Traditional,Multimodal,andMulticulturalLessonPlanCompilation

KristieGarofolaandCassidyHines
ENG302

Overview:
TheselessonsweredesignedtomeetNextGenerationScienceStandardsand
CommonCoresubstrand4ESS31whichreads,Obtainandcombineinformationtodescribe
thatenergyandfuelsarederivedfromnaturalresourcesandtheirusesaffecttheenvironment.
[ClarificationStatement:Examplesofrenewableenergyresourcescouldincludewindenergy,
waterbehinddams,andsunlightnonrenewableenergyresourcesarefossilfuelsandfissile
materials.Examplesofenvironmentaleffectscouldincludelossofhabitatduetodams,lossof
habitatduetosurfacemining,andairpollutionfromburningoffossilfuels.]

Inordertomeetthisstandard,lessonsforatleastthreedaysofafourthgradescienceperiod
werecreated.Thefirstdayofthenaturalresourcesunitincludesatraditionallessonplanwith
notetakingandbookreading.Thisapproachisnotappealingtomanystudentsorteachers,butit
providescriticalinformationforstudentstounderstandtheconceptathand.Thenoteswillbe
usedthroughouttheunitasreferenceforeachprojectorassignment.Theassessmentforthisday
isashortanswerdocumentthatisnottobeusedforgrading.Thereare5questionsthatreferto
theimportant,necessaryconceptsthatwillneedtobeunderstoodthroughouttheunit.

Theseconddayofthislessonusesamultimodalapproach.Studentswillusetheirknowledge
thattheylearnedfromthepreviousdayaboutnaturalresourcesandapplyittoanactivity.For
thisactivity,studentswillcreateafoldablebycategorizingrenewableandnonrenewable
resources.Oncethestudentscompletethefoldableactivity,theywillthencompletean
assessmentcontainingmainlymultiplechoicequestionsandoneshortanswerquestiontotest
theirknowledgethattheyhavelearnedsofar.

Thethirddayofthislessonusesamulticulturalapproachtowrapupthenaturalresourcesunit.
Theknowledgegainedfromthepreviouslessonsisusedtocreateanindividual,studentdriven
researchprojectthatdemonstrateswhatwaslearnedthroughouttheunit.Inthisproject,students
willusetheirownbackgroundsandknowledgetopickacountrytoresearch.Studentswilluse
variousresourcestofindoutaboutthenaturalresourcesintheircountry.Itisourhopethatthis
lessonwillbemulticulturalinthefactthatstudentscanpickcountriesthattheirfamilycame
from,theyhavealotofknowledgeabout,orareinterestedin.

TraditionalLessonPlan

Class:
4thGradeScience
Unit:
NaturalResources
LengthofUnit:
3ConsecutiveDays
LessonDay:
1
LearningObjective:
CommonCore:4ESS31:
Obtainandcombineinformationtodescribethatenergyand
fuelsarederivedfromnaturalresourcesandtheirusesaffecttheenvironment.
[ClarificationStatement:Examplesofrenewableenergyresourcescouldinclude
windenergy,waterbehinddams,andsunlightnonrenewableenergyresources
arefossilfuelsandfissilematerials.Examplesofenvironmentaleffectscould
includelossofhabitatduetodams,lossofhabitatduetosurfacemining,andair
pollutionfromburningoffossilfuels.]
BackgroundScienceandOverviewTheoreticalPositioning:
Allofthescienceinformationneededtounderstandthetopicofnaturalresourcesshould
beincludedintheoutlineofnotesforthestudents.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorconcerns,please
seekadditionalresourcesasnecessary.
ThislessonisforthefirstdayanaturalresourcesunitusingaTraditionalLesson
approach.Studentswillbeintroducedtotheconceptofnaturalresourcesbytakingnotesabout
thetopicwiththeinstructor.Theinstructorwillthenhavestudentsanswersomequestionsabout
thetopictoseewhatneedstobefurtherdiscussedinthenextfewdays.Thislessonwill
encouragestudentstothinkaboutthemselvesandtheworldaroundtheminnewways.Itwill
alsoallowstudentstothinkbyfollowingthecommoncorestandards.
ThetraditionalaspectofthislessonisrootedintheoryfromanarticlebyJamesGee.
Geesworkstressestheimportancethattoexcelinsomething,youhavetostartfromthebottom.
Hisworkrecognizesthateveryonehasdifferenttalents,andwearenowherenearthesame.For
example,GeesaysthatFormostofus,playingamusicalinstrument,ordancing,orusinga
secondlanguageareskillsweattainedbysomemixtureofacquisitionandlearning.Butitisa
safebetthat,overthesameamountoftime,peoplearebetterattheseactivitiesifacquisition
predominatedduringthistime(4).Therefore,wehavecreatedthislessonasafirststepfor
studentstobeintroducedtothetopicofnaturalresourcesbeforetheycanusetheirnew
knowledgeindifferentapproaches.

