Lesson Plan – Rigor
Teacher: Ms. Guy
Subject & Grade: Applied Science- 9th Grade
Lesson Date: March 14, 2019
OBJECTIVE(S)/STANDARD(S)
What will your students be able to do?
Reference Common Core or your state’s
standards, as applicable.
OA6.1
- Understand how humans can have
positive and negative effects on the
environment.
OA6.1.1
- Explain how humans can have a
positive impact on natural resources.
OA6.1.2
- Explain the effects of pollution on the
earth, air and waterways and what can be
done at the individual, family and
community level to reduce pollution.
PREREQUISITE SKILLS
What will your students need to know to master
the grade-level objective?
Environmental Impact and human cause of
pollution
EPA – what it stands for, what it does, why it’s
important
Natural Resources
Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Energy
Pollution
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Lesson Plan Template
Revised July 2018
CONNECTION TO ACHIEVEMENT GOAL(S)
How does the objective connect to the goal(s) you
have for your students this year?
I can understand the impact that an
individual has on the environment
I can understand how I can encourage
others to make changes that will
positively impact the world around them
I can understand how environmental
issues directly impact my community and
why it is important to advocate for change Commented [KG1]: Students are engaged in content as it
relates to their daily, personal lives. We were out of school
for more than two weeks due to Hurricane Florence this
past year, which had a significant impact on our academic
lives. However, more so it had a detrimental impact on
students’ personal lives as many lost power, had flood
damage, and were even temporarily displaced due to the
storm. This is a systemic injustice, in that Kinston, being a
poorer and predominantly black neighborhood is faced with
the issues of flooding and flood zones at a higher rate than
DIAGNOSTIC those in wealthier, predominantly white towns would likely
How will you assess students’ mastery of these face (Mason, 2013).
foundational skills?
Menti Survey on what words come to mind when
students here Environmental Protection Agency
Students will be able to see a word map of words
commonly associated with EPA, they will see
what they know about EPA before the lesson
Then, at the end of the lesson they will complete a
reflection to determine what they have learned
1
 ASSESSMENT
How will you know whether your students have made progress toward the objective? How and when
will you assess mastery?

EPA Letter

Rubric is attached. Template is attached. Letter Topics attached.

This letter will task students with writing about an issue of their selection, based on their informational
guides that they created in a previous lesson. Commented [KG2]: This also includes important and
relevant information regarding advocacy and how an issue
They will address this letter to a North Carolina Governor n in order to be able to see the impact that can impact a group, community or larger context. Students
they can have when advocating for an issue of importance to them. learned how to advocate for those in their community and
even across the state in composing their letters to Governor
This letter will address key facts and issues regarding the Environmental Protection Agency. Cooper of North Carolina. This also encourages civic
responsibility and citizenship in our high school students, as
The letter will also include information about the timeliness and direct relevance of this issue due to the well (McKoy, 2016).
environmental concerns in our community. Hurricane Florence impacted our community this past year, Commented [KG3]: Students demonstrated their
which had detrimental results due to the subsequent flooding. Homes in Kinston were especially prone knowledge from our environmental impact unit, as well as
to flooding, as there are systemic injustices such that poorer neighborhoods are at a higher risk of our studies specifically on the Environmental Protection
flooding during storms and being in the flood zone. Agency in a rigorous, engaging, meaningful and relevant
matter with their advocacy EPA letters (Hart, Natale & Starr,
2010).

KEY POINTS
Key points are student-facing statements that include important content students need to know to be
successful in the lesson. What three to five key points will you emphasize?

The main points that will be emphasized in this lesson include:

1) The students’ individual impacts on the environment, including their carbon footprint

2) What global warming is and how humans contribute to it

3) The differences between air, land and water pollution

4) Ways to diminish the carbon footprint and improve positive impact on the environment

What the Environmental Protection Agency is, and ways that students can inform peers, family
members, and community members about its mission and their own impacts on the environment Commented [KG4]: This letter-writing project ensures that
students can share their knowledge with others, make
informed decisions going forward regarding environmental
protection, and apply their learning in meaningful ways. This
project serves to ensure that students can demonstrate
their understanding of the Environmental Protection
Agency, what it does and why it is important while
simultaneously giving students a hands-on learning
experience that is both timely and relevant (Jenkins, 2018).

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Lesson Plan Template
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 OPENING/HOOK (__ min.) MATERIALS
How will you communicate what is about to happen?
How will you communicate how it will happen?
How will you communicate its importance?
How will you communicate connections to previous lessons?
How will you engage students and capture their interest?

- Menti on EPA 5 minutes

Laptops
Students will be tasked with completing a word map on Menti.com

This website allows students to determine which words come to mind when they
see: Environmental Protection Agency

This will be a quick opening activity that allows me to determine what background
knowledge students have coming into the lesson

INTRODUCTION OF NEW MATERIAL (__ min.) MATERIALS

What key points will you emphasize and reiterate?
How will you ensure that students actively take in information?
Which potential misunderstandings will you anticipate?
Why will students be engaged/interested?

- Nearpod on EPA 15 minutes

This nearpod will feature virtual tours to glaciers and landscapes impacted by Laptops
climate change

Background information on the Environmental Protection Agency and how this can
impact climate change

What are ways that we can reduce the negative impact on the environment and
increase our positive impact?

Johns Hopkins University School of Education

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 GUIDED PRACTICE (__ min.) MATERIALS
How will you ensure that all students have multiple opportunities to practice?
How will you scaffold practice exercises from easy to hard?
Why will students be engaged/interested?
How will you monitor and correct student performance?
How will you clearly state and model behavioral expectations?

