Science Lesson Plan Example

LESSON PLAN for CONTENT METHODS SEMESTER (Five E Model)

Name(s):  Andrea Clark                                                           Section:  05

Subject: Social Studies/Science                                                            Grade Level: 4th                     

Title of Lesson:  Private Eyes: The Science of Observation and Inquiry

Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) Elementary Education Standards

Please check the appropriate strand.

MATH                                                                        SCIENCE                   SOCIAL STUDIES

_____  Number and Operations and Algebra               ____  Physical                         __X__  Integrated study of history

_____  Measurement and Geometry                            ____  Life                    __X__  Geography

_____  Data Analysis and Probability                          ____ Earth/Space         __X__  Social Sciences

                                                                                    __X_ Critical Thinking

LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

Establishing the Lesson Framework

Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills: §112.15. Science, Grade 4- (3) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions. The student is expected to:

(A)  in all fields of science, analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scientific explanations, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student

Objective(s): The students will use their powers of observation and inquiry to analyze, evaluate, and critique a weekly photograph. The student will be able to defend their predictions in both written and oral forms using empirical evidence.

Rationale for teaching this lesson: The purpose of visual literacy is to explicitly teach a collection of competencies that will help students think through, think about and think with pictures. It is important for the student to use critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions.

Content Area Literacy Strategy: The students will use a combination of team work as well as a gallery walk as the CALS for this lesson. As for the weekly, at leisure follow up activity, the CALS will be an oral and written defense of the students proposed scenario for the weeks photograph.

English Language Proficiency Standard (ELPS): §74.4. (2) Cross-curricular second language acquisition/listening. The ELL listens to a variety of speakers including teachers, peers, and electronic media to gain an increasing level of comprehension of newly acquired language in all content areas. ELLs may be at the beginning, intermediate, advanced, or advanced high stage of English language acquisition in listening. In order for the ELL to meet grade-level learning expectations across the foundation and enrichment curriculum, all instruction delivered in English must be linguistically accommodated (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with the student's level of English language proficiency. The student is expected to: (E) use visual, contextual, and linguistic support to enhance and confirm understanding of increasingly complex and elaborated spoken language;

(F) listen to and derive meaning from a variety of media such as audio tape, video, DVD, and CD ROM to build and reinforce concept and language attainment

Evaluation Strategies

Pre- Assessment:  The student will be given 5 mins. to sketch, make observations, and predictions of a photograph projected onto the board.

Pre/Post- Assessment Rubric:

Skills to Master	Not Yet	Almost	You Got It!
Sketch is useful in analyzing visual information	One piece of the image drawn with little to no detail	3 pieces of the image are sketched with minimal detail	>3 pieces of the image that are detailed enough that one could make assumptions about the story using the sketch alone
Observations are relevant to making predictions	Student gives only surface observations. (“There’s a man doing stuff”)	Student is able to detect subtleties in photographs. i.e., facial expressions, body language, perspective.	Student can make connections to the story line in the photograph using past experiences.
Inquiry	Student just restates observations	Student answers some of the 4 W’s with little evidence from the photo	Student answers all of the 4 W’s with clear examples from the photo backed up with students own experiences.

Formative Assessment(s):  Observation, Questioning, Discussion, Visual Representation

Summative/Post Assessment: Written and oral defense of student predictions

Designing Supportive Learning Environments

	TEACHER USE	STUDENT USE
Materials	“Science Eyes”; Trench coat; Hat; recorder app; Four printed color photographs from the Learning Blog’s “What’s Going on in that Photograph?” series; four pieces of poster paper; glue	Markers
Resources	learning.blogs.nytimes.com/.../whats-going-on-in-this-picture; youtube.com: Pink Panther theme song (2:38), James Bond theme song (Dr. No) Inspector Gadget theme song, and Austin Powers theme song	learning.blogs.nytimes.com/.../whats-going-on-in-this-picture
Technology (justify why needed or not needed)	Internet access; smart phone (for hook as an investigator recording observations)	Internet access

SETTING
Classroom Arrangement	4 group tables
Materials Management	Host and hostess to pass out materials
Student Grouping	Groups of 4
Technology Needs	Internet access
Safety Concerns	The teacher must emphasize the importance of walking, not running to and from stations.

