Name:

Dillon Fail

Date: 9/30/14

Stage 1 Identify Desired Results

Established Goals:
-Science 4.9: The student will investigate and understand important Virginia natural
resources. Key concepts include
a)
watersheds and water resources;
b)
animals and plants;
c)
minerals, rocks, ores, and energy sources; and
d)
forests, soil, and land.
What essential questions will be considered?
a) How can we use our understanding of watersheds to overcome water
pollution?
(Application)
b) How might animals feel about humans?
(Perspective)
What understandings are desired?
Students will understand that
a) How we treat our water/how we dispose of our water has an effect on everyone
else in the watershed, thus our actions affect the lives of everyone around us.
b) We should consider the animals and habitats around us before we act, thus every
action has a reaction or an effect that should be considered. Especially when the
world around us is in jeopardy.
What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?
Students will know
A watershed is an area over which
surface water (and the materials it
carries) flows to a single collection
place. The Chesapeake Bay watershed
covers approximately half of
Virginias land area. The other two
major watershed systems are the Gulf
of Mexico and the North Carolina
Sounds.
Bay-A bay is a body of water that is
partly enclosed by land (and is
usually smaller than a gulf).

Students will be able to

Distinguish among rivers, lakes, and
bays; describe characteristics of each;
and name an example of each in
Virginia.

Create and interpret a model of a

watershed.

Lake- A lake is a large body of water

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Name:

Dillon Fail

Date: 9/30/14

surrounded by land on all sides. Really

huge lakes are often called seas.
River- A river is a large, flowing body of
water that usually empties into a sea or
ocean.

A watershed, also called a drainage

basin, is a geographic area in which all
water drains eventually into a common
body of water. Water traveling over
land can carry soil sediments,
dissolved minerals, livestock and pet

waste, fertilizers, pesticides, and other

pollutants, including trash and litter.
Each watershed has unique features
and potential sources of pollution.
Nonpoint-source pollutants are those
that cannot be traced to a single source
(e.g., run-off from fertilizer, air
pollutants, fuel run-off).
Watersheds connect towns, villages,
cities and counties. What happens in
the headwaters of a watershed has an
effect on everyone downstream.
Wildlife and plant species are often
connected to a watershed and may not
be able to move from one watershed to
another without assistance from
humans. An example would be zebra

mussels which entered the Great

Lakes through ballast water and have
since moved through the rivers that
connect to the lakes costing millions
of dollars in damage. There is a
national effort to delay the movement
of these mussels into other watersheds
including those in Virginia.
Location of the Chesapeake Bay, the
Gulf of Mexico, and the North
Carolina sounds are on a map
Virginias water resources include
groundwater, lakes, reservoirs, rivers,
bays, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Virginia has a great variety of plant
and animal resources. Animal
resources include sheep, poultry
(chicken, turkeys, and eggs), bees,

Evaluate the statement: We all live

downstream.

Identify watershed addresses.

Describe animal resources found in

Virginia

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Name:

Dillon Fail

Date: 9/30/14

cattle, and horses.

Stage 2 Determine Acceptable Evidence

What evidence will show that students understand?
Performance tasks:
Create a performance task for each essential question. (Summative assessment)
a) How can we use our understanding of watersheds to overcome water
pollution? (Application)
-Whats stumping the scientist? Students will be given data on water
samples taken from the Chesapeake Bay collected by scientists.
This data will show that certain areas of the Bay have different kinds
of pollutants in the water. Students will then be given a sampling of
data from different rivers/streams that feed the Chesapeake Bay that
show the amount of pollutants in each waterway. Students will then
create a presentation using this data to inform the scientists where
they believe each pollutant came from and how they could best fix
the problem.
b) How might animals feel about humans? (Perspective)
-Persuading Farmer Parsons- Students will write a persuasive essay in
which they take the perspective of a chosen animal on the farm. The
animal must be one of the Virginia animal resources we have studied.
Students will research what other resources are in the state that Farmer
Parsons could use as an alternative and then write a persuasive essay
convincing Farmer Parsons not to use them as food/product.
What other evidence will be collected in light of Stage 1 Desired Results?
Other evidence (tests, quizzes, prompts, work samples, observations):
What traditional assessments will you use to ensure students are gaining the
information necessary to finally answer your essential questions? (Formative
assessment)
-Students will complete a KWL chart during the first week of the unit. They will fill in
what they know about Virginias watersheds, what questions they have, and then fill in
the Learned portion later in the unit.
-Students will label and color a map showing all of the waterways feeding the
Chesapeake Bay.
-Students will be given a writing prompt in which they evaluate how their waste is
affecting waterways.
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Name:

Dillon Fail

Date: 9/30/14

-Think, Pair, Shares will be used throughout the units to get students thinking about water
pollution and to experience different views/opinions.
-Students will create a 3-D model of a watershed using clay. The models will require the
creation of mountains, a lake, a river, a stream, and an ocean or bay. Students will use
colored water to show how pollutants can travel easily from one feeder stream throughout
the entire system.
-Students will complete a map of Virginia using online resources to show where different
animal resources are found in Virginia.
-Students will choose one supplier of animal resources and make a presentation with a
partner that will be shown to the class.
-Students will take a short quiz on Virginias animal resources.
Students Self-Assessment and Reflection:
How will you have students think about the content throughout the unit and
after the PBEs? (self-reflection)
-Students will be given the opportunity to journal at the end of every other lesson
about their learning that day.
Sample Questions: What could we do in class to make (insert
understanding) clearer? Are there any pieces of todays lessons that
confused you? Excited you?
-Students will complete exit slips at the end of every other lesson (alternating
with journaling).
How will you have students think about themselves as learners throughout
the unit and after the PBEs? (self-assessment)
-Students will have certain prompts in their journals that promote self-reflection.
Sample Questions: What is one new thing you learned today? What is one
thing you still have question about? How has your opinion changed
about? What is one new thing you could talk to your friends about after
today?
-Students will be prompted on exit slips to assess their understanding. Likewise,
exit slips will provide a space for students to respond with something that would
help them learn better.
Sources for Stage 2:
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/education/sol/watersheds.asp
http://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/index.cfm
https://sites.google.com/a/halifax.k12.va.us/mrs-murrays-fourth-grade-science/virginiaresources-sol-48

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Name:

Dillon Fail

Date: 9/30/14

Stage 3 Plan Learning Experiences

Think about how you will provide:
access to the content/information

opportunities for students to make meaning of that content (making

meaning requires more than just one opportunity to practice with the
content)

experiences to transfer that meaning to new situations

Sequence all the knowledge, skills, and evidence included in Stages 1& 2 in the
order you believe will promote student understanding. Be aware that as you map
out the unit, you may discover additional content (knowledge &/or skills) that
must be taught. Be sure to include those, but you do NOT have to go back to the
early Stages and revise them. You may list your sequence (see pg. 26) or plot it
out in a calendar. If you use a calendar, dont panic if your unit runs more than
the current typical unit of one to two weeks. REMEMBER: you are teaching for
understanding, not rote memorization!!! That takes time and practice with the
content.

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.