CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION

Candidate Brenna Herting

Name:
Class: Social Studies
Grade Level: 2nd Grade
Unit Title: Unit 3: The World Around Us
Lesson Title: Lesson 6: Our Environment
Time Frame: 2 day lesson, 30 minutes each

PLANNING
State Learning Standard:
K-12.G.6 Students will understand the ways in which humans culturally adapt to, use, and modify the
natural environment and its various elements.

2.G.6.1 Describe positive and negative consequences of changing the physical environment of the local
community

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes (Domain 1c Setting Instructional Outcomes): Outcomes are SMART, developmentally
appropriate for learners, and aligned with the state standard
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to understand ways humans both negatively and positively
impact the environment.
Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy (Domain 1a Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy, CPAST Assessment of
P-12 Learning: Part M): Discuss how this lesson was developed. What learning theory supports the pedagogy? How? Discuss the content-
specific strategies that you will use that are supported by research.
This lesson was developed through the curriculum, Pearson: My Social Studies World, used at Mike Miller
Elementary.

Jean Piaget was an educational theorist who believed that individuals develop cognitively through
independent exploration, where the students construct knowledge on their own through a diverse array of
experiences. Two ways he stated that individuals take in new knowledge are through assimilation and
accommodation. Assimilation is a method where a student is adding new knowledge to what they may
already know, the prior schema. They make sense of the new information using the facts that they have
already accumulated and add it all together. Adversely, accommodation is where the new knowledge
replaces or changes the old knowledge creating either a new base or transforming the prior one.

This lesson relates to Piaget’s learning theory because students have previously discussed ways people
modify or adapt the environment through 1st grade geography standards. They will now build on that
schema by being able to understand how these modifications have both positive and negative effects on our
environment. Through a hands on activity they will experience how everything we do changes the
environment in some way. They will also learn new terms such as urban, suburban and rural to classify what
environment they live in.
Relationship to Unit Structure (Domain 1e Designing Coherent Instruction): How does this lesson fit within the unit? How does it
build on prior knowledge in the instructional sequence? How does this lesson support the next lesson in the unit?
Chapter 3 is all about the world around us. By lesson 6 the students will have learned about physical
features, maps, and location. Then in this lesson they will build on those skills by learning about how the
environment has changed and how transportation can connect people and goods. The targeted reading skill
is cause and effect for chapter 3. Students will experience this heavily when they see how people have
changed the environment over time and the positive and negative effects of it. Those effects will then lead
right into the next lesson as the students will learn about how we use and conserve different types of
resources.
Class Information (Domain 1b Knowledge of Students): Describe any unique characteristics of the class (considerations may include:
special needs, language levels, learning styles, etc.). Describe how other adults (paraprofessionals, co-teachers, resource teachers, etc.) will
support student learning, if applicable. Include any other circumstances that may impact teaching and learning.
There are 20 students in this class. There are 4 students with IEPs and 3 ESL students. These students get
pulled out at various times during the day and some days it is during social studies. One student will be
pulled out both days. 4 students will be pulled just on the 2nd day of the lesson. These students will not be
required to complete the post assessment.

The main accommodations given are reading the phrases out loud to them if needed and giving extra work
time on assignments and assessments. If for some reason they are not pulled out of the room, one student
may also need parts of the sentences written for them on the post assessment as they are still working on fine
motor skills, but they will verbally express their understanding by saying what to write.
Instructional Materials/Resources (Domain 1d Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources): List all materials and resources
required by the teacher and/or students, including preparation or other special instructions
Teacher:
- Social Studies curriculum pg. 108-111
- 3-6 Lynx Slides
- Clever board
- Seesaw activity
- Changing the environment worksheet
- Assessment checklist
- Mural
- Mural cards
- Tape

Student
- Ipads
- Social Studies books pg. 108-111
- Pencil
- Highlighter
- Seesaw activity
- Changing the environment worksheet
Prerequisites (Domain 1a Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy): List all key concepts and terminology necessary for students to
understand the concepts, meet the outcomes, and perform on the assessments.
Students will need to know that positive indicates good and negative indicates bad. They will also need prior
knowledge of cause-and-effect relationships. It would be helpful if each student has experienced urban,
suburban and rural environments so they can easily understand the differences between the three. For
example, it would be helpful if they have been to a large city like Minneapolis so they understand that it is
different than Aberdeen.
Assessments (Domain 1f Assessing Student Learning, CPAST Assessment of P-12 Learning: Part C): Describe the formative and
summative assessments to be used in conjunction with this lesson. How and when will you assess student learning during this lesson? How will
you and your students know if they met the learning outcomes? What are the criteria for mastery?
The pre-assessment will be given on day 1 after we discuss the objective for this lesson. For the pre-
assessment students will complete a Seesaw activity. They will be sorting phrases of human environmental
changes into the positive effect column or the negative effect column. I will review this activity and grade it
on a 3, 2, 1 scale.

