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KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: _________Taylor Shupp_ Date: __October 7th and 10th-12th, 2016 (Overlaps a weekend)_

Cooperating Teacher: _______Dr. Varano_____________________________ Coop. Initials: ________________

Group Size: ___30____ Allotted Time: __50-60 minutes for 4 days Grade Level: __ 4th grade___

Subject or Topic: ____The Earth's Surface: Soil and Erosion_______ Section: __EEU 205-010______

STANDARD: (PA Common Core):

• 3.3.4.A1.

Describe basic landforms. Identify the layers of the earth. Recognize that the surface of the earth changes due to slow processes and rapid processes.

• 3.3.4.A2.

Identify basic properties and uses of Earth’s materials including rocks, soils, water, and gases of the atmosphere.

• 2.6.4.B.

Organize and display data using tables, pictures, tallies, bar graphs, line graphs, or pictographs.

I. Performance Objectives

A. Fourth grade students will examine different types of soil and their ability to absorb water by conducting an experiment and organizing the data in a chart.

B. Fourth grade students will compare and contrast different types of erosion and their effects on various materials by conducting an experiment and recording the data from this experiment.

II. Instructional Materials

• Smart board

• Whiteboard/Blackboard (only necessary for the review game if the smart board cannot be used)

• One copy of Dirt: The Scoop on Soil by Natalie Rosinsky

• One copy of The Dust Bowl by David Booth

• Guided notes for soil explanation

• Materials for Soil Experiment

o 18 plastic cups (3 cups for each group of 5 students)

o 18 foam cups

o 360 mL of sandy soil (enough for 60 mL per group)

o 360 mL of clay soil

o 360 mL of loam soil

o 6 small measuring cups (one for each group of 5 students)

o 6 hand lenses

o 6 pairs of scissors

o Water

o 6 paper towels

o 6 spoons

o 6 graduated cylinders (if cylinders cannot be provided, a measuring cup can be used)

o Soil chart

• Materials for Erosion Experiment

o Safety goggles for each student

o 12 small paper cups(2 for each group of 5 students)

o 6 plastic tubs(1 for each group)

o 18 spoonfuls of sand(3 for each group)

o 18 spoonfuls of mud

o 30 medium sized rocks(5 rocks for each group)

o 6 erasers

o 6 rulers

o Erosion charts

• Topsoil dance song from

• The Erosion song from

• Smartboard Soil Review from

• Soil and Erosion Quiz

• 3 sets of the number cards 1-20

• 3 sets of smile and frown face cards

• 3 small brown paper bags

• Review Questions Sheet

III. Subject Matter/ Content

A. Prerequisite skills

1. Students must have a basic understanding of minerals (covered in the previous lesson)

2. Students must have a general understanding of what gravity is.

B. Key Vocabulary

1. Soil-The thin layer of loose material that covers most of Earth's surface

2. Decay-The process of living things in soil breaking down the remains of plants and animals.

3. Nutrient-Things plants need in order to grow

4. Topsoil-The top layer of soil that contains rock particles along with the decayed remains (humus).

5. Subsoil-The middle layer of soil that contains less humus than topsoil but includes pieces of broken rocks.

6. Bedrock-Rock that breaks down and creates material for new soil.

7. Humus-The decayed parts of animal and plant remains

8. Sand-The largest type of soil particle

9. Silt-The medium type of soil particle

10. Clay-The smallest type of soil particle

11. Loam-A mixture of sand, silt, and clay

12. Erosion-The movement of weathered material (Review from Lesson One)

C. Big Idea: What is soil and how does erosion affect it?

IV. Implementation(All italicized words are vocabulary words and must be defined explained to the students.)

A. Introduction-

Day One:

1. The teacher will ask the class to name three things they learned about the minerals the day before.

2. The teacher will then allow the students to look at the crystals that they made.

a. Each student can take his/her crystals out of the cup in order to hold them and examine them.

b. The students can use a magnifying glass to examine the crystals more closely.

c. If time permits and the teacher wants, the students can show each other their crystals.

d. The students will then be able to take their crystals home at the end of the day.

3. The teacher should tell the students that they created their own crystals, so they now have first-hand experience about how crystals and minerals form!

