Lesson Plans
Lesson plan 1: Introducing the solar system
Objectives:
Students shall understand the solar system, what is known about our solar system so far as well as the possibility of life existing in any of the planets in our solar system.
Materials needed:
Balloons of different colors blown to different sizes. (Oranges of different sizes cam be used instead of or as substitutes for the balloons).
Strings or wire strands
Pictorial representations of the solar system (30 small pictures and 1 big picture which can be viewed clearly from a distance of about 8 meters)
Stationery
Bulb connected to a socket by a long cord
Motivation:
The teacher shall divide the class into nine groups and hand over one balloon to each group. Then, the teacher shall ask the various groups to inflate the balloons whilst ensuring that no balloon is of the same size as the next groups’ balloon, that is, each balloon shall be of a unique size. The nine balloons shall then be presented to the front of the class where the teacher shall proceed to introduce the lesson.
Procedure:
- Introduce the topic and ask students to discuss amongst themselves what they think lies beyond us, i.e. whether they think we have another “earth” somewhere and if so where is it.
- After the discussion, ask the students random questions concerning what they have discussed. This shall then be followed by a brief discussion and illustration on the blackboard where the teacher shall explain what the solar system is, how it is organized and what its special features are as well as how it works.
- Distribute the pictures with images of the solar system to the students and use the bigger image to explain the pictured they have.
- Ask ten volunteer students to come forward where each takes a balloon and hold it up above their head. The students are supposed to form a line and each will be asked to walk forward along a circular orbit whilst still holding the balloon. No student shall walk in the same pace and after some time, all will be varying distances from each other. This is purely an illustrational bit that shall reinforce the students’ ability to remember the solar system and its components. The bulb shall be held by the 10thstudent who shall be standing in the middle of the room and it shall represent the sun.
Evaluation and Assessment:
Form the students into 6 groups of 5 students each and give them some structured questions concerning the solar system and walk around the class charting the progress made by reviewing the answered questions.
Lesson plan 2: understanding what gravity is and what its effects are
Objective:
Students shall understand the effects of gravity, its principles as well as get a glimpse of gravity in force through experimentation
Materials needed:
A metal object (any object weighing about 1kg shall do)
A feather
A piece of paper
Motivation:
Write a question on the board labeled “of all the objects listed herein i.e. the metal object, the feather and the piece f paper, which shall hit the ground first if I happened to drop them at he same time?”
Procedure:
- Ask students to answer the question on the board and give a brief explanation behind their reasoning.
- Choose three student volunteers and ask them to stand on a chair.
- Hand over the objects to the students and ask them to drop all the objects at the same time.
- Ask the students to write down which object hit the ground first and why.
- Explain the concept of gravity and why heavier things ‘fall faster’ than lighter things i.e. the feather.
Evaluation and assessment:
Give the students a list of objects of varying weights and ask them to answer which will fall faster than the other and why. Ask other structured questions as to the effect of gravity and its relevance and application to our day to day lives. Have students deliver their answers followed by a discussion.
Lesson plan 3: Animal adaptations to the environment
Objective:
To enhance the understanding of students with regard to the various features animals have and how these features help the concerned animals to survive in relation to the various habitats they live in.
Materials needed:
Pictures of various animals i.e. the elephant, giraffe, zebra, chameleon, skunk, lion etc
Motivation:
Ask the students to write on a piece of paper the observable features of the animals presented in the pictures. Ask the students which of the animals in the pictures they like the most. Discuss with the student the various features that specific animal has that makes it suited best to its environment.
Procedure:
- Create a story where you tell students that it is 300 million years into the future at a time when humans have developed so much that hey have the ability to build planets, plants as well as animals.
- Ask students to form two groups of 15 students each in which each group should assume that it is a scientific team assigned to create an animal to live in two planets which have already been created.
- Give the students two planet scenarios i.e. a very cold planet, inhabited by plants, a very hot planet inhabited by other animals.
