Lesson Planning Form for Accessible Instruction Calvin College Education Program

Teacher
Date

Danchao Zhang
Nov. 14, 2016

Subject/ Topic/ Theme

Science-landforms

Grade ______2nd__________

I. Objectives
How does this lesson connect to the unit plan?
This unit talks about landforms and bodies of water. This lesson focuses on landforms.
cognitiveR U Ap An E C*

Learners will be able to:

physical
development

socioemotional

R
R

Describe their groups landform in more detail

Draw their groups landform

U
U

Make a poster of their groups landform with group members

Learn about other groups landforms

Common Core standards (or GLCEs if not available in Common Core) addressed:
2ESS22Developamodeltorepresenttheshapesandkindsoflandandbodiesofwaterinanarea.
(Note: Write as many as needed. Indicate taxonomy levels and connections to applicable national or state standards. If an objective applies to particular learners
write the name(s) of the learner(s) to whom it applies.)
*remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create

II. Before you start

Identify prerequisite
knowledge and skills.

Students had read books about different landforms beforehand.

Pre-assessment (for learning):

Students took a pretest on landforms and bodies of water.

Formative (for learning):

Outline assessment
activities
(applicable to this lesson)

Teacher circulates while they do small group work to check their progress. The teacher hears each
groups reports.
Formative (as learning):

Students are asked to check their own understanding about different landforms using thumbs.
Summative (of learning):
(End of unit assessment)
Provide Multiple Means of
Representation
Provide options for perceptionmaking information perceptible
Students will read books about their
assigned landforms.

Provide Multiple Means of Action

and Expression
Provide options for physical actionincrease options for interaction

Provide options for language,

mathematical expressions, and
symbols- clarify & connect
language
Students could write and/or draw
on their poster.

Provide options for expression and

communication- increase medium
of expression
Students will make a poster of their
groups landform by writing and
drawing.

Provide options for comprehensionactivate, apply & highlight

Students read books, discuss with
others, and ask teacher questions to
understand different landforms.

Provide options for executive

functions- coordinate short & long
term goals, monitor progress, and
modify strategies
Students are asked to check if they
have got it after each groups
report. Teacher will clarify anything
that is unclear at that point.

What barriers might this

lesson present?
What will it take
neurodevelopmentally,
experientially,
emotionally, etc., for your
students to do this lesson?

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Provide Multiple Means of

Engagement
Provide options for recruiting
interest- choice, relevance, value,
authenticity, minimize threats
Students are provided the chance to
explore in books by themselves and
make a poster in which they could
put anything interesting about their
landform.
Provide options for sustaining effort
and persistence- optimize
challenge, collaboration, masteryoriented feedback
When students are making posters,
the teacher will circulate and help if
needed.
Provide options for self-regulationexpectations, personal skills and
strategies, self-assessment &
reflection
Students are asked to check if they
have got it after each groups report.

Materials-what materials
(books, handouts, etc) do
you need for this lesson
and are they ready to
use?

Blank poster, markers, books, PowerPoint about landforms.

Regular set-up, which has a carpet area and four small-group working centers.
How will your classroom
be set up for this lesson?
III. The Plan
Time

Components
Motivation
(opening/
introduction/
engagement)

Development
(the largest
component or
main body of
the lesson)

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Describe teacher activities

AND
student activities
for each component of the lesson. Include important higher order thinking questions and/or
prompts.
Teacher will tell students about todays goal, that is
Students are informed of the goals for this lesson.
to learn about five different kinds of landformsmountain, hill, valley, plain, and plateau.

Part I
Teacher will start to introduce what landform is
using ppt. Then the teacher tells them, In a
minute you are going to be in small groups. Your
small group will make a poster of one of these
landforms. In your poster, you need to include two
things: 1. Write down what that landform is; 2.
Draw a picture of this landform. After you have
done that, you could add anything you want about
your landform. You could use these books to help
you make the poster. Or notes you have taken
yesterday about your groups landform. After each
group has made a poster, each group is going to
come to the front and report to us what your group
has learned about your landform using your poster.

Students learn about what landform is.

Students are told of the task. Students also discuss
group work expectations with the teacher.

Before I tell you which group you will be in, I want

to talk a little bit about group work. When we work
with others, what things do we need to pay
attention to? (Talk with students about group work
expectations.) Now Im going to tell you which
group you are in.
Teacher separate students into different groups and
tells them Now talk with your group members
and decide which one of these landforms your
group want to do. Each group needs to choose a
landform different from other groups. (10 mins)

Students are separated into five small groups.

Students learn about their assigned landforms
through reading books. Students make a poster of
their landform.

Part II
Students work on their poster for around 20 mins.
Teacher circulates, sees how everything goes and
helps if needed.
Part III
Teacher calls students to come back to the large
group and sit together on the carpet. Each group
reports about their landform using their poster.
After each group presents their landform, students
are asked to show if they have got it using thumbs.
If some students dont get it, they could ask
questions. (15-20 mins)
Closure
(conclusion,
culmination,
wrap-up)

Teacher commends students good work, and wrap

up.

Students report to the whole class about their

landform. Other students learn about other groups
landforms.
Students feel a sense of accomplishment.

Your reflection about the lesson, including evidence(s) of student learning and engagement, as well as ideas for improvement
for next time. (Write this after teaching the lesson, if you had a chance to teach it. If you did not teach this lesson, focus on the
process of preparing the lesson.)

Im astonished at how long it takes to do part I. Students are very noisy. My teacher had to interrupt and help students to sit up well
and pay attention. It takes around 25 minutes to finish that part.
When I was teaching, my teacher helps me to point out things that I didnt think of beforehand. For example, when students make
posters, do they use pencils first? According to my teachers suggestion, I asked students to use pencils on the poster first, because
they could change it if they get it wrong. After everyone agrees that it is good, then they could use markers to trace it. Later when they
are making posters, this strategy actually proves to be really good.
Since the time is somewhat short for students to both read and make posters, I asked my teacher to let students read books about
different landforms before I teach this lesson. When I came to teach toady, my teacher told me what they had done yesterday and I
learn a lot from her ways of starting this unit. She put a big green poster on a table and let students write their questions about
landforms on the green poster. Then, she put them into small groups. Each group took turns to different centers to read books about
different landforms, and wrote down what they had learned on their groups poster. (After they are done with my lesson, they are
going to write again on the big green poster what they had learned.) My teacher calls it inquiry learning - generating questions,
investigating, and observing things. This arouses students interests in learning about landforms. Students start to own this learning.
So my lesson becomes their investigating part of inquiry learning. Students read books on a certain landform and make a poster of it
as a group. We spent 25 minutes do part I, and 35 minutes on Part II. This afternoon, my teacher is going to give them a little bit more
time to finish the rest of their poster, and let them take a look at other groups posters. Tomorrow, they are going to report in front of
class. And they are going to write again on the big green poster about what they have learned.
When students are reading, I walked around and discovered that some parts of the books are too hard for some kids to understand,
especially for ELL. If I do it again, I might get a piece of writing about each landform that is easy to read (or make sure there is a book
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that is easy to read), and let kids read that first. So I could be sure that everyone understands it. Then, they could move on to explore in
different books. When students are making posters, I feel like that they had hard time finding their landforms definition. I need to
help them figure that out. When I was doing that, I just told them which sentence in the book is. Now as I think back, it might be better
if I ask, Is there any sentence in the book that shows you what a mountain is? This might help them find the definition on books by
themselves. Another thing that I have found is that students imagination is kind of limited. After they are done with the two things that
I asked them to do, they are somewhat lost. It would be better if I have some additional questions ready in my mind and ask them to
explore further about their groups landform.

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