EDN5501 Transition to Teaching Task 2 Planning a Lesson Sharon Gould

Lesson Plan
Day/ Date: Subject: Science
Class/ Time: Aimed at year 4 class Topic: Volcanoes- Lesson One
Outcomes: This lesson-Students know how volcanoes are formed and can identify key features of a volcano.
Unit- Students understand how volcanoes fit into the wider geological landscape and the impacts they have on the natural and human
environments.
WA Curriculum: Science Understanding, Earth and Space Sciences: Earths surface changes over time as a result of natural processes and human activity
ACSSU075 (Year 4 Science Syllabus). Contributes to literacy capability.
Prior Knowledge/ Experience: Earths structure, basic plate tectonics (that Earths crust is made up of lots of plates that are always moving around)
Key Lesson Content: volcano structure- 50 min lesson
Learner Activities: Teacher Activities/ Questions: Resources Required:

Introduction:
Whole of class discussion (on mat/ floor
or seats grouped together at front of
classroom)- establish prior knowledge of
volcanoes and what the students would
like to find out.
Can anyone tell me how volcanoes are formed? Whiteboard (Interactive if possible) or butchers paper and
Who can give me an interesting fact about marker
volcanoes? (hook their interest by giving them
interesting facts in between student answers)
Can anyone give me examples of volcanoes? Do we
have active volcanoes in Australia?
What would you like to learn about volcanoes?
(Write these on whiteboard/butchers paper)
Continue discussion by explaining how volcanoes
are formed and some more interesting facts. (10 mins)

Main:
Watch video
Whole of class discussion (on mat/floor
or seats grouped together at front of
classroom)- about video
What did you like about the video?
What facts did the video teach you?
All About Volcanoes for Children: Introduction to Volcanoes
for Kids (6 mins 35secs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V863xR0Y2qk
Internet enabled device for playback (computer with
speakers and projector/ screen)

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EDN5501 Transition to Teaching
Continue discussion with poster of a
volcano structure diagram.
Task 2 Planning a Lesson
Name and explain structures of the volcano/ how
formed. Prompt students, see if they can guess/
explain some features. NOTE: depending on
diagram used, some additional features may need
to be explained for students to complete following
worksheet.
Sharon Gould
Volcano structure diagram examples
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/images/image_mngr/1100-
1199/img1142.jpg or
http://visual.merriam-
webster.com/images/earth/geology/volcano/volcano-
during-eruption.jpg
Printed to A3 paper and laminated for future use, or
displayed on computer screen/ projector/ interactive
whiteboard.
(20 mins for video and discussion)

Individual at their desks: label a diagram Teacher hands out worksheet to each student. If Inside a volcano worksheet -
of the volcano and write definitions for students are struggling leave volcano structure http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/5cd6ef_c0ed9f9681404683b
each word. diagram up for display. Students that finish early- 5da96760c9d964e.pdf taken from
can they expand on their definitions? http://www.3dgeography.co.uk/volcano-worksheets
Worksheet diagram-
https://img.haikudeck.com/mi/AC7777AE-9E64-46FB-BC7A-
85E9DA07C537.jpg
(15 mins)
Closure:
Group discussion: what did you learn? I Were the questions about what the students Whiteboard (interactive if possible) or butchers paper and
can statements. wanted to learn (noted on whiteboard/ paper at marker
start of class) answered?
Next lesson- different types of volcanoes (and
initial investigations of impacts of volcanoes on
humans and environment) (5 mins)
Student Assessment:
Discussions and teachers questions, observations.
In a Volcano worksheet
Student reflection- what they learnt/ I can statements
Lesson Evaluation:
Observations from discussions and activities- were all students engaged/ interested/ motivated?
Worksheets and observations- have they achieved the outcomes? How close are they to achieving the outcomes?
Which activities appeared to be more successful at achieving the outcomes?

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EDN5501 Transition to Teaching Task 2 Planning a Lesson Sharon Gould

Microlesson
Day/ Date: Subject: Science
Class/ Time: Aimed at year 4 class Topic: Volcanoes- Lesson One
Outcomes: This lesson-Students know how volcanoes are formed and can identify key features of a volcano.
Unit- Students understand how volcanoes fit into the wider geological landscape and the impacts they have on the natural and human
environments.
WA Curriculum: Science Understanding, Earth and Space Sciences: Earths surface changes over time as a result of natural processes and human activity
ACSSU075 (Year 4 Science Syllabus)
Prior Knowledge/ Experience: Earths structure, basic plate tectonics (that Earths crust is made up of lots of plates that are always moving around)
Key Lesson Content: volcano structure- 50 min lesson
Microlesson- Lesson Introduction, 10 mins
Teachers Questions for Students/ Student Activity Answers to Questions (Elaboration on Their Responses)/ Teacher Activity
Introduction:
Teacher to introduce self and greet students
Class to gather at front of classroom (sitting on mat or sitting on
chairs gathered to front)
Teacher to introduce that todays lesson will be about volcanoes,
how they are formed and what their structure is with discussion.
Part of group of lessons about volcanoes, how they fit into the
landscape and their impacts on the natural and human
environments.
Establish/ reinforce rules for listening and answering.
Questions to ask students to determine prior knowledge: Teacher to feedback to questions as appropriate.
-What do you already know about volcanoes?
-Does anyone know how volcanoes are formed?
-Can anyone give me an example of a volcano?
-Do you know if we have any active volcanoes in Australia? Why do No active volcanoes in Australia on the mainland today as there have been no eruptions
you think that might be? since European settlement, however there likely have been active volcanoes witnessed
by Australian Aboriginals thousands of years ago. There are active volcanoes in
Australian territories however, with a volcano named Big Ben on Heard Island which lies
close to Antarctica that erupted only last year (2016).

