LESSON PLAN

Name: Letter on Oil Spill Prevention

Date: November 5, 2010

Grade Level/Subject: 3rd/Science

Prerequisite Knowledge: Informal knowledge of disasters; the structure of a letter

Approximate Time: 4 – 5 days

Student Objectives/Student Outcomes: Students will enhance their listening skills during a read-a-loud.
Students will enhance verbal skills by participating in a group brainstorm. Students will enhance writing
skills by completing a letter web and a letter to a state senator. Students will brainstorm ideas for
preventing oil spills in the future. Students will, in turn, develop a letter to a state senator presenting these
prevention ideas.

Illinois State Standards:

As a result of their schooling, students will be able to:

11.A.1a Describe an observed event.

11.A.1b Develop questions on scientific problems.
11.B.1a Given a simple design problem, formulate possible solutions.

Materials/Resources/Technology:
• Oil Spill by Melvin Berger
• Large lined paper
• Worksheet – Letter web
• Paper & pencil

Implementation:

Time
Opening of lesson:
Explain that for the next few classes students will be exploring a real world
problem and possible solutions. Make sure to explain behavior expectations.

Activate prior knowledge by asking the children about what disasters they
have learned about in previous years. Introduce the book by reading aloud the
title and the author’s name. Invite children to look at the illustration on the
cover and describe what they see. Explain to the students that this book is
about a disaster, one which has even occurred recently.

Procedures:
 Read Oil Spill to the students. Prompt for overall understanding by asking
questions throughout the read-a-loud.
Explain to the children that they can help prevent oil spills. Ask them how
they think they can do this. Have the children recall five things from the book
that can be used in a letter to the state senator. Ask if the students have any
other ideas. Record student responses on the large lined paper as a
brainstorming chart. Explain to the students: “Boys & girls, you will be writing
a letter to our state senator about laws that help prevent oil spills.”

On the next day, pass out the letter web worksheet. Post the brainstorming
chart on the board. Keep it posted on the board throughout the activity as a
reference for the students. Fill in a sample letter web with the children on the
board. Allow the students to fill in their own web on their worksheet using the
sample web as a guide. Do not erase this sample web until after the activity.

On the following days, have the students use their worksheets to create a
rough draft of a letter to the state senator. Meet with the children for a
student-teacher conference to edit and revise their letters. Have the children
write a final draft of their letter.

Summary/Closing:
Explain to the students that having the solution to a problem is only the first
step in actually solving a problem. Rather, planning for and implementing that
solution is how the problem is finally solved, or in this case, prevented.

Explain to the students that these letters are one step towards helping find a
solution to a real world problem. Have the children read their letters allowed
to small groups. Mail the letters.

Student Assessment:
The primary form of assessment for this lesson is each student’s letter to the
state senator. Use the letter web worksheet as an additional form of
assessment for this lesson. On this worksheet, students should clearly illustrate
their individual ideas on how to prevent oil spills. Furthermore, an ongoing
informal assessment can be completed by checking for understanding after
reading the book.

Found through Hot Chalk’s lesson plans at:

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/SSScienceLAOilSpillLetterToSenator3.htm