TE 407: Lesson and Unit Plan Guide

Name: Eric March / Partner: Ian Banker
Mentor Teacher: Mrs. Blasius / School: Gardner M.S.

Part I: Information about the Lesson or Unit

Topic:

Type of Class

·  Grade level(s): 8 basic

·  Type of school: Urban

Abstract

This lesson is focused on the water cycle and the state of Michigan. The students first are tasked with identifying the main features of the state and surrounding areas, including the Great Lakes and the states that touch them. They then identify the main rivers in Michigan, and the cities that are associated with them. Finally, the students are tasked with following the flow of water from Lake Superior out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Part II: Clarifying Your Goals

Big Ideas

Having a working knowledge of one’s own state in important. Geographical knowledge comes in handy when traveling, when conversing with other people both from your own state and abroad, and understanding the flow of goods across waterways. Michigan is fortunate to have direct contact with 4 out of the 5 great lakes, Michigan, Superior, Huron, and Erie, on which recreation, shipping, and a host of other activities take place. Understanding how the Great Lakes affect the state of Michigan is one of the first steps to understanding Michigan itself. Closely related to the Great Lakes are the rivers and lakes that provide the water for them. Were it not for Michigan’s many rivers and lakes flowing into the Great Lakes, they would not continue to exist. They need a continuous flow of water that is supplied by the rivers and lakes. The Great Lakes, in turn, supply water down the St. Lawrence Seaway and out to the Atlantic Ocean, where the water cycle can cause evaporation, forming clouds, and causing rain. The rain will cause more water to run off the land into the rivers, continuing the water cycle the supports life on Earth.

Experiences, Patterns, and Explanations

Observations or experiences (examples, phenomena, data) / Patterns (laws, generalizations, graphs, tables, categories) / Explanations (models, theories)
Rivers always start / end at a larger body of water.
Rain “ends” at the ocean
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Driving with parents – may have seen them read a map or read one by self
May have been required to learn the state capitals in school
Family trips to the states that surround Michigan give them an opportunity to get to know these states / Rivers always flow from the land into a larger body of water
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Cities are around bodies or water like rivers or
A lot of really big cities are on the coasts, near the oceans / Cities are at the edge of the map
A river can flow either towards or away from a larger body of water
Water disappears from the ocean
Rivers flow from the land into the water because the land is at a higher elevation than the larger body of water
Cities tend to settle around bodies of water for shipping, such as lakes, rivers or oceans.
Application: Model-based Reasoning – using models/theories to explain experiences
Inquiry: Finding and Explaining Patterns in Experience

Objectives for Student Learning

Objective / Type / Stage(s) in Learning Cycle
Michigan Objectives
1. Hydrosphere (EH) V.2
2. Describe how surface water in Michigan reaches the
ocean and returns. / Constructing / Coaching
Fading
2.
Specific Lesson Objectives
1. Real-world contexts: Maps showing streams, lakes,
rivers, oceans; examples of motions of rivers and
lakes; investigations of rivers and lake temperatures;
saltiness of ocean. / Telling the story
Constructing / Coaching
Fading
2. Learn the specific geography of Michigan and how it applies to the rivers and lakes of our state and how cities are formed based on these features
3.

Part III: Classroom Activities

Materials

Presentation materials (Overhead transparencies or Powerpoint presentations, etc):

Copied materials (Handouts, worksheets, tests, lab directions, etc.):

Pages in textbook: Book:______Pages:______

Laboratory materials: For the teacher or the class as a whole:

For each laboratory station:

Other materials: crayons / colored pencils

Activities

Introduction ( 15 minutes)

I will show the packet to the student, and quickly walk them through the questions within. Also, I plan on showing them the location of all of the maps and diagrams that they will need throughout the activity, as well as any crayons or colored pencils. Additionally, today we will read answers from a packet that the students completed yesterday on the water cycle, answering any questions that they may have. The students will trade packets with another student in order to grade the packet.

Main Teaching Activities ( 30 minutes)

I will be walking around assisting students with any questions they may have while working on their packets. I imagine that most of the questions will arise with the reading of the maps, and trying to identify exactly which city is being referred to when the description is vague, such as “What large city is located in the southwest corner of Lake Michigan?”

Conclusion ( 5 minutes)

I will instruct students to hand in their packets to be graded, making sure to put their names on the top. Finally, I will make sure that the students do not have any last minute questions before dismissing them for the day.

Part IV: Assessment of Students

Developing Assessment Tasks

The entire packet is one large assessment, which we will be coaching and fading throughout to help the student complete it, and grade it after they turn it in. They will then continue to learn about the water cycle in the subsequent lessons.