ResourcesandTechnologies:
PresentationMedium
PowerPoint
OverheadProjector
ELMOVisualPresenter
Whateverotherformoftechnologyisavailableandworkswellinyourclassroom
PrintResources
Burnie,D.(2007).
WondersoftheNaturalWorld.
NewYork:DKPub.

 Jackson,T.,&Bracken,C.(2014).
TheMagicSchoolBusPresents:PlanetEarth
.
NewYork:Scholastic.
Kirk,E.(2010).
Humanfootprint:Everythingyouwilleat,use,wear,buy,and
throwoutinyourlifetime
.Washington,D.C.:NationalGeographic.
LonelyPlanetKidsAmazingWorldAtlas:BringingtheWorldtoLife
.(2014).
LonelyPlanetPublicationsPty.
NationalGeographicbeginner'sworldatlas
(Rev.ed.).(2005).Washington,
D.C.:NationalGeographicSociety
Orme,H.(2009).
Pollution
.NewYork:BearportPub.
Ward,D.,&Meisel,P.(2012).
Whathappenstoourtrash?
NewYork:Collins.
Yasuda,A.,&Keller,J.(2014).
ExploreNaturalResources!:With25Great
Projects
.WhiteRiverJunction,NewJersey:NomadPress.

Day1Activities:
Tointroducethetopicofnaturalresourcestothestudents,startbygoingthroughthebook
ExploreNaturalResources!
byAnitaYasudawithyourstudents.Readthefirstchapterofthis
booktogether,outliningimportantconceptsinthenotesthatyouchoosetotake.Youmayusean
overheadprojector,aPowerPoint,oranotherformoftechnologythatyouseefitforyour
classroom.Studentsshouldtakenoteswithyouonthetextintheirsciencenotebooks.Atsome
pointinthesameday(whenevertimeinyourscheduleallows),readthebook
WhatHappensto
OurTrash?
byD.J.Wardanddiscusshowthebookrelatestowhatyoutalkedaboutearlierin
scienceclass.Yourscientificlibraryshouldalsoincludenumerousbooksthatstudentscanread
aboutnaturalresourcesiftheyareconfusedaboutthesubjectoriftheywantmoreinformation.
SomesampletitlesarelistedintheResourcesandTechnologiessectionabove.

NaturalResourcesNotes
(Derivedfrom
ExploreNaturalResources!
byAnitaYasuda)

Introduction:
A
naturalresource
issomethingfromnaturethatpeoplecanuseinsomeway.Some
examplesareair,water,soil,andminerals.
Soil:
thetoplayeroftheearth,inwhichplantsgrow
Mineral:
somethingfoundinnaturethatisnotananimalorplant,suchasgold,
salt,orcopper
Naturalresourcesareusedfor:
Buildingmaterials
Sourcesofenergy

Energy:
theabilitytodowork
Creatingmedicine
An
environmentalist
isapersonwhoworkstokeeptheearthhealthy.Someexamplesof
environmentalistsare:
TheodoreRoosevelt
JohnMuir
Weshouldworktopreserve,conserve,recycle,andprotectournaturalresources.
Preserve:
tokeepsafefrominjury,harm,ordestruction
Conserve:
toavoidwastefuluseofsomething
Recycle:
touseagain
Whatisanaturalresource?:
Thereare
thousands
ofnaturalresourcesonearth.
Weuse
rawmaterials
tomakeeverydayobjects.
Rawmaterial:
anaturalresourceusedtomakesomething
Manynaturalresourcesgointomakingasimpleclothingitem,suchasapairofjeans.
Someexamplesare:
Factoriesusemachinesthatrequireenergy
Factory:
aplacewheregoodsaremade
Themetalbuttononthejeanscamefrommineraldepositssuchascopper
Deposit:
alayerofsomething,suchassandorsalt
Thedyeforthejeanscamefrompetroleum
Petroleum:
athick,darkliquidthatoccursnaturallybeneaththesurface
oftheearth.Itcanbeseparatedintomanyproducts,includinggasoline
andotherfuels.
Today,weliveinanindustrialsociety.Weuseanaverageof97poundsofnatural
resourcesperpersonaday.Thisismuchmorethanfarmingsocieties(24lb/person/day)
andhuntersandgatherers(6lb/person/day)usedthroughouthistory.

