NAME _______________ SUBJECT ____________ GRADE ___

CENTRAL FOCUS

- Enduring Understanding
The uneven distributions of Earth’s resources are the result of past and current geoscience
processes.

- Essential Questions
Are all resources distributed evenly throughout the world?

ELD STANDARD CA ELD: 11: Justifying/Arguing (Emerging): Justify

opinions by providing some textual evidence or relevant
background knowledge with substantial support.

CONTENT STANDARD NGSS PE: MS-ESS3-1. Construct a scientific explanation

based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of
Earth’s mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the
result of past and current geoscience processes.

OBJECTIVE By reading and annotating accessible texts, participating in

vocabulary and group activities, and using a writing
graphic organizer, SWBAT construct a written scientific
explanation by providing evidence and relevant
background knowledge about the uneven distribution of
natural resources.

ASSESSMENT Diagnostic: Pre-writing sample.

Formative: Discussions/group activities.
Summative: Post-writing sample.
Student Activities By Hour/Lesson (Based of of the 5 E Lesson Plan Model)
Day 1 (60mins)
1. Pre writing sample. Students 1. Explore: Text annotation.
receive a half-sheet with a prompt
about the distribution of natural
resources. Teacher should explain
that is like a ‘Think’ quick write, popcorn read while students
the only difference being that it
will be collected. Teacher
explains that it will not be graded, important parts, and writing
just used a a diagnostic
assessment to see what students
already know about the topic.
Students take 10-15 minutes to
write. This is collected and
assessed by the teacher using the
rubric.
2. Engage: On the smart board,
present various news article
headlines that pertain to the use of
natural resources. Pop-corn read
and briefly discuss. The next
slide displays discussion questions
one-by-one. Teacher prompts
students to first discuss the
question with their table group.
Then, elicit a few responses from
groups to discuss with the class.
Lastly, students record their
answers in their comp book.
Repeat for all 3 questions.
Day 2 (1 1/2 Hrs) Day 3 (1 1/2 hrs)
1. Explain: Students are provided
Students are given three short with a graphic organizer to help
readings on three different them write a C.E.R. report. They
natural resources. Group are also provided with a scoring
rubric. Teacher explains the
annotate: circling words they rubric to encourage the students to
don’t know, underlining use it to guide their writing. They
use the graphic organizer to
thoughts in the margins. Whole organizer their Claim, Evidence,
class discussion about the text. and Reasoning for an argument
Teacher facilitates the answering the question: Are all
discussion and writes the resources distributed evenly
unknown words on the board. throughout the world? Why or
why not? Justify your response.
Students take time to organize
their argument, and eventually
write a full C.E.R. report.
Students participate in a peer
review session and are given time
to revise. Finally students self-
assess on the rubric and turn this
in with their final write up.
3. Explore: Vocabulary JigSaw
Activity. Each table group is
assigned one of the eight
vocabulary words. Their task is to
work as a group to create a Frayer
model for the word. Students are
given roles and each person is
responsible for for one section of
the model. Each group must
present to the class and explain
how their drawing represents the
word. The group explains the
words definitions while the rest of
the class writes down each
definition on their Vocabulary
graphic organizer

SUPPORTS

1. ACCESSIBLE TEXTS
- Group read and discussion of news headlines during Engage portion of lesson.
This will be the “anchor” concept for this lesson.
- “Resource Cards” about 3 different natural resources are adapted for 7th graders.
Includes visuals and diagrams.
- Students annotate texts while group popcorn reads.
- Group discussion of important concepts and vocabulary words in text.
2. VOCABULARY ACTIVITY & SUPPORTS
- 8 vocabulary words are identified from the text.
- JigSaw Vocabulary Activity. Each group is assigned one of the vocabulary words.
They are responsible for becoming experts on that word and will teach the rest of
the class the definition.
- Use class computers as a resource for definitions.
- Poster Making: each group will create a Frayer Model poster for their word which
includes: Appropriate definitions, “student friendly” definition, visual
representation, and the human connection of the word.
- Each group member is assigned to be responsible for one section of the Frayer
model by the teacher. They will present their portion of the model to the class.
- Vocabulary graphic organizer will be used by audience during presentations
which ensures audience participation and that all students understand all
vocabulary definitions. This graphic organizer is later used a reference for the
C.E.R. write-up.

