Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETS•S—Template I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Template with guiding questions
Teacher(s)
Name Carolina Parker

Position Science (STEM) Teacher

School/District Minor Elementary School. Gwinnett County Public Schools

E-mail carolinaparker80@gmail.com

Phone 404-2715421

Grade Level(s) 3rd Grade.

Content Area Science

Timeline 5 days

Standards (What do you want students to know and be able to do? What knowledge, skills, and strategies do you
expect students to gain? Are there connections to other curriculum areas and subject area benchmarks? ) Please
put a summary of the standards you will be addressing rather than abbreviations and numbers that indicate which
standards were addressed.

Content Standards Science AKS (Gwinnett County Content Standards).

AKS 3-2D. Make observations of the local environment to construct an explanation of how
water and wind have made changes to soil and rocks over time.
3d students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issue and problems developing
NETS*S Standards: ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
6d students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their
6d students
intended publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their
audiences.
intended audiences
7b Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts, or
community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.
7
7cStudents
Studentsuse collaborative
contribute technologies
constructively to work
to project with assuming
teams, others, including
variouspeers, experts, or
roles and
community members, to examine issues and problems
responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal. from multiple viewpoints

7 Students contribute constructively to project teams,, assuming various roles and

responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal

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Overview (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)

Weathering and erosion are two important concepts the students need to master in third grade. A great way for
students to learn difficult concepts in through hands-on activities and experiments. There are several activities that
the students will need to do that will not only require the use of technology, but that will also allow them to show
what they know in creative ways.
Day 1:
For the weathering activity, the students will do an experiment that will allow them to understand how rocks change
when they become weathered. The students will use sugar cubes and a container with a lid. After shaking the
sugar cubes 200 times, the students will discuss how the sugar cube rocks changed. They will express their
thoughts in a Padlet forum.
Day 2:
The next experiment will help students visualize how erosion can change the land. Students will have the
opportunity to use a stream table to observe how wind and water affect land. The students will record their
thoughts on the activity in a Padlet forum.
Day 3:
In the next experiment the students will be required to apply what they know about how weathering and erosion
change land. For this experiment, the students will use paper rocks that will be weathered (torn) and then passed
down a mountain until they reach the ocean (erosion) The students will be asked to reflect their thoughts in a
Podcast. The students will be able to discuss why the paper rocks got smaller (weathering) and how they became
sand as they were carried down by water (erosion). Students will also discuss what happened in the experiment
using Padlet.
Day 4:
The students will use Padlet to discuss the phenomena occurring in a series of pictures that represent weathering
and erosion. The students will simple express if the pictures show weathering or erosion. This will help the teacher
assess what the students know.
Day 5:
The students will use digital cameras to record examples of weathering and erosion around the school. They will
then create a multimedia presentation showing their photographs and will explain the concepts of weathering and
erosion
Special Activity:
The students’ presentations will be shared with a 5th The fifth graders will give students feedback on their
presentation and they will suggest ways to solve the weathering and erosion problems around the school.

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Essential Questions (What essential question or learning are you addressing? What would students care or
want to know about the topic? What are some questions to get students thinking about the topic or generate
interest about the topic? Additionally, what questions can you ask students to help them focus on important
aspects of the topic? (Guiding questions) What background or prior knowledge will you expect students to bring
to this topic and build on?) Remember, essential questions are meant to guide the lesson by provoking inquiry.
They should not be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” and should have many acceptable answers.

Weathering and Erosion Learning Targets:

 I can observe and explain how water changes soil over time.
 I can observe and explain how wind changes soil over time
 I can observe and explain how water changes rocks over time
 I can observe and explain how wind changes rocks over time
 I can construct an explanation of how water and wind have made changes to soil over time.
 I can construct an explanation of how water and wind have made changes to rocks over time.
Here are some guiding questions that I will use throughout the unit:
 How are weathering and erosion different?
 How are weathering and erosion the same?
 How do weathering and erosion affect land?
 How do rocks change over time?
 What happens when rocks move to a new place?
 What is erosion?
 What is weathering?
 What causes weathering and erosion?