 IndustrialSociety:
asocietythatreliesonmachinestomakegoods
Society:
anorganizedcommunityofpeople
Community:
agroupofpeoplewholiveinthesamearea
Therearescientistswhoworrythatweusenaturalresourcessoquicklythattheearth
cannotkeepupwithhowfastweusethem.
Renewableresources
areresourcesthatnaturecanreplace.Theseresourcescanreplace
themselveswithinafairlyshortamountoftime.Someexamplesofrenewableresources
are:
Sunlight
Air
Soil
FreshWater
Plants
Someresourcesare
nonrenewable
,whichmeansthatwecanrunoutofthem.These
resourcescantechnicallyreplacethemselves,buttheprocesstypicallytakesmillionsof
years.Thismeansthatoncetheyareused,theyreallycannotbereplaced.Someexamples
ofnonrenewableresourcesare:
FossilFuels:
fuelsthataremadefromtheremainsofancientplantsandanimals
Oil
Coal
Petroleum
NaturalGas
StressedOut:
Thedemandfornaturalresourcesisgrowingbecausemoreandmorepeopleareusing
them,andthewasteproductsfromusingthemcauseproblemssuchas:
Pollution:
makesdifferentsystemsdirtyoruncleanwithchemicalsorotherwaste
soil
air
water
Destroyed
ecosystems
:acommunityoflivingandnonlivingthingsandtheir
environment.
Livingthings
areplants,animals,andinsects.
Nonlivingthings
aresoil,rocks,andwater.
Adamagedordestroyedhabitatleadstoplantsandanimalsthatlivetherebeing
displacedorbecomingextinct.Thismeansthatearthlosessomeofitsbiodiversity.
Displace:
toforcepeopleoranimalstomovefromtheirhome
Extinct:
whenagroupofplantsoranimalsdiesoutandtherearenomoreleftin
theworld
Biodiversity:
thedifferentplants,animals,andotherlivingthingsinanarea

 Manyspecies

goextinctbecausetheirhabitatsaredestroyed.
Species:
agroupofplantsoranimalsthatarerelatedandlookthesame
Conservation:
Everythingaroundus,theair,thewater,thetrees,andevenourselvesandourfriendsare
partoftheenvironment.
Environment:
everythinginnature,livingandnonliving,includinganimals,
plants,rocks,soil,andwater
Wehavetoworktogethertoconservenaturalresourcesthroughreducing,reusing,and
recycling.Thismakestheworldmoregreen.
Makingtheworldgreener:
takinggoodcareoftheearth

AssessingInstruments:
Useashortanswer,essaytypeassessmentliketheonebelowtogaugetheunderstandingofyour
students.ThisassessmentshouldNOTbegradeditiscompletelyforyouasaneducatorto
understandwhatyouneedtoreteachinthenextfewdays.Thisisday1ofalessonthatwilltake
atleast3daystocomplete,soyoushoulduseinformationobtainedheretofigurewhatyour
studentsknowanddontknow.Ifyouwouldliketocreateyourownquestionsforthis
assessmentorfutureassessments,thekeywordsofthislessonareboldedforeasyidentification.