Main:
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EDN5501 Transition to Teaching Task 2 Planning a Lesson Sharon Gould
Question: What is a volcano? A vent or crack in the Earths crust through which molten rock known as magma rises to
the surface. This magma comes from deep underground in the upper layer of the
mantle. When this magma breaks through to the surface it is called an eruption. Magma
that erupts from a volcano is called lava. Eruptions can be very explosive, or they can be
relatively gentle. If the magma is very thick and doesnt run very easily, and has lots of
gas dissolved it in, then the eruption is likely to be very explosive as all the tiny bubbles
of gas in the magma are under a lot of pressure.
Question: What happens if you shake a bottle of cool drink and then It all comes out very fast, because all the bubbles of air want to be released quickly after
open the lid quickly? the pressure inside the bottle is released from you opening the lid! Explosive eruptions
can blow lava, rocks, gases and ash many kilometres up into the air, and the ash can
form giant clouds. In 2010 an eruption at a volcano in Iceland created an ash cloud that
rose to a height of about 9km. If the magma doesnt have much gas dissolved in it and it
is very runny then it isnt as explosive, and oozes up out of the ground in much smaller
showers.
Question: How hot do you think the lava is when it first comes out of it can be 700 degrees Celsius up 1200 degrees Celsius.
the volcano?
Question: How hot is water when it boils? 100 degrees Celsius, so thats seven to twelve times as hot!
Question: How many active volcanoes do you think there are on More than 1500 active volcanoes, with more than 50 eruptions every year. Volcanoes
Earth? can remain active for a very long time, with thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of
years between eruptions. Eruptions can last for hours, or for years.
Questions: Usually we think of volcanoes as forming big cones and creating mountains, but they can
-What do you think a volcano looks like? form in different ways. We will be exploring different types of volcanoes over the next
- Are there any other ways they can look? few lessons.
Closure:
Question: What kinds of things would you like to learn about Teacher to write answers on (interactive) whiteboard/ butchers paper
volcanoes? Now we will be watching a video about how volcanoes form and different types of
volcanoes. I would like everyone to sit quietly while they watch it, as there will be time
to talk about it afterwards.

Next step: watching video on volcanoes

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EDN5501 Transition to Teaching Task 2 Planning a Lesson Sharon Gould
Continuation from this lesson:

This lesson would be the first in a set for a unit about volcanoes. Example of further lessons:

Lesson Two- different types of volcanoes (arts and literacy capabilities). Teacher asks students to recap what they learnt the previous lesson. Teacher gives
introductory explanation/ discussion. In pairs students make 3D paper models of composite (strato) volcanoes and shield volcanoes (one student in each pair
makes one model, the other student the other model). Using those and what they have already learnt about cinder cone volcanoes, students construct a Venn
Diagram comparing Composite, shield and cinder cone volcanoes. Group discussion- pairs of students present a point they have made, while teacher records on
the white board on a Venn diagram. Once all the students points have been made, teacher adds any remaining/ missed. Teacher introduces volcano diagram with
impacts- students discuss in a group what kinds of impacts volcanoes may have on humans and the environment (consider positive and negative).

Lesson Three- short research project in class (ICT, critical and creative thinking and literacy capabilities). At start of class students discuss with teacher in a group
what kinds of questions could they ask to find out more information about the effects of volcanoes on humans and the environment. Teacher writes these onto an
interactive whiteboard, supplements with their own questions as required. Students then to spend lesson researching an active volcano of their choice that is near
human habitation and answer their questions. End session with discussion of this.

Lesson Four- make your own volcano (arts and critical and creative thinking and personal and social capabilities). Myriad ways to do this depending on time and
resources (paper mache, modelling clay, etc). Students work in groups to complete. Build volcano around a water or soft drink bottle (so can make volcano later
explode).

Lesson Five- Vinegar and baking soda volcano eruptions (science and critical and creative thinking capability). Using warm water, vinegar, food colouring and
baking soda make the volcanoes erupt with adult supervision. Students consider the chemistry of the vinegar and baking soda- can they make predictions
beforehand about how the baking soda and vinegar will react? What do they observe happening, how did this compare to their predictions? How does this
experiment differ from a real volcano?

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