3. GROUP ACTIVITY SUPPORTS

- Class discussions frequently reference the lesson “anchor”.
- Teacher uses classroom management strategies to facilitate effective discussions
and group work.
- Cooperative Learning Structures for vocabulary activity: Individual group roles
assigned by teacher according to individual student information (IEP, SST,
learning style, teacher-student interactions). This ensures positive
interdependence where each member contributes to the final product. The group
and individuals are accountable for the knowledge when they present their poster
and teach the rest of the class. Students will be practicing social skills.

4. GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
- Vocabulary graphic organizers are filled out by all students while listening to
group presentations. This graphic organizer lists all the vocabulary words in a
chart. The second column is space to write the definition in the student’s own
words. The third column is labelled “notes” and teacher explains that students
can use it to draw, write examples, or do whatever else will help them learn what
the word means. This graphic organizer will be used as a resource for the C.E.R.
write up.
- C.E.R. graphic organizer is on the back of the vocabulary graphic organizer This
is used to prepare student’s information that will make up their C.E.R. write up.
This graphic organizer separates Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning into a table with
space for students to write their pieces of information. The Evidence and
Reasoning sections are separated further into three sections, 1 for each resource.
This serves to help students organize the connections between their evidence and
reasonings for each resource. This graphic organizer is checked by the teacher
 before the student begins writing their paragraph to ensure individual student
understanding.

5. RUBRIC
- Students will receive an IB rubric which is aligned to IB, NGSS, and ELD
standards.
- The rubric will be supplied to students to assist in their C.E.R. paragraph writing.
- Students will turn in a rubric that is self-assessed with their final paragraph.
- This rubric aligns with IB in that a 4-5 is an average grade. A 7-8 score is
achieved when students go above and beyond what is asked of them by applying
things like critical thinking. Supplying the rubric to students before hand gives
them a goal to strive for.

PLANNING COMMENTARY
In 1 paragraph address the following for each 1 of the 4 groups/students:
a) Student information that informs strategies
b) How to teach language and content vocabulary
c) How graphic organizer will assist students to write a paragraph
d) How student activities are supported for each group/student
e) How rubric will be used to support understanding of expectations and make
improvements with peer review and self-assessment