Assessment (What will students do or produce to illustrate their learning? What can students do to generate new
knowledge? How will you assess how students are progressing (formative assessment)? How will you assess
what they produce or do? How will you differentiate products?) You must attach copies of your assessment and/or
rubrics. Include these in your presentation as well.

Formative Assessment:
Padlet forum responses
Padlet Rubric Link: http://www.quickrubric.com/r#/qr/carolinaparker/google-slide-presentation
Podcast- as a way to check for understanding
Summative Assessment:
The students will create a multimedia presentation using pictures of weathering and erosion experiments and
will share it with an audience.
Google Slides Rubric: http://www.quickrubric.com/r#/qr/carolinaparker/padlet-rubric

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Resources (How does technology support student learning? What digital tools, and resources—online student
tools, research sites, student handouts, tools, tutorials, templates, assessment rubrics, etc—help elucidate or
explain the content or allow students to interact with the content? What previous technology skills should students
have to complete this project?)

Padlet: The students will reflect on what they discovered by doing the experiments on Padlet. The students’ posts
will also be a great way for the teacher to check for understanding. I also believe that Padlet is a very easy way for
the students to collaborate and to share what they know about the topic.
Podcasts: The students will reflect on their work by recording the answers to questions posed by the teacher.
Podcasts are a great way to
Photographs: Students will use digital cameras or cell phones to take pictures of weathering and erosion around
the school. This is a great way to teach students about the process of using technology such as downloading and
saving pictures.
Google Slides: The students will create a presentation on weathering and erosion. This tool will support learning
because it will allow students to show what they know about the topic they are studying.
Some of the technology skills the students will definitely need to have prior to this using would be to know how to
create a presentation, and to know how to use an interactive board platform. The students will also need to know
how to operate a digital camera.

Other Technology based resources:

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/0059-introduction-to-erosion.php

http://www.geography4kids.com/files/land_erosion.html

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/photos/weathering-erosion-gallery/

https://www.readworks.org/article/How-Not-to-Save-a-Sand-Castle/eaf283f0-9a5c-4571-8ff2-
a3d5ab71e9c8#!articleTab:content/

https://www.readworks.org/article/Explore-the-Seashore/bf7f9ffb-4893-4ddf-adbd-
3a407390070b#!articleTab:content/

https://www.readworks.org/article/The-Perfect-Sandcastle/88762f60-250c-418d-b8bb-
506d480236e7#!articleTab:content/

http://safeyoutube.net/w/1kl

https://www.npr.org/2011/06/06/136935162/slow-motion-landslide-threatens-homes-in-new-york

http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/earths-changing-surface/hands-on-science-and-literacy-
activities-about-erosion-volcanoes-and-earthquakes

www.mysteryscience.com

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Instructional Plan
Preparation (What student needs, interests, and prior learning provide a foundation for this lesson? How can
you find out if students have this foundation? What difficulties might students have?)

Preparation:
One way to activate the students’ prior knowledge is through showing videos, reading articles or other type of
literature as well as the opportunity to read and research about the topic they are learning. Class discussions
and guiding questions are great ways to keep the students engaged in the topic.
The main purpose of this unit will be to teach the students how to carry out scientific investigations, and to apply
what they know to explain scientific phenomena. The students will gain confidence to express their thoughts
while completing the experiments in this unit.

Management Describe the classroom management strategies will you use to manage your students and the use
of digital tools and resources. How and where will your students work? (Small groups, whole group, individuals,
classroom, lab, etc.) What strategies will you use to achieve equitable access to the Internet while completing this
lesson? Describe what technical issues might arise during the Internet lesson and explain how you will resolve or
trouble-shoot them? Please note: Trouble-shooting should occur prior to implementing the lesson as well as
throughout the process. Be sure to indicate how you prepared for problems and work through the issues that
occurred as you implemented and even after the lesson was completed.