Student Needs/Adaptations

STUDENT	CONTEXTUAL FACTOR	STUDENT NEED/ADAPTATION
Student A	ADD	Written instruction and timer reminders of responsibilities
Student B	ID	Peer support and para-aide
Student C	ELL Advanced  Level	Visual clues and peer support

Content Knowledge

• What content do you (the teacher) need to know in order to teach this lesson?

• Determine the nature of the visual materials needed
• Find and access needed images and visual media effectively and efficiently
• Interpret and analyze the meanings of images and visual media
• Evaluate images and their sources
• Use images and visual media effectively
• Design and create meaningful images and visual media
• Understand many of the ethical, legal, social, and economic issues surrounding the creation and use of images and visual media, and access and use visual materials ethically

What other connections do you need to know? The teacher would have to understand how to begin to bridge the gap between a child’s concrete and literal habits, to the more hypothetical and extrapolated thinking needed to make predictions for the storyline of a photograph.

How will you make the content clear and meaningful to the students? By allowing the students multiple opportunities to interact with images in the media, the importance of details within an image becomes applicable in the real world to students.

• What are some student content responses to be anticipated? Literal responses are to be expected use scaffolded questioning strategies to further and deepen the students thinking

What possible errors or misconceptions could the students make? Make generalizations and/or assumptions, one could fail to make connections with previous schema

How can you correct these errors and misconceptions? Through repeated contact with images that challenge assumptions and encourage reliance on preexisting information to make predictions about the image

• What are some student behaviors to be anticipated? Arguing about opinions and problems taking turns are the behavioral concerns for this developmental level while difficulty thinking beyond identification is a challenge specific to this lesson.

How can you be prepared? Anticipating the student’s frustration with not having an immediately apparent meaning in an image should give the teacher the incentive to know the images well enough to ask leading questions to allow the students to classify the visual information into digestible data for analysis

Instructional Strategies

The instructional model(s) utilized in this lesson is (are):

 __X__ Guided Inquiry                                   __X__ Direct Instruction         __X__ Cooperative Learning  

           

__X__ Challenge                                 _____ Open Inquiry               __X__   Five E Model

INTRODUCTION/FOCUS/ENGAGE
The teacher will…	Come in to the Pink Panther Theme Song. Don a trench coat, hat and “science eyed” glasses. Record observations of the room with phone.
The student will…	Identify the qualities of a good detective
Type of formative Assessment	Questioning, Discussion
Approximate time	10 mins.
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURE/METHOD/ACTIVITIES
EXPLORE:	The Students will: Analyze visual information in 2-3 photographs with the help of the teacher The Teacher will: Facilitate discussion on what is going on in photographs
EXPLAIN:	The Students will: Break into four groups and analyze the visual information at all four stations (2 songs a piece) The Teacher will: Walk around the room furthering students thought processes by asking leading questions
ELABORATE:	The Students will: Students will rotate around to the four stations and either refute, affirm, and/or extraplolate from original group members thoughts on the stations photograph The Teacher will:  Walk around the room furthering students thought processes by asking leading questions
EVALUATE:	The Students will: Go up to the front of the class with their group and original photograph, they will each have a turn wearing “science eyes” and sharing one piece of information about the photograph a piece. The Teacher will:  Ask how the student inferred this information
CLOSURE
The teacher will…	Listen and look for opportunities to extend the students depth and reasoning behind the students predictions
The student will…	Write down and share with the class their observations, predictions, and inquiries about one of four pictures presented to them.
Type of formative assessment	Written and oral defense
Approximate time	5 mins.