3- They have sorted all of the phrases correctly indicating they may only need a review of this skill
2- They have one phrase in the incorrect column indicating that the student needs to be taught this skill, but
may be able to move through it quickly
1- They have two or more phrases in the incorrect column indicating that the student needs a few time
blocks specifically for being taught and practicing this skill

The post assessment will be given on day 2. It is a worksheet with two columns: positive effects and
negative effects. The students will write 2 effects on the environment in each column in complete sentences.
The worksheet will be split into two parts. The first part will be completed after we have just finished
reading the about the positive effects on the environment. We will then review the mural we created the
previous day and discuss some of the negative effects. After, the students will complete the second part of
the worksheet. This worksheet will also be turned in and assessed on a 3, 2, 1 scale. The students will be
assessed on if they understand ways humans both negatively and positively impact the environment, as well
as they are always assessed on their writing. Students always need a capital letter, end mark, and correct
structure. Spelling will not be graded.

3- They have correctly identified 2 ways humans positively effect the environment and 2 ways humans
negatively effect the environment and there are no writing errors which indicate that the student has
mastered this skill
2- They have correctly identified 3 out of the 4 ways humans positively/negatively effect the environment
and there are 0-1 writing errors which indicate that the student may need additional review on this skill
1- They have correctly identified 2 or less ways humans positively/negatively effect the environment and
there are 2+ writing errors which indicate that the student needs one-on-one instruction on this skill

Data for both the pre and post assessment will be taken on a grid print out. The goal is that 75% (12/16) of
the class with receive a level 3 on the post assessment.

Differentiation (Domain 1b Demonstrating Knowledge of Students, CPAST Differentiated Methods: Part D): Explain how the lesson is
relevant and meaningful to the students, the future usefulness of the content, and how differentiation of the content will support all learner
development.

A few of the students in this class may need the phrases on the pre-assessment read out loud to them as an
accommodation. Another accommodation given will be extra time on the assignment. Additionally, one
student may also need parts of the sentences written for them on the post assessment as they are still
working on fine motor skills, but they will verbally express their understanding by saying what to write.

However, the students needing these accommodations are pulled out of the classroom at this time on one or
both of the days.
Management (Domain 2c Managing Classroom Procedures, 2d Managing Student Behavior): Explain the proactive management
strategies that will ensure the success of the lesson. What distinct expectations, procedures, or routines will be utilized?
Throughout this lesson I will use several classroom management techniques.

-When reading pages in the book students will be following along with their finger

-When reading pages in the book if I stop the students will say the next word out loud
-If students are not following expectations, we will practice the action again until the whole class can get it
right
-I will use several call backs if I need to direct students’ attention back to me ex. “Tootsie roll, lollie pop---
we were talking now we’ll stop” or “L-I-S---T-E-N”
-I will praise students who are showing the correct behavior
-If students are not focused, I will say something like, “I am waiting for __#__ of students to follow the
expectations”
-The students will be engaged through reading text features aloud, highlighting definitions, partner talk,
choral reading and answering questions
-If needed students will repeat the directions back to me
-Students know that when they are finished with things like the post-assessment, they can quietly do silent
choice (options posted on the board) until transition time.

-I will use proximity and walk around while the students are working or if I see an unwanted behavior arise

-During the activity students will sit on the floor in front of the board so there will be less distractions and I
can scan the room quickly

