ECI 307 Learning Cycle B

Theme: Ocean Exploration

Enduring Understanding for the Unit: I want my students to understand
that interdependence is necessary for growth.
Unit Topic: Migration
Grade Level: 4th Grade
NCSS Standard Strand: III, People, Places, and Environment
Performance Objectives:
F. Describe and speculate about physical system changes, such as seasons, climate and
weather, and the water cycle.
H. Examine the interaction of human beings and their physical environment, the use of
land, building of cities, and ecosystem changes in selected locales and regions.
Exploration for sub-topic:
Describe an activity or experience that will help your students develop the enduring
understanding that you believe is most important. Include what materials you need, the
classroom environment (arrangement), grouping, estimated time etc. A teacher reading
your description should be able to duplicate it. Outline procedures. Organize sequentially.
Materials: Whale Migration Video (https://youtu.be/joBvuEJyUd0) , Ellis Island
Video (https://youtu.be/DxILBYcTjY4).
Grouping: Students will work individually or whole group class discussion
Estimated Time: 60 minutes
I. Students will begin by discussing as a class in a socratic seminar fashion why
migration is important to animals and humans and how they compare and
contrast.
II. Next, the class will create a venn-diagram graphic organizer showing a compare
contrast and human and animal migration.
III. The teacher will then show the supplementary videos above and the students
will be asked to build connections with their lives or that of someone they know.
IV. The students will then reflect in their journals about the similarities and
differences between animal and human migration and their self connections.

1)
2)

Concept Development
Write at least two content concepts that might be developed
from the exploration above. Concept:
I want my students to understand that migration is essential to
the lives of humans and animals.
I want my students to understand that their are many
connections between the migration of humans and that of
animals.

Integration: Technology? Math, literacy, science? Art?

Integration of Art: Building a migration map with color and regional details (sand,
water etc.)
Integration of Science: Research and become an expert on an animal
migration and present to the class the scientific reasons for that migration.Integration
of Technology: Use the interactive The Movement North to understand migration.
Integration of Math: Solving word problems to solve the amount of animals in a
population that migrate and solving distance problems in relation to migration.
Expansion
What are some questions or issues that connect with the concepts and enduring
understanding listed above? How do you link this learning cycle with the one that
follows? What kind of investigation might provide deeper knowledge? How does
community and culture relate to these concepts? How might you build or apply these
concepts?
Questions:
Why do people and animals migrate?
What is an example of a species that migrates and why?
What types of cultural changes come with human migration?
After discussing the concepts of migration and the effect it has on the humans or animals
that migrate students will create a think tank plan of how they would migrate from one
part of the planet to another using evidence and real life concepts to tell their migration
story.

Assessment: The teacher will be able to assess his or her students by analyzing and
reviewing their migration story and how accurate and concept-based their plan is. Also
their reflections will be reviewed formatively as well.
Accommodations:
For the ELL students the teacher will list the vocabulary in multiple languages on the
board as well as integrate images.
To benefit the visually impaired child the teacher will make sure that he or she is seated
in the front of the class in order to better see the presentations.
The hearing impaired child will also be seated in the front of the classroom. Completing
in the work in small groups will help this child communicate with his or her classmates.
The child who has ADHD will be assigned the leader of the group. He or she will be in
charge of getting any materials.

The student who is dyslexic will be in charge of the visual components of the
PowerPoint.