Abby Carter Assignment 2

Assignment 2: Reading Instruction for ELL/D Learners in Grade Level Content ClassesClass: Grade 5 Science (To be conducted over two class periods)Lesson Topic: The Rock CycleObjectivesLanguage

Content

--Students will be able to listen for key vocabulary in a passage to determine and clarify word meaning.--Students will be able to label and illustrate the steps of the rock cycle by creating a graphic organizer. --Students will be able to identify the distinct steps of the rock cycle by creating a graphic organizer of the process.--Students will be able to distinguish between the formation process of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.

Learning Strategies

Links to background and past learning; reading, writing, speaking, listening activities; modeling; guided and independent practice; comprehensible input through explicit vocabulary instruction; link to visuals; whole class, small group, independent work; individual, group, written, and oral formative assessment

Key Vocabulary Magma; volcano; erupting; weather (to break down); sediment; erosion/erode; tectonic plate; igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic rock

Materials Rock, computer and Smartboard, copy of “The Rock Cycle” handout, “Explain That Picture!” handout, highlighters, blank paper for graphic organizers

Pre-Reading: Building BackgroundLinks to Experience (5 mins): To start the lesson, hold up a rock and write the word “rock” on the

Smartboard in the centre of an empty brainstorming web. Students will be asked to name anything

they know about rocks, or experiences they have had with rocks. As students start naming facts, form

branches from the centre, labeling them into categories such as “looks like,” “location,” and so forth,

to prompt students to expand their brainstorm. As the branches start to form, ask students what branch

to put their ideas into. A “dialogic approach” (Gibbons, 2015, p.32) should be taken during this

introduction, by asking for clarification and expansion on ideas.

Links to Learning (5 mins):Pose the question, “Do rocks move around?” Many students will likely answer “no,” but if any say

“yes,” ask them to expand on their ideas. Follow up with the questions, “How do rocks arrive where

they are? Why are some rocks enormous and some rocks very small?” After a brief discussion, ask

students to reflect on the human body unit previously completed. Switch to a blank Smartboard page

and write the word “cycle” on the board, with a circle and arrows symbol around it. Remind students

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Abby Carter Assignment 2

that we discovered in the human body unit that items such as nutrients, oxygen, and carbon dioxide

move through the body in a “cycle,” while pointing to this word and then tracing your finger around

the circle. State that rocks also go through a cycle called the “rock cycle.” The rock cycle makes rocks

into specific sizes, shapes, and moves them into different locations. Explain that we will be learning

about the steps of the rock cycle during class today. Remind students that, as with any new topic,

there will be some new words that they will encounter, and that we will be watching a video and

reading a passage that use some of these new words. Inform students of your explicit content and

language goals for the lesson, showing them in writing on the Smartboard, and describing them

clearly. They should be posted for students to see during the lesson. Explain that we will be using a

video, reading passage, small group work, and individual work to meet these goals.

Key Vocabulary Teaching (20 mins):

Tell students that we will watch a brief video about the rock cycle, so that they have a better visual in

their heads when we read about the vocabulary and the steps. Show students the “Explain That

Picture!” handout attached at the end of this lesson plan. Show students that you have taken

screenshots, or pictures of the computer, at different points in the video. We will stop and discuss

vocabulary related to the pictures as we watch the video together, and we’ll use the context of the

story and the visual clues to figure out what is happening. As we discuss each term, they should take

notes in the right-hand column. They can write a definition based on what we discuss, they can draw a

picture, or they can write a definition in their own language as a reminder. Tell them not to worry

about the terms at the end of the page without pictures just yet. Ask students for thumbs-up if it makes

sense, thumbs-down if they need more explanation. Distribute the handout and, once all students are

settled with a sheet and writing utensil, begin the video clip (see the link at the top of the handout).

Follow along with the handout, and pause as each vocabulary term listed is explained or mentioned.

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Some terms will be defined, whereas others, such as pressure, require students to discuss what the

word might mean based on what they are hearing and seeing. Come to a group consensus about the

meaning of each word, whether defined or not. For those words where students are inferring meaning,

ask them to explain their thinking to help model the strategy for other students. Give ample time for

students to brainstorm, respond, and record their thoughts, always giving a thumbs-up when ready,

and thumbs-down if they need further explanation. Continue this process throughout the video. Once

the video is completed, explain that this is a basic overview of the rock cycle, and discuss that the end

of the video shows the cycle beginning to repeat again. Tell the students to watch the video once more

straight through, to gain familiarity with both the process and the new vocabulary words. Discuss any

questions thus far. Explain that they have now already encountered a lot of the vocabulary words for

the text that will help them to understand the rock cycle. Show them the remaining boxes at the end of

the worksheet and read through these terms. Explain that we will be deciding what these words mean

as a group when we begin the reading, and they will fill in their own drawing and explanations then.

