Learning Exercise

ELL Literacy with NASA: The Global Assessment of Volcanoes
Grade Level: Ninth Grade
Objectives: 1. Students will compose a short report. 2. Students will discuss
the effects volcanoes have on Earth. 3. Students will communicate in writing
(with short but concise sentences). 4. Students will present reports (orally and
with images/drawings).
CDE Language Arts: 1.0 Writing Strategies: Students write coherent and focused
essays that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly reasoned argument. The
writing demonstrates students' awareness of the audience and purpose. Students
progress through the stages of the writing process as needed.?1.1 Establish a
controlling impression or coherent thesis that conveys a clear and distinctive
perspective on the subject and maintain a consistent tone and focus throughout
the piece of writing.?1.2 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details,
appropriate modifiers, and the active rather than the passive voice.
CDE Science: Dynamic Earth Processes: Plate tectonics operating over geologic
time have changed the patterns of land, sea, and mountains on Earth's surface.
As the basis for understanding this concept: 3e: Students know there are two
kinds of volcanoes: one kind with violent eruptions producing steep slopes and
the other kind with voluminous lava flows producing gentle slopes. 3f: Students
know the explanation for the location and properties of volcanoes that are due
to hot spots and the explanation for those that are due to subduction.

CDE-ELL Literacy Component: Writing Strategies and Applications
(advanced):
Organization and Focus: Develop a clear thesis and support it, using analogies,
quotations, and facts appropriately. Write a multi-paragraph essay, with
consistent use of standard grammatical forms.
BTSA Component: Use for Standard 19 compliance.
Anticipatory Website: http://eos.higp.hawaii.edu/
Critical Tasks: (in any order) 1. Student teams should create visual images and
drawings in order to support their understanding (and compare/contrast when
possible). 2. Allow for multiple interactions (individual and group) with
material and/or manipulatives. 3. When implementing lesson, follow the
objectives. 4. Teacher must model exploration of the difficult text. 5. Practice
own and student ORAL delivery of content. 6. Pre-teach concept of the existence
of a volcano (use multiple images). 7. Teacher and students are to be involved
in guided reading. 8. Students must report (orally) what they understand. 9.
Student teams must create a written artifact.
Assessment:
Informally through observation and formally through the rubric building website
located at http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php