1. WHOLE CLASS
a) As an IB and STEM/NGSS-led school, the students in this class have lots of practice
in collaboration. Collaborative learning structures such as think-pair-shares, class
discussions, and group model making are used for this lesson to enhance student
learning and provide differentiation of the content delivery (Tomlinson, 1999).
Students are grouped heterogeneously and roles are assigned by the teacher based off
of IEPs/SSTs, and student-teacher interactions informing the learning type of each
student (Gardner, 2006). Based off of the Theory of Proximal Development, students
who learn best in a small group setting are scattered throughout each table group
(Vygotsky, 1978). The reading and vocabulary in this lesson are designed to be
accessible but provide introduction to advanced academic terms. Most students in the
class are Re-designated English Learners, and this approach to language acquisition
corresponds to Krashen’s Input Hypothesis Theory (Krashen, 1981).
b) The reading is grade-level appropriate with slightly more advanced language peppered
throughout (Krashen, 1981). The reading is accompanied by pictures and diagrams
and is popcorn read with the whole class (Tomlinson, 1999). This gives students aNn
opportunity to practice speaking and listening skills. This discussion about the text
frequently references the anchor introduced at the beginning of the lesson (Bransford,
et al, 1990). As the students annotate, the teacher elicits unknown words from the
crowd and discusses important piece of the article. There are 8 academic vocabulary
words in this lesson. The class room is configured into 8 table groups, 3-6 students at
 each group. As discussed before, these groups are pre-determined by the teacher. The
students will be given specific task within their groups to ensure equitable
participation and collaborative learning. The vocabulary will be learned through
group work, writing, speaking, listening, and the creation of a visual representation of
the word to provide differentiation of instruction (Tomlinson, 1999). This is a a
jigsaw vocabulary activity where the learning will be chunked according to the
Information Processing Theory (Miller, 1956). Groups will present their vocabulary
word posters to the class. Each students is provided with a vocabulary graphic
organizer they fill out as each group presents. The students in the audience use a
graphic organizer to fill in definitions of each vocabulary word. This ensures audience
participation and aides in classroom management (Bandura 1977). This graphic
organizer is later used as reference for their C.E.R. paragraph writing. This structure
of vocabulary learning follows the Vocabulary Development Support progression of
Antonacci and Calaghan (Antonacci and Calaghan, 2012). The C.E.R. Graphic
organizer aids students in the writing portion of the lesson.
c) This lesson will utilize Graphic organizers to 1) take notes on vocabulary words, and
2) organize thinking for the written paragraph. The vocabulary Graphic organizer
helps students acquire the academic language through writing and visualization
(Tomlinson, 1999), and provides scaffolding for note-taking (Collins, et al, 1987),
Furthermore, this is a progression in the lesson from students working together in a
group with guidance toward them working on their own according to the Theory of
Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978). The C.E.R. Graphic organizer separates
the claim, evidence, and reasoning into a table. Both the Claim and Reasoning
sections are separated by natural resource to help students organize the corresponding
pieces of evidence and reasoning for each resource (Collins, et al, 1987). The graphic
organizer is completed with the help of the teacher before students write their C.E.R.
paragraph. The graphic organizer serves to outline and clarify the students points of
evidence and reasoning which will then be presented in the form of a written
paragraph.
d) An “Anchor” phenomena is used as the Engagement for the lesson. This is supported
by the Anchored Instruction Theory as a way to frame student thinking toward the
Enduring Understanding for the entire lesson (Bransford, et al, 1990). Group
discussion about the text are accompanied by visuals and diagrams while the teacher
paraphrases/defines/explains important words/concepts (Tomlinson, 1999). Graphic
organizers are provided to scaffold student note-taking and paragraph writing
preparation (Collins, et al, 1987). The vocabulary is “Chunked” according to the
Information Processing Theory (Miller, 1956). Each group teaches the class their
word, accessing the highest level of Blooms Taxonomy of Learning (Bloom, 1956).
Students are provided with the rubric that will be used to score their final written
C.E.R. paragraph to provide them with guidance and goal. Teacher exercises
classroom management techniques to create and maintain an effective learning
environment (Villa, et al, 2010).
e) A rubric will be given to the students before they being writing their C.E.R.
paragraph. This is an IB school, so the rubric is based off of an IB rubric. The
students will provided with the rubric before they begin brainstorming on their
graphic organizer. The teacher will give a short talk about how students can use the
rubric to craft a good C.E.R. paragraph. The talk will be less than 10 minutes to
optimize student attention according to the Information Processing Theory (Miller,
1956). The teacher explains how students can achieve a higher-level score in order to
gives students structure and provide a goal to work towards (Collins, et al, 1987). The
rubric is attached to the document that students write their final C.E.R. paragraph on.
They are instructed to peer-review and self-assess on the rubric which will be turned
in with the final product.

