Inquiry Lesson Plan Template (with Four Ways of Thinking

connection)
Content & Title:
Teacher:
Grade Level:
Kali Renyer

Landfill Creation

Standards:
Next Generation Science Standards
3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes
specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

Arizona Common Core Standads

Science
Concept 1: Observations, Questions, and Hypotheses
Observe, ask questions, and make predictions.
PO 3. Formulate predictions in the realm of science based on observed cause and
effect relationships.
Concept 2: Scientific Testing (Investigating and Modeling)
Participate in planning and conducting investigations, and recording data.
PO 1. Demonstrate safe behavior and appropriate procedures (e.g., use and care of
technology, materials, organisms) in all science inquiry.
PO 5. Record data in an organized and appropriate format (e.g., t-chart, table, list,
written log).
Concept 1: Changes in Environments
Describe the interactions between human populations, natural hazards, and the
environment.
PO 1. Describe how natural events and human activities have positive and negative
impacts on environments (e.g., fire, floods, pollution, dams).
PO 2. Evaluate the consequences of environmental occurrences that happen either
rapidly (e.g., fire, flood, tornado) or over a long period of time (e.g., drought, melting
ice caps, the greenhouse effect, erosion).

Mathematics
4.NBT.B.4. Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the standard
algorithm.
Language Arts
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and
information clearly. (4.W.2)
a. Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections;
include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other
information and examples related to the topic.
c. Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another,
for example, also, because).
d. Use precise language and domainspecific vocabulary to inform about or explain the
topic.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation
presented.

ISTE Standards
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative

products and processes using technology.

a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

Objectives:

The student will be able to list parts of a landfill.

The students will be able to identify the purpose of the parts of a landfill.
The students will be able to design an original landfill using specific materials
based on the cost.
The students will be able to explain in their Engineer Report their engineering
design and desicisions for the design when building the landfill.

Evidence of Mastery:
Formative- The student will be formally assessed during the lesson by

answering questions on their note sheet as they are working on their landfill
creation.
Summative- The student will display mastery by writing a formative essay in
which they discuss their landfill, its parts, and why they chose to design their
landfill in that manner.

Sub-objectives:
The student will be able to subtract multi-digit numbers when buying their

landfill supplies.
The student will be able to write a informative and explanatory report to explain
their landfill design and their decisions when creating the landfill.
The student will be able to use precise language and domainspecific vocabulary
about landfills and its parts to explain their landfill design and structural
decisions.
The student will be able to construct knowledge using technology to explore the
parts of a landfill and their purpose.
The student will be able to demonstrate creative thinking and develop
innovative products and processes using technology by creating a Engineer
Report.

Lesson Summary and Justification:

The lesson is being taught because students need to understand why and how landfills
are made to understand the relationship and affects it is having on the environment.

Background Knowledge:

Students need to know what a landfill is and what is in a landfill. They also need to
know the different layers of a landfill and how it is made.

Misconception:

A misconception a student might have is that they do not understand that the creation
of a landfill is costly, and it is not just a hole in the Earth.

Process Skills:

One skill that is being introduced during the lesson is the engineering design process.
The students will use the five step engineering design process to create their building.

First Step- Ask (What is the problem?)

Second Step- Imagine (What are some possible solutions?)
Third Step- Plan (Draw a diagram)
Fourth Step- Create (Build the design)
Fifth Step- Improve (How the design improve?)

Four Ways of Thinking connection:

The lesson plan will be using strategic thinking by making the students design and
organize a plan to create the landfill. The lesson will also be using futures thinking
during the assessment part because they are going to be writing about their landfill
and how it would be an affective design to use in the future.
SYSTEMS THINKING
Systems thinking is the understanding of how systems and the dynamics of these
systems are connected within one another so that they can function.
STRATEGIC THINKING
Strategic Thinking is the ability to design and organize a plan in order to accomplish a
particular goal.
FUTURES THINKING
Futures thinking is understanding the world issues and then solutions that we
discovered in the past and how it affects the future, in which new concerns have
occurred because of our previous resolutions.