4. The teacher will then show the students the class concept map and what they had added about minerals and rock identification the day before.

5. The teacher will then tell the students that minerals are sometimes weathered and eroded, and that this creates soil!

6. The teacher will then read Dirt: The Scoop on Soil by Natalie Rosinsky.

7. The students will be asked to raise their hands if they have any questions about soil, and the teacher will write those questions on the board to see if the questions get answered throughout the lesson.

B. Development-

1. The teacher will ask the students if any of them remember what the book said soil is made up of.

a. Depending on what the students say, the teacher will explain that soil is made up of decayed animals and plants, water, air, and tiny pieces of minerals.

2. The teacher will explain that the soil makes up three different layers.

3. The teacher will show the students the "Topsoil Dance" video and encourage the students to sing and dance along.

4. The teacher will then explain the different layers of the soil more in depth as the students write down the information on their guided notes sheet.

a. Topsoil is the very top layer of the soil, and it is the layer that plants can grow in. It is also the layer that contains humus. This layer is formed from decaying organisms and minerals eroding. This soil is the soil with the darkest color.

b. Subsoil is the layer of soil directly below the topsoil. This layer does not have many nutrients and plants cannot grow here. This soil is lighter than the topsoil.

c. The bedrock is the bottom layer of soil; this layer is actually just the earth's crust and is made up of mostly rocks.

d. The 3 layers of the soil all work together to help each other form. The bedrock is eroded and these pieces go up to the top and become topsoil. Some of the minerals from the topsoil then go downward and create the subsoil.

5. The teacher will explain that there are 4 different types of soil. (Review the book Dirt: The Scoop on Soil to help the children remember what sand, silt, and clay are) The students will continue to write down the information in their guided notes.

a. Sand is the main thing found in soil. It is the biggest particle, and is made up of rock and mineral fragments. Sand has big spaces between the particles, which affects how it holds nutrients and water to help plants grow.

b. Clay is the smallest particle found in soil. It is extremely tiny! It is made of small particles that come from worn-down rocks. Clay makes the soil very heavy.

c. Silt is the middle-sized particle found in soil. It is a mixture of clay and sandy soils.

d. Loam is a combination of clay, silt, and sand!

6. The teacher will tell the students that they are going to do an experiment to see what kind of soil holds the most water. Explain that the amount of water soil holds helps plants to grow, and soil that cannot hold a lot of water are not good types of soil to grow plants in and are easily erodible.

7. The teacher will divide the students into 6 groups of 5 students. Group the students into groups of varying abilities to promote scaffolding. Each group will sit together either at tables or at desks.

8. The teacher will set out the materials for the soil experiment (One of each item per group of 5 students).

9. The students will first examine the different types of soil with the hand lens, taking turns and talking about what they see.

10. The teacher will use a pencil to punch ten holes in the bottom of 3 foam cups for each group.

11. The students will set the foam cups on the paper towel and will trace around the bottom of the cups. They will then cut out three of these circles.

12. The students will put one paper towel circle inside each foam cup.

13. The students will put each type of soil sample in a different foam cup and then pack down the soil using a spoon.

14. The students will then put each foam cup inside a plastic cup and pour 50 mL of water on each soil sample.

15. Let the soil samples sit for 10 minutes. During this time, the teacher will ask the students what they learned so far about soil and add these facts to the concept map.

16. After the 10 minutes, the students will use the graduated cylinder to measure the amount of water that soaked through the soil into the plastic cup.

17. Each student will record their findings in a soil chart.

18. The teacher will then ask the students what they found and explain which soils generally absorb more water.

a. Clay soil absorbs the least amount of water because it is very compact and heavy.

b. Sandy soil absorbs some water but not all of the water because the particles are typically far apart so the water ends up draining out.

c. Loam soil absorbs the perfect amount of water! This soil absorbs the most water which makes it the best soil for plants to grow in.

19. The teacher will then collect the soil charts and ask the students if they have any questions about soil.

Day Two:

1. The teacher will use the smart board soil lesson to review what the students learned the previous day.

a. Students can take turns coming up to the smartboard and doing the activities.

2. The teacher will then explain that erosion plays a big part in how soil is formed and how it disappears!

a. The teacher should ask the students if they remember what "erosion" means and review that concept if necessary.

