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Georgia Southwestern State University Lesson Plan

Classroom/Lesson Context
__ Whole Group _____ Small Group _____ One-on-One
_____ Students with IEPs/504s _____ ELL Students
____ Other (Please specify:
_______________________________________________________________________)
Please specify the number of students:
___13__ Girls __11___Boys
Learning Central Focus
Lesson Plan Title: Volcanic Eruptions
Grade Level: Fifth grade
Central Focus:
What is the central focus for the content in the learning segment?
The central focus for the content in learning segment is to describe how volcanoes can be
destructive and constructive processes. During this lesson, the students will also write a story or
poem about volcanoes using figurative language.
Content Standard:
What standard(s) are most relevant to the learning goals?
Science- S5E1. Students will identify surface features of the Earth caused by constructive and
destructive processes.
a. Identify surface features caused by constructive processes.
Deposition (Deltas, sand dunes, etc.)
Earthquakes
Volcanoes
Faults

b. Identify and find examples of surface features caused by destructive processes.


Erosion (waterrivers and oceans, wind)
Weathering
Impact of organisms
Earthquake
Volcano

English language arts- ELACC5L5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word


relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Student Learning Goal(s)/ Objective(s):


Skills/procedures:
What are the specific learning goal(s) for student in this lesson?
The specific learning goal/objective for the ELA portion of this lesson is to use figurative
language to write a story.
Concepts and reasoning/problem solving/thinking/strategies:
What are the specific learning goal(s) for students in this lesson?
The specific learning goal/objective for the science portion of this lesson is for students to
determine how a force, such as a volcano, can be both destructive and constructive at the same
time.

Prior Academic Knowledge and Conceptions:


What knowledge, skills, and concepts must students already know to be successful with this
lesson?
Students must have knowledge, skills, and concepts of constructive and destructive processes.
For the ELA portion, they must have the basic skills and understanding of the different types of
figurative language.
What prior knowledge and/or gaps in knowledge do these students have that are necessary to
support the learning of the skills and concepts for this lesson?
Students may have knowledge gaps for these concepts if they do not comprehend constructive
and destructive processes. Also, students who dont have the basic skill and understanding of
figurative language will also struggle.
Common Errors, Developmental Approximations, Misconceptions, Partial
Understandings, or Misunderstandings:
What are common errors or misunderstandings of students related to the central focus of this
lesson?
Elementary students may believe that volcanoes are randomly scattered across the earth, when
the majority are located along tectonic plate boundaries. Students may also believe that all
volcanic eruptions are violent, but many are not. Students may also not understand that
volcanoes can be inactive for long periods without being considered extinct. When volcanoes no

longer have a lava supply, they are extinct, but it can be quite difficult for scientists to know if
and when this is the case. The lifespan of a volcano can be measured in millions of years, so a
volcano that has not erupted in thousands of years would most likely be classified as dormant,
rather than extinct.
Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks
Launch: 10 minutes__
How will you start the lesson to engage and motivate students in learning?
I will start the lesson to engage and motivate students to learn by using a clap pattern that they
must repeat. I will state the procedures and expectations during instruction time. I will let them
know that we will be discussing how a volcano can be a constructive and destructive process.
The students will do a KWL activity to see what they know about the differences in constructive
and destructive processes and how volcanoes fit into each of those categories.
Instruction: 20 Minutes
What will you do to engage students in developing understanding of the lesson
objective(s)? How will you engage students to help them understand the concepts? What will
students do? How will you determine if students are meeting the intended learning objectives?
To engage students in developing understanding of the lesson objective and the concept I will
have the class do a group experiment where we make a volcano and make it erupt five different
times. To make this volcano we will need a large platter, a small cup, food coloring, baking
soda, vinegar, and different color play doe. We will start off with the small cup in the center of
the platter. We will put a small amount of baking soda in the cup followed by some vinegar for
each eruption. After we do the first eruption we will mold play doe where the lava from the
volcano landed. We will repeat this process until we have 5 layers of play doe around our
volcano. We will then take a clear straw and poke it through all 5 layers of play doe. When we
extract the straw you should be able the 5 different layers of play doe. This will give the students
a visual of how a volcano is constructive. To show them an example of how the volcano can be
destructive we will add small people, trees, cars, and other objects and make an eruption occur.
The lava will flow down the volcano knocking over trees and people and destroying cars. After
we perform the experiment, I will ask each student to tell me something that theyve learned
about volcanos, destructive, and constructive processes and I will write each response on the
board. This is how I will determine if students are meeting the intended learning objective.
How will you link the new content (skills and concepts) to students prior academic learning and
their personal/cultural and community assets?
This particular lesson will serve as a review for their unit test which will take place tomorrow
(3/11/15). Since this lesson is a review there will be no new content learned simply a review.
What will you say and do? What questions will you ask?
I will ask questions such as:

What can you tell me about volcanoes?


