Lesson

Title

Natural Resources In Alberta

Date

November 24, 2014

Subject/Grade
Level

Grade 4 Social Studies

Time
Duration

6 Period
34 Minutes

Unit

Resources

Teacher

Mr. Goertzen

th

OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

GLOs

4.1 Alberta: A Sense of the Land

--4.1.4 analyze how Albertans interact with their environment by exploring and reflecting upon the
following questions and issues:

SLOs

4.1.4 b) How are natural resources used by Albertans (i.e., agriculture, oil and natural gas, forests, coal)?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
1. Understand how natural resources are used in Alberta.

ASSESSMENTS
Observations

Monitor group-work, help with any difficult questions (i.e. talk them through it).

Key Questions

What does it mean when Alberta is called an energy province?

What are natural resources?
What are some ENERGY resources?

Products/Performances

LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Alberta Program of Studies

Wikipedia

Voices of Alberta Textbook.

BIG BOOK.

PROCEDURE
Introduction

Time

Consider:

Attention Grabber
Assessment of Prior
Knowledge
Expectations for Learning and
Behaviour
Advance Organizer/Agenda
Transition to Body

Consider:

Take out your social studies duotang and textbook (make sure Joel keeps it
organized).

1.

Variety of Learning Styles

Questioning throughout
Differentiation for students
Focused formative assessment

2.
3.

SPONGE ACTIVITY

Body
We will review pages 68-69. Then, in groups of four, we will collectively
answer question 4 on the first page and 1 on the second. We will then
switch groups mid-way and allow students to review their answers with
their new groups.
Do the next question as a whole class. Have students write down answers
after the group is finished putting it on the board.
Depending on Student attentiveness/time, do the next few questions. If
the questions run into the next topic, perhaps review what we have
already learned and discuss. Why is Alberta called an energy province?
What are Energy resources? Some examples?
Closure

1 min

Time
10min

10 min

10 min

Time

Consider:

Consolidation of Learning
Feedback from Students
Feedback to Students
Transition to Next Lesson

Visual Exit slip. Have students draw and label an energy resource. (stress the
importance of putting their name on it).

3 min

Reflection on this lesson

Rationale:
I chose this lesson for a few reasons. First of all, I just taught it and as lessons go it went really well.
Secondly, I wanted to show a lesson that wasnt as fleshed out as some of my first ones were, but it
worked anyway. It proves that I have the basics on paper and the rest of the ideas in my head, and
therefore didnt need the lesson plan in hand to teach.
Reflection on Planning.
The Curriculum (as in from the Program of Studies) didnt inform me per se. My students started
this new unit (using a text specifically written for Grade 4 Social) so it was more like I knew what to
teach and just needed to research and apply the correct GLOs/SLOs to the lesson plan.
I know the students fairly well (including those who struggle with attention to
instruction/understanding of subject matter). I also knew where we left off on Friday, so both of
these factors informed my planning, including how I would assess student learning and help guide
their understanding (i.e. helping the struggling students more than those well on their own). It also
informed my timing.
I expected, during the lesson, that my students would be engaged in my direct instruction and
involved in their group work.
Reflection on the lesson
It went fairly well, I must say. The transitions (not specifically planned for, because flexibility with
learners is key to knowing what to dwell on and what to rush through) were smooth, because I was
explicit and concise about my expectations, using a count-down method to bring them in. My
closure was slightly changed due to a lack of time (When I went for closure I had 1 minute instead
of three like I had planned); I simply asked the question orally instead of getting them to draw their
exit slips. I asked a weaker student, and they either didnt understand the question or were a bit
fuzzy on the terminology (though I threw it around quite a bit). The Medium to Stronger students
got it correct.
Learning objectives were achieved, at least in terms of using fossil fuels as natural resources. The
other natural resources are further on in the text. I asked them plenty of questions to guid learning
and they seemed to get it.
I used positive reinforcement, humor, and excitement, while at the same time keeping students on
their toes. I was stern with one student who was at fault for not paying attention and giggling behind
my back during vital instruction, but through the use of quick comments, behavior was corrected,
and this didnt affect my mood or the classroom mood. They were still very responsive to my
questions (proving that this too was successful both in maintaining a positive learning environment
while keeping the classroom under control)
Reflecting on next steps
Some students had read ahead to the following pages (therefore coming up with information I at first
thought them exceptionally intelligent for). I hadnt read ahead, and was therefore unable to
incorporate or adapt fluidly. I would definitely read ahead. I would also catch up the students that
were absent, something that I completely failed to recognize. They were lost and therefore unable to
contribute to the conversations the groups had. They were also average to below average readers,
and therefore skimming the page was out of the question in a room full of conversations.
I will definitely research around my topic/where the course is headed so I can be more fluid when it
comes to students knowing facts outside of what is presently studied. I will also think more about
absent students ro students who may struggle with the content to make sure that their learning
doesnt suffer even as other students excel.