3. The teacher will play the Erosion song for the students.

4. The teacher will then explain that there are many different types of erosion, and the students are going to learn about 4 things that cause erosion.

a. One thing that causes erosion is water. Rivers and other bodies of water carry rocks from place to place, and sometimes soil is washed into the water. This can create islands! Rainwater also causes erosion when it carries soil away, which happens a lot on hills or mountains. Finally, when water goes into cracks in rocks and freezes, this can make the rock split apart.

b. The second thing that causes erosion is wind. Wind carries soil away, especially in dry areas without many trees, such as the desert. Sometimes this soil is carried into rocks and if enough soil keeps crashing into a rock, the rock eventually changes because little pieces keep falling off.

c. The third thing that causes erosion is gravity. Many times soil and rocks move slowly down a gentle hill, but if the hill is steep, this material can move down much faster! A mudslide is what happens when wet soil moves down a hill very quickly, and a rockslide is what happens when rocks slide down the hill quickly.

d. Living things can also cause erosion! Bugs, worms, and some animals like moles dig through the soil. Animals like squirrels or deer walk on top of the soil. All of this movement creates spaces in the soil which allows water and air to move in and erode the soil. Even humans have a part in erosion! When you walk on soil, you move the soil as well, especially when you walk down a hill or where there is very loose soil.

5. The teacher will ask the students if they ever heard of the Dust Bowl.

a. Students will raise their hands and describe anything they may know about the Dust Bowl.

6. The teacher will explain that the Dust Bowl was an example of what can happen when wind erodes dry soil.

7. The teacher will then read The Dust Bowl by David Booth.

8. After reading the book, the teacher will ask the students if they have any questions. Explain that the Dust Bowl is an example of how powerful erosion can be and how much it can affect our everyday lives.

9. The teacher will explain that erosion has a few very bad consequences!

a. For one thing, erosion takes soil away, which can lead to all of the nutrients being taken away!

i. This causes the soil to be bad for planting, and if there are no plants in the soil then it only gets worse. This can then lead to a situation like the Dust Bowl.

b. Erosion can also carry soil into bodies of water, which can be bad for the living creatures that live there or that drink the water. This is especially true if there is fertilizer in the soil.

c. Finally, erosion can cause very bad things such as mudslides or rockslides! These can be dangerous and can destroy a lot of property or even hurt people.

Day Three:

1. The teacher will tell students that they are going to conduct an experiment to see if wind or water erosion is more powerful and to see if sand, mud, or rocks are eroded more easily.

2. The teacher will divide the students into 6 groups of 5 students. Group the students into groups of varying abilities to promote scaffolding.

3. The teacher will give each group the materials necessary for the erosion experiment.

4. The teacher will use a pencil to poke 4 holes in the bottom of 1 paper cup for each group of students. Tell the students that this cup is their "Rain cup."

5. The students will put their safety goggles on.

6. The students will then put the correct amount of sand, mud, and rocks into the plastic tub, leaving room between each material.

a. The correct amount is 3 spoonfuls of sand, 3 spoonfuls of mud, and 5 rocks for each group.

7. The students will then blow gently on the sand, mud, and rock piles. They will observe what happens to each pile.

8. After blowing on each pile, each student will record what happened to each pile in their erosion chart.

9. The students will then use an eraser to prop up the back of their tub so it tilts forward slightly.

10. The students will fill a paper cup halfway with water.

11. The students will then hold their "Rain cup" 4 cm above the sand pile and quickly pour the water into the rain cup.

12. They will then repeat the last two steps for the rock pile and the mud pile.

13. After pouring the water, each student will record what happened to each pile in their erosion chart.

14. The teacher will ask the students to raise their hands and share their findings.

15. The teacher will then explain the point of the experiment.

a. Wind is a very powerful source of erosion, as the Dust Bowl shows. However, wind often takes a long time to erode substances, and if it is done quickly, it usually only erodes dry, light substances like sand. The sand piles in the experiment probably eroded quickly when the wind came, but the rocks probably did not budge.

