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ASSURE Model Instructional Plan

Natural Disasters
3rd Grade
Social Studies
Lesson length: 60 minutes, or one class period
Analyze Learners
Total number of students: 20
Male students: 9
Female students: 11
Students with low learning skills: 4
ESL Student: 1
Hearing Impaired: 1
SPL IEP: 4
Visual/Spatial learners (approximately 1/3 of students)
Kinesthetic learners (approximately 1/4 of students)
Verbal/linguistic learners (two to three students)
Interpersonal learners (one or two students)
Logical/Mathematical (one or two students)
State Objectives
SOL
2.7 a) effects of weather and seasonal changes on the growth and behavior of living things;
and
b)
weathering and erosion of land surfaces.
3.6 The student will investigate and understand that ecosystems support a diversity of
plants and animals that share limited resources. Key concepts include
a) aquatic ecosystems;
b) terrestrial ecosystems;
c) populations and communities; and
d) the human role in conserving limited resources.
3.10
c) the effects of fire, flood, disease, and erosion on organisms;
Select Media, Materials, and Methods
Media:
5 classroom computers with internet access and Google Earth installed on desktop
Overhead Projector
Projection Screen

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Materials:
Wall World Map
Library books about natural disasters
Newspaper articles about natural disasters
Each students science journal
Pencils
Visuals of natural disasters
Printouts of possible causes
Methods
Whole group direct instruction overview
KWL Chart on white board
Think Pair Share
Whole group participation in matching the disaster visuals with possible causes
Small group centers
News article synthesis
Identification of geographic location affected in the event
Creation of before and after maps
Science journals- answer questions on vocabulary, causation, effects on animals, plants,
and people, and possible ways of prevention/preparedness.
Utilize Media, Materials, and Methods
Media:
5 desktop computers with internet access Will be used to do Google Earth research
project on the effects of natural disasters/human accidents. Will have Google Earth installed
on each desktop explaining assignment and have links to appropriate web sites.
1 overhead projector used to project map and Google Earth as the teacher explains
directions for the project
1 projection screen that is visible to students will be used to display procedures of creating
places and place trails
Materials:
Wall World Map- For students to visualize where certain natural disasters occur more.
Furthermore, students can use this map to show their peers on a global scale where the
natural disaster in their research happened.
Library books about natural disasters- For students to use for research on their event.
Newspaper articles about natural disasters- To be used at small group centers.
Each students science journal- a couple pages to answer the questions on the board about
the causes and effects of natural disasters.
Pencils- for students to write in their journals
Visuals of natural disasters- Printed out pictures the size of normal copy paper or pictures
previous students have drawn to depict natural disasters. To be matched with possible

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causes during group exercise.
Printouts of possible causes- large words that match to each natural disaster.
Methods:
Whole group direct instruction overview- Cover the vocabulary:
Tsunami, Hurricane, Avalanche, Flood, Cyclone, Volcanic Eruptions, Flood, Tornado,
Draught, Blizzard, and Landslide.
KWL Chart on Whiteboard- Have a KWL chart on the white board and have students come
up to fill in the K and W columns.
Think Pair Share- Have students think about their chart and then share with their partner.
Whole group participation in matching the disaster visuals with possible causes- Have
students who did not write on the KWL chart come up and stick the pictures and possible
causes up on the whiteboard or wall.
Whole group instruction of small group centersSmall group centers
News article synthesis
Identification of geographic location affected in the event
Creation of before and after maps
Science journals- Have the projector screen show questions on vocabulary, causation,
effects on animals, plants, and people, and possible ways of prevention/preparedness for
the kids to answer.
Require Learner Participation
KWL Chart on Whiteboard:
During this time encourage all students to participate by coming up to the whiteboard and
filling in either the K or W columns.
Think Pair Share:
Have students pair up and share what they can infer about natural disasters to answer
some of the wonder statements on the KWL chart. Have students walk around the room
and pair up with someone new and share.
Whole Group Matching:
Ask the students who shared about hurricanes. Have one pair come up and match the
picture of that natural disaster with the possible cause. Then go through the other natural
disasters with pairs that shared about it.
Whole group Instruction of Small Group Centers:
Share with students the step by step instructions for Google Earth:
-First, have students pair up in groups of four (one group for every computer).
-Second, assign the groups to the various centers (have a newspaper article at every
center). Let the students move to their locations and continue listening.
-Third, explain that they will first be taking notes of their article. They will need to have the
location (Country, city), name of natural disaster, effects of the natural disaster on the area

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and the environment, possible casualties, and possible way to prevent or prepare for these
kinds of natural disaster. If there was any humanitarian aid and response that would be
great to add too.
-Fourth, show the students how to set up their project on Google Earth.
-Go into programs and select Google Earth Pro
-Search for their location(s)
-Save multiple locations affected by the natural disaster
-Go back in time to see the before and after of the disaster
Small Group Centers:
-Synthesize newspaper article
Have one student read the article to the others.
Have one scribe write down the answers the group comes up with.
-Go into programs and select Google Earth Pro
Have one student pull up Google Earth Pro.
-Search for their location(s)
Have that same student search for the main city.
-Save multiple locations affected by the natural disaster
Have the next student narrow down the search and save the different loctations
-Go back in time to see the before and after of the disaster
Have the next student use the time feature and find pictures of the location before and after
the event.
Science Journals:
Have all students answer questions that you have posted with the projector.
Evaluate & Revise
Student Performance:
The students will be assessed on their small group center activities. Each student should
actively participate in both synthesizing their groups article and mapping out their visual.
Instructor Performance:
Make sure to walk around the room and engage students with questions if they find
themselves getting stuck. Be sure to make several rounds around the room during this time.
Media Performance:
The media that was used serves as an interactive and visual map of the areas affected by
natural disasters. Sometimes it can be a little hard to get to the time you want using the
scroll bar on the clock widget.