Differentiated Lesson Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students

Date: Stage: 5 Subject: Earth and Environmental Science Module: Lesson Duration:
1: Earths resources 50 min
Topic:
Rocks, Minerals and the Rock
Cycle
Previous Lesson:
Investigate the physical properties of minerals that are used to assist in classification
Examine a range of rocks and minerals and classify samples using dichotomous keys
Students conducted an experimental investigation where they classified various minerals based on their characteristics (hardness, lustre,
streak, cleavage), and created a dichotomous key for classifying minerals from their results.
Current lesson: Outcomes:
explain the formation of rocks as characteristic assemblages of mineral crystals or grains that are EES11/12-3
formed through igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic processes, as part of the Rock Cycle. EES11/12-4
EES11/12-5
EES11/12-7
Time Content/ lesson structure: Teaching strategies/ differentiation: Resources:
guide: 1. As a class create a mind map on the board of how to
Introduction: classify minerals. PPT: 3 types of rocks.
10 min Short recap of last lesson. 2. Play PowerPoint presentation 3 Types of Rocks, while Rock formation flowchart
Brief description of dictating get students to copy down descriptions in their example
metamorphic, igneous and workbooks. Provide examples of where these types of Google doc
sedimentary rocks and their rocks are found within the local area. Samples of Igneous,
formations. Strategies 1, 2, 3. 3. Play short YouTube video 3 Types of rocks (url in PPT). sedimentary, and
4. Students work as a class to try and group the rocks into metamorphic rocks (enough
40 min Body: the correct type (metamorphic, sedimentary or igneous). for 1 per person)
 Provide students with different I will not explain how to identify the rock type and let
rocks and get them to group them try to figure it out for themselves.
them as metamorphic, 5. I will then put the rocks in the correct groups and let all
sedimentary or igneous. From students pick a rock.
this the students pick a rock 6. Students individually research their type of rock to create
and research how their type of a story about the life of their rock (how it was formed,
rock is formed and present where it was found, how or why it was found).
their information. Strategies 4, 7. Students upload their stories to a student forum where
5, 6, 7. the students and teacher can all see the stories (google
10 min doc, allows all students to put their stories onto the same
Conclusion: document for all to read).
As a class describe the 8. Create a rock formation flow chart on the board as a class
formation of each type of rock. which the students copy into their books.
Strategy 8.
Next Lesson:
Present the best stories for each type of rock (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic).
Investigate how igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks can be identified and classified.

Evaluation:
The ways of which aboriginal people learn has been categorised into eight different ways, that incorporate pedagogies significant to
indigenous culture (Yunkaporta, 2009). To differentiate this lesson to meet the needs of Aboriginal students I have imbedded some of these
ways of learning into the lesson. Story sharing is a powerful tool for Aboriginal learning and involves the incorporation of narratives,
personal experiences, and practices into the classroom task. This personalization of content and knowledge through narrative has been
shown to increase the engagement of not only Aboriginal students but also other students (Purdie, Tripcony, Boulton-Lewis, Fanshawe, &
Gunstone, 2000). I have incorporated this way of learning via getting the students to create a story about the life of their rock and uploading
it to the student forum. Through doing this the Aboriginal students will be able to enhance their own understanding while creating their story
and while reading the stories of their peers. By getting the students to create a flowchart and mind-map, Aboriginal students will be more
likely to link the rock formation processes together. The flowchart and mind-map are forms of learning maps, where Aboriginals use visual
displays to connect concepts (in space), or the sequencing of learning and knowledge (in time) (Purdie, Tripcony, Boulton-Lewis, Fanshawe, &
Gunstone, 2000).
 I have incorporated non-linear learning in this lesson through inquiry questioning where I provide the students with different rocks and tell
them to work together to make three different groups of rocks. The students previously learnt how to identify minerals but wouldnt have
yet learnt how to identify the three different types of rocks and will struggle with this task. Not only would this be beneficial for Aboriginal
students but it would also provide all students with a link into the next lesson, allowing them to create a deeper understanding, increase their
engagement, and foster their curiosity (Caswell & LaBrie, 2017; Yunkaporta, 2009). The rocks used also provide the students with a symbol to
link the content to something they can physically see and touch. Symbols and images help Aboriginal students learn as it provides them with
connections to the content (Yunkaporta, 2009). The YouTube video will also assist them with this way of learning. The final way of learning I
incorporated was land links. I did this through the PowerPoint by showing them where they can find the different types of rocks in the local
area. Connecting content and knowledge to local environments is a way of maintaining cultural integrity and allows students to better
understand the land they live on (Yunkaporta, 2009).

References
Caswell, C. J., & LaBrie, D. (2017). Inquiry Based Learning from the Learner's Point of View: A Teacher Candidate's Success Story. Journal of
Humanistic Mathematics, 7(2), 161-186.
Purdie, N., Tripcony, P., Boulton-Lewis, G., Fanshawe, J., & Gunstone, A. (2000). Positive SelfIdentity for Indigenous Students and its
Relationship to School Outcomes. Queensland University of Technology, 1-64.
Yunkaporta, T. K. (2009). Aboriginal pedagogies at the cultural interface. Professional Doctorate (Research) thesis, James Cook University, 1-9.