Science and Social Studies Lesson, 11.19.12

Grade Level and Unit: 4th Grade Social Studies  North American Geography Science

Session and Description of Lesson Tasks: Whole group multi media listening activity Individual extension assignment at desks Large group share out

Materials needed: ¨  Articles ¨  Worksheets & pencils ¨  Smart board

Grouping Decisions: Whole group listening activity on the rug >individual work at desks > share out at desks

Learning goals/Objective(s) (social studies) -Why do we call the N.E. the birthplace of our nation?  -What large cities are found in the North East? (science) -How can humans protect themselves against rapid changes to the earth such as flooding? How can New Yorkers prevent future flood damage in the wake of Hurricane Sandy? 1. All students will learn about what makes New York notable in the North East. 2. All students will become knowledgeable of the three ways people can protect themselves against flood damage. 3. All students will become familiar with aspects of the democratic process of debate.

Language Objectives (language modeled / expected to be heard during student discourse) -storm surge barriers -dams -levees

Standards: MA Curriculum Frameworks Grade 4 Concepts and Skills History and Geography 3. Observe and describe national historic sites and describe their function and significance. Earth and Space Science Grades 3 – 5 12. Give examples of how the surface of the earth changes due to slow processes such as erosion and weathering, and rapid processes such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.

Connect and Anticipate: Today we are going to continue on our “train tour” of the North East, and stop by a very special city.  Now that we’ve had a brief introduction to New York City, we’re going to switch gears and talk a little bit about science because, believe it or not, social studies and science are very connected.  Remember back to last week when we made miniature rivers and miniature towns and flooded them.  When we flooded our stream tables last week, there were some things we had built that really protected our model houses and trees, and some things that didn’t work so well.  Let’s hear from a few groups that remember either something that worked to protect your town or didn’t work. Possible answers:             “We put walls on either side of the river, and they got knocked over during the flood.”             “We put a plastic container over houses near the river and it protected the houses.”             “We pushed some dirt and rocks in the middle of the river.” Since you and your partners were the only people in that town that flooded, you were able to make the decision to put those structures in place to protect your town.  In places like New York, one person or two people or three people can’t make big decisions like that for the whole city.  Turn and talk to the person next to you about why you think one person cannot make that decision. What do you think? Possible responses:             “There are a lot of people living in New York City.”             “All the people living in New York might have different opinions about what’s the best choice to protect their houses.”               “Different people might have different opinions.” All of these answers are true.  What if Michael thought the best idea was to build a wall next to the river and Dylan didn’t agree?  We’re going to try out one way to solve this problem.

Focus Questions How can New Yorkers prevent future flood damage in the wake of Hurricane Sandy? Launch: New York has several bodies of water.  My family and I live right by the Hudson River in New York City.  Because of the large amount of rain during Hurricane Sandy, the Hudson River flooded in New York.  And there was a lot of damage.  Today we are going to discuss several real options for New York City to choose from to prevent the damage that happens when the river floods.  These options are the exact same ones that you came up with in your groups when you prepared for your flood. -a dam -levees -storm surge barriers Explore: Before we can decide which option works best for the whole group, we need to do some research.  You all are going to become engineers and scientists for the city of New York, and you are going to present your findings to the city. I have printed out articles and there is other information on each of the three structures that protect against floods.  You are going to be randomly assigned a flood-protection structure, and then you going to fill out a worksheet to organize your information.  Afterwards, we will all come together and have a city council meeting to compare and determine our best plan of action based on your research. Summary: Let’s come back together and compare.  I am going to be the mayor of New York and I want to hear what we can do in the future to protect ourselves from flood damage. Children share what they decide on, and a vote takes place.

Evidence: Graphic organizers with section for 3 pros, 3 cons, and a conclusion on whether or not to use the structure.  Children who can effectively synthesize the information from the articles will reference pros and cons such as cost of structure, effectiveness of structure in places other than New York, etc.

Differentiated Instruction: ELL/Special Ed. -less reading more images -being read to -one-on-one conferences to synthesize information -listen to or watch videos that explain content information Extension research structures other than your own

Notes and Reflections Interestingly enough, New York City itself has not come up with a decision on what to do, although storm surge barriers are currently the most widely talked about among real scientists and engineers.  I thought this lesson was interesting and engaging, but had its pitfalls.  Some of the articles were really difficult to understand because of the vocabulary used, and children who were given easier reads moved on to harder readings and really struggled.  I think the next time I teach a lesson that involves current events, I might want to take a NYTimes article and edit it myself before giving it to children to read independently.  That wasn’t a smart move considering it was way above the majority of my students reading levels, and it’s unfair that only the highest readers were able to successfully use that information.  What was interesting to see for me personally was some of the more creative arguments regarding why a certain structure was a good idea or not.  I think that giving the kids the opportunity to explore a real life debate that’s taking place right now was a great choice.  Next time, I will definitely prepare the information better so that it is attainable for all learners.