Lesson #3

I. RATIONALE
The reason for teaching this lesson is so that students understand how the ocean impacts the Earth, animals, humans, and food.

II. OVERVIEW

Grade Level: 4th

Subject(s): Science

Topic of Study: Ocean

Time Allotment: 60 minutes

Standards: Science Strand 3: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives. Concept 1: Changes in Environments. PO 1.  Describe how natural events and human activities have positive and negative impacts on environments (e.g., fire, floods, pollution, dams).
PO 2. Evaluate the consequences of environmental occurrences that happen either rapidly or over a long period of time.
Social Studies Strand 4: Geography. Concept 5: Environment and Society. PO 1. Describe human dependance on the physical environment and natural resources to satisfy basic needs.
PO 3. Describe the impact of human modifications on the physical environment and ecosystems.

Objectives: Students will understand that the ocean is a complex ecosystem that is a home to a variety of animals which needs to be preserved. Students will make and test predictions about how oil and pollutants react with water. Students will explain how pollutants such as oil significantly impact humans and the environment.

III. IMPLEMENTATION
Procedure:

    1. Read 'A Drop In My Drink' by Meredith Hooper and Chris Coady.

2.     Facilitate a class discussion with emphasis on how humans depend on the oceans and why we need to take special care of them. Encourage kids to make connections to the text, themselves, their community, and the media.

3.     An Oil Spill Experiment (30 minutes) - Put students in cooperative learning groups of 2-3. Review expectations for working in science groups. Explain to the children that they will be doing an experiment to find how oil affects water habitats and life.

4.     Distribute the Activity page, read over the questions, and review the procedure.

5.     Ask the students to discuss with their groups and make predictions whether it will be easy or hard to remove the oil and why they think so. Give them three minutes to discuss. Have groups share their predictions.

6.     Model for the students how to fill the cups, pour the oil, and remove the oil.

7.     Allow students to engage in the activity and complete the activity page with their groups. In their groups, have the students describe one way that an oil spill can damage the environment. Allow each group to share for one minute.

8.     Collect the activity sheets and review the steps the class took for the experiment.

9.     Viewing the Ocean Habitats Video (30 Minutes) - Review the key vocabulary, using the Word Wall as needed.

10.  Have students view the Ocean Habitats video that is projected onto the whiteboard. Turn on closed captioning. Pause the video when the pause button blinks red for short, one-minute discussions.

11.  Allow students to take the Easy Quiz or Hard Quiz as a class using the whiteboard. Select students randomly to encourage participation.

12.  Have students discuss with a shoulder partner one interesting fact they learned from the video. Select 3 students to share their partner's fact.

13. Students will research the methods used to prevent and clean up oil spills. They will also work in groups to make a proposal for preventing oil spills and/or cleaning up oil after a spill. Students will use Pixie on the iPads to present their proposal.

Technology Integration:

-Teachers use the interactive whiteboard or projector connected to a computer with speakers to post the video

-Students will use computers to take the easy or hard quiz

-Students will use Pixie for the oil spill proposal

Differentiated Instruction: 

●      Create groups that will allow student success.

●      Words and concepts that students have a difficulty understanding should be discussed either in a class discussion, or one on one with the instructor or another student.

●      If appropriate, visual examples should be provided for students to offer clarity.

●      Children that have difficulties reading or understanding the literature may have it read to them with explanations by either their student partner or an instructor.

●      Learners with more difficulties will be given one-on-one direct instruction by the teacher may have the option of working with a peer.

●      Students that have difficulties focusing or staying on task can be given scheduled breaks.

●      Closed-captioning should be used on the video.

●      Allow appropriate think time for students.

●      The students can take the ‘easy quiz’ or the ‘hard quiz’.

IV. ASSESSMENT
Procedure:

-Assessment will be formative, continuous, and ongoing throughout the activity, focusing on questions asked during the activity, group work, basic understanding and response to questions and group discussions, as well as upon completion of assignments.

-Their activity worksheet while doing the feather in oil

-The students interesting fact from the video

-Their pixie project of their proposal for preventing oil spills

Instruments:
https://jr.brainpop.com/science/habitats/oceanhabitats/preview.weml (VIDEO)

https://jr.brainpop.com/science/habitats/oceanhabitats/activity/ (ACTIVITY WORKSHEET)

https://jr.brainpop.com/science/habitats/oceanhabitats/wordwall/ (VOCABULARY)

https://jr.brainpop.com/science/habitats/oceanhabitats/easyquiz/ (EASY QUIZ)

https://jr.brainpop.com/science/habitats/oceanhabitats/hardquiz/ (HARD QUIZ)

IIV. MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

●      Interactive whiteboard or projector connected to a computer with speaker

●      Computers for students to use (with headphones)

●      BrainPOP Jr. access

●      Materials for the experiment: cups, water, napkins, cooking oil, feathers

●      Paper and pencils

-Pixie on the iPads

http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/lesson-plan/the-environmental-cost-of-oil-lesson-plan-how-oil-production-can-impact-oceans/?bp-topic=humans-and-the-environment