KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate:

Ashley Swier

Cooperating Teacher: ___Amy Krick

Date:___February 10, 2015______

Coop. Initials

Group Size: _26_ Allotted Time __30 minutes___ Grade Level

Fourth grade

Subject or Topic: Social Studies: A Land of Canyons

035___

Section

STANDARD:
8.3.4.C: Explain how continuity and change in U.S. history have influenced personal
development and identity.
I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):
The students will be able to explain how the Grand Canyon was formed by the end of the lesson.
II. Instructional Materials
A. Textbook
B. SmartBoard
C. PowerPoint
III. Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea)
A. Prerequisite skills
a. Knowledge of the Southwest states
B. Key vocabulary
a. Adobe a kind of mud brick.
b. Pueblo - a Spanish word that means village, and which refers to some
Native American groups in the Southwest.
C. Big idea
a. The Grand Canyon
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction
a. The teacher will begin by having pictures of the Grand Canyon on a
PowerPoint displayed on the SmartBoard.
b. The teacher will ask the students what they think a canyon is and how it
forms.
c. The teacher will let the students answer the questions and then tell the
students that they will be reading to find out the answers to those two
questions.

B. Development
a. The teacher will tell the students to open up their social studies textbooks to
page 300.
b. Before beginning to read the section called Land of the Canyons the
teacher will tell the students that they will be using the talking stick to read.
c. The talking stick was introduced in the previous chapter when the class was
learning about Native Americans. The talking stick helps the students
become more interested in the reading and only talk when they have the
talking stick in their possession.
d. The first person who receives the talking stick will begin reading at the top of
page 300.
e. Once the student finishes reading the introduction the teacher will say, We
are going to visit the Grand Canyon today! Lets imagine that we are at the
Grand Canyon learning all about it and how it was formed.
f. The first students will pass on the talking stick to another student and that
student will begin reading on page 301 about erosion.
g. When the students are finished reading the section on erosion the teacher will
ask a series of questions.
i.
What do we know about how the Grand Canyon
formed?
1. Formed over time by erosion.
ii.
What are the different types of erosion?
1.
Wind, water, rocks, sand, etc.
iii.
Has the Grand Canyon stopped changing?
1. No
iv.
Will it ever stop changing?
1.
No, it is an ongoing process but in our lifetime
we may not be able to see the difference.
h. After discussing the questions the talking stick will be passed on to the next
student and they will begin reading on the top of 302.
i. As you read this section there will be two vocabulary words.
j. The teacher will ask the students to get out a piece of lined paper to begin
their chapter 10 and 11 notes.
k. The teacher will then ask the students if they know what an adobe is and
what pueblo means.
l. Once the students given their definitions of the vocabulary words the teacher
will write the definitions on the board so the students are able to copy them
into their new chapter notes. (Definitions given at the top of the lesson plan)
m. The teacher will ask a series of questions regarding the section that the class
had just read.
i.
What did the Anasazi make?
ii.
What was Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in search
of?
1.
He was in search of gold.
iii.
Did they find the gold?

1. No they did not

iv.
Who is Theodore Roosevelt and why is he
important?
1. He was the President of the United States and he made the
Grand Canyon a national park.
n. One final student will receive the talking stick and begin reading the last
section about visiting the canyon.
o. The teacher will now show the students a PowerPoint presentation including
pictures and fun facts about the Grand Canyon.
C. Closure
a. The teacher will ask the students what they have learned during todays
lesson.
b. The teacher will also do a short review on the Southwest states and capitols
for their test in two days.
i.
Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas and Arizona
D. Accommodations/Differentiation
If a student is having difficulty understanding the topic the teacher will go back and walk
through that section step by step until the students understand..
E.

Assessment/Evaluation Plan
1. Formative The teacher will do informal assessment while asking the students
questions during the reading including how the Grand Canyon was formed. If
students have difficulty anecdotal notes will be taken so the teacher is able to
remember which students need more help.
2. Summative There is no summative assessment for this lesson plan.

V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Students Performance in Terms of Stated Objectives (after lesson is taught)
-

The students were able to recall the information that they had learned from this
particular lesson and lessons from previous years.

Remediation Plan
- Show a video of the grand canyon
- Include more facts

B. Personal Reflection
How did the students respond to the PowerPoint?
-

The PowerPoint showed many pictures of the Grand Canyon. The students were very
interested in the slide show. They were able to see the differences in the different types
of rock and relate the reading to the different pictures.

Were the students engaged?

-

The students really liked this lesson! Several students have visited the Grand Canyon
so we had many real life experiences to add to this lesson.

How can I improve this lesson?

-

I really liked preparing this lesson and teaching this lesson! I would love to find
artifacts or books from the Grand Canyon. It also makes teaching more fun when the
students are really enjoying the lesson.

VI. Resources
Scott, F. (2003). The Midwest. In Regions: Scott, Foresman social studies ([Review ed., pp.
300-305). Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman.