KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Teacher Candidate: Gabrielle Gartland
Date:__________
Cooperating teacher: N/A
Coop. initials: _________
Group size:
20
Time allotted: 90 minutes
Grade level: 4th
Subject: Science: understanding earthquakes
Section:
LESSON PLAN FORMAT

STANDARD:
S4.A.2.2.1: Identify appropriate tools or instruments for specific tasks and describe the
information they can provide (e.g., measuring: length - ruler, mass - balance scale, volume beaker, temperature - thermometer; making observations: hand lens, binoculars, telescope)
I.

Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):

The fourth grade students will be able to create a seismograph and understand how earthquakes
affect the earth.

II.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.

Instructional Materials
Weather watch severe weather and natural disaster web page as hand outs
Newspaper
Shoe Box
Scissors
Can of Soup
Tape
Felt-tip Marker

H. String
I. Paper
III.

Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of additional
content)
A. Prerequisite skills
1. fine motor skills
2. basic measurement skills
B. Key Vocabulary
1. Seismic- Greek word for shaking

2.

Intensity: the strength of shaking motions and the damage they can do.
This varies from place to place for the same earthquake, and is measured
on an intensity scale
3.
Magnitude: the size of the earthquake as compared to others. This is
measured on a magnitude scale
4.
Seismic moment: a way of describing an important combination of
physical conditions at the earthquake source
C. Big Idea
1. What is an earthquake and how does it happen?

IV.

Implementation
A. Introduction
1. To introduce the lesson the teacher will read the "What are they?" section
of the basics hand out.
2. The students will collectively fill out a KWL chart on the board leaving
the learned part to fill out at the end on the lesson.

3. The teacher asks questions to help the conversation along.

a. "Who knows what an earthquake does?"
b. "Have you ever felt one?"
c. "Do you know of any famous earthquakes?"
d. "Why do earthquakes happen?"

B. Development
1. Students will read the in depth article in small groups. the teacher should
strike up conversations between the children to explore and better
understand the concepts.
2. Students will fill out the attached worksheets answering the questions
posed in the article in their own words
3. The teacher will go over the worksheet asking students for their answers.
4. Students will then come together as a class and talk about what they
learned and complete the KWL chart.

5. Students will watch part of a Bill Nye video that gives more in depth look
at what a seismograph and how it works. (5:26- 7:11)

C. Closure
1. Students will create their own seismograph by following
the teacher and the instructions. (see attached)
2. The students will test their seismographs and talk about
how they work.
3. The students will take a quick refresher quiz on the vocab
and information they have learned (see attached)
D. Accommodations/Differentiation
1. A student with cerebral palsy can be helped by fellow class
mates or be given bigger materials to build with.

E. Assessment/Evaluation Plan
1. Formative
a. The teacher will walk around as the students fill out their question sheets. (the teacher
will fill out a check list for understanding content)
b. As the students test their seismographs the teacher will asks the students about the
content and keep notes of each child's answer and understanding.
2. Summative
a. Students will hand in quiz and question sheets for grading and for proof
of content knowledge.

V.

Reflective Response
A. Report of Student Performance in Terms of Stated Objectives (Reflection on
student performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who fail to meet acceptable level of achievement)

Remediation Plan

B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective answers

to question recorded after lesson is taught)

VI.

Resources (in APA format)

Scholastic.com | Online Activities: Weather Watch. (n.d.). Retrieved February

26, 2015, from
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/earthquakes/experiments.ht
m
Holloway, J. (2011, June 24). How to Make a Shoebox Seismograph. Retrieved
February 26, 2015, from http://www.ehow.com/how_8643031_make-shoeboxseismograph.html
Bill Nye the Science Guy episodes 64 Earthquakes. (n.d.). Retrieved February
26, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24R_yGDgwA8