Indiana Wesleyan University

Elementary Education Lesson Plan

Stephanie Winslow

Lesson Rationale
- This lesson is important for the students as they build a foundational understanding of the
Earth to build upon when learning about topics later, such as: Earthquakes, volcanos, etc.
Readiness
I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal:
1. Students will identify the three different layers of Earth.
B. Objectives:
1. After completing this lesson, students will create a model of the Earth and
identify each component of the model as a separate layer.
2. After completing this lesson, students will be able to identify key features
of each layer of the Earth.
C. Standard:
1. 4.ESS.3 – Describe how geological forces change the shape of land
suddenly and over time.

II. Management
Materials:
 Student science journals
 Anchor charts
 One marble per student
 1 golf ball-sized amount of dough
 1 tablespoon of soil/sand
 Plastic knife
 Doc camera
 Oreos
 M&Ms
 Tootsie Pop
Time per element:
 Anticipatory Set – 3-5 minutes
 Instruction – 5-7 minutes
 Model - 10-12 minutes
 Clean up – 5 minutes
 Journal time – 5 minutes
 Closure – 5 minutes
Space:
 Anticipatory set will be at carpet
 Beginning of instruction will be at carpet
 Before modeling, I will send students back to their desks (where they will remain
for the rest of science)
Behavior:
  students will be expected to be fully participating in discussions, as well as the
individual work time. Students should be engaged in discussions which assist
learning for this lesson. I will reward Giant Tickets for students who remain
on task and show diligence in their work.
Groups: usual groupings for science (desk cluster groups)

III. Anticipatory Set:

 I will have a tootsi pop. Students will be on the carpet, and I will say, “I’ve been trying to
lick this tootsipop for a long time, to get to the middle of it. But I can’t seem to get there.
Has anyone ever gotten to the center of a tootsipop before? Without biting it?” Allow
students to answer.
 What other things have layers that you might try to get to the center of?

IV. Purpose Statement: “Today we are going to learn about the layers of the Earth, so you can
begin to learn about how the Earth is created and how that impacts us as we live on it.”

Plan for Instruction

V. Adaptation to Diverse Students

 J, B and B will be at the back table during the modeling and exploring portion of the
lesson. They will also be assisted when writing in their journals

VI. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

 Inquiry Question: What do you think you would find if you started digging in the Earth,
and kept digging?
 I will ask the students different adjectives they might use to describe the Earth. We will
brainstorm different terms, which I will write on the poster/anchor chart sheet.
o The Earth is round… has water and land… has mountaints, is made of different
layers)
 If students do not suggest that the Earth is made of different layers, I will pose the
question, “How many layers do you think the Earth has?”
 I will have an anchor chart created to display the layers of the Earth. (The layers will not
be labeled, we will do that together)
 I will ask if anyone knows what layers make up the Earth (core, mantle, crust). I will
show where each layer lies and what it is called by drawing arrows to the specific layer
on the anchor chart. When we label each layer, I will go into detail about key features of
the layer. I will write the temperature of each layer on the anchor chart, next to the name
of the layer, as we go through and discover information about the layers.
o The crust is the outer layer of the Earth. This is where we live, as well as all other
living things. The crust is made up of continental crust and oceanic crust. Just
from those names, which part of the crust do you think we live on? (The
continental crust) The temperature of the crust is made so that living things can
live on it, so is usually about 72 degrees fahrenheit.
o The next layer inside of the Earth is called the mantle. Do you think the layer of
the mantle is hot or cold? It is really hot! The mantel can reach up to 5,432
 degrees Fahrenheit! That is 75 times as hot as the crust! The mantle is 1,796 miles
below Earth’s surface… you would have to dig for a long time to reach that layer!
o The middle layer of the Earth is called the core! We’ve finally reached it. Now,
based off what we have learned about the other layers, what do you think some
facts could be about the core of the Earth. Do you think it is hot or cold? (allow
students to answer) It is very hot. The core of the Earth can get up to 10,832
degrees Fahrenheit! That is 150 times as hot as the crust of the Earth (where we
live). How far below Earth’s surface do you think the core is located? We said the
mantle was 1,796 miles from Earth’s surface. (Allow students to answer) The core
is 3,959 miles from Earth’s surface! In addition, the core is 1,553 miles wide. That
s about 23,000 football fields wide!
 After we have discussed the various layers of the Earth, I will have students head to their
desk cluster.
 So today, we are going to build a model of the earth using three materials. A marble,
some dough, and sand. I want everyone to think about which of these materials would be
the core of the Earth. I will call on students to tell me which is the core – the marble. Yes,
the core of our model will be the marble. So what layer of the Earth surrounds the core? I
will allow students to think, then call on someone who is raising their hand - the mantle.
Yes, the mantle is the next layer of the Earth. So, should I use the dough, or sand to cover
the marble as the mantle? The dough. Now we have two layers of the Earth constructed.
Who can remind me of the third layer of Earth? The crust. Yes, and we only have one
material left to use as the crust – the sand! You all will make your own model of the
Earth, just as we did now! Mrs. Veatch and I are going to pass out all the materials you
need. When everyone has their materials, you may start building your model!
 I will walk around during this time, to help students if they forgot what order to use, and
ask students if they can recall what the name of each layer is as they are creating their
model.
 Once most students have had time to complete their model, I will go back to the front of
the room to my model. I will use a plastic knofe to cut out a triangular area around the
marble to show all three layers of the Earth. I will display my model on the document
camera, projected on the board so all students can see.
 I will get the attention of all of the students. I will show them what I did, and how we can
now clearly see all three layers of the Earth. I will again call on three people to name
each layer of the Earth.
 Now, what I want you to do is get your science journal open to a new page. On this page,
I want you to make a drawing of this model with the triangle cut out so you can see all
three layers, and I want you to label each layer in your notebook. Then, I want you to
answer the question I asked you at the beginning of the lesson: what would you find if
you started digging in the ground… and just kept digging? If we finish this in time, I have
a fun video and snack for all of you! So, if I were you, I would want to work diligently on
this.
 If students finish their science jounrals, I will pass out an oreo with an M&M on top to
demonstrate the three layers of the Earth. I will ask students if they know what the M&M
represents, what the cream of the Oreo represents, and what the cookie represents. while
we watch the following clip: https://youtu.be/zocutif0cQY
  At the end of the clip, we will review the layers of the Earth, the students will grab their
science journals, and head back to Miss R’s room

VII. Check for Understanding

 Asking students about the different layers of the Earth throughout the lesson: with the
anchor chart, with the model, and after building the model

VIII. Review Learning Outcomes/Closure

 Asking students after the video once more for the three layers of the Earth, and their
names

Plan for Assessment

 Formative – observing student answers to the layers of the Earth. T he repeated question
of what are the three layers of the Earth (core, mantle, crust). This idea is reinforced
many times throughout the lesson.
 Formative – science journals of drawing of the model and labeling each layer of the
Earth.

Reflection and Post-Lesson Analysis

1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all my students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
7. How could I strengthen my anticipatory set?
8. How could I pre-correct behavior better?
9. How could I make my lesson delivery clearer?
10. Were there enough activities/learning experiences planned for the time of science?
11. Were students able to follow my model?
 This chart, but without the inner/outer
core. Just define the core.