- Assign each planet to the group and ask them to create an animal that shall survive such a planet while incorporating the features such an animal should have in order to survive in such a planet. It is a requirement that each student names at least one characteristic which the animal being created must have so s to survive in the presented planet. Note that creation in this case means the drafting of a proposal containing the various characteristics such an animal should have.
Evaluation and assessment:
Check to see that the students have fulfilled the activity.
Check to see whether all the adaptations are correct and if the animal fits into the food chain.
Part 2
According to Pettig (2000), instructional differentiation helps students from all walks of life to participate fully in the teaching exercise. For an instruction to achieve its maximum effect, diversity amongst students should be taken into consideration as relates to their abilities or otherwise. In the here lesson plans I present above, I have used instructional differentiation to maximize the growth of students at the individual level. In lesson plan No. 1, I ensure that all the students have a visual image of the solar system and how the planets (represented by balloons) go around the sun (which is represented by a bulb). This goes ahead to enhance the students understanding of the solar system and its hence their comprehension is enhanced.
In lesson plan No. 2, I utilize assessment as a teaching tool as opposed to using the same for purposes of instruction only. According to Lee et al. (2008), the whole of the instructional episode should be informed by assessments. This I believe goes a long way in optimizing learning amongst all the students at the individual level.In lesson plan No. 3, I engage all the students so as to ensure that no student is left behind. Bass et al. (2009) notes that the need for motivation as well as engagement of all students cannot be overstated as far as differentiation are concerned. In the Lesson Plan No. 3, I attain this by asking students to form two groups where each group is required to come up with an animal best adapted to the planet that is already presented as a scenario. Here, the engagement of all the students is invoked as every student in the group must come up with at least one characteristic of the animal which is being created at the group level.
When it comes to the assessments selected and how they will support and guide teaching learning, it is important to note that focus on state tests is not in itself adequate as instractors should assess the learning of students through the creation of a number of opportunities. This gives instractors the ability to source the necessary information which is then used to make the necessary instructional changes (National Research Council 2001). In all the lesson plans I discuss herein, I utilize assessments which are critical as far as availing feedback to me is concerned. I use formative assessments to provide feedback to the students as well as myself regarding their performance, understanding as well as comprehension of the subject under consideration is concerned.
However, I also use summative assessments after the instruction period which provides critical information on the success of the learning already carried out as he performance is scored. In lesson plan 1, students are required to present their views on the solar system at the beginning of the discussion and this provides me with a picture of what should be emphasizes as the class progresses. Next, we have the summative assessment at the end where students are supposed to answer structured questions concerning the solar system. In lesson plan 2, students are asked to answer the question on the board and give a brief explanation behind their reasoning. When it comes to the summative assessment, students are asked a number of structured questions as to the effect of gravity and its relevance and application to their day to day lives. In lesson plan 3, students are asked to write on a piece of paper the observable features of the animals presented in the pictures. At the end of the lesson, students must create an animal that has all the characteristics necessary for it to survive in the assigned planet. The participation of each and every individual in the group is enhanced by informing the students in advance that the performance of each group shall constitute each students individual mark and performance as far as that particular group is concerned.
According to Bass et al. (2009), assessment is made up of student work analysis, discussions in the context of a classroom as well as instructor or teacher observation. As noted earlier, formative assessments as well as summative assessments are the moist common. The assessments I discuss above in relation to the three lesson plans I formulate i.e. lesson plan 1, 2 and 3 are critical for purposes of availing feedback which I use to compare the desired objective and what has been achieved so far. It is important to note that while I remain to be the main source of feedback as the instructor, students can also benefit greatly from self evaluation.
References
Bass, J. E., Contant, T. L., & Carin, A. A. (2009). Teaching Science as Inquiry, 11th Edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc
Lee, O., & Buxton, C. (2008). Science Curriculum and Student Diversity: A Framework for Equitable Learning Opportunities. Elementary School Journal, 109(2), 123-137
National Research Council (2001). Classroom Assessment and the National Science Education Standards. Washington, D.C.: NationalAcademy Press.
Pettig, K. L., (2000). On the road to differentiated. Education Leadership, 8, 1, 14-18.
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