Cause and Affect
Concept Mapping Using Web 2.0
Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition
A lesson using on-line tools for greater understanding
Subject: Earth Science
Grade Level: 6th
Teacher Contact: Tim Benett
System Requirements: Internet Access
Overview
What’s your strategy for cementing the concepts of weathering, erosion, and deposition into
the brains of your middle school students? This lesson focuses on bringing 21st Century
technology into the classroom to help further the understanding of these relationships,
definitions, and differences. Students can use many technological resources to assist in the
presentation, explanation, and understanding of these concepts. Video, animations from the
Web, and a wonderful mind mapping tool found at http://www.bubbl.us can all assist in building
knowledge with the relationships between weathering, erosion and deposition.
Part I: Teacher Guide
1. Specific Content standards
• Students know water running downhill is the dominant process in shaping the landscape,
including California's landscape
• Students know rivers and streams are dynamic systems that erode, transport sediment,
change course, and flood their banks in natural and recurring patterns
2.
Key science concepts addressed by the lesson:
Definitions, relationships and differences between weathering, erosion, and deposition
3. Steps to carry out the activities
•
Engage: Teachers present video clip showing the undermining of a road with runoff from a
storm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChEHQUMEkXw (video 1) or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp39aQNnTww (video 2)
•
Explore: Students will find information from the resource links (included) to develop a
concept map working in pairs. They will use a worksheet to record their findings.
•
Explain: Direct students to bubbl.us site to create concept maps.
•
Evaluate: the student’s concept maps must have clear definitions of the three terms and
good examples of each term.
•
Extend: upload their bubbl.us concept map to the class website or print their final draft to
share and respond to the student work. Another idea is to have the students write about
the relationships between these terms.
4.
Teacher Notes (recommendations from teachers who have taught the module)
This lesson is difficult to fit into a short (45 minute) class period. We decided to stretch the lesson
into a 2-day lesson – gathering information on day 1, refining the information and creating the
mind map on day 2. Front loading expectations (curricular, behavioral, use of computers) is also
very helpful.
5.
Assessment plan (or student product)
Grade the mind maps – check for correct and clear definitions and appropriate examples will define
exemplary work. With the relationships between these concepts being the goal, it is important that
the students are able to link the ideas visually and verbally.
6.
Technology resources used in the lesson (software, Web sites)
Video, Web links, bubbl.us (Web 2.0 tool), class website and laptops or other computers
Part II: Learning Object
7.
Describe Learning object or tool used in lesson
TechQuest – directions and links posted on a Web site to help students glean information to use on
their mind maps. http://www.bubbl.us is a Web 2.0 tool for creating concept map or organizer
using interconnected “bubbles.”
8. Student Activity Handouts or Directions
Planning worksheet and Bubbl.us directions
9.
Special directions for use of learning objects:
Set up bubbl.us accounts prior to use to avoid wasted time. Accounts are free but take time to set
up. Students can work in pairs or individually – it is difficult to keep the students on task if there is
too much waiting time. Work can be submitted as pairs or individually, depending on how grading
is intended to be done. If there are computer glitches, Science textbooks serve as a backup
information resource. With an example or two of the mind maps printed from the bubbl.us
website, the students were able to hand draw their mind maps either to prepare for their time on
the computers or, if Internet problems occurred during the lesson.
Concept Mapping – Lesson Planning Guide
Page 2
TechQuest Resources – Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition
Choose one of these links for Weathering:
Weathering from University of Kentucky
http://www.as.uky.edu/academics/departments_programs/EarthEnvironmentalSciences/EarthE
nvironmentalSciences/Educational%20Materials/Documents/elearning/module07swf.swf
Weathering and Erosion Video from Discovery
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/videos/dsc/externalApplications/interactiveVideos/index.html?vid
=32
Choose one of these links for Erosion:
Erosion from University of Kentucky
http://www.as.uky.edu/academics/departments_programs/EarthEnvironmentalSciences/EarthE
nvironmentalSciences/Educational%20Materials/Documents/elearning/module11swf.swf
Erosion from Teachers' Domain http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/ess05_img_erosion/
Choose one of these links for Deposition:
Windows to the Universe
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/geology/sed_deposition.html&edu=high
Concept Mapping – Lesson Planning Guide
Page 3
Sample rubric for grading bubbl.us graphic organizers
If this is a 25 point assignment, each exemplary check would be worth 5 points. Very good can be
valued at 4 points, and so on.
Student Product Sample (Exemplary on left; Very Good on right)
Weathering
Exemplary
Clearly defined,
examples given
Very good
Defined, some
examples
Erosion
Clearly defined,
examples given
Defined, some
examples
Deposition
Clearly defined,
examples given
Defined, some
examples
Layout
Clear and makes
sense
Tied together in
an appropriate
fashion
Connections
Concept Mapping – Lesson Planning Guide
Almost there
Fair
Attempted
definition or
possible
examples
Attempted
definition or
possible
examples
Attempted
definition or
possible
examples
Attempted
Poor
No definition or
no examples
Not in evidence
Fairly well tied
together
Not well tied
together
Not tied
together
No definition or
no examples
No definition or
no examples
Page 4
Note: The goal was for the students to define each of the 3 terms,
give examples, and show how they work with each other to reshape
the Earth’s surface. The concept maps were all good. Grades
ranged from “B” upward.
Concept Mapping – Lesson Planning Guide
Page 5