Learning Segment Central Focus: Phenomenon: This is a paragraph describing the backdrop and context of

the lesson described in the ESA below. Must include attention to NGSS and phenomenon-based learning.

Students are to identify and explain the different types of erosion caused by water, wind, vegetation, and ice.
This lesson will be the introduction for this unit, erosion. It will focus on the water cycle and how it affects
erosion. Students will be presented with various aspects of nature that have been affected by water erosion.
They will be asked questions such as “What do you see?”, “What do you think happened?”, etc. During this
time, they will discuss with their elbow partners before as a whole-group. After sharing their thoughts, we
will talk about those landforms and parts of nature were cause by water erosion. Then, they will receive an
overview of the water cycle before focusing on specific parts of the water cycle more in depth. They will
conduct a hands-on activity where they will be able to observe how precipitation and run offs can cause
erosion. At the end of the lesson, students will be assessed with an exit ticket to see if they can apply their
knowledge to answer questions such as: What effects does water have on rocks and land surfaces? How does
water cause erosion? How long does water need to cause erosion?
Time Allotted: 45-60 minutes Classroom organization/ groups/ labs?: Whole group +
groups of 4
Lesson plan format:
Unit name: Erosion – Water Cycle
Class/Grade: 4th
NGSS Content Standard(s):
4-ESS2-1. Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate
of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
SEP
Planning & Carrying out Investigations: Planning and carrying out investigations to answer questions or test
solutions to problems in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to include investigations that control
variables and provide evidence to support explanations or design solutions
1) Make observations and/or measurements to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence for an
explanation of a phenomenon
Analyzing & Interpreting Data: Analyzing data in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to
introducing quantitative approaches to collecting data and conducting multiple trials of qualitative observations.
When possible and feasible, digital tools should be used.
1) Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoning
DCI
Earth Materials and Systems: Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in
a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles
and move them around
CCC
Cause and Effect: Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change
Language Supports: be specific regarding strategies you are choosing to support the access of science
language
- Visual diagrams (i.e. drawing of water cycle) will help students see and visualize. Key terms on
magnetic label strips will be used to identify where on the diagram we are referring to in addition to
teaching content-specific vocabulary.
- Students may be asked to write key vocabulary and definitions of them in a graphic organizer. They will
also include a drawing with their definition (i.e. picture of rain cloud pouring rain attached to definition
of precipitation). This will help support students to remember the definition through a visual cue.
- A hands-on activity will allow students to be able to see a visual example of how erosion can be caused
by water. This lesson will serve as an introduction to the activity done in Lesson 3 of the unit, which
will reinforce the concept.
Materials Needed (indicate any safety measures that need to be considered):
- Poster Paper
- Expo markers
- Whiteboard Magnetic Labels
- Vocabulary Graphic Organizer
- Science Journals/Paper to note observations (i.e. how did the skittle change over time)
- Pencil/Eraser
- Colored Pencils
- Skittles + Petri Dish
- Dropper
- Cup
Objective(s): Possible Challenges /Misconceptions:
- Students will identify and explain the steps -Students may confuse other parts of the water cycle
in the water cycle that are involved in water with the ones that affect erosion
erosion.
- Students will make observations of how
water can cause erosion.
Formative Assessment strategies (indicate WHY these are chosen – WHAT are you assessing – concepts,
skills):
-Turn and Talks + Whole Group Share-Out: Provide an opportunity for teacher to listen in on discussions
between students to see if they were able to apply higher-level thinking (i.e. using evidence in their reasoning)
to questions posed. It will also allow us to reinforce vocabulary usage within the discussions they are having
-Graphic Organizer/Science Journal Checks: Checking to see if definitions were documented correctly, with all
parts and key terms present. This will ensure students have a reference for content-specific vocabulary
throughout the unit. It will also provide a way to see if students were recording observations during the activity
and thoughts/questions they had as a group or individual. It will also give me a reference for overall feedback to
the class with regards to their observation and recording skills.
-Exit Ticket: Allow students to reflect and review on the lesson for the day. Assessing will serve as a way for
me to know what material we need to go over again, based on their responses. It also provides students with a
chance to ask questions they did not get to ask during the activity or to provide insight into something we could
explore further as a class.
~ Some questions on the ticket:
-Describe erosion in their own words.
-What steps of the water cycle are involved in erosion?
-Describe how erosion occurred in the skittles activity.
-Tell me anything you found confusing, want more elaboration/clarification on, or want to explore more
from today’s lesson.
LESSON PLAN STRUCTURE: (could include the use of the 5Es as indicated)
Opening: (engage) Teacher Actions Student Actions
Activate prior -Show pictures of erosion caused by water (i.e. -Discuss in pairs what they
knowledge and student rocks, water runways, etc.). see and why they think that
interest- teacher -Share as whole class about
presents an interesting what they see/thoughts and
situation, phenomenon, will think about why they
or dilemma/ think that and how it might
controversial issue that have happened
helps students connect ~Example: “I see a deep
to the content. dip” or “I see mud and I think
it was because it was raining”
 -Ask students “What do you see?” & have them
discuss in pairs
-Facilitate whole-class discussion and ask
students, “What do you think happened based on
what you see? How do you think that happened?”
Introduction: -With those pictures in mind, we will first talk -Draw picture diagram of
Getting students ready - about the water cycle. steps of the water cycle as
teacher introduces the -Overview of water cycle using drawing with teacher draws and explains
task and makes sure labels (encourage to use color) what happens during each
students understand ~Short description of each step when part
what they are trying to explaining (i.e. evaporation) ~Label major names for
accomplish, but not -Preview which specific steps we will be focusing water cycle (i.e. evaporation,
how they are to do it on (precipitation, run offs) by having them condensation, precipitation,
highlight those key terms in graphic organizer surface run-off, etc.)
-Fill out graphic organizer on
back of drawing that will
include the name of each step,
a short description for each
and a simple picture or
symbol to remember what the
vocabulary word means
 (i.e. the row for precipitation
would have the definition,
raining, and a picture of a
raincloud pouring rain.
~Highlight parts that are
related to erosion (i.e.
precipitation, surface run-off)

