Caitlin Seabolt

FRIT 7234 Mini Lessons

Mini-Lesson One: Introduction to Continental Drift and Ethical Use

Essential What is the theory of continental drift?

Question How can I determine if information that I have found is reliable?
Why do I need to cite information that I have found while researching?

Standards ISTE:
1) Empowered Learner: Students leverage technology to take an active role in
choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals,
informed by the learning sciences.
2) Digital Citizen: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities
of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and
model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical.

GSE:
S6E3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to recognize the
significant role of water in Earth processes.
c. Ask questions to identify and communicate, using graphs and maps, the
composition, location, and subsurface topography of the world’s oceans

S6E5. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to show how Earth’s

surface is formed.
g. Construct an argument using maps and data collected to support a claim of how
fossils show evidence of the changing surface and climate of the Earth.

Curated https://list.ly/list/35y5-ethical-use-of-information
Resources

Inquiry Focus Authenticity - Authentic to the real world and continuing content where students
will need to ethically use information
Deep Understanding - Students are practicing together, viewing resources and
discussing collaboratively to gain a deeper understanding
Assessment - Assessment through teacher observation, questioning, peers and
Google Jamboard
Appropriate Use of Technology - Using videos and sources from the internet to
contribute to the learning of ethical use and plagiarism
Ethical Citizenship - this lesson teaches students how to ethically use information

Information Digital Information Fluency Standard:

Fluency Focus 2) Evaluating information effectively - How good is the information?
3) Using information ethically - How will I ethically use the information?

Student Learning 1. In pairs, students will be given a set of blank puzzle pieces that they need
Activities and to put together in three minutes or less. The puzzle pieces relate to how the
Technology Use continents were once together. They will then be given a second set of
puzzle pieces, this time the puzzle pieces will have “clues” on them. These
 clues relate to how Alfred Wegener discovered the possibility of a
supercontinent. Students will write down strategies that they used to group
the puzzle pieces then share with other groups. (Engage)
2. Teacher will introduce the content guiding question to promote student
questioning. Students will create their own questions that they would like
to have answered by the end of this unit. These questions will be revisited
by the conclusion of the unit.
3. Teacher will ask the students to “Raise your hand if your group put the
puzzle pieces together in less than 3 minutes both times.” Teacher will ask
those students to keep their hands up. “Be completely honest and put your
hand down if your group watched or received help/answers from another
group”. Hopefully some students will have lowered their hands. Teacher
will then ask the students with their hands up if they think that it is fair that
they did the work on their own but other groups watched and received the
same recognition for correctly piecing the puzzle together.
4. Teacher will then guide the class to the discussion of ethical use,
plagiarism and research and show video (https://youtu.be/Ly_AeHl4t5M).
Teacher will then discuss that everyone must cite where they find
information and who it was by. Teacher will then model how this is done
on the SMARTboard. Teacher will then begin discussion on accurate
information. Teacher will then discuss that not all information on the
internet is factual. Teacher will give some examples and have the students
use their phones to check if the information is factual. After discussion,
students will view the Listly resources on plagiarism and will discuss with
a partner.
5. Students will collaborate on Google Jamboard and place at least 2 notes,
pictures or sticky notes about plagiarism and ethical use of information.
(Enhance)
6. For homework, students will begin researching the theory of continental
drift using reliable sources. They will cite their information and post at
least three facts about continental drift on the discussion board on Google
Classroom. (Extend)

Assessment Students will post at least 2 notes, sticky notes, pictures, etc. on the Google
Jamboard created about plagiarism/ethical use of information and collaborate with
their classmates.
 Mini-Lesson Two: Continental Drift

Essential How does a geologist determine the internal structure of the Earth?
Question What evidence supports the theory of continental drift?
Why was the continental drift theory rejected?

Standards ISTE:
2) Digital Citizen: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities
of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and
model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical.
3) Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using
digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful
learning experiences for themselves and others.
6) Creative Communicator: Students communicate clearly and express themselves
creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and
digital media appropriate to their goals.