b. Water is generally a more powerful source of erosion because it is usually quicker. When it rains, there is often immediately a great deal of erosion, and rain can erode heavier substances like mud. The water in the experiment probably made a much bigger immediate impact on the materials than the wind did.

c. The sand eroded a lot faster than the other substances. This is because the sand is so light, so it is easily affected by the wind and water. The rocks eroded the least, because they are heavier. However, erosion often affects rocks but we just cannot see the changes right away. It might take a long time for us to see the rocks change, but they are often changing every time it is windy or rainy.

d. Note: Some children may have gotten different results from their experiments. That is okay! It could depend on how hard they blew to create the wind erosion or how fast they poured the water. The explanation above is the general result that most students will get from this experiment, but the teacher can help the students to understand that many factors come into play with erosion and it can be very different depending on these factors.

C. Closure-

1. The teacher will ask the students how they think they could have stopped the materials in their experiments from eroding when the "wind" and "rain" came.

a. For example, some students may say that they would put grass in the dirt or put a barrier of some sort around the piles. Encourage the students to get creative!

2. In their groups, students will write down a plan for stopping the erosion in their experiments.

a. If time permits, the teacher could decide to allow the students to try out their plans by putting more of each material in the tub, enforcing their plans to stop the erosion, and then redoing the experiment.

3. The teacher will collect the plans and the erosion charts.

4. The teacher will ask the students what they learned throughout the lesson and the students will take turns coming up and adding the new knowledge to the concept map.

a. They will then go over the concept map as a class.

Day Four:

1. The teacher will tell the students that now they have learned about soil and erosion and it is time to see what they remember!

2. The teacher will then begin the "Jeopardy Bag" review game.

a. The teacher will cut out three sets of all of the number cards 1-20.

b. The teacher will also cut out three sets of the sad face and the smiling face cards.

c. The teacher will get three small brown paper bags and put one set of cards in each bag.

d. The teacher will then divide the class into three large groups (approximately 10 students in each group) and will give each group one of the brown paper bags.

e. The teacher will then begin to take turns asking each group questions.

i. The teacher will ask the questions on the Review Questions paper.

f. If a group gets an answer right, they get to pull a number card out of their bag. Whatever number they pick is added to their score. If they pick a smiley face, their score gets doubled. If they pick a sad face, their score goes to 0.

g. If a group gets an answer wrong, the next team gets to try to answer it correctly.

h. The teacher will keep track of the points on the board or the smart board.

i. The game continues until all of the questions have been answered.

3. The teacher will then distribute the soil and erosion quiz and the students will complete it in the time given.

4. The teacher will then play the Topsoil video again and encourage the students to sing and dance along.

5. The teacher will explain that the past few days the students have been learning about soil and about erosion, which affects the earth's surface in many different ways and tomorrow they will get to learn about some things that affect the earth's surface in very big, very "explosive" ways!

D. Accommodations/Differentiation-

1. For a child with dyslexia or another learning disability, the teacher would allow them to show their knowledge of the material orally by verbally giving me the information on the exit slip. The teacher would also give them a larger chart with bigger spaces to write and clearer font if needed. Finally, the teacher would allow the student to orally answer any of the questions on the quiz if necessary.

E. Assessment/Evaluation Plan:

1. Formative:

a. Soil chart

b. Smart board activities

c. Erosion chart

d. Soil exit slip

e. Class concept map

f. Jeopardy Review game

2. Summative: Soil and Erosion Quiz

V. Reflective Response

A. Report of Students’ Performance in Terms of States Objectives

Remediation Plan:

B. Personal Reflection

1. How could this lesson be improved?

2. Were the experiments easy enough to be understood and to help the students to learn more?

3. Was there enough engaging material to get the students excited about the topic?

VI. Resources

Berger, C. F., & Houghton, M. a. (2007). Houghton Mifflin science, level 4. Boston, Ma.: Houghton Mifflin.

Booth, D., & Reczuch, K. (1997). The dust bowl. Buffalo, NY: Kids Can Press.

Rosinsky, N. M., & Boyd, S. (2003). Dirt: the scoop on soil. Minneapolis, Minn.: Picture Window Books.

DLTK's Educational Activities  Simple Number Templates. (n.d.). Simple Number Templates. Retrieved November 7, 2013, from

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