Lesson Plan

Name: Julian Springer School: Big Picture High School

Grade Level: 9/10 (high school, no requirements) Number of Students: 7

Unit: “Sedimentary, my dear Watson: the Lesson Duration: 55 minutes

adventure of the Ancestral-Puebloans, a geo-
archeological history-mystery in the Southwest”

Date: 10:00am-10:55am, November 30th, 2018

Colorado Academic Standards:

Science 5.A:

Analyze and interpret data on the Earth and space systems to construct and defend an argument that
the theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will
continue to do so in the future.

Proficient: I can construct and defend an argument based on data that the theories and laws
that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so
in the future.

Exemplary: I can develop a model to hypothesize about future conditions on Earth and the
processes that will lead to that outcome.

(these are Durango 9-R PIs, the metric for learning that Big Picture has adopted)

Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to define the Law of Original Horizontality, and use it as
a means to explain that the theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as
they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future, as evidenced by completing a
worksheet on the rock cycle.

Learning Targets:

I understand the rock cycle, and how it demonstrates that the natural world operates today as it did in
the past and will continue to do so in the future.

Assessments:
Entry ticket/Earth science intro. worksheet - formative/summative

Rock Cycles worksheet - summative

Essential Questions/Big Picture Statement:

The theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will
continue to do so in the future.

Introduction/Anticipatory Set:
This statement may seem self evident on the surface, but it is actually a very difficult concept to prove,
without a time machine or some sort of magic looking glass that would let us look back in time.
Geology, and the study of rocks both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial (the sun is made of rocks, so are
all the stars and planets!), presents us with a beautiful, simple, and elegant solution to this problem. By
examining the rock cycle closely, and the evidence that supports it, we can support the above claim.
Let’s dive in!
 Lesson Plan

I. Check-in (5)

A. How is everyone doing? Are we feeling ready to think like rocks today?

B. Check in on Wednesday’s lab

1. I wasn’t here so I’m curious what issues we ran in to as a group

2. Any rocks we are especially curious about?

3. Did we see any patterns in the rocks we looked at as related to our three main rock
groups?

II. Introductory/Anticipatory Set (2)

III. Entry ticket (13)

A. If you have not completed the rocks intro. sheet, lets try and do that now. No
computers, no wrong answers. Please write in pencil because we will be clarifying your
definitions. I really want everyone to focus on the three main groups of rocks. What do
you think defines these three groups of rocks.

B. I would like everyone to group up. If you have already completed your entry ticket,
please join someone who has not yet, and collaborate to deepen your understanding of
these definitions.

C. Let’s all come back together and address these definitions.

1. Especially focusing on the three rock types, and the law of original horizontality

IV. Worksheet (30)

A. Here is a worksheet on the rock cycle and the law of original horizontality. Don’t be
overwhelmed by the back of the sheet. This is bonus material, but if you’re into it we
can all work on it together later!

B. Stay in your pairs, and attempt the worksheet. You have 15 minutes. I circulate-

C. Let’s all come back together

1. What did you have issues with?

2. Any confusions that arose?

3. Any questions that came up?

D. Let’s work through it on the board - demonstrate rock cycle on the board

E. If we have extra time and there is interest we can look at the back of the sheet. This is
bonus material and will achieve an exemplary on this PI if you want. It is really quite
simple! Like a puzzle.

V. Close (5)

A. So, not that we understand the rock cycle, we can see that this process is going on all
the time. It has been happening since the beginning of time, and the formation of the
earth. These are forces and cycles that have shaped the land around us. If you are
interested, there is so much more detail we could go in to!

B. The moral of the story is that these processes are ongoing, and that they function now
as they did in the past, and will continue to do so in the future. That’s our PI!

C. Take a break this weekend, or try the back fo the worksheet! Please try to have
everything done by Monday, as we will be starting our next section of this experience:
Climate and Water Cycles!!!