Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: Earth and Human Activity Name: Michael Nassen

Content Area: Earth Science Grade Level: 8th Grade
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):

Next Generation Science Standards

MS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity

Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past
MS-ESS3-5.
century.

ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems

California Common Core State Standards Connections:

ELA/Literacy –

RST.6–8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. (MS-ESS3-4)

WHST.6–8.1.a-f Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. (MS-ESS3-4)

WHST.6–8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (MS-ESS3-4)
Big Ideas/Unit Goals:

 How can humans change the world?

 Why does human interaction have an affect on Earth?
 Who should be socially responsible for the Earth?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

 At the conclusion of a guided lecture and video presentations students will be able to abstract important information and
take notes on a particular lesson.
 Students will be able to demonstrate how to find images of different landscapes before and after human activity. They will
be able to explain how the Earth and its landscape transformed by analyzing images and researching information about
the area.
 Students will now be able to present in a variety of ways (powerpoint, essay, in-class presentation, etc.) the affects of
human activity on the Earth.
Unit Summary:

SWBAT- Students Will Be Able To

 Take proper notes during a lecture

 Complete assignments and worksheets
 Form ideas and support the with evidence in a formal written paper
 Navigate and use various internet web tools and programs
 Present a claim in which the students made and support with images and evidence
Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level:
Class discussions will help assess
students’ prior knowledge on the content.
Guided handouts will help students
follow lectures and build on the
knowledge students already have.
Formative:
1) Pop-quizzes are one method that will
be utilized in order to monitor student
progress throughout the unit.
2) Flash cards are way to introduce new
terms and widen students’ vocabulary.
3) Graphic organizers help to show that
students can organize and prioritize the
new content.
4) Pros v. Cons worksheet will help
students to determine and rank certain
human activities and place them in the
correct category.
Summative:
Formal Paper: A written paper will
ensure that students can support their
opinion and stand with evidence and
support a claim. The paper also assesses
that students use correct grammar to
support their ideas.
Presentation: A presentation will
encourage students to publically speak
about a topic. They develop skills in
public speaking while supporting their
ideas and expressing them vocally
amongst their peers.
Lesson 1 (Teacher Lecture)
Student Learning Objective:
At the conclusion of a
guided lecture and
video presentations
students will be able
to abstract important
information and take
notes on a particular
lesson.
Acceptable Evidence Lesson Activities:
(Assessments):
Teacher led To start off the lesson students will present a small writing assignment in order
discussions and to assess the writing levels of students and background information they
questions will already have on the content area. Students will then be shown a powerpoint
demonstrate that and series of videos on the content where guided note taking strategies will be
students understand demonstrated. At this point the teacher will initiate critical thinking by posing
the presented content. various discussion questions and teacher will lead discussions while taking
Handouts and notes. Upon the conclusion of the lecture students will complete an assigned
worksheets based on worksheet(s) on the content in order to show that the students comprehend the
content will also show content being presented.
students can
determine the most
important content in
the lesson and
complete activiites.
Lesson 2 (Webercise/ iPad Lesson)
Student Learning Objective:
Students will be able
to demonstrate how
to use search internet
to explore a variety of
human activities and
how they affect Earth.
They will be able to
explain how the Earth
and its landscape
transformed by
analyzing and
researching
information about the
Earth.
Lesson 3 (Graphic Organizer)
Student Learning Objective:
Students will now
create a graphic
organizer showing
that they understand
the new content and
can organize the
information showing
relationships.
Unit Resources:
Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
At this point progress Teacher will introduce the students to a variety of human activities and
monitoring is vital. It processes that interact with Earth. At this point students will be shown how to
is imperative that navigate the websites and find images and evidence to show a connection with
students are able to human activity and Earth. For this activity, students will complete a worksheet.
navigate the website This activity is meant to spark curiosity on the content and initiate analysis of
and find images and evidence. Furthermore, they will take some type of stand as to why and how the
evidence for their next areas change because of human activity. They will then be introduced to their
assignment. A next assignment and create a graphic organizer organizing the new information.
completed worksheet
will demonstrate that
students can research
and analyze
information on the
internet about how
and why human
activity affects Earth.
Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
A completed student Following the webercise activity students are then asked to create a graphic
generated graphic organizer that shows students can express the relationships between a variety
organizer shows of human activities and how they affect Earth. Students can create a graphic
students can organize organizer through Powerpoint of Microsoft Word. They also will explain the
information into a relationships and how they interact with the Earth.
structure and show
correlation and
relationships amongst
processes.
Crash Course:
https://youtu.be/5eTCZ9L834s

Bill Nye’s Climate Change 101:

https://youtu.be/EtW2rrLHs08

National Geographic:
https://youtu.be/G4H1N_yXBiA

https://interestingengineering.com/10-ways-humans-impact-the-environment

https://www.livescience.com/22728-pollution-facts.html

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/global-warming-overview/

http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/teacher_resources/webfieldtrips/toxics/impacts_on_wildlife/

https://climatekids.nasa.gov/menu/big-questions/

https://scied.ucar.edu/students

Useful Websites:

Here are a couple of websites that will give you a quick basic analysis and understanding of climate change and how
human activities interact with Earth.

https://www.c2es.org/content/climate-basics-for-kids/

https://www.c2es.org/content/changes-in-climate/