Name:______________________________________________Date:____________________

1. Whatisanaturalresource?

2. Whyarenaturalresourcesimportant?

3. Whataresomenaturalresourcesaroundyou?

4. Whatisthedifferencebetweenrenewableandnonrenewableresources?

5. Whyisrecyclingimportant?


MultimodalLessonPlan

Class:
4thGradeScience
Unit:
NaturalResources
LengthofUnit:
3ConsecutiveDays
LessonDay:
2
LearningObjective:
CommonCore:4ESS31
Obtainandcombineinformationtodescribethatenergyand
fuelsarederivedfromnaturalresourcesandtheirusesaffecttheenvironment.
[ClarificationStatement:Examplesofrenewableenergyresourcescouldinclude
windenergy,waterbehinddams,andsunlightnonrenewableenergyresources
arefossilfuelsandfissilematerials.Examplesofenvironmentaleffectscould
includelossofhabitatduetodams,lossofhabitatduetosurfacemining,andair
pollutionfromburningoffossilfuels.]
BackgroundScienceandOverviewTheoreticalPositioning:
ThislessonisacontinuationoftheTraditionalLessonbeforethis.Studentswilltakethe
informationthattheylearnedonDay1ofthelessonandapplyittoamultimodallesson.This
activitywillencouragestudentstoworkhandsonmaterialsandsortthemintodifferent
categories.Itwillalsoallowstudentstohaveahardartifacttotakehometoshowcasetheirwork
andstudyfrom.
ThemultimodalaspectofthislessonisrootedintheoryfromanarticlebyChristanW.
Chun.Chunsworkdemonstratestheeffectivenessoftakingdifferentapproachestoliteracyby
usingalternativemethodssuchasreadinggraphicnovelsandengagingstudentsthroughother
meanssuchastechnology.Hisworkrecognizesthatallstudentscomefromdifferent
backgroundsandbenefitfromdifferentapproachestolearning.Chunsaysthatourdefinitionof
literacyneedstoencompassnotonlythetextual,butalsothevisual,thespatial,andtheaural
(145).Therefore,wehavecreatedthislessonasahandson,visualactivitythatmaystimulate
studentsachievementinthescienceclassroom.

ResourcesandTechnologies:
WorksheetAttached
YouTubeVideo(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=071lUxclTBw
)

Day2ActivityOverview:
Tobegintheactivity,youwillreviewwhatstudentslearnedonDay1andshowavideo
toreviewtheconcepts(seebelow).Next,passoutworksheetstotheclasswithdifferentpictures
ofbothrenewableandnonrenewableresources(seeattached).Thisisconsideredpart1ofthe
activity.Ingroupsof34students,havethestudentscategorizetheresourcesbyeitherwriting
anRforrenewableresourceorandNfornonrenewableresourceintherighthandcorner.
Dependingonyourschoolprinter,ifthepicturescomeoutinblackandwhitehavethestudents
colorthedifferentresources.

Whenstudentsarereadyforpart2oftheactivity,reviewwithstudentsandclarifyany
discrepanciesinanswers.Then,havethestudentscutouteachpicture.Passoutasheetof
11X17blankcomputerpapertoeachstudent.Foldtheblanksheetintofourswhile
demonstratingtothestudentshowtofoldthepaper(showninthepicturesbelow).Thestudents
canthengluetheirresourcesontheinsideofthefoldablebyputtingalloftherenewable
resourcestogetherandthenonrenewableresourcestogether.Whentheyfinishthis,letthem
decoratethefronttwoflapsofthefoldablewithpicturesofrenewableandnonrenewable
resources.Onceeveryonefinishes,passoutafollowupassessmentliketheonebelowtomake
surestudentsunderstandtheconceptstheyvelearned.

Materialsperstudent:
1pieceofblank11X17computerpaper
Theworksheets
Scissors
Glue
Markers,crayons,orcoloredpencils
Pencilorpen

Procedure/Protocol:
Part1:
1.)Reintroducerenewableandnonrenewableresourcesandtheirimportance
2.)Showvideoonrenewable/nonrenewableresourcestoreviewtheconcepts
fromDay1(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=071lUxclTBw)
3.)Handoutworksheetwiththepicturesoftheresources
4.)AskstudentstomarkeitheranRforrenewable,oranNfornon
renewableoneachresourcepicture
5.)Colorthepicturesontheworksheetifprintedinblackandwhite
Part2:
1.)TalkaboutPart1withtheclassandclarifyanydiscrepancies
2.)Havestudentscutoutthepicturesfromtheworksheet
3.)Foldthecomputerpaperintofourswiththestudents
4.)Gluethepicturesontothefoldable
5.)Decoratethetwofrontsofthefoldablewithrenewable/nonrenewable
resourcepictures
6.)Dothefollowupassessmentandgooveranswerstogether