Safety:

Inform students that in a science lab or during science experiments, nothing should
ever be put into their mouths.

Inquiry Questions:

1. How can you create a landfill structure using cost effective materials?
2. Why is each layer of a landfill needed?

Key vocabulary:

Anthropogenic: Created by people or

caused by human activity.
Aquifer: An underground layer of permeable
rock, sand, gravel or soil that contains or
conducts groundwater. The pore spaces in
aquifers are filled with water and are
interconnected, so that water flows through
them. Source of water for springs and wells.
Geosynthetic: Human-made materials for
earth systems (such as landfills, dams,
roads and retaining walls).
Impermeable: A material characteristic that
does not allow a fluid (such as water) to
flow through it.
Landfill: An engineered site used to dispose
of garbage by burying it.
Leachate: Contaminated water that seeps
out of landfills. Often contains high amounts
of organic matter and toxic chemicals.

Materials:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Clear plastic tubwith about 1 inch

of sand in the bottom
Modeling Clay
Sand
Gravel
15 cotton balls
Monopoly houses and buildings

Liner System: The technical term for the

layers of materials (such as clay and
geosynthetics) that protect landfills from
erosion, and keep trash and leachate from
escaping from landfills.
Optimize: To make a system as good or
functional as possible.
Requirement: What a particular product,
system or service should do. A necessary
attribute, capability, characteristic, quality
or limitation. In engineering, sets of
requirements are inputs into the design
stages of product development.

Engage - In this section you should activate prior knowledge, hook

student attention, pose a question (IQ#1) based on your lesson
objective that students will seek to answer in Explore.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
The students will listen attentively
I will hook the students by showing
them a video of an overfilled landfill
and how it is affecting the
environment and human health.
I will then give a review presentation
of the layers and functions of a
landfill.
The students will be filling out their
note sheet during the presentation.
I will pose the question: How can you
create a landfill structure using cost
effective materials?

to the video.
The students will fill out their note
sheet during the presentation.
The students will begin to think
about how they can create a
landfill using cost effective
materials.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy

I used a presentation and a note sheet so the students could fill out during the
presentation so they could use it as a guide during the experiment.

Differentiation

I used a video to help students that struggle with the language, so that they can
get a visual instead of just a auditory lecture of the lesson.
I start the lesson with a low level of complexity to ensure all of the students
understand the topic and purpose for completing the objectives.

Teacher Notes

I will ask several times if there is any questions so that the students will fully
understand the topic before we make it more complex.
I will make sure the students are paying attention so that they can complete the
experiment self-sufficiently.

Explore - In this section students should take the lead and actively
use materials to discover information that will help them answer
the question posed in Engage. Teachers may choose to give steps to
follow, especially for younger students, but the goal is for students to

discover some or all of the sub-objectives of the lesson.

Teacher Will:

Students Will:

Experiment:
I will allow time for the students to
Divide the class into groups of
think about what it means to be cost
effective and what that means to
four students each. Hand out the
engineers.
Roles and Optimization
Worksheets.
I will lead a discussion where students
Assign each group member one of
can discuss their ideas and listen to
their peers.
four team roles by handing them a
sticky note with a number one
I will pose the question: How can you
through 4. I will tell them to
create a landfill structure using cost
indicate on their worksheets who
effective materials?
is responsible for each role.
I will show the students a model of
Project engineer: The project
the landfill I created.
engineer is the project leader. This
I will explain to the students what
person is in charge of final
strategic thinking is.
decisions. S/he listens to all of the
Strategic Thinking is the ability to
engineers and helps to decide the
design and organize a plan in order
best idea. S/he makes sure the
to accomplish a particular goal.
landfill gets built on schedule.
I will have the students write in their
Design engineer: The design
journal the definition of strategic
engineer plans how the landfill will
thinking.
work and look. This person is in
charge of picking materials and
I will then divide the students into
deciding how the landfill should be
groups and have them write out their
built. S/he works with the budget
plan and goal using strategic thinking.
office (when picking materials)
I will check the groups answer and if
and construction engineer (when
they have successfully used strategic
deciding how to build the landfill).
thinking I will give them the go ahead
Construction engineer: The
to create their landfill.
construction engineer builds the
landfill. This person gets the plans
about how to build the landfill
from the design engineer. If the
landfill design must be fixed, s/he
talks to the budget office about
getting more or different
materials.
Budget office: The budget office
makes sure that the project
spends the least amount of money
possible. This person helps the
design engineer pick materials.
S/he is in charge of filling out the
budget worksheet, doing the
calculations, and keeping track of
how much money has been spent.
You cannot go over budget!!
Introduce the project objectives to
the students: Each group must
design a landfill that 1) can hold

