students to draw connections between new ideas and prior knowledge.

See – What tree is this? 

What is growing on the trees? 

Think – How do trees grow? 

Is a tree a plant?

How do you think fruits grow on the trees? What do plants need to grow? Is the fruit safe for humans to eat?

Wonder – What are you thinking or want to know about this tree or what is growing on the tree? 

Do you think this type of tree grows in every country around the world? 

Resource 1: See, Think, Wonder Activity

Activity

Instructions for teachers

The teacher will explain to the students that they will be looking at two different images in small groups of four, and will make their observations by looking at each image separately, and discussing their responses with their group. The teacher will ask or write the visible thinking questions on the whiteboard for students to refer to as they look at each image. The teacher will read the questions with the students to start thinking about the questions before the images are provided to them. The teacher will provide the first image to each group for the students to make their observations, discussions, and notes. They should be encouraged to write key words, phrases, and illustrations to express their thoughts on the image sheet. 

After several minutes, the teacher will provide the second image and the students will repeat their discussions and thoughts on this image. The teacher will visit groups to facilitate discussions. 

Reflection

The teacher will facilitate a class discussion to share the students’ perceptions and wonderings about their observations from the images. The teacher and students will create a classroom board to post and display responses. 

Learning Engagement 2: Investigation of the chemical reaction on fruit.

Learning Objective: To carry out a science experiment to find out the chemical reaction on fruit.

Activity

The teacher will prepare a science inquiry activity for the students to investigate in pairs or small groups:

Investigation:

To find out the chemical reaction of sliced apples when soaked in lemon juice and not soaked in any liquid. 

Hypothesis:

The students will write what they think will happen. 

Materials:

Two zip bags, a clean chopping board, an apple, apple slicer (the teacher, and assistant to help with cutting the apples safely), measuring spoon, lemon juice. 

Method

You will need two zip bags, one to test what happens to the apple with the liquid (lemon juice) and one without the liquid. 

Write the name of the liquid you will test on the bag with your name(s). And on the second one without the liquid write your name. 

Pour five teaspoons of lemon juice inside the zip bag labeled lemon juice, and the other zip bag empty. 

Place two sliced apples in each bag and zip the bag. Make sure the apple is coated in the lemon juice zip bag well. Let the apples soak for two to three minutes in the lemon juice zip bag and pour any excess liquid out of the bag. Then zip the bag and leave for 10-15 minutes. 

Results

Then the students will down and illustrate their observations. The students might want to take photo recordings using an iPad. 

Conclusion 

The students will then use words, phrases, and sentences to explain their results. 

Student friendly questions:

Which apples turned brown?

Which apples still look fresh?

Why do you think this happened? 

What is around us?

What might have caused this to happen?

What is reacting with the fruit for this to happen?

Scientific explanation:

Apples are exposed and react with the oxygen in the air when cut or sliced. This causes the apples to turn brown. Adding lemon juice that is acidic will help keep apples fresh without changing the taste too much. This is because the acid in the lemon juice reacts with the oxygen before the oxygen can react with the apple. This chemical reaction is called oxidation. 

Reflection

The students will reflect in the reflection journals on the scientific chemical reaction that caused the apples to turn brown and how the reaction of adding the lemon juice. 

Learning Engagement 3: Benefits of the dates and cultural connections.

Learning Objective: To discover the benefits of the date and cultural connections.

Activity 1: Date palm tree – Think, Pair, Share Activity

The teacher will display the date palm tree on the whiteboard from the following resource 2: Qur’anic Botanic Garden link page: https://qbg.org.qa/plants/date-palm-tree/ and ask students to work in pairs to share to think about the following questions, and share their thoughts with their partner about the date palm tree displayed. The link can be provided to the students to take turns to read the information about the date palm tree as they work in the Think, pair, and share activity. 

Think, pair, share visible routine activity

Student friendly questions:

Think: How tall do you think the date palm tree is? Do you think that the leaves fall from the tree? In what countries do you think the date palm trees grow? 

Pair: Read the information next to the date palm tree taking turns to understand and read through the information. Anything the student is unsure about they can write it as a puzzle or question to share as a class after the activity.

Share: Share your responses to the questions, taking turns to speak and listen to each other.

Activity 2: Benefits and Islamic, cultural links of Dates

The teacher will provide the students with a small box of dates and will explain to the students that they will look at the ingredients and list them in their notebook per 100g, or iPad/classroom digital folder. The students will make sure their hands are washed, and they will then be provided the opportunity to take one date each to observe the appearance, feel, and smell of the date.

They will be allowed to taste the date. Note for the teacher: to be checked prior to activity and be mindful towards any students who might have any medical conditions and provide them with an alternative suitable healthy small snack.  They can record from the others what the taste of the date tastes like in their notebooks/digital folder. 

Then the students will be provided with the following questions. They will discuss in their small groups and one leader as the ‘recorder or writer’ in the group will note down the group’s responses. 

Student friendly questions 

When and where have you seen this fruit before?

What cultural connections does the date palm tree have?

Are they eaten all year around or specific times of the year? Explain your answer. 

Do you think that a date palm tree can grow in any country? Explain your answer. 

What if a date palm tree cannot grow in a particular country because of environmental and climate conditions, how would they be able to benefit from eating the fruit?

What do dates provide? 

During Ramadan, when Muslims break their fast at sunset a date might be eaten. How is this beneficial to them? What does it provide? 

In what other ways can dates be eaten or provided as a drink? 

Challenge question: 

According to Islamic and cultural etiquettes, why do you think a parent(s) might rub a softened date on the baby’s palate after the first, second or third week? What is this Islamic ceremony called? 

Teacher reference:

Taḥnīk (تَحْنِيكِ) is an Islamic ceremony of rubbing the palate of a newborn baby with honey, sweet juice or pressed dates. This is provided as a beneficial nutrient to the baby. 

Action

The students will create an informative creative poster either individually or in pairs to demonstrate the benefits of the dates based on what they learned and provide a solution on how to raise an environmental awareness about the sustainability of date palm trees in Qatar.