Elementary CCSS Lessons Science Unit - Sample

This Unit combines the 8 daily plans relating to Earth's Water

Day 1

Overview
The purpose of the first day in this mini-unit is to read-aloud to students the non-fiction trade book Water, Water Everywhere by Mark J. Rauzon and Cynthia Overbeck Bix.  Reading this text sets the stage for the 7 remaining days of this mini-unit.  Listening to the text may allow students to begin to activate prior knowledge about science as well as about the importance of water for life. Students’ responses to classroom conversations about this text and topics that emerge will begin to allow the teacher to determine students’ pre-unit understanding about these ideas.

Overview
The lessons in Day 2 of this mini-unit are intended to activate and assess students’ prior knowledge about “being a scientist” as well as about the importance of water for life. In addition, as students experience activities, they will raise questions that can be addressed by the teacher throughout the mini-unit. Students’ responses to classroom conversations about these topics as well as teacher monitoring of the activities in this lesson will allow the teacher to determine students’ pre-unit understanding about these ideas.

Overview
In this lesson, students experience the pattern of this mini-unit that includes generating questions, exploring answers, researching and writing. Students will go for a walk to look for water in and around their school. They will listen to information provided in a non-fiction trade book about water.
Students identify what they think they know about a specific concept (in this case, earth’s water). Students continue to explore this idea as they go for a walk and see a demonstration. Later in the lesson, students listen to a book about water and engage in classroom discourse as they start to create a book about water. Throughout the day’s lesson, teachers will assess the students by noting their responses and evaluating each student’s completed work.

Overview
On Day 4, students experience activities related to the question of the day: How does water change? Students observe a model of the water cycle.  They make sense of the water cycle model and answer questions with their classmates. Students answer the Question of the Day on chart paper and in their writing. Formative assessment is used as a tool to evaluate whether students have accomplished the day’s objectives.

Overview
Students explore the Question of the Day – How does water move? - by using water in droppers to try to move natural materials. Through individual, group, and classroom demonstration students experience hands on activities to answer this question. Students gain a preliminary understanding of new information when the teacher provides input to the students regarding new concepts such as glaciers and erosion, as well as during the reading of the non-fiction text. Students respond to questions, discuss, and create their pages about water. Throughout the lesson, the teacher monitors the students for understanding and makes observations about the student work.

Overview
Students respond to images that show water being used. They engage in conversation with others to reflect on other ways that water is used. Ideas are clarified and misconceptions addressed when the teacher reads aloud from the nonfiction text. Students answer the Question of the Day in their books about water. The teacher evaluates each child’s response to the question as to whether it is appropriate and clearly communicated.

Overview
Today’s lesson is conducted in large part as a teacher demonstration to address the Question of the Day –How much water is there for people to use? Students observe a teacher demonstration to learn that much of earth’s water is not available to people. In addition, students listen to an excerpt from Water, Water Everywhere about the topic. Students actively make sense of this new understanding by writing in their books about water. Teachers will evaluate students’ responses to the Question of the Day.

Overview
Throughout today’s lesson, teachers and students use print and video resources to answer the Question of the Day –How can we keep our water clean? Students discuss and respond to various questions throughout the lesson, including finishing their book about water.
As students review the class concept map and their individual books about water, they actively evaluate their own work as well as the work of their classroom community.

Earth’s Water – A Mini Unit
Contributed by Mary W. Thomas, Assistant Director, Elementary Science Program of Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES of New York State mthomas@monroe2boces.org
Recommended Grade Level:  Adaptable to Grades 1-2
Next Generation Science Standards / Framework for K – 12 Science Disciplinary Core Idea:  Earth and Space Sciences
Primary Topic:  Earth’s Changing Surface
Mini- Unit Timeline for Integrated ELA and Science
Day 1:  20 – 30 minutes
Day 2: 40 – 60 minutes
Day 3: 90 minutes
Day 4: 40 – 60 minutes
Day 5: 90 minutes
Day 6: 30 minutes
Day 7: 30 minutes
Day 8: 40 – 60 minutes

This is a video of the book Water, Water Everywhere by Mark J. Rauzon.