Physical Systems

Curriculum Area: Geography (Physical Systems), Grade 9 (US Social Studies Curriculum)

Level: High School Special Education

Focus: Understanding Earth's physical systems, including landforms, water systems, climate, weather patterns, and ecosystems.

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15-Day Lesson Plan Overview

Goal: Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of Earth's physical systems and how they interact. Lessons will be scaffolded to support diverse learning needs with structured activities, visual aids, hands-on learning, and differentiated instruction for special education students.

Daily Routine for All Lessons

• Warm-Up (5 minutes): Engage background knowledge or introduce key terms by using age-appropriate and accessible questions, visuals, or prompts.
• Instruction (20 minutes): Interactive, student-focused, incorporating hands-on activities, visual aids, discussions, and simplified note-taking strategies.
• Practice (15 minutes): Worksheet activity, group work, or independent task related to lesson content.
• Wrap-Up (5 minutes): Recap and oral or written formative assessment (exit ticket format).

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Lesson 1: Earth's Layers

Objective: Students will identify and describe Earth's layers (crust, mantle, outer core, inner core).

• Warm-Up: Display a diagram of Earth's layers. Ask, “What do you think is inside the planet Earth?”
• Lesson: Discuss Earth's layers in simple terms, using a visual cross-section model. Use a hardboiled egg as an analogy (shell = crust, egg white = mantle, yolk = core).
• Practice: Worksheet with a word bank on Earth's layers (label the diagram). Include sensory aids for tactile learners.
• Wrap-Up: Exit ticket: "What is the difference between the crust and the core?"

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Lesson 2: Plate Tectonics

Objective: Understand plate tectonics and how they shape the Earth's surface.

• Warm-Up: Show a time-lapse animation or simple diagram of Pangaea’s breakup. Ask, "Why do continents move?"
• Lesson: Demonstrate tectonic plates with graham crackers (as plates) spread over peanut butter (as the mantle). Push/tug crackers to simulate plate movements. Discuss earthquakes and volcanoes as outcomes.
• Practice: Worksheet where students identify types of plate boundaries: convergent, divergent, and transform (with visuals).
• Wrap-Up: Exit ticket: "What happens at a transform boundary?"

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Lesson 3: Weathering and Erosion

Objective: Explain the difference between weathering and erosion through examples.

• Warm-Up: Present photos of Mt. Rushmore (weathering) and Grand Canyon (erosion). Ask, “How do these landforms change over time?”
• Lesson: Define weathering (breaking down) and erosion (carrying away). Demonstrate by rubbing chalk (weathering) into sand and pouring water over it (erosion).
• Practice: Match terms (wind, water, ice) with situations where erosion or weathering occurs. Activity sheet includes color-coded answers for accessibility.
• Wrap-Up: Pair-share: “What causes erosion in your neighborhood?”

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Lesson 4: The Water Cycle

Objective: Students will describe the water cycle stages: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection.

• Warm-Up: Show a heat lamp causing water in a bowl to evaporate and form condensation on a lid. Ask, “Where does rain come from?”
• Lesson: Create a simple water cycle model in a plastic bag (water inside, sunny window). Discuss each process using classroom model observation. Include simplified flow charts.
• Practice: Worksheet where students sequence water cycle steps using pictures and terms.
• Wrap-Up: Exit ticket: "In one word, what causes evaporation?"

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Lesson 5: Climate vs. Weather

Objective: Identify the difference between climate and weather.

• Warm-Up: Write two sentences on the board: "It is raining today" and "Florida is usually hot during summer." Ask, “Is there a difference between these?”
• Lesson: Explain weather (short-term atmospheric conditions) vs. climate (long-term weather patterns). Draw Venn diagrams together to compare.
• Practice: Match cities with their climates (e.g., Seattle - rainy, Phoenix - desert) via an activity sheet.
• Wrap-Up: Exit ticket: "What’s one example of climate in your town?"

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Lesson 6: Major Landforms

[Objective, warm-up, and steps would continue expanding on this syllabus structure for each day, progressively building knowledge.]

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As needed, natural assessments could be embedded through the concept quizzes. Teachers may later also build scaffold narratives w/general visuals.