Daily Lesson Plan (Template)

Name: Laken Cyrus Date: January 30, 2020

Subject: Science Topic: Rock Cycle and Weathering

Grade: 5th Length of Lesson: 30 – 40 minutes

The Big Idea: What is the rock cycle? What is weathering and erosion?
Domain: Science

Cluster: Earth’s Systems

Standard: S.5. GS. 8 - Students will develop a model using an example to describe ways the
geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.

Specific Objective: After discussion, lecture, video, and hands on, students will have a 80% -
90% understanding of the rock cycle and weathering.

Introduction: The teacher will have the students recall the water cycle and inform them that there is also a rock
cycle. The teacher will ask the students if they recall the three types of rocks from their ELA story from earlier
in the week.

Method(s):
 Lecture
 Discussion
 Video
 Hands on Activity

Materials/Equipment/Technology/Community Resources:
 Starburst
 Heating Packs
 Wax Paper
 Copies of the paper for the students
 Smartboard and Zoom camera
 Video

Depth of Knowledge:
Level 1: Memorize the three types of rocks
Level 2: Identify patterns you see with the rocks
Level 3: Compare the rocks
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Level 4: Apply concepts from the hands-on activity

Direct Instruction/Warm-Up Activity/Presentation/Model Lesson/Make Connections: The teacher will

lecture to the students about the rock cycle and weathering and erosion.

“The Rock cycle shows how rocks are formed and how they change. Rocks may all seem the same at first, but
they are different and complex. There are three main types of rocks. They are classified by how they are
formed. The rocks are Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock. The rock cycle shows how each type is
formed in a different way.”

“Igneous rocks are formed when magma, or molten rock that is deep within the earth, cools and hardens.

“Igneous rock turns into sediment. Does anyone know what sediment is? Sediment is loose pieces of rocks,
minerals, and living things.”

“Igneous rock turns into sediment with weathering and erosion. Weathering and erosion break apart the rocks.

“Weathering is the breakdown of the Earth’s surface. Weathering is like crushing hard candy into crumbs and
pieces. Weathering that breaks down rocks is either mechanical or chemical. Mechanical weathering is when
physical forces break down the rocks. For examples, ice and plants.”

“Ice is a form of mechanical weathering. Water goes into the cracks of rocks and freezes, which causes the
water to expand. When the frozen water expands, the cracks in the rocks are forced to widen. This continues to
occur and the rocks are pushed further apart. Plant roots can put pressure on a rock which causes the rock to
break apart.”

“Chemical weathering is when rocks are broken down by chemical reactions. (Think of how soda breaks down
your teeth’s enamel. An example of chemical weathering on rocks is though plant acid. Plant roots produce an
organic acid that can dissolve minerals in rocks.”

“Erosion is when the broken-down bits are moved to another location. When you build a sand castle and waves
wash it away, your sand castle is eroded by the waves. Erosion can occur through water, ice, and wind. Erosion
occurs naturally as a result of the movements of the wind, water, and ice. The ocean pounds the shore and
washes away the coastline. Glaciers melt and slide down the sides of the mountains while carrying away rock
and soil. The wind blows sand and soil from one place to another.”

“Hence Sedimentary rocks are the broken-down pieces of other rocks, sand, shells, and pebbles that are
compacted together to form sediment. Gradually the sediment forms layers and over a period of time the
sediment hardens into rock.” Sedimentary rock is fairly soft and can break apart or crumble easily.

“Metamorphic rocks are rocks that are formed when heat and pressure is applied. Metamorphic rocks are
formed under the surface of the earth from the change that occurs due to intense heat and pressure.

As the teacher explains the rocks, weathering, and erosion, the teacher will use hand motions and help the
students to make connection to the water cycle and what they have been studying.

Guided Practice: The teacher will do a hands-on project with the students using starburst. The teacher will pass
out zip lock bags with the student’s starburst in them and given them their starburst rock cycle paper. As the

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teacher is preparing the materials, the teacher will have the students watch the Flocabulary video about the rock
cycle. The students will take the quiz as a whole class on the smart board.

“So like I said earlier, the rock cycle shows how rocks are formed and how they change. The three main types
of rocks are igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary.

“Each of the rocks can change into the other kind. We will start this experiment talking about Igneous rocks.
We will use giant starburst.” The teacher will use the paper and starburst to help the students understand the
rock cycle.

Independent Practice: As students come up to use the heating pad to melt their starburst, the teacher will allow
the other students to complete the starburst worksheet and make sure everything is labeled.

Differentiation:(You need to address in your differentiation of the lesson how you will meet the needs of
the 3 Tiers. Be sure you are specific)

Tier 1 Learners: The teacher will walk around the room and make sure students are understanding and
doing their worksheet correctly. The teacher will talk to the students when they come up to the heating
pad. The teacher will ask questions and promote deeper thinking.
Tier 2 Learners: The teacher will use video, lecture, writing and drawing, and hands on activity to aid
auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and writing learner students.
Tier 3 Learners: The teacher will work one on one with the special education students and students
who are still misunderstanding. The teacher will work with them do the hands-on activity and video
again to aid them in understanding and reinforce the information and have more assistance.

Evaluation/Assessment: The teacher will use informal assessment through the worksheet, classroom
discussion, and Flocabulary quiz. The teacher will use formal assessment through a labeling quiz at a later time.

Wrap-Up (Lesson Closure) / Concluding Activity: The teacher will finish the lesson by having the students
clean their area and put away their starburst in their zip lock bag. The teacher will have the students put away
their paper to study. The teacher will challenge the students to tell someone about the rock cycle. The teacher
will tell the students to tell someone on the bus, a parent, another teacher, their pet, or anyone about the rock
cycle to help recall the information.

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Reflection:

I believe that this lesson allowed me to help tiered learners in the way of using different methods to help
students who are different types of learners. I feel that this lesson went very well and that all students were
engaged and motivated to learn more. I believe students used background knowledge in this lesson. This is one
of my favorite lessons that I taught during student teaching. I believe that my main weakness was not giving the
students a copy of the rock paper with the cycle to fill out to keep them occupied while I worked with students
at the heating pad. I also lost my voice this day and had to teach with a whisper and voice going out. Although
this was one of my weaknesses, I felt strength in not having my voice. I received a tremendous amount of
respect from the students. They listened intently and I had students step up to help me. This was my first hands-
on, out of their seats activity that I allowed them to do. The students did not become too loud and watched for
my signals to quiet down. I believe that this lesson was a strength due to aiding each type of learner and
implementing different ways to help the students learn and build on the rock cycle. I loved spending time re-
doing the lesson with a handful of students and having them feel that one-on-one. These students I struggled to
feel a connection with due to them leaving the room for a majority of the day. During this time, I was able to
build a connection and learn more how to aid them in the classroom. I also felt strength in this lesson by having
students work together. Students who quickly grasped the concept, helped those who were struggling. I hope
when teaching to implement this lesson again and make a few minor adjustments. I hope to have more lessons
that help a varied of learners and allow me to have more experience helping Tiered learners.