Literacy Activity 2 - Create a Summary

Create a Summary - The Structure of the Earth [Stage 4]

 * Main focus: ES1a. describe the structure of the Earth in terms of core, mantle, crust and lithosphere
 * Additional outcomes and statements:
 * ES1 Sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks contain minerals and are formed by processes that occur within Earth over a variety of timescales.
 * WS7.1 Students process data and information by
 * a. summarising data from students' own investigations and secondary source

Lesson Outline
In this lesson, students will be given an information sheet on the structure of the Earth. More specifically, they will learn about the crust, the outer mantle, the inner mantle, the core and the components that make up these layers. Using this information, students are to create a summary, written in their own words.

The lesson begins with a teacher-directed talk about the Earth and how it is separated into layers. An online sheet (See PDF ) will be then handed to the class as volunteers read the information aloud. The students are then to write (in point form) the 10 most crucial parts of information from the text.

After reducing the text into 10 dot points, students are to expand on the points they have chosen in order to write a summary, in full, scholarly sentences. This activity serves as a good formative assessment for the teacher to see not only the literacy and summarising skills, but also, how well the students understood the content from the syllabus. Teachers may also use this as self-feedback on their ability to teach the class about the Earth’s structure.

Differentiation and Consideration

 * Students who finish early, excel in science or have particular interests in the creative arts may be invited to draw a diagram of what the layers of Earth may look like, based off the summary they have created.
 * For students who have particular struggles with English and literacy, a summary in dot point form would be adequate (however, the dot points should still be detailed and go beyond the set number of 10).