Why do you think volcanoes erupt?
What is the liquid that comes out of the volcano called?
What does it mean for something to be constructive? Destructive?
Besides volcanoes, what are some other constructive and destructive forces?

Structured Practice and Application: 10___ Minutes


How will you give students the opportunity to practice so you can provide feedback? How will
students apply what they have learned? How will you determine if students are meeting the
intended learning objectives?
I will give them a worksheet that has questions about volcanoes on it as well as questions about
constructive and destructive processes. They will have to successfully answer each question. I
will take up the worksheet and grade it. If the class scores an 80% or higher then I know they
are meeting the intended learning objectives.
Closure: 5____ Minutes
How will you end the lesson?
To end this lesson, we will have a group discussion about what weve learned about volcanoes,
constructive, and destructive forces. Each student will be given the opportunity to tell about what
theyve learned. I will also make sure that they have completed their KWL chart.

Differentiation/ Planned Support


How will you provide students access to learning based on individual and group needs?
For those students who learn by drawing and doodling, they will have a chance to draw a
volcano and describe the different parts of a volcano, what makes it erupt, and why it can be
considered constructive and destructive.
How will you support students with gaps in the prior knowledge that is necessary to be
successful in this lesson?
Luckily, since this lesson is a review, the students who have a gap in prior knowledge will have
a chance to pick up the material since we will be reviewing the entire unit about volcanoes.

Student Interactions
How will you structure opportunities for students to work with partners or in groups? What
criteria will you use when forming groups?
The students will work in groups of four to fill out their KWL charts and also to prepare the
materials for each eruption. There will be no particular criteria when forming groups.
What Ifs
What might not go as planned and how can you be ready to make adjustment?
I think the possibility of an eruption not working might occur but I will be prepared with plenty of
vinegar and baking soda to make a new eruption.
Theoretical Principles and/or Research Based Best Practices
Why are the learning tasks for this lesson appropriate for your students?
Piaget stressed the importance of learning by doing, especially in science. According to Piaget,
"a sufficient experimental training was believed to have been provided as long as the student
had been introduced to the results of past experiments or had been allowed to watch
demonstration experiments conducted by his teacher, as though it were possible to sit in rows
on a wharf and learn to swim merely by watching grown-up swimmers in the water. Piaget's
research clearly mandates that the learning environment should be rich in physical experiences.
Involvement, he states, is the key to intellectual development, and for the elementary school
child this includes direct physical manipulation of objects.
Materials
What materials does the teacher need for this lesson?
For this lesson, we will need a large platter, small cups, food coloring, baking soda, vinegar,
different color play doh, toy cars, and toy houses.
Academic Language Demand(s)
Language Demand
Identify one of the following: reading, writing, listening/speaking, or demonstrating/performing.
The demand will require more or less scaffolding (support) depending on the needs of the
students.
The students will focus on listening and writing for this lesson. They will listen carefully to the
material being taught and will write to fill in their KWL chart, complete the volcano worksheet, as
well as write the story using figurative language.
Language Function

What language function do you want students to develop in this lesson? What must students
understand in order to be intellectually engaged in the lesson?
Students must understand the concept of constructive and destructive forces in order to be
engaged in this lesson. They must also have a basic understanding of figurative language.
Identify the purpose for which the language is being used, with attention to goal and audiencethe one verb from the standard; ex. demonstrate.
The verb of this lesson is Identify.
Vocabulary
What content specific terms (vocabulary) do students need to support learning of the learning
objective for this lesson? Identify key words specific to the content area derived from the
standard- ex. drama, prose, structural elements, verse, rhythm, meter, characters, settings,
descriptions, dialogue, stage directions.
Vocabulary for this lesson includes:
Volcano, destructive process, constructive process, eruption, figurative language, metaphor,
simile, personification, onomatopoeia, and alliteration.
Language Discourse
How will the students of the content area speak, write, and participate? What is the structure of
the written or oral language?
They will participate by listening to the lesson, asking questions, performing the experiment, and
writing a story at the end of the lesson using figurative language.
Language Syntax
What are the organizing symbols, words, and/or phrases in the written and oral language
structures?
The words and phrases that are associated with this lesson are constructive and destructive
forces, figurative language, metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, and alliteration.
Students' Use of Language
What specific way(s) will students need to use language (reading, writing, listening and/or
speaking) to participate in learning tasks and demonstrate their learning for this lesson?
Students will need to use language to participate in this activity. They will have to read the
directions of each activity, they will have to write to fill out their chart, and they will have to speak
to ask questions or if they have comments.
Students' Abilities