AssessingInstruments:

NaturalResourcesFollowUpQuiz
(AnswersinBold)
1.)Whatisanonrenewableresource?
a.Aresourcethatcannaturallybecomeavailableagainovertime
b.Unimportanttoourenvironment
c.
Aresourcethatcannotbereplacedifitisusedup
d.Alloftheabove

2.)Whatisanexampleofanonrenewableresource?
a.Naturalgas
b.Coal
c.Rocks
d.
Alloftheabove

3.)Whatisarenewableresource?
a.
Aresourcethatcannaturallybecomeavailableagainovertime
b.Aresourcethatcannotbereplacedifitsusedup
c.Notveryimportanttoourenvironment
d.Somethingweneveruse

4.)Whatisanexampleofarenewableresource?
a.Gems
b.Oil
c.
Trees
d.NaturalGas
5.)Inafewsentencesexplainwhyweshoulduserenewableenergyandwayswecanuseit.
Answerswillvary,butshouldincludethatifweuseonlynonrenewableenergyitwillbe
gone.Manydifferentexamplesareallowedaslongastheyareaffiliatedwitharenewable
resource.

Attachments:

Attributions/References:
Thisprojectideawasfoundonteacherspayteachers.com
Thevideowasfoundonyoutube.com
Classarticle
CriticalLiteraciesandGraphicNovelforEnglish/LanguageLearners:Teaching
Maus

MulticulturalLessonPlan

Class:
4thGradeScience
Unit:
NaturalResources
LengthofUnit:
3ConsecutiveDays
LessonDay:
3
LearningObjective:
CommonCore:4ESS31:
Obtainandcombineinformationtodescribethatenergyand
fuelsarederivedfromnaturalresourcesandtheirusesaffecttheenvironment.
[ClarificationStatement:Examplesofrenewableenergyresourcescouldinclude
windenergy,waterbehinddams,andsunlightnonrenewableenergyresources
arefossilfuelsandfissilematerials.Examplesofenvironmentaleffectscould
includelossofhabitatduetodams,lossofhabitatduetosurfacemining,andair
pollutionfromburningoffossilfuels.]

BackgroundScienceandOverviewTheoreticalPositioning:
ThislessonisacontinuationoftheTraditionalLessonandMultimodalLessonbefore
this.StudentswilltaketheinformationthattheylearnedonDay1andDay2ofthelessonand
applyittoamulticulturallesson.Thisactivitywillincorporateamultimodalandmulticultural
approachbyencouragingstudentstoworkhandsonwithmaterialsandbookstoidentifynatural
resourcesinacountryoftheirchoice.Itwillalsoallowstudentstohaveabetterunderstanding
thatthereareavarietyofnaturalresourcesfoundindifferentpartsoftheworld.Studentswillbe
encouragedtostudyacountrythattheyarefamiliarwithorwouldliketoknowmoreabout.This
isanopportunityforstudentsfromdifferentculturesandcountriestoshowcasetheirknowledge
abouttheirdifferentgeographicbackgrounds.
ThemulticulturalaspectofthislessonisrootedintheoryfromanarticlebyDjangoParis.
Hestressestheimportanceofinvolvingamultilingualapproachintheclassroom.Hebelieves
thatifthisisincorporatedintotheclassroomthatallstudentswillbenefitfromthedifferenttypes
ofculturestheyrebeingexposedto.Diversityamongourclassroomsisinevitable,so
incorporatingthedifferentbackgroundsandculturesofeachandeverystudentisofutmost
importanceandshowcasedinthislesson.

ResourcesandTechnologies:
PrintResources
Burnie,D.(2007).
WondersoftheNaturalWorld.
NewYork:DKPub.
Jackson,T.,&Bracken,C.(2014).
TheMagicSchoolBusPresents:PlanetEarth
.
NewYork:Scholastic.
Kirk,E.(2010).
Humanfootprint:Everythingyouwilleat,use,wear,buy,and
throwoutinyourlifetime
.Washington,D.C.:NationalGeographic.
LonelyPlanetKidsAmazingWorldAtlas:BringingtheWorldtoLife
.(2014).
LonelyPlanetPublicationsPty.