During Reading: Presentation (20 mins)Give each student a copy of “The Rock Cycle” (Readworks, 2016, p. 11-12) and project a virtual copy

onto the Smartboard as well. Explain to students that this passage will give them more information

about the steps of the rock cycle. Encourage them to use the handout just completed to help them

follow the passage. Draw their attention to the picture on the front page, and ask them what they

observe happening, using the video handout to begin explaining what they see. Have them turn over

the page to view the second image. Show them the rain leading to erosion (connect this to erode on

their sheets), show them the sediment depositing, discussing what this would mean, and then examine

the layers forming, including the process of “compaction” and “cementing.” Review “cementing”

from before, and ask them to start thinking about what “compacting” might mean, stating that we will

come back to it as part of the text. Show them the sedimentary rock forming, and the metamorphic

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Abby Carter Assignment 2

rock below that, which builds from the heat and pressure. Begin to read the passage when everyone is

ready, using appropriate pacing and pronunciation. Stop when each of the “mystery words” remaining

on the “Explain That Picture!” sheet is presented, and discuss how we can determine the meaning of

these words. For “compacting,” refer them back to the second page image and demonstrate the image

of cementing together by sticking your hands together, guiding them to see that compacting means

pushing together, which was called “squeezing” in the video. Write this word next to the page for

their reference. “Tectonic plate” will be more challenging to identify by context alone, but discuss that

we know it must be related to something under the earth’s surface, as the text states that the

sedimentary rock is near the edge of it. Provide the visual here while explaining the very basic

concept with gestures, focusing on the heat and pressure buildup that results. Finish the passage and

explain that we will be continuing to review the rock cycle next class, and referring to the passage, so

they should not worry if they still feel that they need more explanation.

After Reading: Practice and Application (Start of class two) (20 mins)At the start of this class, review the lesson objectives from the last class and have students briefly look

over their video handout sheet. Students will break into small groups and bring their texts and visual

handout. Give each student a highlighter after explaining that you want them to highlight any words in

the text that we reviewed as part of the video handout. Remind them to look for different word

endings such as “erosion” versus “erode” and think about what the difference might be. Ask them to

highlight these words and check the definitions they wrote or drew to see if it matches what they see

in the text. Instruct the groups to work collaboratively, helping one another to identify words. If they

are comfortable reading aloud for their group, they can do so, or they can read in their heads and

pause when they find a word to share. When time is up, tell them it is okay if they did not finish all

the words yet, as we will go over it as a group. Tell them that you will read the passage altogether.

Encourage them to read aloud with you, but they do not need to if they don’t feel ready. Ask them to

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Abby Carter Assignment 2

stand up anytime they spot a word that was in the video handout. Begin reading at a slow enough pace

for them to follow along. Stop each time they encounter a vocabulary word and have them all say it

with you as you highlight it on the board, discussing meaning as needed.

Review and Assessment (30 mins)Following this repeated reading, explain that they will now be creating a very simple graphic

organizer (a common item for them) to show the steps of the rock cycle. Draw their attention to the

start of the second paragraph of the passage that explains the magma erupting. Sketch a very simple

volcano with magma erupting and put a “#1” next to it, explaining that this will the first step in their

organizer. Ask what they might draw for “#2.” Tell them to continue drawing, following the text, and

referring to their video glossary as needed. Encourage them to use visuals and label them as needed.

Remind them that they will have a chance to go over their drawings with peers in a future class, so it

is okay if they still have parts that are unclear to them. As they begin to work, circulate to see where

students are struggling, and observe what steps of the cycle need additional review. After about 25

minutes, stop the students and collect their work for formative assessment. Show them the diagram

here as a review of one possible graphic organizer, explaining that it is fine if their organizers looked

different. Review the process while pointing at the graphic. Remind them of the objectives of the

lesson. Hand them a sheet with these listed on it, along with the categories “Completely understand”

“Starting to understand” “Still need more time” next to each objective for them to circle.

Extension In upcoming classes, students will be asked to share their diagrams with a small group.

They will then create a diagram as a group and use this to make a short skit, enacting the process of

the rock cycle. The initial passage will continue to be reread to build confidence and comfort.

References

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Abby Carter Assignment 2

Annenberg Foundation. (2016). The Rock Cycle Diagram. Retrieved from

https://www.learner.org/interactives/rockcycle/diagram.html

Dive and Discover. (2005). Dive and Discover: Plate Tectonics: Collide. Retrieved from

http://www.divediscover.whoi.edu/tectonics/tectonics-collide.html

Durham, K. (2013, October 14). The Rock Cycle [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lyCYXXIHT0

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. (2017). Making content comprehensible for English

learners: the SIOP® model (5th ed.). NJ: Pearson Education.

Gibbons, P. (2015). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: teaching second language

learners in the mainstream classroom (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

ReadWorks. (2016). All About Rocks. Retrieved from http://www.readworks.org/aad/all-about

rocks

Explain That Picture!

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Weathered and eroded:

Sediment:

Pressure:

Layers:

Cemented:

Sedimentary rock:

Metamorphic rock:

Magma:

Volcanic eruption:

Extrusive igneous rock:

Intrusive igneous rock:

Geologists:

Lava:

Abby Carter Assignment 2

Pictures from this video: Durham, K. (2013, October 14). The Rock Cycle [Video file]. Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lyCYXXIHT0

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