Learning Experience Lesson Plan 1-4 Block Template Revised March 28, 2013
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Early Childhood Learning Experience/Lesson Plan
_X__Original
____Revised
Name: Lindsay Harris and Anna Olszewski
Date: 5/7/13
Title: Decoding the Past Through Archeology
Block Site: North Clarion
Ages of Children: 8-9 years
Group Size: 16
Elementary School
Children’s Wondering To Be Answered: N/A
Lesson Title: Deciphering Layers of Soil
SAS Key Learning Area: 3.5 Earth Sciences
Big Idea: The earth system changes constantly as air, water, soil, and rock interact and the earth is a part of a larger sun, earth, moon system.
Essential Question: What is the evidence that the earth’s systems change?
Goal: Children will learn that the earth and soil have an impact on preserving artifacts and items from a long time ago in history.
Vocabulary: soil, earth, archaeology, layers, humus, topsoil, eluviation layers, and subsoil
Standard:
3.5.A Know basic
landforms and earth
history
.
Objective:
Students will distinguish the
similarities and differences between
the layers of soil.
Students will determine the
importance of soil to the field of
archaeology.
Assessment:
Students will collect different forms of soil
in jars and discuss the similarities and
differences they observe. Teachers will
take anecdotal records of this discussion.
Students will record the reasons soil is
important, teachers will collect these
recordings as exit slips.
Curriculum Integration:
Language and Literacy Development: Students will document their information by writing down differences and similarities they see between the
various layers of soil.
Social Studies Thinking and Expression: Students will learn how archaeologists use soil to interpret the time span and periods of artifacts they
find.
Social and Emotional Development: Students will work in groups and pairs to decipher the data they find while at their digging site.
Adapted August 3, 2011 from the Lesson Plan Template provided by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s SAS Resources and Information Site
http://websites.pdesas.org/ocdel/default.aspx
Learning Experience Lesson Plan 1-4 Block Template Revised March 28, 2013
Standards, objectives, and assessments must align.
Adapted August 3, 2011 from the Lesson Plan Template provided by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s SAS Resources and Information Site
http://websites.pdesas.org/ocdel/default.aspx
Learning Experience Lesson Plan 1-4 Block Template Revised March 28, 2013
Investigation
Beginning :
1. Show clip of Bill Nye the Science Guy explain what components of soil are.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HQwYbwmyaY
2. Discuss with the students that there is cycle of how soil is formed. Rocks turn into dirt. Then dirt, dead trees, leaves, other
compost, and some microscopic living things create the soil.
3. Explain to the students that it is important for an archaeologist to know what type of soil they are digging through in order to
provide a time length of the artifacts and materials they find. This will also help archaeologists improve their investigation and
accurately date any artifacts or materials they find.
4. Show students types of soil that they may find at a dig depending on whether they are beginning to dig or are in the process of
digging. Some layers of soil students will see are humus layer, topsoil layer, eluviation layers, and subsoil layers.
5. Explain to the students that artifacts do not necessarily sink into the earth or soil, but over a time period, the ground builds up in
layers. Soil is once again layered, and the oldest layers are on the bottom and newer deposits of soil form on top.
6. Pass around labeled containers with different types of soil to the students and have students observe and discuss the comparison
between the different types of soils for 5 minutes.
Investigation Procedure:
7. Explain to the students that we will be going outside to look at the various forms of soil that are in our area. Assign students to
what group they will be in and what material they will be using outside. Have students line up and transition to the nature trail.
8. Separate students into three groups of five and provide each student with their assigned material. Two students in each group
should have a shovel, two students should have two jars each to collect the soil, and one student should have a disposable camera
to document the soil and other findings.
9. Have students attempt to dig up the top layer of soil and decipher whether or not there are major differences between the upper
layers of soil.
10. Once students collected different types of soil and taken a few pictures of their findings, transition back to the classroom.
Questioning:
 What are some types of soil?
 Why is soil important to an archaeologist?
 What are some components of soil?
 What are some similarities/differences between the layers of soil?
Review/Closure:
11. Have students pair up with their desk neighbor and discuss and what they found while out on the nature trail and the differences
and similarities between the layers of soil they dug through.
12. Have the pairs write down two findings or differences/similarities they discussed. Have them also record a reason why soil is
important to the archeology field. Collect the recordings as exit slips once students are finished.
Adapted August 3, 2011 from the Lesson Plan Template provided by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s SAS Resources and Information Site
http://websites.pdesas.org/ocdel/default.aspx
Learning Experience Lesson Plan 1-4 Block Template Revised March 28, 2013
Duration: 1 hour
Differentiation: For students that may be hearing impaired, they will be seated in the front and teacher will wear a portable microphone that is
connected to their hearing aid. Students that may have difficulty with attentiveness will be seated closer to the teacher and situated in an area with
less distractions. Any students that have a visual impairment will also be seated in the front of the classroom and provided with information with
larger print to better follow along.
Diversity/Anti-Bias Consideration: Students will be taught that anthropology is a field opened to all people of different genders, ages, races, and
religions. All students will be provided with a fair opportunity to answer questions and provide insight on this topic.
Topic-related Brain Break: Plates! Give each student a paper plate. Students must walk around the room balancing the plates on their heads. If a
student drops his or her plate, the student must freeze until another student picks it up and places it back on the student's head (while keeping his
or her own plate in place).
Materials, Resources, and Preparing the Environment:
A. Materials/Equipment List:
 Shovels
 Disposable cameras
 Jars
 Jars of soil
 Lined paper
 Pencils
B. Teacher’s Preparation to-do list:
 Display different layers of soil on SMART board
 Assign students to groups
 Assign students in each group an item
Adapted August 3, 2011 from the Lesson Plan Template provided by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s SAS Resources and Information Site
http://websites.pdesas.org/ocdel/default.aspx
Learning Experience Lesson Plan 1-4 Block Template Revised March 28, 2013
REFERENCES
Date(s) APA reference citation
used
STANDARDS
Pennsylvania Department of Education and Department of Public
Welfare (2010). [Second Grade] Pennsylvania learning standards for early childhood.
Mechanicsburg, PA: Waveline Direct, Inc.
Focus of resource.
PA State Standards
ADULT REFERENCE – BOOKS and other PRINT REFERENCES (Indicate focus of resource - e.g., topic content, music, movement, etc.)
ADULT REFERENCE – Internet References (Indicate focus of resource - e.g., topic content, music, movement, etc.)
Col, J. (2010). Soil layers. Retrieved from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geology/soil/
Lynette, R (2012, April 8).
20 three-minute brain breaks: plates! Retrieved from http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2012/04/20-threeminute-brain-breaks.html
Poole, M. (2013) Discovering the past: an introduction to archaeology. Retrieved from
http://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/may03/archintro.cfm
CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION (Indicate content focus)
The Real Bill Nye. (2009). Bill Nye the science guy on rocks and soil. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HQwYbwmyaY
Soil Layers
Brain Break
Archeology
Soil layers video
CHILDREN FICTION (Indicate content focus)
EXPERTS (Indicate content focus)
Adapted August 3, 2011 from the Lesson Plan Template provided by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s SAS Resources and Information Site
http://websites.pdesas.org/ocdel/default.aspx