Curriculum / ELA / 4th Grade / Unit 4: Powering Our Future: Energy (2020) / Lesson 7
ELA
Unit 4
4th Grade
Lesson 7 of 14
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Explain the pros and cons of using fossil fuels for energy.
Book: Renewable Energy: Discover the Fuel of the Future with 20 Projects by Joshua Sneideman and Erin Twamley — pp. 4–5, 8
Article: “Fossil Fuels”
Rubric: Grade 4 Literary Analysis and Opinion Writing Rubric
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved.
What are the pros and cons of using fossil fuels for energy? What reasons and evidence do the authors include on each side of the argument?
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Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
What are fossil fuels? How are they formed? How are they used?
Why does the author include the diagram in "Fossil Fuels"?
On page 4, the authors of Renewable Energy say that "about 90 percent of the world's electricity comes from burning fossil fuels." Why? Give reasons from one or both of the texts.
What impact do fossil fuels have on the environment?
Assess student understanding and monitor progress toward this lesson's objective with an Exit Ticket.
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
fossil fuels
n.
a fuel formed in the Earth from dead plants or animal (Renewable Energy, p. 4)
nonrenewable
adj.
not able to be replaced by nature ("Fossil Fuels," para 4)
renewable
able to be used again or replaced by nature
greenhouse gases
gases, like carbon dioxide or methane, that trap heat contribute to warming temperatures (Renewable Energy, p. 5)
pollution
poisons, wastes, or other materials that are harmful to the health of people and the environment (Renewable Energy, p. 5)
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RI.4.3 — Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
RI.4.8 — Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.
SL.4.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.4.4 — Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
W.4.1 — Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information
W.4.1.a — Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer's purpose.
W.4.1.b — Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
W.4.1.c — Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition).
W.4.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.4.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.4.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.4.6 — Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).
RF.4.3 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RF.4.4 — Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
RI.4.1 — Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RI.4.4 — Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
RI.4.9 — Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
RI.4.10 — By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4—5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
SL.4.3 — Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.
SL.4.6 — Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation.
W.4.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1—3 above.)
W.4.5 — With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
W.4.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Next
Explain the pros and cons of using hydropower and dams.
Describe what energy is and if all types of energy are the same.
Standards
RI.4.3RI.4.7
Describe heat energy and why it is important.
Explain why the author starts by saying that "electricity is the most useful of all forms of energy" and how it works.
Describe chemical energy and two energy sources that use chemical energy.
RI.4.3
Describe how an additional form of energy works.
RI.4.3RI.4.7SL.4.1SL.4.3SL.4.4
Explain how multiple different forms of energy work together to keep cities and towns running.
RI.4.3SL.4.1W.4.2W.4.9
2 days
RI.4.3RI.4.8SL.4.1SL.4.4W.4.1W.4.1.aW.4.1.bW.4.1.cW.4.9
Explain the pros and cons of using solar energy.
RI.4.3RI.4.8SL.4.1SL.4.4W.4.1.aW.4.1.bW.4.1.cW.4.9
Explain the pros and cons of using wind energy.
Create a presentation describing an renewable energy source.
RI.4.2RI.4.3RI.4.7SL.4.1SL.4.3SL.4.4SL.4.5SL.4.6W.4.1W.4.8W.4.9
Debate which energy sources are the best for your city or town.
SL.4.1SL.4.2SL.4.3SL.4.4
Gauge student understanding of unit content and skills with one of Fishtank's unit assessments.
3 days
Write an opinion piece to convince community leaders to use a particular source of energy to provide electricity to your town.
SL.4.4W.4.1W.4.1.aW.4.1.bW.4.1.cW.4.8W.4.9
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