Name: Kaitlyn Forte

Class: ELED 3221-090

Date: 3/5/17

edTPA Indirect Instruction Lesson Plan Template

Landslides

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Central Focus/Big Idea: How can we reduce the risk of a landslide occurring?

Subject of this lesson: Landslides

Grade Level: 4th

NC Essential Standard(s): 4.E.2.3: Give examples of how the surface of the earth changes due
to slow processes such as erosion and weathering, and rapid processes such as landslides,
volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.

Next Generation Science Standard(s): ESS3.B: Natural Hazards. A variety of hazards result
from natural processes (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions). Humans cannot
eliminate the hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts.

21st Century Skills:

Collaboration: Students will work in groups to create their hill that they will perform the activity
on and they will work together on their worksheet.
Critical thinking: Students will need to use their observations to form a hypothesis on how to
reduce the risk of a landslide occurring.
Creativity: Students will create a public service announcement and will be provided markers and
poster board to create a visual.

Academic Language Demand

Language Function: Students will analyze ways to protect a house from a landslide.

Analyze Argue Categorize Compare/contras Describe Explain

t
Interpret Predict Question Retell Summarize

Scientific Vocabulary: Hypothesis, observation, gravity, earthquake, landslide

Instructional Objective: Students will investigate landslides. They will observe a landslide
video and then engage in an activity to further deepen their understanding.
Prior Knowledge (student): The students should know that there are both fast and slow
processes that changes the surface of the earth.

Content Knowledge (teacher):

A landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope due to
gravity. The materials may move by falling, toppling, sliding, spreading, or flowing.

What causes a landslide?

Almost every landslide has multiple causes. Slope movement occurs when forces acting down-slope
(mainly due to gravity) exceed the strength of the earth materials that compose the slope. Landslides can
be triggered by rainfall, snowmelt, changes in water level, stream erosion, changes in ground water,
earthquakes, volcanic activity, disturbance by human activities, or any combination of these factors.

How fast do landslides travel?

Landslides can move slowly, or can move quickly and disastrously, as is the case with debris flows.
Debris flows can travel down a hillside at speeds up to 200 miles per hour depending on the slope angle,
water content, volume of debris, and type of earth and debris in the flow. These flows are initiated by
heavy periods of rainfall, but sometimes can happen as a result of short bursts of concentrated rainfall or
other factors in susceptible areas. Burned areas charred by wildfires are particularly susceptible to debris
flows, given certain soil characteristics and slope conditions.

Who is most at risk for landslides?

As people move into new areas of hilly or mountainous terrain, it is important to understand the nature of
their potential exposure to landslide hazards, and how cities, towns, and counties can plan for land-use,
engineering of new construction and infrastructure, and other measures which will reduce the costs of
living with landslides. Although the physical causes of many landslides cannot be removed, geologic
investigations, good engineering practices, and effective enforcement of land-use management regulations
can reduce landslide hazards.

Do human activities cause landslides?

Yes, in some cases human activities can be a contributing factor in causing landslides. Many human-
caused landslides can be avoided or mitigated. They are commonly a result of building roads and
structures without adequate grading of slopes, of poorly planned alteration of drainage patterns, and of
disturbing old landslides.

Where do landslides occur?

Landslides in the United States occur in all 50 States. The primary regions of landslide occurrence and
potential are the coastal and mountainous areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, the States
comprising the intermountain west, and the mountainous and hilly regions of the Eastern United States.
Alaska and Hawaii also experience all types of landslides.

Accommodations for special need: Groups will be made up of mixed ability level. Pair up
students with any special needs with a buddy they work well with in the class that is on grade
level. Allow those who need additional support to fill out a lab worksheet with a partner.
Materials and Technology requirements:
Worksheets
Aluminum pans
Sand
Cups
Model houses
Paper
Collection of grass, pebbles and sticks
Poster paper
Markers
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/101-videos/landslides?source=relatedvideo

Total Estimated Time: 60 minutes

Source of lesson: McGraw Hill Education (activity)

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/?page_id=1326 (questions)

Safety considerations: Students may get sand in their eyes if they are not careful. Go over rules
before handing out materials for the activity. Provide safety glasses to those who need them.
 Content and Strategies (Procedure)

In your procedure, be sure to include all of the following 5 Es. Your procedure should be
detailed enough for a colleague to follow. If you will be relying on technology (e.g., a YouTube
video), describe your back up plan thoroughly. Imagine your most novice colleague needing to
teach from your plan. Dont just answer the questions. Additionally, I expect you to include
possible questions you could ask for each section. This needs to include higher-order questions.

Engage:
What is a landslide? Have students turn and talk with a partner.

As a class, we will watch a short video from national geographic about landslides.
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/101-videos/landslides?source=relatedvideo

If the video does not work, make a KWL chart with students to find out what they already know
about landslides and what they want to know about landslides. What does the class already know
about landslides and what do they want to know/learn about landslides?

Explore:

Students will create their own house on a hill to observe a landslide. They will have to follow the
directions on the worksheet to do so. After they make their observations, they will have to form
and test a hypothesis on how to reduce the risk of a landslide occurring. After they form and test
their hypothesis, they will answer the questions through question 11.

While they are working, the teacher should walk around to help with any problems students
have. Make sure they understand what they are working on by asking questions.

What is a hypothesis?

What hypothesis did you develop to test?

Explanation:
Bring class back together to review what they just did.

What is a landslide?
What did you observe happened when you poured water on the hill but did not shake the pan?
What did you observe happened when you poured water on the hill and did shake the pan?
Did anybody form a hypothesis that was proven true after testing it?
What were some ways you came up with to reduce the risk of a landslide? Did it work?
Discuss possible causes of landslides. Provide some examples of areas that have experienced
either recent or frequent landslides.

Debate whether landslide areas should be developed. What should be done for areas already
developed that could help people survive a potential landslide?

Gravity Definition: The force of attraction exerted by a celestial body on objects at its surface;
the force that pulls material on the Earths surface toward the center of the Earth.
Context: Due to the force of gravity, material will always flow down a slope.
Elaborate:

On the bottom of the worksheet is an activity called Communicate Your Results. Students will
complete this activity in their small groups. They will be given poster paper to create a visual for
this portion.

What can we do to reduce the risk of a landslide?

Evaluate:
Students will be evaluated based off of their completed worksheet from the engage portion and the public
service announcement they created in groups. Worksheet will be graded for completeness and public
service announcement will be graded for creativity and inclusiveness for what they learned.

To be completed after the lesson is taught as appropriate

Assessment Results of all objectives/skills:

Reflection on lesson:

CT signature/confirmation: _________________________________ Date: ________________