the most garbage, 2) minimizes

the cost, while making sure that,
3) the landfill is able to contain
the waste during a rainstorm
without allowing leachate to get to
the town. Explain to these
students that as they do this, just
like engineers, you will be
following the steps of the
engineering design process:
understand the need, brainstorm
different designs, select a design,
plan, create, test, analyze and
improve.
Hand out the budget worksheets
to the "budget office" student in
each group and talk with them
about the different materials.
Have the "design engineer"
students draw out his/her team's
landfill design and complete the
budget worksheet. If time permits,
have the "design engineer"
calculate the volume of the plastic
bin and compare this to the
volumes of materials (e.g., sand,
clay, etc) they are using. Note: 1
cup 15 in3.
Sign-off on the engineering landfill
designs and budget worksheets
for each group.
Have students bring both their
approved (signed) designs and
completed budgets to the "supply
shop" to get their supplies.

Have students construct the base

liner systems for their model
landfills. The goal is to keep water
from getting out of the landfill.
Therefore, materials such as clay
and geo-synthetics are good
choices, because water cannot
flow through them easily. Remind
the students to save some funds
to purchase materials to build
your top cap.

Fill the landfill with "garbage"

making sure not to let the food
coloring seep out into the area
around the landfill before

construction is completed. Count

how many cotton balls you put in.
Have the Project Engineer tell you
how many to put in.

Have students record the quantity

of garbage cotton balls that their
landfills can hold on the
worksheet.

Give students time to finish

constructing the top cap liner
systems for their landfills. The
purpose of the top cap is to keep
the rain out of the landfill.
Therefore, like the bottom linear
system, it should be made of
materials water cannot flow
through.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy

I showed a model to the students so that they would have a guide when creating
their own landfill.
I demonstrate how to build the structure and how to use the pieces for students
that may struggle with engineering and designing.
I continuously walk around the classroom to check for understanding and
answer answer questions the students may have during their experiment.
I allow an appropiate amount of time for all students to complete the
experiment.

Differentiation

I had the engineering design process worksheet already created for students
that struggle with remembering large amounts of new information. The students
just have to fill out the worksheet instead of creating it all on their own and risk
forgetting a step.
I had the students draw their design first as a reference for students that may
easily forget their creative ideas.

Teacher Notes

I will check all of the students engineering design process and measurement
worksheet before they can move on to make sure they are completing the
experiment correctly.
As I am walking around the classroom I am taking note of students that are
working hard and are staying on task.
I will then randomly praise these students that continuing to follow instructions
and are working hard.

Explain In this section students share what they discovered, teacher

connects student discoveries to correct content terms/explanations,
students articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the
lesson sub-objectives by answering the question from Engage before

moving on.
Teacher Will:

I will divide the students into groups

of four new students that were not
grouped together before.
I will write the four questions on the
board that the students will discuss.
1. What materials did you use?
2. How much did all your materials
cost?
3. How could you improve your
design?
4. Did your landfill withhold the
rainstorm?
I will then explain to the students that
they must write their peers responses
in their journals, whether it is a
drawing, bullet points, or paragraphs.
I will then ask the students one more
question to answer in their journals,
that infuses systems thinking.
I will explain to the students what
systems thinking is.
Systems thinking is the
understanding of how systems and
the dynamics of these systems are
connected within one another so
that they can function.
I will then ask the students to answer
the question using this type of
thinking.
1. How does each part of the
landfill work together to prevent
leaching?
Clay barrier
Plastic linear
Soil layer
Gravel
I will ask the students to share what
they wrote in their journal to their
shoulder partner and how they used
systems thinking.
I will walk around to check for
understanding by walking around the
classroom and listening to the
students discussion.
I will answer any questions the
students may have.

Students Will:

Students will divide into their

assigned groups.
Students will listen attentively as I
give directions as to what they
should be discussing in their
groups and what they should be
writing in their journals.
Students will participate actively
in their groups by discussing their
findings and asking questions to
their peers.
Students will listen attentively as I
ask the question about systems
thinking and the parts of a landfill.
Students will write their ideas in
their journals.
Students will share their ideas
with their shoulder partner.
Students will raise their hand and
ask any further questions they
may have as I walk around the
classroom.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy

I allow the students to work in groups so that they can use one another as a
resource and build off of each others ideas.
I write the questions on the board that the students have to discuss to ensure
that they remember to cover all points because it is directly in front of them.

Differentiation

I allow the students to write their own notes of their peers findings in their
journal in any manner they want, whether it is a drawing, bullet points, or
paragraphs to allow for differentiation of students language levels.

Teacher Notes

As I am walking around the classroom I am taking note of students that are

working hard and are staying on task.
I will then randomly praise these students that continuing to follow instructions
and are working hard.

Elaborate In this section students take the basic learning gained from
Explore and clarified in Explain and apply it to a new circumstance or
explore a particular aspect of this learning at a deeper level. Students
should be using higher order thinking in this stage. A common practice in
this section is to ask a What If? question. IQ #2
Teacher Will:
Students Will:

I will pose the question: Why is each

layer of a landfill needed?
I will tell the students to use their
notes from their journal and the ideas
of their shoulder partner to guide
their research.
I willl remind the students of systems
thinking and put the definition on the
board.
I will allow time for the students to
research their answers.
I will then divide the class into groups
of six in which they will make their
own informative poster about the
layers of a landfill.
The poster will include systems
thinking by having the students
explain and label the different
systems through their drawings
and captions and explain how they
work together.

The students will research the

question and work in groups to
create an informative poster.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy

I allow time for self-reflection before they begin to collaborate with their group
so that they can think of their own ideas.
I create a safe environment for class discussion so the students can share freely
and learn from each others accomplishments or mistakes.

Differentiation

I allow the students to work in a group because this new design requires a
higher level of thinking.

Teacher Notes

I will regulate the discussion to ensure that it is respectful and constructive.

Evaluate In this section every student demonstrates mastery of the

lesson objective (though perhaps not mastery of the elaborate content).
Because this also serves as a closing, students should also have a chance
to summarize the big concepts they learned outside of the assessment.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:

I will explain to the students that

they will be writing an report about
everything they learned and
designed today. The report will be
written in the eyes of an engineer.
Engineer Report must include:
Parts of their landfill
Purpose every part holds in their
landfill
Why they designed their landfill
in the manner that they did
Justify to other engineers that
their landfill is the best structural
design
Explain why their landfill will be
the best to sustain the measure
and weight of the futures
garbage disposal
Systems, future, and strategic
thinking.
I will remind the students of
strategic thinking and systems
thinking.
I will explain what Futures
Thinking is and write the definition
on the board.
Futures thinking is
understanding the world issues
and then solutions that we
discovered in the past and how it
affects the future, in which new
concerns have occurred because
of our previous resolutions.
I will explain to the students that
futures thinking is important and
how it can be used in the eyes of an
engineer.
I will tell the students that they can
make their report as creative as
they want using online resources

The students will type their essay

meeting all of the criteria.

and the technology in the

classroom.
I will allow 30 minutes of class time
to finish.

Closure:

The closure of the lesson will be a class report time of the students Engineer Report.
I will divide the class into groups of 4 and put them into different corners of the room. I
will have the students read their reports and after the other students will give
feedback to the student in the eyes of another engineer. I will ensure that the
feedback is respectful by walking around the classroom during this time.
I will end the lesson with a Bingo game in which the students have to use their notes
and journals to assist them in remembering the parts of the landfill and their purpose.