Backward Design Module Planning

Stage 1: Desired Results

Established Goals (Standards): Teach 5th graders about the Earth around us. I want them
to be able to explain how soil is formed, and how both fast and slow natural processes shape
the Earth’s landscape.

MN Standards:
● 5.3.1.2.1 Earth Structure and Processes: Explain how, over time, rocks weather and
combine with organic matter to form soil.
● 5.3.1.2.2 Earth Structure and Processes: Explain how slow processes, such as water
erosion and rapid processes, such as landslides and volcanic eruptions, form features
of the Earth’s surface.

Enduring Understandings Essential Questions

1. Eroded rocks and minerals combine 1. Is all soil formed the same way?
with organic material to form soil. The 2. How does water affect Earth’s surface?
minerals present in the soil affect the 3. Can rivers change?
soil’s color and the types of plants it 4. Why aren’t all natural landscapes (ie.
can support. mountains, canyons, lakes, etc.)
2. Water is involved in the creation of formed the same way?
almost every natural landscape: 5. Which has more effect on Earth, slow
caves, sinkholes, rivers, lakes, processes (mountains, canyons, etc.)
oceans, glaciers. It also leads to or rapid processes (volcanoes,
erosion and is used over and over earthquakes, floods, landslides, etc.)?
again due to the water cycle. Why?
3. Rivers are constantly changing and
flowing.
4. Mountains, canyons, valleys, islands
and lakes are all formed very slowly.
5. Earth’s rapid processes (volcanoes,
earthquakes, floods, landslides, etc.)
impact Earth’s surface very quickly
and can have a profound impact on
all things living on Earth.

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

Performance Task Other Evidence

Students will start each lesson journaling their response to After the first six days of the
the day’s essential question. They will end each lesson by unit, students will be split into
participating in a generative dialogue, discussing questions teams of four or five students,
they may still have and sharing new ideas they developed and they will play a team
while learning. The students will be split up into two groups version of Jeopardy. Jeopardy
throughout days 2-5 of the unit. The generative dialogue the questions will be less abstract
first five days will be done using the Socratic Method, with and have more concrete
the two groups taking turns discussing and observing each answers. Then, on the eighth
day. The sixth and final day of exploratory learning will be a day, students will be asked to
whole class discussion. work independently to answer
the five essential questions
again, and will be graded on
the evidence they provide to
back up their ideas.

Stage 3: Learning Plan

What teaching and learning experiences will equip students to demonstrate the
targeted understandings?
·

Lesson Themes
Days 1 & 2 - Soil: How is it formed? What gives it its color? What makes some soil better than
others for certain crops? Why are some soils different in color?
Day 3 - Water: What are ways water affects the landscape? How does erosion happen?
Review the water cycle.
Day 4 - Rivers: What are different features of a river? What makes rivers curve and bend? Do
rivers change over time?
Day 5 - Canyons and Mountains and Volcanoes: How are they formed? How long does it take
to create them? Look at specific canyons (ie The Grand Canyon), mountain ranges (The
Rocky and Appalachian Mountains) and their unique physical features.
Day 6 - Changing the World: What affect do volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, and landslides
have on Earth’s surface? Look at specific natural disasters and their affect on humans. How
did those disasters change Earth’s landscape?
Day 7 - Team Jeopardy!
Day 8 - Individual essential question assessment.
Introduction:
This is a science unit written for a 5th grade classroom. It explores soil and how it’s made and
used, as well as Earth’s changing surface and the processes that make that happen. It is a
seven day unit with the first five days dedicated to student exploration and learning, and the final
two dedicated to formal and informal assessment. It asks students to generate evidence that
supports/challenges their ideas and assumptions, and provides opportunity for both
collaborative and independent student work.

MN Standards:
● 5.3.1.2.1 Earth Structure and Processes: Explain how, over time, rocks weather and
combine with organic matter to form soil.
● 5.3.1.2.2 Earth Structure and Processes: Explain how slow processes, such as water
erosion and rapid processes, such as landslides and volcanic eruptions, form features of
the Earth’s surface.

Content Objectives:
Days 1 & 2 - Soil: How is it formed? What gives it its color? What makes some soil better than
others for certain crops? Why are some soils different in color?
Day 3 - Water: What are ways water affects the landscape? How does erosion happen? Review
the water cycle.
Day 4 - Rivers: What are different features of a river? What makes rivers curve and bend? Do
rivers change over time?
Day 5 - Canyons and Mountains: How are they formed? How long does it take to create them?
Look at specific canyons (ie The Grand Canyon) and mountain ranges (The Rocky and
Appalachian Mountains) and their unique physical features.
Day 6 - Changing the World: What affect do volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, and landslides
have on Earth’s surface? Look at specific natural disasters and their affect on humans. How did
those disasters change Earth’s landscape?