LESSON DELIVERY
Anticipatory Set (Lesson Hook): How will you introduce the lesson and appeal to your students’ interest?
First, we will discuss the lesson objective. Then, we will do the “Envision It!” section on page 108 to
introduce the lesson. Students will look at the picture of the house, noticing things like the trees, open grass,
how it looks quiet, ect. They will compare this environment to the one they live in. Some students may live
in the country and it will be a similar environment, while others may live in town and it will be different.
The students will then draw a picture of where they live and discuss it with their partner. This will introduce
them to how our environments differ and how they have been changed over time.
You Do (Domain 3c Engaging Students in Learning, 3e Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness): Describe the independent methods
for student practice.
Day 1:
1. Preassessment: Students will complete a drag and drop activity on Seesaw
I Do (Domain 3a Communicating with Students, 3b Questioning and Discussion Techniques): Describe the instructional strategies you will
use to explain, model, or demonstrate the knowledge and skills that students will need to meet the learning outcome. Explain how you will
provide opportunities to respond and specific questioning techniques you will use.
2. Read pages 108-109 aloud in the curriculum: throughout those pages, I will model what I am
thinking about while I am reading
3. Review the vocabulary words: students will highlight the definitions
We Do (Domain 3c Engaging Students in Learning, 3d Using Assessment in Instruction): Describe the learning activities that will provide
students multiple opportunities to practice with your guidance. How will you foster critical thinking and problem solving? Provide explanation
of how you will check for understanding—the formative assessments you will use.
1. Complete #1: we will discuss what we see on the picture covering pages 108-109. Then we will
identify and label where urban, suburban and rural environments are shown
2. Partner talk/discussion: “Which environment do you live in?”
3. Partner talk/discussion: “How do people change the land before they build cities and farms? How
does it affect animals?”
4. Activity: Students will come to the front of the room. We will analyze the mural talking about what
they see, might hear or feel like if they were there, ect.
You Do (Domain 3c Engaging Students in Learning, 3e Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness): Describe the independent methods
for student practice.
1. Activity: Students will receive a piece of paper with a picture on it. They will take turns coming up
to the mural to “change” the environment. Once all students have gone we will discuss the changes
they have made and if they were positive or negative.
I Do (Domain 3a Communicating with Students, 3b Questioning and Discussion Techniques): Describe the instructional strategies you will
use to explain, model, or demonstrate the knowledge and skills that students will need to meet the learning outcome. Explain how you will
provide opportunities to respond and specific questioning techniques you will use.
Day 2:
1. Recap: I will give a short recap of what we talked about yesterday.
2. Read pages 110-111 aloud in the curriculum: throughout those pages, I will model what I am
thinking about while I am reading
We Do (Domain 3c Engaging Students in Learning, 3d Using Assessment in Instruction): Describe the learning activities that will provide
students multiple opportunities to practice with your guidance. How will you foster critical thinking and problem solving? Provide explanation
of how you will check for understanding—the formative assessments you will use.
1. Complete #2: We will underline and discuss two ways people change the water.
2. Partner talk/discussion: “Why do people build dams and canals?”
3. Complete #3: We will circle and discuss the part of the picture that shows what irrigate means
You Do/Conclusion of the Instructional Cycle (Lesson Closing) (Domain 1a Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy, 3d
Using Assessment in Instruction): Discuss the method of closing the lesson and discussing the learning outcomes one final time. How will you
synthesize what the students learned? What strategy will you use to determine if the students met the learning outcome(s)?
1. Post assessment: In complete sentences, students will write two ways people positively change the
environment
2. Recap: We will discuss the before and after of the mural
3. Post assessment: In complete sentences, students will write two ways people negatively change the
environment
4. Silent Choice: When students are finished, they will do the silent choice options listed on the board

REFLECTION
Reflections (Domain 4a Reflecting on Teaching): Make a thoughtful assessment of the lesson’s effectiveness and the extent to which it
achieved its learning outcomes. Analyze your students’ learning with examples from the lesson. Provide examples to support your judgment and
make suggestions of what could be done in the future to improve.

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION
Candidate Brenna Herting
Name:
Class:
Grade Level: 2nd Grade
Unit Title:
Lesson Title:
Time Frame:

PLANNING
State Learning Standard:

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes (Domain 1c Setting Instructional Outcomes): Outcomes are SMART, developmentally
appropriate for learners, and aligned with the state standard
3-6 Our Environment
Students will be able to understand ways humans both
negatively and positively impact the environment.
 SeeSaw Activity!
Drag and drop the phrases to under the positive effects or
the negative effects
Pg. 108
Which environment do you live in?
How do people change the land before
they build cities and farms? How does
it affect the animals?
 Activity

What do you see on the picture?

 Activity

Now let’s change the

environment!
3-6 Our Environment
cont.
Students will be able to understand ways humans both
negatively and positively impact the environment.
Why do people build dams and canals?
 After

Before
Post assessment example

*Answers may
vary
*They only write 2
Building dams in a river
sentences can create energy.
Hills have to be
flattened to make
parking lots and farms.

Building a canal can Removing trees and

help people travel and building big cities make
move goods. animals to find new
places to live.

Creating roads, tunnels When creating buildings

and bridges can help they have to remove
people travel quickly. trees and plants.
 Changing the Environment
Positive Effects Negative Effects

Removing trees and plants Building canals

Building dams
Making hills flat
Making animals find a new place to live Creating tunnels, roads and bridges
Pre assessment example
Changing the Environment
Positive Effects Negative Effects

Building dams Making animals find a new place to live

Removing trees and plants

Building canals

Making the hills flat

Creating roads, tunnels and bridges
3-6 3-6
pre- post
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