WebQuest: EPA Research

30 minutes
- Newsela
- Readworks
- EdPuzzle Articles on
google
In stations students will complete individual research that will support their EPA classroom
letters.
Edpuzzle
NewsELA: an article on environmental impact
Laptop
Readworks: an article with comprehension questions concerning environmental
justice

Edpuzzle: a short video with questions regarding climate change and the
contributions of the EPA Commented [KG5]: The engaging content and stations
where students can complete their research at their own
pace serves to differentiate instruction, as well as challenge
students to gather high-quality research to aid them in the
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE (__ min.) MATERIALS
composition of their letters (Mason, 2013).
In what ways will students attempt to demonstrate independent mastery of the
objective?
Why will students be engaged/interested?
How will you provide opportunities for extension?
How will you clearly state and model behavioral expectations?

EPA Letters: 45 minutes

Students will compose a rough draft of their EPA letter, following the rubric, the
sample letter provided to them, and the template of what is needed in the letter
Students will begin the revision/ editing process on google docs. They will be able
to share this with their peers for peer editing
Final copies will be reviewed and mailed by the teacher
Rubric, laptop,
template,
sample letter
Commented [KG6]: These skills are immediately
transferrable, as students will need to continue to
demonstrate proficiency in crafting, editing and revising
compositions they create in school. Furthermore, this
project also has real-world applications in that it allows
students to peer edit, as well as show their knowledge of
our environmental impact and energy units (Varghese,
2013).

Johns Hopkins University School of Education

Lesson Plan Template
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 CLOSING (__ min.) MATERIALS
How will students summarize what they learned?
How will students be asked to state the significance of what they learned?
How will you provide all students with opportunities to demonstrate mastery of (or
progress toward) the objective?
Why will students be engaged/interested?

Exit Ticket: 5 minutes

Students will complete an exit ticket with guiding reflection questions about the EPA Exit ticket on
google forms,
They will answer what they have learned, as well as what could be done differently posted in their
in teaching this content to support their learning in the future? google
classroom

Laptops

DIFFERENTIATION MATERIALS
How will you vary your approach to make information accessible to all students?

OCS students will submit their letters on noredink to ensure that they are grammar Laptops
free
Noredink.com
Furthermore, a template for the EPA letter will be distribute so that students have a
model to follow as they compose their letters

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Lesson Plan Template
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 Handouts & Resources

Please include copies of any handouts, student worksheets, or other resources.

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Lesson Plan Template
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 EPA Letter Rubric
OCS Applied Science
Skill 1 2 3 4 Total Points
Little or no Letter lacks two Follows most Follows proper
Letter Format attention paid to or more key format guidelines letter format
format format elements but has one or guidelines
instructions. and/or drafts, two inaccurate precisely with
has little elements. Pre- heading,
presentation writing, draft is greeting, body,
value. handed in. closing.

Letter lacks Letter lacks one Letter contains all Letter contains
Content specific key information key information all key
examples and is category, needs categories and is information
missing key development generally categories, each
elements of through specific supported with supported with
required details. specific details. specific and
information. engaging
details.
No sense or Organization is Letter generally Letter has
Organization organization is hard to follow at follows required smooth
evident. times, little organizational transition
transition format but needs between all key
between ideas. better transition elements.
between ideas.

Meaning is Sentences Most sentences Letter contains

Sentence Structure seriously reflect little present good sentence
impacted by variety, and information variety. All
unclear meaning is often clearly. There is sentences have
sentences. unclear. some evidence of clear and correct
sentence variety. structure.

Frequent error in Several errors in Letter has No errors.

Mechanics/Usage/ mechanics, mechanics, generally "clean"
Spelling usage, and usage, and mechanics, ______
spelling make spelling seriously usage, and
writing difficult to impact paper's spelling, but may
understand. effectiveness. contain a few
mistakes.

Total Points _______/ 20

Comments:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Dear Representative _________________,

Student Advocacy Letter - Sample

I am a ________________ student at Kinston High School, in Kinston, North Carolina. I’m currently
enrolled in Occupational Course of Study (OCS) Applied Science. In this class we have been studying
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________. This is important because
_____________________________________________.

One topic I have studied in OCS Applied Science is ______________________________. This topic means
____________________________________. I think this is an issue worth advocating for because
__________________________________________________________. ****CITE EVIDENCE from classwork and the
articles/edpuzzles we have completed ***

I ask you to support the ________________ (issue) because it has an impact on ________________. Suggest
one key way to help advocate for this issue (for example: use less water for water conservation or
pick up trash to reduce land pollution). This will have an impact not only on my community, but
across the state, nation and even the globe.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

________________

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Lesson Plan Template
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 References

Hart, P., Natale, L. and Starr, C. (2010). Recognizing rigorous and engaging teaching and

learning. Teach for Learning LLC. Retrieved from

http://billmcbride.pbworks.com/f/Recognizing+Rigorous+and+Engaging+Teaching

+and+Learning.doc

Mason, C. (2013, May). Realizing rigor at your school. National A Similar to what Mason

references in his work, classroom culture plays an active role in rigorous content (2013).

association of Elementary School Principals, 36(9). Retrieved from

http://www.naesp.org/communicator-may-2013/realizing-rigor-your-school

Jenkins, T. (2018, July 26). Build a Wind Turbine. Retrieved from

https://www.teachingchannel.org/video/build-wind-turbine

Teach For America Teacher Resources, Ashieda McKoy (2016). Retrieved March 10, 2019,

from https://teachresources.teachforamerica.org/resource/ashieda-mckoy

Teach For America Teacher Resources, Sheena Varghese (2013). Retrieved March 04, 2019,

from https://teacherresources.teachforamerica.org/resource/sheena-varghese

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Lesson Plan Template
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