September 2012

Dear Parents,

Grade Three’s next Unit of Inquiry is entitled Partners with Plants and involves inquiring into the rights and responsibilities we have in sharing and using the earth’s resources.

Singapore, being such a green city, is an excellent location for such a study. We will go on excursions to Hort Park, venture on nature hikes at nearby parks and use the GESS campus garden during this unit. Families can review the details of the unit below so that connections can be made between home and our learning at school.

Transdiciplinary Theme: How the World Works

An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.

Central Idea:

PLANTS ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF ALL LIFE.

An inquiry into:

- The role of plants on earth

- How healthy plants grow

- Threats to plant life

In order to make the most of this unit, here are some activities you can do at home that will make connections between home and school. Some things to try:

  • Bring in books, newspaper and magazine articles, pamphlets, etc about plants.
  • Plant seeds and take care of plants at home.
  • View websites that teach about plants like biology4kids.com, nparks.gov.sg, etc.
  • Take a walk around the neighborhood or in parks where you can observe plants.

Two excellent parks to visit are the Botanical Gardens and Hort Park.

  • Discuss what kinds of food in the kitchen and products around the house originate from plants.
  • Discuss what life would be like without plants.

Vocabulary List
Please review this vocabulary in your mother tongue in order to encourage broader connections in language.
leaf/leaves, stem, trunk, roots, seed, flower, fertilization, temperature, oxygen, dispersal, chlorophyll, germinate, photosynthesis, dormant, nutrients, sprout, experiment, hypothesis, observation, conclusion

If you have any questions about this unit or anything we are working on in class, please contact your classroom teacher.

Kind regards, Mrs. Perkowsky, Mr. Landrum and Mr. Turner - Grade Three Teachers