Mrs.

Wood
Earth and Space Science
6th Grade
Title

Reasons for the Seasons

Standard(s) Content:

AL.ESS.6.1 - Create and manipulate models (e.g., physical, graphical,

conceptual) to explain the occurrences of day/night cycles, length of
year, seasons, tides, eclipses, and lunar phases based on patterns of
the observed motions of celestial bodies.
ISTE (student):
Empowered Learner - Students leverage technology to take an active
role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their
learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.
Knowledge Constructor - Students critically curate a variety of
resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative
artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves
and others.
Creative Communicator - Students communicate clearly and express
themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms,
tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals.
Global Collaborator - Students use digital tools to broaden their
perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and
working effectively in teams locally and globally.
ISTE (teacher):
Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity - Teachers
use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and
technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning,
creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual
environments.
Design and develop digital age learning experiences and
assessments - Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic
learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary
tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to
develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the Standard.

Objective

Students will investigate why Earth experiences seasons by

completing a series of online activities through Google Classroom.
Students will demonstrate their knowledge through a digital and oral
presentation.

Description This lesson engages the students in science behind why Earth experiences
seasons. It is imperative to activate the students prior knowledge prior to
delving into the content of the lesson. In this lesson, the teacher activates
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prior knowledge through a whole-group discussion in which students will

share their understanding of what causes seasons on Earth. Misconceptions
are generally brought forth during these discussions.Once the students
brains are turning, they dive into their studies seeking answers that will clarify
or reject their initial ideas.
The pre-assessment is a tool used to assess how much learning occurred
during the lesson. The teacher supplies the students with a list of key terms
that are crucial components of their mastery of the objective. Along with their
pre-assessment and key terms, the teacher requires the students to read an
introductory of the lesson so they have an idea of what to expect.
The Webquest for this lesson is very thorough. The students will maneuver
between websites searching for required information and adding definitions
and/or notes to their key terms doc. This puts them in control of their learning.
Collaboration is important when students are given the opportunity to facilitate
their own learning. In this lesson, the teacher incorporates a Google
Hangouts which includes the teacher and all students in the class. The
teacher posts the first comment in the hangout. As the students finish their
Webquest they join the hangout and everyone begins discussing the
questions. The teacher prompts conversations during the hangout to ensure
the students arent posting the minimum requirements.
The assessment for this lesson is a Google Slides presentation as well as an
oral presentation of the product. It is important for the students to express
themselves creatively and effectively. The rubric and checklist for the
assessment guides the students in the development of their product. There is
also sufficient time to create the product and prepare the oral presentation.

Materials

Chromebooks
Earbuds
Internet Access
Google Classroom https://classroom.google.com/u/1/c/MTI4NzI1NTYxOVpa
http://www.astronomy.org/programs/seasons/
http://vortex.plymouth.edu/sun/sun.html
https://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/seasons/
Google Apps to incorporate:
Pre-Assessment
Seasons Key Terms
Introductory Reading
Seasons Webquest
Reading Selection
BrainPOP Questions
Presentation Directions and Rubric
Rubric Online Access (www.rcampus.com)
Presentation Checklist

Before

The teacher will activate prior knowledge through a whole-group

discussion.
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 The students will complete the Seasons Pre-Assessment, Seasons

Key Terms (30pts), and Introductory Reading assignment in Google
Classroom.

During

The students will complete the

Seasons Webquest and share with the teacher (40pts)
Reading Assignment
BrainPOP Google Hangouts (20 pts)

After

The students will create a Reasons for the Seasons Google Slides
Presentation(100pts) following the rubric and checklist provided in
Google Classroom, through the online link, or by searching this code
PX74W93 at www.rcampus.com
The students will share their presentation with the teacher prior to an
oral presentation of their Google Slides.

Additional
Information

Make sure a spreadsheet is created for ALL Google Forms

incorporated.
You must be present in the Google Hangouts during the entire
classroom to ensure students are participating and to prompt
discussions.

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