GSE:
S6E3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to recognize the
significant role of water in Earth processes.
c. Ask questions to identify and communicate, using graphs and maps, the
composition, location, and subsurface topography of the world’s oceans

S6E5. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to show how Earth’s

surface is formed.
g. Construct an argument using maps and data collected to support a claim of how
fossils show evidence of the changing surface and climate of the Earth.

Curated https://www.smore.com/bw0ta
Resources

Inquiry Focus Authenticity - Authentic to the real world; students will place themselves in the
shoes of a scientist and think about a time when someone doesn’t believe them
about something and they don’t have enough evidence to prove themselves
Deep Understanding - Students are given deliberate practice individually and in
groups with teacher guidance and have multiple, varied ways to practice and
improve on key learning goals
Assessment - multi-media explanations of understanding; whole-class discussion to
vet and refine ideas and explanations; solution reviews where students show work in
progress to peers, teachers and other community members
Appropriate Use of Technology -collaboration, sharing of ideas, building
knowledge is not limited to the classroom - students continue to work and learn at
home; technology allows students to access information from multiple viewpoints
and perspectives on the issue; information is accessed a variety of ways
Learner Success - teacher ensures that students have access to a variety of sources
of background knowledge that are displayed in a variety of ways; teacher will
provide clear expectations of the desired conceptual understanding and big ideas;
students can represent their understanding in a variety of ways
Ethical Citizenship - lesson reinforces ethical use and digital citizenship
Information Digital Information Fluency Standard:
Fluency Focus 1) Locating information efficiently: What information am I looking for -- where will
I find the information -- how will I get there?
2) Evaluating information effectively - How good is the information?
3) Using information ethically - How will I ethically use the information?

Student 1. Teacher will pose a warm-up question on the board for students to answer
Learning in their journals: Thinking back to yesterday’s lesson on plagiarism and fair
Activities and use, why do you think that it is important for scientists to give credit to
Technology Use work that is not their own? After about five minutes, teacher will call on
students to share.
2. Teacher will begin the lesson by prompting the students “Most scientists
theories such as Alfred Wegener’s theory of continental drift are not
accepted at the time. What are some of the most important things that
scientists like Wegener should do when they believe something to be true?”.
This will lead the class discussion on collecting evidence and finding
multiple pieces of evidence to back up theories. Teacher will then pose the
question, “What are some things that could possibly prove Alfred
Wegener’s theory of continental drift?”. (Engage)
3. Students will then begin researching the theory of continental drift using
both primary and secondary sources on the curated list of content to
investigate answers to our guiding questions. (Enhance)
4. Once students have collected information and evidence from the curated
collection of content, they will view the interactive webpage
https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/anim1.html. (Enhance)
5. Teacher will bring the class back together for a discussion of some of the
things students discovered about Wegener’s theory then prompt/guide
continued research if needed.
6. Once students have completed their research using the curated content
sources, they will discover sources on their own using research strategies
discussed in class. Students can use books from the library,
Galileo/Discover, magazines, newspapers or online articles/sites to find new
information. Students will add valuable sources to a Google Doc created
and shared with the entire class. Students will need to post the link, author,
date created as well as 1-2 sentences of why the resource is factual, valuable
information to support/disprove Wegener’s theory.
7. Once the new list of sources is created, students will work in groups of three
to four to create an infographic using Piktochart on the topic of continental
drift. Students will need to cite all information and use at least five sources
including 2 primary sources (maps, newspaper articles, etc.). Teacher will
be monitoring throughout the process to provide instant feedback. Students
can continue working on this at home if needed and will be asked to show
their work to their parents/guardians at home tonight for review. (Extend)

Assessment Students will be grouped in groups of three to four. Using the resources provided,
students will create an infographic using Piktochart on the topic of Continental
Drift. Students will need to cite all information and use at least five sources
including 2 primary sources (maps, newspaper articles, etc.). Students will post their
final link to their infographic on Google Classroom in the dropbox.
 Mini-Lesson Three: Researching to Provide Evidence for the Theory of Continental Drift

Essential Question How does the historical development of evidence support the theory of plate
tectonics?
Why is Wegener’s idea of continental drift accepted today?
How will I ethically locate reliable information to gather evidence?