2. STUDENT WITH A SPECIAL NEED

Chris is has Autism. He is highly functional, bright, and social. According to
Garner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Chris is a very visual and auditory learner
(Gardner, 2006). An aide comes to class with Chris to help keep him focused. Chris
receives preferential seating according to his IEP. His is sat to be: a) near his aide, and b)
next to students that will help keep him focused and who can help clarify his
misconceptions. In the vocabulary group work, Chris is assigned the visual
representation portion of the poster along with another student to work as his partner
(Tomlinson, 1999). Chris is capable of using both the Vocabulary Graphic organizer and
the C.E.R. Graphic organizer. Chris has trouble writing coherently and tends to produce
stream-of-thought writing that is unfocused, so he will be provided with a table of
sentence starters for each section of the C.E.R. to help guide his writing (Collins, et al,
1987). During the C.E.R. writing portion of the lesson, the teacher will confer with Chris
and the aide to ensure that he is understanding the Rubric and is able to use it to guide his
writing. This is also time to check in on his understanding in accordance with his IEP.
Chris is capable of peer review and is expected to give good feedback to his peers. Chris
is given extra time to complete his writing in accordance with his IEP.

3. ENGLISH LEARNER
Josephine is re-designated English Learner. From teacher observations of Josephine’s
performance she needs further practice with reading comprehension and speaking. Extra
supports will be enacted for Josephine to show improvement from the initial writing pre-
test to her final C.E.R. paragraph. Josephine is a visual learner (Gardner, 2006), so the
pictures/diagrams in the reading are helpful (Tomlinson, 1999). During the group reading
of the text the teacher frequently points to the section of reading the class is at. The
teacher will call on Josephine to read a short paragraph out-loud to provide her
opportunities to practice speaking in English (Krashen, 1981). During the vocabulary
activity teacher will assign Josephine to work with the person finding the definition of
their assigned word. Josephine’s task will be to put the definition into “student friendly”
terms, providing her with practice with reading comprehension. Josephine is provided
with the C.E.R. sentence starter table to aid in her writing. The rubric is provided and the
teacher should take the time to check with Josephine during the independent writing
portion of the lesson to ensure her understanding. This way Josephine will be ready for
the peer-review and self assessment.

4. STUDENT OF YOUR CHOICE

Addison is a top-performer in the class. Last semester she earned a grade of 7, the
highest that one can earn as a final grade at this IB school. Addison stays focused and
works hard and often finishes her work before the rest of the class. The same supports
are given to Addison: the Graphic organizer’s and the rubric all help Addison Graphic
organizer above and beyond to achieve the 7-8 score on the grading rubric. The average
scores are 4-5, while students who go beyond and begin to think critically about the topic
can achieve the higher level scores. In this way IB scoring provides students like
Addison opportunities to think outside the box and grow as a student and person beyond
the parameters set in the class. To support Addison in this lesson, she is provided with
work she can do when she has finished earlier than the rest of the class. Addison and any
other students that finish early can go onto Google Classroom and begin working on their
project organizer which is the culminating project for the unit. During the Engage
portion of the lesson, the class works on answering questions in their comp books. The
questions are displayed on the SMART board. During this activity, students are quietly
writing their thoughts after a discussion of each question. For those students that have
finished writing before the rest of the class (such as students like Addison), the teacher
will display the next question the SMART board. This allows those students to read and
begin thinking about the next question before they begin to discuss, and they will not be
left sitting with nothing to do (Tomlinson, 1999). Lastly, Addison is sat at a heterogenous
group where she can elevate certain students that need more focus, and with 1-2 students
who she can engage in higher-level thinking conversations with. Addison is sat next to
Chris and is partnered with him during the group activities. She is very patient and has
shown to work well with him in the past. Furthermore, Addison participates in peer
reviews of more than 1 student work.
Materials

1) Pre-Writing Prompt:

Name: ______________________________ Period: _____________

Task 2: Uneven Distribution of Resources

Are all resources distributed evenly throughout the world? What evidence
supports this? Why or why not.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

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2) Accessible Text: (Example of resource 1)

Station 1 – Coal (Energy Resource)

Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel we have today,

which can be burned for energy or heat.

Coal was created 300 to 400 million years ago during the
Carboniferous period, which had a generally warm and
humid climate. Plants in the tropical swamp forests of
Europe and North America died and became buried and
compressed in sediments to form coal.