Body of lesson: Explore Explore

(explore, explain, -Explain Skittles activity + materials that will be -One person from each pair
elaborate) given (Skittles, Petri dish, dropper, cup for water) will go to get a tray with the
Students working on -Display set of questions for students to designated supplies
content - teacher ponder/take notes in their observations -The other person can go to
observes students, ~Questions may include: get the handout/graphic
monitors their progress, 1) What do you think is happening to the organizer for him/her and the
and provides skittles? partner
clarification as 2) How does this seem to relate to our -Working as a pair, they will
necessary lesson so far? place the skittle inside the
-Circle around to different groups and check in on middle of the petri dish and
progress and observations made record what they see in the
~Pose guiding questions/thoughts if students handout. Then, they will drop
are struggling to answer the questions above a droplet of water onto the
Skittle using the dropper.
After 10 drops, students will
record the changes they see in
the skittle with a drawing too.
They will continue for 2 more
times, for a total of 30 drops,
and recording their
observations.
-After, they will rinse the
petri dish and fill it with just
enough water to cover the
bottom of the petri dish. They
will put the skittles in the
middle and observe and
record the changes.
Explain Explain
-Display set of questions for students to answer as -Students will take 2-3
they complete the experiment & explain that they minutes to answer the
can begin to fill out the questions in note or questions displayed/on the
sentence form worksheet individually
-Have students individually write their thoughts -Then, students will pair share
to questions on the question sets (~2-3 minutes) with their partners for about 3
-Have students turn-and-talk to partner about the minutes their thoughts
questions (~3 minutes) -As a table group, students
-Pairs of students can then share their thoughts to will work on consolidating
the other pair in their table group (~5 minutes) their thoughts and choosing
-One person will volunteer to share something one thing to share that they
they learned themselves or heard from another learned/observed/wonder
 person about the activity or have
-Teacher will write responses onto board/science questions on. They will then
journal share to the whole class
-“We noticed that the
skittle’s color diluted as we
kept dropping water on it”
-“The water that pooled
under the skittle became ___
color”
-“The skittle color began to
bleed into the water.”
Elaborate Elaborate
-After noting down the responses from students, -Students will provide
the teacher will take some of the responses and responses to the teacher’s
elaborate more or pose a thought-provoking thought-provoking questions
question to have them think further. 1) “The rock’s surface
1) “So, some of you mentioned that the skittle’s might also start to be bleed
color started to disappear from the skittle and off or break off” or “The rock
began to bleed into the surrounding water. Let’s will become smaller”
pretend the skittles is a rock. What does what 2) “The water became
happened to the skittle tell us about what can colored because the color
happen to rocks when constantly hit by water?” from the skittle was beginning
2) “Why did the water become colored?” to be washed away.”

-Introduce erosion (what it is, ways it can happen) -Students will actively listen
~ “Our lesson today showed ways the water and discuss about the
cycle can cause erosion. Imagine if the skittle questions.
was a rock or a part of land. Which part of the ~ “It would be
water cycle would be dropping the water onto the precipitation” or “It would be
skittle be? What if the dropper was continuous? like a river so surface run
What part of the water cycle would that be off.”
similar to?” ~ “The water would slowly
~ “What about when the skittle was just placed eat away at the skittle”
in a pool of water? Imagine if it was running
water like a river or ocean wave. What would -Students will summarize the
happen?” activity they did and try to use
their own words to explain
-Ask how what they observed was able to connect how it relates to erosion
back to erosion
Closure (evaluate): -Reshow pictures from beginning of lesson and -Students will share their
Wrapping Up - teacher ask students how they think those patterns were thoughts on how the rocks
facilitates group created, based on what they observed in the and landscapes were formed
discussion, helps activity today. -Students can think about
students share their -Have students think about whether erosion whether erosion occurs over a
work/progress, helps happens over a short amount of time or over a short or long amount of time.
students make long length of time. -Complete the Exit Ticket
connections, and -Explain that they will be able to see more individually
ensures that big ideas examples of water erosion and other types of
are brought forward. erosion in the subsequent days.
Have you connected -Briefly explain what they are to do on the Exit
 your lesson back to the Ticket before passing it out for students to take
overarching ~ “Based on everything you have learned and
phenomenon? What observed from today’s activity, try your best to
skills (SEPs), concepts answer the following questions on the Exit Ticket
(DCIs) and overarching individually. This will allow me to check what we
connections (CCCs) might want to review in more depth. Please write
have you included and any questions you might still have at the end.”
assessed?
REFLECTION ON RUBRICS:
Review the rubrics connected to this lesson. Below, indicate HOW you have addressed each one and include
this with your lesson plan/ unit outline.

RUBRIC # and corresponding reflection:

(see below and see EdTPA handbook on Blackboard, Course Materials):

Rubric 1:
Rubric 4:
Rubric 5: