SIOP Lesson Plan Day 4

Standards: CA State Science Standards: 2.a. Students know water running downhill is the
dominant process in shaping the landscape, including Californias landscape.
7. h. Identify changes in natural phenomena over time without manipulating the phenomena (e.g. a
tree limb, a grove of trees, a stream, a hill slope).
7. a. Develop a hypothesis.
Theme: Planet Earth.

Lesson Topic: How Do Rivers Shape the landscape? (Lesson 4 of 5)

Objectives:
Language
Observe the action of flowing water on a stream slope. Explain how rivers form and change over
time, and how rivers change the land as they flow over it. Forming a hypothesis for ELs will be using
sentence frames to give them the grammatical structure to talk about the experiments. For
example, to help develop a hypothesis, they will practice Cause/Effect frames--if...then...
Content: Describe how rivers carry sediment and form meanders, oxbow lakes, alluvial fans and
deltas. Recognize how seasonal flooding affects human habitation, farming, and ecosystems near
rivers.
Learning Strategies: Science notebooks, cooperative groups, sketching, modeling, manipulations,
visuals and experimenting.

Key Vocabulary:
1.

Alluvial fan

2.

Delta

3.

Deposition

4.

Meander

5.

Tributary

Materials: 1.

Science notebooks

2.
Materials for the experiment: soil, aluminum pan, metric ruler, pencil, paper cup, bottle of
water

Motivation:
1.
Quick-Discuss-Prompt: Provide students with photos of a steep mountain stream and a gently
flowing plains stream.
2.
Inquiry background: Students will make a model of a stream slope and observe the erosion
caused by running water on the slope. Based on a hypothesis they develop, they will vary the
steepness of the slope, or the speed or amount of the water.
Presentation:
(language and content objectives, comprehensible input, strategies, interactive and feed back)
1.

Direct Students to read together and write in their Science notebook their hypothesis.

2.
Comprehensible Input: As rivers downhill, rushing water weathers and erodes rocks, forming
river, valleys and canyons. When rivers deposit sediments, they form oxbow lakes, alluvial fans, and
deltas. Flooding also changes the landscape.
3.

Form students into teacher built groups, to work on the experiment.

4.
Display directions in written form and read together, for each step of the experiment including
each group members responsibility. Check for understanding.
Practice/Application: (Meaningful activities, interaction, strategies, practice and application,
feedback)
1.
Use models: With a partner, build a soil slope on one end of an aluminum pan. The slope can
be steep or gentle. Draw and label a picture of the soil slope in your Science notebook. Use a metric
ruler to measure the height and length of the slope.
2.
Predict: You will drip water from a paper cup onto the soil at the top of the slope. Predict what
you think will happen. Record your predictions.
3.
Experiment: Use a pencil to poke a small hole in the bottom of a paper cup. Cover the hole with
your finger. Have your partner fill the cup with water. Hold the cup above the soil at the top of the
slope. Remove your finger and let the water flow over the soil slope.
4.
Observe: What happened to the soil? Measure the height and length of the slope now. Draw a
picture and describe the changes in your Science notebooks.
5.
Hypothesize: How do you think your results would change if you vary the steepness of the
slope, or the speed or amount of water? Develop a hypothesis. Then experiment to test your
hypothesis.
Review/Assessment: (Review Objectives and vocabulary and assess learning)
1.
Have students refer to their Science notebooks for their written hypothesis. Discuss what was
different and why?
2.
Informal Assessment: How does increasing the speed or amount of water affect erosion? Infer
what would happen if rain fell on a sand dune.
Extension:

1.
Numbered Heads Together: A 5-step cooperative used to review basic facts and
information. Students number off 1-4. Teacher asks a question. Students consult one another
to make sure everyone can answer the question. Teacher randomly picks a number from 1-4.
Thos students with that number raise their hand. Teacher randomly chooses one of the
groups. The group member with the previously selected number answers the question. After
the students respond, the other teams may agree with a thumb up or a thumb down hand
signal. Teacher may ask other another student to add to the answer if an incomplete
response is given.
2.
Pairs Check: Cooperative pairs work on drill and practice activities. Students have
worksheets. One student answers the first question while a second student acts as the
coach. After the coach is satisfied that the answer is correct, roles are then reversed. This
pair can then check with the other pair on the team. If all agree, then the process continues.
If they do not agree, students try one more time to figure out the answer, or ask the teacher
for help.