Locations, such as today’s

Appalachian Mountain region,
that supported these
Carboniferous swamp forests
have more of the unevenly
distributed coal. Areas without
coal either did not have these
tropical swamp forests 300-400
million years ago or the rocks
have been eroded away.

While coal is one of the more abundant fossil fuels, we are still in danger of running out because it
takes a long time to make coal. More importantly, extracting coal (taking out from the Earth) and
burning coal leads to many negative environmental impacts, such as habitat loss from
mountaintop removal, air pollution, and water pollution.

Sources:
● http://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/pluginfile.php/66232/mod_oucontent/oucontent/4
60/ab23d665/6f74db2a/s278_3_f034hi.jpg
● https://c03.apogee.net/contentplayer/?coursetype=kids&utilityid=pseg&id=16200
● https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-to-do-about-coal-2006/
● Draft CA Science Framework – Chapter 5B: Preferred Integrated Grades 6-8, NGSS

Station 2 – Metal Ores (Mineral Resource)

3) Vocabulary Graphic Organizer:

Seventh Grade Science Unit 2: Earth’s Resources and Ecosystems

Task 2: Uneven Distribution of Resources

Name:__________________________ Per:______ 
 
Natural Resources Vocabulary 
 
Vocabulary Word:  Definition:  Other Notes: 
 
Resource 
 
 
Energy 
 
 
Coal 
 
 
Distribution 
 
 
Pollution 
 
 
Metal Ore 
 
 
Extraction 
 
 
Groundwater 
 
4) C.E.R. Graphic Organizer:

Seventh Grade Science Unit 2: Earth’s Resources and Ecosystems

Task 2: Uneven Distribution of Resources

Constructing explanations:​ Are all resources distributed evenly throughout the 

world? Why or why not? Use evidence from the reading and vocabulary, and ​Cause 
and Effect​ reasoning to justify your response.  
Claim: 

Evidence 

Coal  Metal Ore  Groundwater 

Reasoning 

Coal  Metal Ore  Groundwater 

 
5) Sentence Starters:

C.E.R. Sentence Starters: Natural Resources 

 

 
Natural resources are/are not __________________ 
Claim  _________________________________________________ Answer the question 
. 
 
 
There are many different sources of evidence, 
such as… 
First, we find ______ in the location of _____… 
Evidence  One piece of evidence is…  Facts/Observation 
Similarly, ______ evidence shows that ____ is only 
found ____... 
For example… 
 
 
Lastly, _____ evidence suggests that… 
All of these pieces of evidence show that…  Explain the why/how the 
Reasoning 
This evidence suggests that …  Evidence occurred. 
This is possible because… 
 
 6) IB Rubric:

The student does not reach a standard  The student does not reach a standard 
0 
indicated by any of the descriptors below  indicated by any of the descriptors below 

The student is able to:  

- Apply​ information to make 
The student is able to:  
judgements​ about the distribution 
1-2   
of Earth’s natural resources. 
iii. ​apply​ information to make ​judgments​. 

The student is able to:  

The student is able to:   - apply​ information 
  - Argue ​scientifically supported 
3-4 
iii. ​apply​ information to make  judgments​ about the distribution 
scientifically supported judgments​.  of Earth’s natural resources. 

The student is able to:  

- Interpret​ information 
- Justify an argument using 
The student is able to:  
evidence ​or​ background 
 
5-6  knowledge to  
iii. ​interpret​ information to make 
- Make ​scientifically supported 
scientifically supported judgments​. 
judgments ​to explain the 
distribution of Earth’s natural 
resources. 

The student is able to:  

- analyze​ information  
The student is able to:   - justify an argument using evidence 
  and​ background knowledge  
7-8 
iii. ​analyze​ information to make  - Make ​scientifically supported 
scientifically supported judgments.  judgements​ to explain the 
distribution of Earth’s natural 
resources.