Author: Teresa Bogdiun
School: Kalesninkai L. Narbutas gymnasium
Intended for grade: 8
Lesson idea: Understand the meaning of a literary work by searching for broader contexts. Analysis of S. Nėris' poem "Dandelion" by employing knowledge about plants, their diversity, seasonality, and characteristics.
Course of the lesson:
Introduction of the lesson's theme and task. The teacher explains that comprehension of a literary work can be enhanced by drawing on personal life experience and previously acquired knowledge. While getting acquainted with S. Nėris' poem "Dandelion," students are invited to reflect on what they already know about dandelions and what the dandelion could symbolize in the poet's work.
DANDELION
Dandelion, dandelion, flower miracle,
why do you lean on wind at the field's edge?
Where, where will you lay your white head down?
And where drowse, as the late evening darkens?
Wind rises, blows, tousles the locks
and tears the white locks from the snowy head:
over the faultless earth, autumnal field,
carries the dandelion's fluffed white seedlets.
Dandelion, dandelion – oh, my own flower!
I grieve now for your little head bleached white
as I grieve for my new youth, so scattered
by time and wind, at the field's edge.
Could I but change into the field's gray sand,
could I but settle slowly, cold as stone,
the Nemunas above me flowing, flowing...
Geography
An individual task is assigned to read S. Nėris' poem "Dandelion" and a text where students are asked to underline the characteristics of the dandelion. Later, the poem is read aloud, followed by its analysis.
Pair work: after receiving pictures, students are to write the names of plants that bloom in June, extract 1-2 characteristics of plants from literature on medicinal herbs. They are to examine the presented plants' flowers, leaves, scent, familiarize themselves with the plants' life cycles, compare live plant samples with those depicted in the pictures, and identify their names. After completing the task, presentations of the work are conducted.
Group work: find and pick different colored blooming plants in the meadow and school garden and create a poster that speaks about the beneficial properties of medicinal plants and the positive effects of their use in everyday life. Once the task is completed, the group presentations are made to the class.
Summary of the lesson and results, reflection.
Homework assignment: prepare a herbarium of 2-3 medicinal plants, along with a brief description (4-10 sentences).
Geography, biology, Lithuanian language, physics, chemistry, arts
Antique myths in science and art
Geography, biology, English language, arts
The butterfly effect
Author: Daiva Mikaliūnienė, Ramunė Stanevičienė
School: Vilnius Jonas Laužikas consulting-training center
Intended for grade: 6
Lesson idea: to confirm or refute the hypothesis "Deforestation has a tremendous impact on climate change".
Lesson tasks:
Awakening: Review of the "Do not choose extinction" speech by a prehistoric influencer at the United Nations Climate change conference. Video
Voting: a brief survey aimed at determining the relevance of the climate change issue among students.
Brainstorming and video review: the question of why forests are important is raised. Students are encouraged to express their thoughts on the significance of trees. They are expected to supplement their answers after watching video segments about the importance of forests and climate change.
Activity in a green environment (creative task using the limitation technique): embodying a tree, students are to take a selfie and write a short comment. The limitation is that they cannot photograph the entire tree. This task can also be assigned as homework.
Group or pair work: students, provided with distributed materials and observing interactive maps and diagrams of forest logging and reforestation in different continents or states on the Forest monitoring website, must analyze, compare, and summarize the data.
2nd lesson tasks:
Role-play – conference "A future without forests?" (using the limitation technique): Participants include representatives of trees, fungi, animals (invertebrates and vertebrates), a politician, an environmentalist, a climatologist, a herbalist, a businessman (e.g., avocado or soybean farmer, timber merchant), an artist, and an air pollution expert. The tree gives the opening speech and the concluding address ("The tree's plea"). All others must familiarize themselves with the provided brief textual or visual information and, getting into character, introduce themselves and reveal their character's perspective on the forest using only nouns (e.g., 7 nouns and no other words).
Summary and encouragement to act – think globally, act locally: Students are to present 1-2 suggestions on how they can personally contribute to the preservation of forests.
Students are introduced to the European project Life Terra and the opportunity to participate in it. The project's goal is to plant 500 million trees in Europe over 5 years (by 2025) – symbolically one tree for every European. A mobile app is presented that records the coordinates of the planted sapling, includes it in a general registry, and tracks its growth. Using it, one can monitor the growth of their planted tree or care for trees planted by others. Video report.
Geography, biology, Lithuanian language, physics, chemistry, arts
Antique myths in science and art
Author: Laima Matijoškienė
School: Vilnius Pilaitės gymnasium
Intended for grade: 10
Lesson idea: based on scientific disciplines and art, analyze Antique myths using the copying technique learned during the course to reveal creativity.
Course of the lesson:
The class is divided into 5 groups: "chemists", "physicists", "geographers", "biologists", and "artists." Each group receives two tasks.
The "Chemists" group: a) based on Greek myths, explain the origin of 5 chemical elements, indicating the chemical element, its chemical properties, physical properties, and the traits of the mythological character; b) create a "class elements table," assigning a mythological character that corresponds to each classmate's personality and character. The "Physicists" group: a) based on Greek myths, explain the operation of 3 different physical laws within the myth; b) construct wings.
The "Geographers" group: a) based on Greek myths, explain the origin of several geographical locations; b) create a map of 3-5 locations mentioned in myths. The "Biologists" group: a) based on Greek myths, explain the emergence of 3 biological phenomena; b) create a representation of Earth as perceived by the Greeks. The "Artists" group: a) create a short film based on a chosen myth; b) create a song, poem, dance, or dramatization based on a chosen myth; create 3 illustrations of myths and select musical accompaniment for them. (choose 2 out of 3 tasks).
Presentations of group tasks, discussion, self-assessment, and reflection.