Whole group: The students will begin each lesson as a whole group. Each day, the teacher will give
directions on the activities the students will complete. The students will also receive directions on how to use
the different tools such as Padlet, Google slides, and the digital camera or other device they could use to
take pictures.
Small group: For all the experiments, the students will work in groups of 4. This will allow the students to
work collaboratively.
Partners: The students will work as partners to complete the Padlet and the presentation due to the fact that
the number of devices is limited (12 laptops)
Student Groups: The students will be in mixed ability groups/partners throughout the unit.
In case technical issues arrive, the students will complete the activities using paper and pencil. Unfortunately,
science specials in only 60 minutes a day; therefore, time management is extremely important in order to
stay on schedule.
The students had 12 laptop computers available to do their work. I made sure the students had enough
devices to work with a partner. The students also had 5 tablets, digital cameras, and other devices available
to them. In order to keep the lesson well organized and well managed, I made sure all the devices were
properly charged and ready to use when the students arrived.

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Instructional Strategies and Learning Activities – Describe the research-based instructional strategies you will
use with this lesson. How will your learning environment support these activities? What is your role? What are the
students' roles in the lesson? How can you ensure higher order thinking at the analysis, evaluation, or
creativity levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy? How can the technology support your teaching? What authentic,
relevant, and meaningful learning activities and tasks will your students complete? How will they build
knowledge? and skills? How will students use digital tools and resources to communicate and collaborate with
each other and others? How will you facilitate the collaboration?

Students will compare and contrast weathering and erosion by looking at pictures and real life examples. In
science, it is very important that the students can explain concepts correctly in order to avoid misconceptions.
Students will use Web 2.0 tools to express their thoughts on science concepts. This will allow the students the
ability to collaborate with others by sharing their thinking.
Students will also evaluate pictures of weathering and erosion and will justify their answers using scientific
vocabulary and reasoning.
Students will create a Google Slide presentation showing examples of weathering and erosion around the
school. The students will be able to share what they know about weathering and erosion through the creation
of a product.

Differentiation (How will you differentiate content and process to accommodate various learning styles and
abilities? How will you help students learn independently and with others? How will you provide extensions and
opportunities for enrichment? What assistive technologies will you need to provide?)

One way to accommodate various learning styles and abilities is to provide students with the opportunity to
choose ways to express what they know. For this unit I gave students the opportunity to share what they
learned by allowing them to express themselves verbally and in written form. The students also had the
opportunity to engage in a variety of hands-on activities that helped them connect what they were learning with
real-life situations. It is always more meaningful when the students are able to learn by doing!
Visual aids (videos, pictures, experiments): The teacher will use a variety of pictures, videos and hands-on
activities in order to help ESOL, special education students the opportunity to access the content in a fair way.
Alternate ways of assessment (Podcast and Padlet): The students will be able to communicate what they
know in a variety of ways and formats.
Rubrics: The teacher will provide rubrics for the Padlet forums and the presentations the students will create.

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Reflection (Will there be a closing event? Will students be asked to reflect upon their work? Will students be
asked to provide feedback on the assignment itself? What will be your process for answering the following
questions?
• Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
• In what ways was this lesson effective?
• What went well and why?
• What did not go well and why?
• How would you teach this lesson differently?)

I always end my lessons with a summary. In that discussion, I usually ask the students what they learned, and
what activities they enjoyed the most. For these lessons, I asked the students questions that addressed the
technology tools they used. I also asked them what they liked or disliked about the process.
Some of the students expressed the fact that Padlet was easy to use, but that it was not always easy to type
their answers. The students also needed a lot of assistance downloading and uploading the pictures they took,
but they were also very proud of what they did, and they never gave up!

Closure: Anything else you would like to reflect upon regarding lessons learned and/or your experience with
implementing this lesson. What advice would you give others if they were to implement the lesson? Please
provide a quality reflection on your experience with this lesson and its implementation.
The students truly enjoyed the activities and the work they did throughout this unit. They were also able to use
technology, and they felt very proud of the work they did. Planning and carrying out experiments and
investigations is something the students truly enjoyed doing. They are always excited when they work on
hands-on activities that allow them the opportunity to collaborate with others.

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