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Science Lesson Kit · Teacher Resource

Landforms & Bodies of Water — 5E Lesson Plan

Earth Science · 40 minutes

Grade 2

5E lesson flow

  1. 01

    Engage

    5 min

    Teacher Does

    Show a scene and top-view map.

    Students Do

    Find matching features.

    Ask

    • What information stayed the same?

    Look For

    Shape and location.

  2. 02

    Explore

    10 min

    Teacher Does

    Provide feature pieces.

    Students Do

    Build and map a landscape.

    Ask

    • Where is each feature?

    Look For

    Relative locations.

  3. 03

    Explain

    7 min

    Teacher Does

    Introduce the six terms.

    Students Do

    Connect words to evidence.

    Ask

    • What tells you water state?

    Look For

    Information rather than color alone.

  4. 04

    Elaborate

    12 min

    Teacher Does

    Guide state sorting and island/lake comparison.

    Students Do

    Classify and explain.

    Ask

    • What evidence supports it?

    Look For

    Correct category reasoning.

  5. 05

    Evaluate

    6 min

    Teacher Does

    Assign an independent map challenge.

    Students Do

    Draw and explain.

    Ask

    • Does the map preserve the scene?

    Look For

    Shape and relative location.

Student goal

I can use pictures, maps, and information to describe land, water, location, and water state.

Learning objectives

  • Identify common landforms and bodies of water from pictures, maps, and models.
  • Develop or read a simple map that preserves important shapes and relative locations of land and water.
  • Use picture, map, and label information to identify places where water is found and whether the example shows liquid water or solid ice.

Materials

  • Neutral landscape and map cards
  • Blue and green shapes
  • Paper
  • Crayons
  • Water-state cards

Before class

  • Prepare the source scene and neutral map models.
  • Keep assessment cards free of answer labels.
  • Open Teach Mode and Read Aloud.

Prior knowledge

  • Students recognize common land and water features.
  • Students use positional words.

Vocabulary

map
A drawing or model that shows where things are located.
landform
A natural shape of land, such as a hill, valley, or island.
body of water
An area of water, such as a river, lake, pond, or ocean.
location
Where something is compared with other things.
liquid water
Water that flows and takes the shape of its container or surroundings.
ice
Water in solid form.

Differentiation

  • Provide pre-cut feature shapes.
  • Allow oral explanations or teacher scribing.

Assessment

  • Check land/water identification.
  • Check water-state evidence.
  • Check map shape and location.

Exit ticket

Name one landform, one body of water, and where each is located.

Extension

Revise a map after one feature changes location.