Standards ISTE:
1) Empowered Learner: Students leverage technology to take an active role in
choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals,
informed by the learning success
2) Digital Citizen: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and
opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world,
and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical.
3) Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using
digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make
meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

GSE:
S6E3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to recognize the
significant role of water in Earth processes.
c. Ask questions to identify and communicate, using graphs and maps, the
composition, location, and subsurface topography of the world’s oceans

S6E5. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to show how Earth’s

surface is formed.
g. Construct an argument using maps and data collected to support a claim of
how fossils show evidence of the changing surface and climate of the Earth.

Curated Resources https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/continentaldrift2

Inquiry Focus Authenticity - real world connections and problems; lesson creates opportunities
for students to take on ways of thinking and adopt standards of evidence that are
central to a particular discipline
Assessment - solution reviews where students show work in progress to peers,
teachers and other community members; self-assessment
Appropriate Use of Technology - Technology allows students to produce work,
receive feedback and communicate with online collaborators; technology creates
audiences for student work that extend beyond the classroom; technology helps
students to locate current information
Performances of Understanding - Real ideas and authentic problems (students
putting themselves in the shoes of a scientist); all students are invited to
contribute to the knowledge advancement in the classroom
Learner Success - Fostering collaboration and communication with students;
structuring learning to minimize threats and distractions
Ethical Citizenship - Emphasizing the importance of ethical citizenship in
discussion post for homework
Information Digital Information Fluency Standard:
Fluency Focus 2) Evaluating Information Effectively - How good is the information?
3) Using Information Ethically - How will I ethically use the information?

Student Learning 1. Teacher will begin the lesson by having students share their infographic
Activities and with another group in the class. Teacher will then bring the class back
Technology Use together and say “Great work bringing together research in your
infographic on the topic of continental drift but we still have one
problem… people still do not believe Wegener and it is our job as
scientists to bring together the evidence to convince the public.”
2. This will lead to the class discussion of possible evidence that Wegener
could have used to prove his theory. Teacher will show a brief
interactive slideshow on the theory of continental drift and students will
jot down notes on the collaborative Google Docs sheet.
3. Teacher will then put students in groups of three and assign each group a
topic such as : evidence that continents fit together like puzzle pieces,
evidence of matching rock layers, fossil evidence, coal beds, climate
evidence, sea-floor spreading, Harry Hess, magnetic stripes, sonar
4. (Engage) Students will work in groups to research their topic using
reliable sources to help prove Wegener’s Theory of Continental Drift.
Students will begin researching by using the curated resources on
Symbaloo given by their teacher. Students will create a crowdsourced
collection of evidence to back up Wegener’s theory on Google Slides.
Students can add up to three slides per group and must include at least 5
reliable sources throughout. Teacher will monitor throughout the process
and provide instant feedback through Google Slides. Teacher will also
guide the research process by providing reliable sources on Symbaloo.
5. Once students have finished, they will view the crowdsourced collection
created by the class and take a vote as a ticket-out-the door by placing a
sticky note either under “I stand with Wegener” or “He doesn’t have
enough evidence”.

Teacher will tally votes and post a discussion on Google Classroom for
homework: “____ out of ____ students believe that Wegener did not have
enough evidence to prove his theory. He had plenty of proof but could not
provide the mechanism that caused the continents to drift apart. Here is your
discussion topic: Without doing any further research, what do you think could
have caused the continents to drift apart? Make sure to give reasons why you
believe this to try and convince your classmates.
(Post one original post then comment on two classmates posts - remember to
conduct yourself as an ethical digital citizen)
(Extend)

Assessment Crowdsourced collection of evidence to support Wegener’s Theory of

Continental Drift (#4 above). Teacher will provide instant feedback throughout
the process and will evaluate each group’s performance by providing a brief self-
assessment on Google Forms to be turned in by the end of class.