Table of Contents:
Day 1
● Journal prompt: Is all soil formed the same way?
● Students will look at soil samples from around the world
● Students will generate a list of questions to ask a soil conservationist the following day
● Students will decide as a group which questions will be important to ask

Day 2
● Soil conservationist will be introduced to class (in person or via webcam)
● Students will each have an opportunity to ask questions developed on Day 1
● Students will take notes
● Group 1 will have generative dialogue while group 2 observes
Day 3
● Journal prompt: How does water affect Earth’s surface?
● Students will research with a partner online:
○ What are ways water affects the landscape?
○ What are different features of a river?
○ What makes rivers curve and bend?
○ Do rivers change over time?
● Group 2 will have generative dialogue while group 1 observes

Day 4
● Journal prompt: Can rivers change?
● Students will look at the history and changes of either the Nile, Mississippi, or Amazon
rivers
● Independent or group work allowed as they research and take notes
● Group 1 will have generative dialogue while group 2 observes

Day 5
● Journal prompt: Why aren’t all natural landscapes (ie. mountains, canyons, lakes, etc.)
formed the same way?
● Assign small groups; each group puts together a presentation on how a different slowly
made landscape is formed
● Students present their landscape to the class
● Group 2 will have generative dialogue while group 1 observes

Day 6
● Journal prompt: Which has more effect on Earth, slow processes (mountains, canyons,
etc.) or rapid processes (volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, landslides, etc.)? Why?
● Students will research each of the following online:
○ Volcanoes
○ Earthquakes
○ Floods
○ Landslides
● Whole group generative dialogue will be facilitated in an attempt to answer the journal
question.

Day 7
● Students will be divided up into small groups to play Jeopardy against each other

Day 8
● Students will be asked to answer four of the five journal prompts
● They may not use their previous journal prompts because they will have been handed in
● They may use their notes to provide evidence to support their claims
Day 1 Lesson Plan
Title
Grade Level
Standards Addressed
Central Focus
Content Objective/ Learning
Target
Academic Language
Materials
Instructional Plan
Part 1:
Initiating Instruction
Preview Instruction
Review of pre-requisite
knowledge/skills
Check for Understanding
Part 2:
Teacher Input/Inquiry
Intro of learning target
Explanation/procedures
Teacher Demonstration
Required Elements of a Lesson Plan
“Soil”
5th grade
5.3.1.2.1 Earth Structure and Processes: Explain how, over time,
rocks weather and combine with organic matter to form soil.
Where soil comes from, why some soil is different that others, and the
nutrients it provides
How is soil formed? What gives soil its color? What makes some soil
better than others for certain crops? Why are some soils different in
color?
Nutrients, soil, minerals, erosion
Different soil samples for students to look at, pencil and paper, large display
paper for group brainstorming
Activity Description/Teacher Students Do
Does/Teacher Talk
Introduce journal prompt (“Is all soil Free write for 10 minutes reflecting
formed the same way?”) and give on journal prompt
students 10 minutes of free writing
Read through written responses at the
end of the day
Pass around different soil samples. Students look at different soil
Samples should be as physically samples. Smell it, touch it, make
different as possible so students are observations.
aware that not all soil looks like the
stuff they find in their backyard.
Students will be split into pairs and
tasked with generating a list of
questions they would want to ask a
“soil expert.”
Check for Understanding
Part 3:
Guided Support/Practice
Paired/collaborative work
Indiv. work & partner check
Teacher roam & assist
Check for Understanding
Part 4:
Closure
Restate Learning Target
Assessment
Assessments
See Days 7 & 8.
Make sure students understand that
these questions will be asked the
following day to a real life soil
conservationist. Ask for a few example
questions from the class to get them
started in the right direction.
Students will be able to access the Work with a partner to generate
internet, textbooks or any other questions for the following day’s
resource in the classroom in order to interview.
generate questions.
Tell students that by the time they are
done with the interview, they should
know how soil is created, which
nutrients are important for plants, and
why some soils are different in color.
Walk around the room while students
are working and guide them in the
right direction if need be.
Come together as a class to put Decide which questions will be the
together a list of questions that will be most important to ask in order to
important to ask the soil find out how soil is created, which
conservationist the following day. nutrients are important for plants,
and why some soils are different in
color.
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