Lesson Plan-Literature Circles Launch Activity

Objectives/Goals of NC:
   Language Arts - Goals 1.06
       2.01, 2.03, 2.04, 2.05. 2.06, 2.07, 2.08,
       3.01, 3.02
       6.03, 6.05
   Science - Goal 2
   Social Studies - Geography

Teacher’s Objectives:
  *To acquaint students with the topic of Westward Movement
  *To allow students to interact with a Science Lab Activity
  *To introduce the students to a new unit based on the
    Westward Movement and an author study of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Materials Needed:
  *Text Dakota Dugout by Ann Turner
  *Science Information on Soil
  *Materials for Making Soil Lab Recipe:
   6-ounce clear, plastic cups
   plastic spoons
   paper towels
   large package of Oreos
   4-four pack servings of vanilla pudding
   4-four pack servings of chocolate pudding
   3 large tubs of Cool-Whip
   2 bags of Gummy Worms

Prior Knowledge/Review:
 *Make a K-W-L Chart on student’s knowledge of soil layers
  (Complete the K and W parts of chart.)

Guided Practice:
 *Read aloud and discuss the text Dakota Dugout
 *Discuss the topics of the Westward Movement and how this
   affected our lives
 *Discuss the topic of soil and how it was used in different
   capacities in the text
 *Guest Speaker-Secondary Education Horticulture teacher to
   explain in detail the various soil layers and uses

Independent Practice:
 *Divide class into pairs
 *Pass out to each pair of students:
  2 paper towels
  2 plastic cups
  2 spoons
  4 Oreos
  1 vanilla pudding
  1 chocolate pudding
  2 Gummy Worms
  teacher scoops Cool-Whip when needed
  “Making Soil-Lab” worksheet (attached below)
 *Following directions from worksheet, all students make his/her
  own soil profile

Closure:
 *Eat and enjoy!
 *Make a class chart/drawing on the layers of soil

Assessment:
 *Quiz involving the soil lab recipe, the reading of Dakota Dugout,
   Westward Movement and how they relate.

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Making Soil – Lab Worksheet

Purpose:
   This lab will give each student an idea of what a soil profile is and the layer (horizons) that make it up.

Materials Needed: (for each student)
* Cooperative students*
* plastic cup
* plastic spoon
* 2 Oreos
* ½ container of vanilla pudding
* ½ container of chocolate pudding
* scoop of Cool-Whip
* 2 Gummy Worms

Directions:
* R – Place one whole Oreo in the bottom of a 6-ounce clear, plastic cup
* C – Crumble one Oreo and place it in the cup
* B – Make one layer of chocolate pudding
* A – Make one layer of vanilla pudding
* O – Top with Cool-Whip

View the cup from the side and you can visualize a typical soil profile.
The horizons are as follows (from top to bottom):

* O – Surface, Organic matter
* A – Topsoil
* B – Subsoil
* C – Parent material
* R – Bedrock

Soil profile – The arrangement and properties of the various soil layers.

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