What are your students abilities with regard to the oral and written language associated with
this lesson?
They are able to identify key terms and show progress on the written assignment from the oral
presentation.
Support
How will you support students so they can understand and use the language associated with
the language function and other demands in meeting the learning objectives of the lesson?
By practicing vocabulary for this lesson they can use and understand the language involved with
the learning objectives.
Assessments
Describe the tools/procedures that will be used in this lesson to monitor students learning of the
lesson objective(s). Attach a copy of the assessment and the evaluation criteria/rubric in the
resources section at the end of the lesson plan.

Evaluation Criteria
Type of
assessment
(Informal or
Formal)

Description of
assessment

Modifications to the
What evidence of student
assessment so that all
learning (related to the
students could
learning objectives and
demonstrate their learning. central focus) does the
assessment provide?

Informal

Informal

Informal

Worksheet with
questions about
volcanoes

I will read the questions to If the student scores above


those students who are
80% then this shows that
struggling readers and are they have grasped the
English language learners. concept.

Group discussion
about what was
learned

If each student gives an


Each student should be
accurate example of what
able to give an oral
theyve learned then that will
example of something that
show that they understand
they learned.
the concept.

KWL chart

I will allow the English


language learners to give
an oral version of the
KWL.

If their chart is complete this


will show that they have
been paying attention and
understand the concept.

Analyzing Teaching
Worked/Didn't Worked
What worked?
The experiment worked perfectly. Each eruption was violent and the food coloring really made
the lava pop. I was afraid the play doe wouldnt stick well around the cup but it all worked out
fine.
What didnt?
For one group, the play doh was an issue. They were too busy playing with it and not listening
to the lesson.
For whom?
One group of students got a little too excited with the play doh and they kept disrupting the
class.
Adjustments
What instructional changes do you need to make as you prepare for the lesson tomorrow?
Since we will be using vinegar and baking soda in this lesson, I need to be sure I stress the
behavioral objectives and expectations that I have to prevent accidents.
Proposed Changes
If you could teach this lesson again to this group of students what changes would you make to
your instruction?
Whole group:
If I could reteach this lesson, I would probably do the entire experiment and just let the students
watch. I let them help out with the materials but they were excited and started to get a little
careless with it all
Group of Students:
Individual Students:

Justification
Why will these changes improve student learning?

By making these changes, the students will be less focused on the play doe and baking soda,
and more focused on learning how a volcano can be destructive and constructive.
What research/ theory supports these changes?
Jacob Kounins determined that the mastery of classroom management must include the ability
to teach to the learning style of the group instead of the individual, and organizing of lessons
and teaching methods. The goal of classroom management is to create an environment which
not only stimulates student learning but also motivates students to learn. Kounins approach
theorizes that the keys to successful classroom management is in preventing management
problems from occurring in the first place by putting into place good organization and planning.
By not letting the students work individually with the materials, they will be more focused and
motivated to learn about volcanoes. I will prevent the problem from even happening by planning
to handle the materials myself.

Resources
Attach each assessment and associated evaluation criteria/rubric.
https://voicethread.com/new/share/6818189/ - Voice thread
https://youtu.be/yPWze7f40_k - Movie maker
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s564/sh/e302cca2-131a-4711-b0b54695811007ea/a8d5ff90f98b88f430d8521eeb795426 - EverNote

Name: _______________

Volcanoes

1. What is a volcano?

2. How are they formed?

3. How are volcanoes constructive?

4. How are volcanoes destructive?

Determine whether the statement is true or false.


____ 5. All volcanoes are located in Hawaii
____ 6. Volcanoes are only considered Constructive forces.
____ 7. Volcanoes can be both constructive and destructive.
____ 8. The liquid inside the volcano is called lava.
____ 9. The liquid inside the volcano is called magma.
____ 10. All volcanic eruptions are violent.

Name: ___________________________________
Date: ____________________________________
ALL ABOUT VOLCANOES

What I Know

What I want to know

What Ive learned

Name: ______________________________
__________________________________

Date:

All about Volcanoes


Directions: Write a short essay, poem, or narrative about a volcano. Be sure to use examples of
figurative language such as metaphors, similes, alliteration, onomatopoeia and personification.
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