Lesson plan Grade 2 Science
Ferncross Creek After the Storm: Fast and Slow Land Changes
Grade 2 students weigh two records from the town of Ferncross and sort creek events into changes that happen in a day and changes that take many years.
Objectives
- Students will sort creek events into fast changes and slow changes using evidence from two written and drawn sources.
- Students will write an informative paragraph naming one fast change and one slow change at a creek.
Vocabulary
Key words: fast change, slow change, sandbar, bank, evidence
Teacher overview
The town of Ferncross sits beside a creek that changes in two very different ways. During one summer storm, fast water pushed the sandbar at the swimming hole well past the big rock in a single afternoon, while the wide bend by the old mill took many years to curve into the shape it has now. The examples students meet most often, such as a river wearing down rock, are slow ones, so a class can settle into the idea that every change to land takes ages. This lesson supplies evidence for both speeds and asks students to sort events by how long each one took.
Procedure
Before class: Copy the student handout, one per student. Draw two labeled columns on the board or on chart paper, one headed "Fast: minutes, hours, or one day" and the other headed "Slow: many years."
Hook (5 min): Sketch two simple pictures of the same creek bend side by side on the board. In the first, draw a sandbar next to a large rock. In the second, draw the same rock with the sandbar moved past it. Tell students both pictures show the same spot in the town of Ferncross, one drawn before a summer storm and one drawn the next morning. Ask what looks different, and record two or three answers without confirming any of them.
Shared reading (10 min): Read the eight creek keeper's notes on the student handout aloud while students follow along. Pause after each note and ask students to hold up one finger if the note tells how long the change took. Every note names a length of time, so the point of the pause is to train students to look for that phrase before deciding anything else.
Guided sorting (12 min): Give each pair two index cards with note letters written on them. Pairs decide which column each note belongs in, then post their cards on the board and say one sentence explaining the choice. Correct placements as the class goes, and press for the time phrase whenever a pair explains a choice by talking about size instead of speed.
Independent work (10 min): Students complete questions 1 through 6 on the handout on their own. Circulate and watch for students who place note D in the fast column, which usually means they are picturing the rock breaking all at once rather than over the many years the note names.
Writing and closure (8 min): Students write four sentences on the back of the handout: one that introduces creek change as the topic, one that names a fast change from the sorting chart, one that names a slow change, and a closing sentence saying that a creek can change in both ways. Collect the handouts as an exit check. If fewer than three quarters of the class sorted all eight notes correctly, reread the notes in a small group the following morning before moving on.
Student Handout
The creek keeper in the town of Ferncross writes a note each time the creek changes. Here are eight of the notes. Read each one. Then answer the questions.
A. A summer storm pushed the sandbar past the big rock in one afternoon.
B. The creek bend by the old mill grew wider over many years.
C. Rain water cut a small groove in the dirt path in one hour.
D. A tree root split a rock by the bank over many years.
E. Mud from the hill slid into the creek in one night.
F. Small rocks in the creek turned smooth over many years.
G. High water knocked a fence post into the creek in one day.
H. The creek wore a low spot in the grassy field over many years.
- Which note tells about a change that took one afternoon?
- Did the change in note B take a short time or a long time?
- Write the letters of all the notes that show a fast change.
- Write the letters of all the notes that show a slow change.
- Note E took one night. Note F took many years. Which one is the fast change?
- Look at note C. Write one sentence that tells what the rain water did to the path.
From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.
Answer Key
- Answer: Note A. It is the only note that names one afternoon as the length of time.
- Answer: A long time. Note B says the bend grew wider over many years.
- Answer: A, C, E, and G. Each of these notes names an afternoon, an hour, a night, or one day.
- Answer: B, D, F, and H. Each of these notes says the change took many years.
- Answer: Note E. One night is much shorter than many years.
- Answer: Accept any sentence saying the rain water cut a groove in the dirt path, such as "The rain water cut a small groove in the path."
Differentiation
Support
Give these students four notes instead of eight, choosing A, B, C, and F so that the time phrases are as far apart as possible. Highlight the time phrase in each note before handing it over, and let them sort the physical cards into two trays rather than writing letters.
Extension
Ask students to write two new creek notes of their own, one fast and one slow, and trade with a partner to be sorted. Require that each new note name how long the change took, which forces the writer to supply the evidence a sorter needs.
ELL supports
Pre-teach "sandbar," "bank," and "groove" with quick board sketches labeled in both languages where possible. Provide two sentence frames for the closing write: "The creek can change fast. One fast change is ___." and "The creek can also change slowly. One slow change is ___."