Disciplinary Unit: Lesson Plan Climate Change

General Information:
Grade Level: 3rd
Discipline: Social Studies
Unit Topic: Geography Environment and our Climate
Time Frame: 45 minutes
Text: The Magic School Bus and the Climate Change by Joanna Cole and
Bruce Degen
Other materials: Vocabulary map handout, cause and effect handout
http://theteacherscauldron.blogspot.com/2013/02/phonics-leads-tovocabulary-lesson.html (Link to vocabulary map)
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Cause-and-Effect-Template251057 (Link to cause and effect handout)

Essential Understanding/Questions:
What could you eliminate out of your daily routine to help prevent climate change?
What did Miss Frizzle do that would get you motivated to help her cause?
Create a vocab map for 5 words that help describe climate change.
Create a Cause and effect map for one aspect of climate change.

Standards/Indicators:
6.0 Social Studies Skills and Processes
A. Geographic representations
2. Use maps, satellite images, photographs, and other representations to explain
relationships between the locations of places and regions and their environmental
characteristics.
6.0 Social Studies Skills and Processes
C. Determining helpful sources
1. Identify the kids of sources that will be helpful in answering the compelling or
supporting questions.
3.0 Geography
B. Geographic Characteristics of Places and Regions
1. Compare Places and Regions around the world using geographic characteristics
2. Identify natural/physical and human-made features of places and regions

CC.3.R.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to
demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
CC.3.R.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or
steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
CC.3.R.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g.,
comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).
CC.3.W.2 Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.

Lesson Objectives:
Students will be able to determine the meaning and correctly use at least five new
vocabulary words.
Students will be able to explain ways in which they can help reverse or assist in
reducing climate change.
Students will be able to identify ways in which theyre effecting our climate in a
positive or negative way through questioning.
Students will be able to show what climate change has done to our climate on a
map.

Evaluation/Assessment: Teacher evaluation as a form of summative assessment

as the students are working in pairs. The answers to their questions, as well as the
vocabulary maps and exit tickets serve as formative assessments for this particular
task. Did students understand the overall message about climate change? Were
they able to think critically to apply their daily tasks, make the personal connection
to the issue at hand and think of a possible solution?

Procedure:
Introduction: Students will be working on climate change for this particular day of
the unit. Students have been told little background knowledge about climate
change, and what is involved in this. Students will work in pairs, each pair receiving
a book.

Activities: Students will then read the book once before being given the focus
questions. Students will then be given the focus questions and vocabulary map
activity.
Students will then read the book again, working in pairs to discuss and answer the
first two provided questions:

What could you eliminate out of your daily routine to help prevent climate
change?
What did Miss Frizzle do that would get you motivated to help her cause?

Students will then closely read the book a third time, carefully looking at the layout
of the text and the italicized and bold font to find content specific words that are
new to them that help describe the overall meaning behind climate change. While
doing this, students will complete the cause and effect chart, as well as the
vocabulary map.
Create a vocab map for 5 words that help describe climate change.

Closure: Pairs will come up together to the front of the class and share the
answer to one of the first two questions, in addition to explaining and showing their
vocab map for one of the five words of their choosing. Listening classmates will then
write comments to each other groups presentations. Do you agree with what
theyve said and is it correct? What did you write that might be a better suggestion?
Students will then turn their remark paper in as an exit ticket.

Summary: Students will use