Backwards Design Unit Planner

Unit Title: The Dynamic Earth Tsunami Strand: Science Earth and Space Sciences: The Dynamic Earth Stage: Year 6
Outcome: Explain how a Tsunami causes rapid change to the earths surface
Phase Activities
Evaluate What do you want the students to know? What representations will provide evidence that they understand
the concepts? What do you want the students to be able to do? How will they demonstrate this?
The aim is for students to represent their understanding of the concepts and processes involved in
Tsunami's through the use of a news report. This will provide evidence of the students understanding of
the knowledge learnt and will determine how well they understood the topic.
Elaborate What student investigation/s or application of knowledge would extend their understanding?
Representations?
Conducting an experiment to create a representation of a tsunami to deepen the understanding of how
a tsunami is created and how it behaves. Also recording the speed and distance to work out how fast it
travels, so that the importance of early detection and evacuation is further extended. Student
knowledge will be represented in the creation of the experiment, the collected data and observations of
the experiment and the discussion and conclusions drawn from that, and the class discussions.
Explain What are the current scientific explanations? How best can the students represent their understanding?
Students are familiar with how Tsunamis are created, how they move, the damage they can cause and
have also learnt about the people, equipment and process involved in Tsunami monitoring. Students will
represent their understanding by creating and performing a group skit that accurately illustrates their
knowledge.
Explore What hands on, shared experiences of the phenomenon are appropriate? Representations?
Students will gather information through hands on research of the topic, initially in pairs. This will be
completed through an online scavenger hunt with preselected appropriate resources. Student findings
and developing understandings will be represented on their record sheets.
Engage How can we engage students and elicit their prior knowledge? Representations?
Students will be engaged through the use of ICT in this lesson. The content of the ICT (iPad use to
complete a survey, Smart Board to compile a KWL chart and to display YouTube clips of Tsunamis) and
tasks required of them will enable the educator to elicit students prior knowledge. This prior knowledge
will be represented in students individual as well as the whole class KWL charts.

Comment [RS1]: Sub-strand 2.2 and
2.1
Organising content of lessons into an
effective learning sequence
Evidence of building concept substance
through teaching and learning strategies.
Comment [RS2]: Sub-strand 3.2
Demonstrating construction of a sequence
of lessons for a unit using knowledge of
building student learning using effective
teaching strategies.
Comment [RS3]: Sub-strand 2.2 and
2.1
Same as comment [RS2] annotation
Comment [RS4]: Sub-strand 3.2
Same as comment [RS1] annotation
Comment [RS5]: Sub-strand 2.2 and
2.1
Same as comment [RS2] annotation
Comment [RS6]: Sub-strand 3.2
Same as comment [RS1] annotation
Comment [RS7]: Sub-strand 2.2 and
2.1
Same as comment [RS2] annotation
Comment [RS8]: Sub-strand 3.2
Same as comment [RS1] annotation
Comment [RS12]: Sub-strand 2.6 and
2.2
Organising content of lessons into an
effective learning sequence
Evidence of implementing ICT to expand
learning opportunities.
Comment [RS9]: Sub-strand 5.1
Demonstration of diagnostic assessment to
locate students prior knowledge.
Comment [RS10]: Sub-strand 3.2
Same as comment [RS1] annotation
Comment [RS11]: Sub-strand 3.4
Evidence of knowledge of using ICT
resources to engage students in learning.