 NationalGeographicbeginner'sworldatlas
(Rev.ed.).(2005).Washington,
D.C.:NationalGeographicSociety
Orme,H.(2009).
Pollution
.NewYork:BearportPub.
Ward,D.,&Meisel,P.(2012).
Whathappenstoourtrash?
NewYork:Collins.
Yasuda,A.,&Keller,J.(2014).
ExploreNaturalResources!:With25Great
Projects
.WhiteRiverJunction,NewJersey:NomadPress.
WebResources
NationalGeographicforKids

http://education.nationalgeographic.org/activity/readingresourcemap/
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/science/greentips/#greentipstree.jpg

Day3Activities:

Materialsperstudent:
Varioustypesofbookscontainingmapsandinformationondifferentcountries
Computer/iPad(optional)
One8X11sheetofcomputerpaper
Pencil/pen
Markers,crayons,orcoloredpencils
Otherartmaterialsasschoolallows

Procedure/Protocol
Part1:
1.)Read
TheMagicSchoolBusPresents:PlanetEarth
anddiscusshowdifferent
placesonEarthhavedifferentresources
2.)Initiateaclassdiscussionregardingresourcesthatstudentsknowofinthe
UnitedStates
3.)Introduceablank,largemapoftheUnitedStatesandbegintotalkabout
wherethesedifferentresourcesstemfromandhowsomeregionshavedifferent
resourcesthanothers
4.)Fillinthemapwithstudents(seeattachment)
Part2:
1.)Introducetheideathatdifferentcountrieshavedifferentresourcestotheclass
2.)Brainstormexamplesofdifferentresourcesfoundindifferentcountrieswith
theclasstogetthemthinkinggloballyaboutthetopic
3.)Introducetheassignmentanddistributehandout(seeAssessmentInstruments)
4.)PassoutPrintResourcestostudents
5.)Ifschoolallows,discussWebResourcesanddistributetheelectronic
resourcesasneeded
6.)Allowstudentstoworkindividuallyresearchingandtakingnotesonacountry
oftheirchoice
7.)Instructorshouldwalkaroundtheroomwhilestudentsarecompletingthe
assignmentandprovidefeedbackandclarificationasnecessary
8.)Onceallstudentscompletetheassignment,assessstudentsworkbyasking
themtoindividuallypresenttheirworkinformallytotheclass
*Note:
Dependentonclasstime,thismaytakemultiplesessionsand/ordaystocomplete

AssessingInstruments:
Allowstudentsampletimetoworkonandperfecttheirwork.Askstudentstoinformallypresent
theirworktotheclassaftertheassignmentsarecomplete.Assesstheassignmentbasedonthe
rubricbelow.Presentationsandwrittenworkshouldbothbetakenintoaccountwhengrading.
Writtenworkshouldtakepriorityoverpresentationsassomestudentsmaybemoreorless
comfortablesharingworkwiththeclass.Handoutacopyofthefollowingformtoeachstudent:

Name:________________________________________________Date:__________________

NaturalResourcesCountryProject

Wehavebeenlearningaboutnaturalresourcesinclassforthepastfewdays.Asyouknow,
differentresourcesarefoundindifferentcountriesthroughouttheworld.Toshowmethatyou
understandwhatwehavebeentalkingabout,pleasepickacountryofyourchoiceanddescribe
thenaturalresourcesfoundtherebasedontherubricbelow.Youmustincludebothwritingand
someformofpicture(drawing,claymodel,etc.)forthisproject.Makesurethatyoureadthe
rubricandanswerallofthequestionstoreceivefullpointsonyourassignment!

Rubric
Thesethingsmustbeinyourfinalprojectforyoutoreceivefullpoints!

_____/5pts:Countryofchoiceisclearlylabeled
_____/5pts:5naturalresourcesforyourcountryandwheretheyarelocatedmustbeidentified
_____/5pts:Picture(ordrawing,model,etc.)isincludedFeelfreetogetcreative!
_____/5pts:Theresourcesthatyouusedtogetyourinformation(books,websites,etc.)mustbe
clearlywrittenatthebottomofyourworkorsomewhereonyourproject
_____/5pts:Properuseofgrammar,spelling,punctuation,etc.isusedthroughouttheproject

Attachments: