Proficient Lesson Plan: Science Inquiry 7th
Teachers:
Subject:
7th Grade Science
AZ State Standards:
S6.C1.PO 2. Describe the properties and the composition of the following major layers of the Earth:
a) crust
b) mantle
c) core
Objective (Explicit):
Describe the properties and the composition of the following major layers of the Earth’s: crust, mantle, and core.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable):
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Include a copy of the lesson assessment.
Provide exemplar student responses with the level of detail you expect to see.
Assign value to each portion of the response.
See assessment below.
Students will not get any credit for question 1 (used to just assess knowledge of labeling layers, which is aligned to
this standard). Students will receive only 1 point for each layer. To receive the point, students must have described
all the elements asked for. Exceeds 3/3, Meets 2/3, Approaches 1/3, FFB 0/3.
Sub-objectives, SWBAT (Sequenced from basic to complex):
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How will you review past learning and make connections to previous lessons?
What skills and content are needed to ultimately master this lesson objective?
How is this objective relevant to students, their lives, and/or the real world?
Review:
Students first learned about the crusts in 3rd grade. Their 3rd grade teachers used a graham cracker/jello model of
the Earth to demonstrate the layers. Students will be asked about this as a model has been made and will be
utilized in class.
Skills:
**Hypothesizing is a review skill and students use this process in every 5E lesson. You will not see me explicitly
teach or measure mastery of this skill because it has already been taught and retaught with now 90% mastery
within the classroom.
***Hypothesizing:
1) Consider previous and new knowledge about a subject.
2) Consider/interpret the change in a variable (size, time, setting, etc.).
3) Combine known knowledge with the variable change and make a prediction “I think _____.”
4) Make a hypothesis statement by offering rationale based on fact; “I think ______BECAUSE_______.”
Content:
Layer 1
The crust is relatively very thin and about 3-25 miles thick. It is made up of the lightest materials
Crust
(rock-basalts and granites). Made up of plates that float upon the mantle: Plate Tectonics. It is
solid and its temperature can range from air temperature at the surface to 1600 degrees F.
Layer 2
The mantle is a dense and hot layer of semi-rock made out of iron magnesium and calcium and
Mantle
is 1800 miles thick. Has the ability to flow with the consistency of asphalt. Thermal dynamic
currents in the mantle have broken the crust into plates and moves them (*theory of plate
tectonics) - creating mountains, volcanoes, and new seafloors. The temperature can range from
1600 degrees F to 4000 and it is denser than the crust but still has somewhat of a liquid form.
Layer 3
The core is made out of two layers, which are the outer core of liquid iron, sulfur and nickel about
Core (inner
1400 miles thick and the inner core a solid iron, sulfur and nickel about 800 miles thick. It is twice
and outer
as dense as the mantle and consists of heavy metals (nickel and iron). It is the hottest layer with
core)
intense pressure. Temperatures can be inner: 9,000-13,000 degrees F and the outer is cooler at
7,200-9,000 degrees F. The Earth’s magnetic field is created by the outer core.
Relevance:
1
A thorough understanding of the Earth’s composition and structure will help in later units this year where students
study volcanoes, erosion, the rock cycle, and other Earth processes. Exploration into this topic will also highlight
other careers, jobs, and fields available for study and also provide the students with a sound understanding of their
surroundings so that they can be better informed and can better interpret news and scientific discoveries that
pertain to the Earth’s structure and processes.
Key vocabulary:
Materials:
- Borrowed 6 school laptops and each has pulled up
Core, mantle, crust as described above in the content
these 2 websites:
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/Earth/in
side-the-Earth/
http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lesso
ns/Earths_layers/Earths_layers1.html
- Graham cracker model from 3rd grade x6
- Hardboiled egg cut in half with shell intact x6
- 7th grade model of Earth x6
- Layers of the Earth note sheet
- 4 What if? models with changed descriptions and
diagrams
Engage
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How will you activate student interest?
How will you hook student attention?
What questions will you pose, based on your objective, that students will seek to answer in Explore?
Teacher Will:
- T will open lesson with short action video of
volcanoes, earthquakes, faults moving.
- Pose introductory question, “How could knowing more
about our Earth’s structure help us?”
- Take responses.
- Show graham cracker model of Earth created in 3rd
grade- “Does anyone recognize this? Can you tell us all
what it is?.......Exactly. You guys were introduced to the
basic structure of Earth in the 3rd grade and this was the
model you all used to understand it.
- Today we will be exploring the Earth’s structure and
composition more in depth and our central question that
will guide our exploration is,
“HOW does our current Earth’s structure/composition
impact Earth processes and life on Earth?” (POST or
UNVEIL question on board)
(7 min max)
Student Will:
- Respond through think-pair-share to the introductory
question.
- Pass around the graham cracker model quickly
through the 6 groups.
- Have students do an initial think-pair-group response
share of the guiding question.
Explore
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How will model your performance expectations? Remember, you are not modeling what you want students to discover but
need to model expected behavior or required procedures.
How will students take the lead and actively use materials to discover information that will help them answer the question
posed in Engage?
What questions or prompts will you be prepared to use with students while they are “exploring”?
Teacher Will:
- Provide academic/behavioral expectations:
 As a group you will all be responsible to assist
each other so that everyone walks away from
each station with a THOROUGH understanding
and all the information for each layer.
 Materials are to be handled as scientific tools
(*this is an established procedure in class).
 Off-task behaviors or students leaving stations
not knowing the necessary information will be
docked group points.
Student Will:
- The 6 groups of students will pass through 3 stations
in the explore part of the lesson. Each station will be
dedicated 1 layer of the Earth (there will be 2 for crust, 2
for mantle, and 2 for core). At each station there will be
a laptop with the 2 sites pulled up and a graham model,
an egg model, and our 7th grade model of the Earth.
Students will collaborative collect data and information
about each layer:
- thickness,
- composition (made up of what materials),
2
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On-task behaviors and all students leaving
stations knowing necessary information will
earn group points.
The class goal for group points is 30 pts- reaching our
goal will be a gaining of 3 minutes of free time.
- relative temperature and density,
- other essential adjectives (solid, liquid semi liquid etc),
- and known processes impact---plate tectonics, etc.
Students will also at each station identify how each
model has demonstrated that layer and CHOOSE which
has done it the best and why.
Rotations will last 13 minutes each=39 min total
Co-Teaching Strategy

What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?
As this is for a formal observation, one teach and one observe though any teacher can give or dock points.
Differentiation Strategy
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
What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?
The groups that students will be working in have been intentionally crafted to be heterogeneous by ability in order
to have structured support for struggling students throughout the room.
Teacher will monitor closely for students who have behavior problems.
Explain
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How will all students have an opportunity to share what they discovered?
How will you connect student discoveries to correct content terms/explanations?
How will all students articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the sub-objectives by answering the
question from Engage before moving on?
Teacher Will:
- Call students back to whole class setting.
- Have a PowerPoint that highlights all the
important/essential information they needed to pull
away. Teacher has hyperlinked short videos, images,
and diagrams as visuals to help cement the information.
- As each layer’s slide comes up, before the information
can be shared, teacher will call on specific students for
essential information and then have the information
revealed on the screen in case it wasn’t picked up by
students.
Student Will:
-Ensure that they and their group members have the
correct information and understanding of each layer
before they are called on.
- Correct answers help students earn more group
points.
- Class goal at this section is 20 pts.
- Teacher will call on students/and show information
about:
- thickness,
- composition (made up of what materials),
- relative temperature and density,
- other essential adjectives (solid, liquid semi liquid etc),
- and known processes impact---plate tectonics, etc.).
-Students will share out what their group considered to
be the strongest example of each particular layer when
it came to the models that were provided.
- Teacher will also get responses for each layer of
which model was the BEST model for that particular
layer and why.
- Let’s touchback to some of our initial questions:
“How could knowing more about our Earth’s structure
help us?”
- Students will group and then whole class share some
ideas.
- Take responses and share some of this relevance:
 A thorough understanding of the Earth’s
composition and structure will help in later units
3


this year where students study volcanoes,
erosion, the rock cycle and other Earth
processes.
Exploration into this topic will also highlight
other careers, jobs, and fields available for
study and
Also provide the students will a sound
understanding of their surroundings so that
they can be better informed and can better
interpret news and scientific discoveries that
pertain to the Earth’s structure and processes.
“HOW does our current Earth’s structure/composition
impact Earth processes and life on Earth?”
- Take responses (Plate tectonics, magnetic field).
Total 10 minutes
-Call on 3 students quickly.
Co-Teaching Strategy

What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?
As this is for a formal observation, one teach and one observe though any teacher can give or dock points.
Differentiation Strategy


What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?
The groups that students will be working in have been intentionally crafted to be heterogeneous by ability in order
to have structured support for struggling students throughout the room.
Students who are struggling with information can be pulled back to a table during the elaborate.
Elaborate
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How will students take the learning from Explore and Explain and apply it to a new circumstance or explore a particular
aspect of this learning at a deep level?
How will students use higher order thinking at this stage? (e.g. A common practice in this section is to pose a “what If
question”)
How will all students articulate how their understanding has changed or been solidified?
Teacher Will:
- Now that we’ve got a more thorough understanding of
how Earth is structured and what it is composed
of…let’s elaborate on what we know…
- Pose new question to guide the Elaborate“What would Earth be like if any of its composition or
structure were altered?”
Student Will:
- In heterogeneous groups students will analyze a
“What if….” Model where one element of Earth’s
structure has been altered and answer the wkst’s
question and make a hypothesis for 3 of the 4 models.
6 minutes for each of the 3 models= 18 minutes total
- This next section students will remain in their groups
but get a chance to explore 3 out of 4 altered Earth
models where some element has been changed.
Students will be asked to hypothesize in this section as
to what effect the alteration would cause and why they
think that.
The four models are altered in the following ways:
1) Has a thicker crust 90-100 miles thick.
2) The materials in the crust and core are
swapped.
3) There is no mantle.
4) The crust is thinner (1 mile at the thickest).
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There is a short description and diagram with each
model. Students are to fill out the What if…? worksheet
for each model they come across answering:
1) What’s been altered?
2) What do we know about that/those layers?
3) Make a hypothesis about what impact that
change would have and WHY!
- Take a response for each of the models
- Reconvene the class back together
- Repose the question to guide the elaborate part of the
lesson:
“What would Earth be like if any of its composition or
structure were altered?”
Co-Teaching Strategy

What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?
As this is for a formal observation, one teach and one observe though any teacher can give or dock points.
Differentiation Strategy


What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?
The groups that students will be working in have been intentionally crafted to be heterogeneous by ability in order
to have structured support for struggling students throughout the room.
Teacher will monitor for behavior problems.
Evaluate
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
How will all students demonstrate mastery of the lesson objective (though perhaps not mastery of the elaborate content)?
How will students have an opportunity to summarize the big concepts they learned (separate from the assessment)?
Teacher Will:
- Teacher will pass the evidence of mastery to be
completed individually.
Student Will:
- Students will complete the evidence of mastery.
- All remind the students of a classroom phrase,
“We learn together but test separately. I want to know
what YOU know.”
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Evidence of Mastery: S6.C1.PO 2.
Name:_____________________ Date:_______
1) Label the 3 layers of Earth below
Section:_________
Below, describe the three different layers of Earth. Make sure to include information about: -thickness,
composition (made up of what materials), relative temperature and density, other essential adjectives (solid,
liquid semi-liquid), and Earth processes that layer may be involved in.
**you may describe the layers in whichever order you’d like. Just label the layer.
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Layer 1___Crust__ The crust is relatively very thin and about 3-25 miles thick. It is made up of the lightest
materials (rock-basalts and granites). Made up of plates that float upon the mantle: Plate
Tectonics. It is solid and its temperature can range from air temperature at the surface to
1600 degrees F.
Layer 2_Mantle__
Layer 3 __Core
(inner and outer
core)___
The Mantle is a dense and hot layer of semi-rock made out of iron magnesium and
calcium and is 1800 miles thick. Has the ability to flow with the consistency of asphalt.
Thermal dynamic currents in the mantle have broken the crust into plates and moves
them (*theory of plate tectonics) - creating mountains, volcanoes, and new seafloors. The
temperature can range from 1600 degrees F to 4000 and it is denser than the crust but
still has somewhat of a liquid form.
The core is made out of two layers, which are the outer core of liquid iron, sulfur and
nickel about 1400 miles thick and the inner core a solid iron, sulfur and nickel about 800
miles thick. It is twice as dense as the mantle and consists of heavy metals (nickel and
iron). It is the hottest layer with intense pressure. Temperatures can be inner: 9,00013,000 degrees F and the outer is cooler at 7,200-9,000 degrees F. The Earth’s magnetic
field is created by the outer core.
Possible Improved Accommodations
Explore
Students A, B, and C struggle with reading and can be overwhelmed by too much text on a page. I have
therefore printed the websites off that they will visit and have just spaced out the text and made the font
larger so as to not overwhelm them. They also have been taught to use chunking and highlighting strategies
and therefore can apply those strategies on a printed form.
Students D and E tend to perform better for their teams in Inquiry lessons when they are recognized early on
for their positive contributions. I will look to highlight their positive behaviors or content knowledge early on.
Explain
Students A, B,and C struggle with reading and can be overwhelmed by too much text on a page. I have
therefore printed the PowerPoint slides for them so they can check their information to that which I provide.
Students D and E: I will continue to highlight their positive behaviors or content knowledge early on by
strategically calling on them.
Elaborate
The groups that students will be working in have been intentionally crafted to be heterogeneous by ability in
order to have structured support for struggling students throughout the room.
Students A, B, and C do not necessarily need any accommodation as all texts are short phrases.
Students D and E: I will continue to highlight their positive behaviors or content knowledge early on by
strategically calling on them.
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