Lesson Plan The rationale for the unit
Lesson Plan
The rationale for the unit
The unit “Properties of Matter” is developed for grade 3 students. The unit incorporates many academic teaching principles in helping students learn about the matter. It, therefore, recognizes the three states of matter and various specifics of each state, including properties, phase changes, and associated conditions and the water cycle. Sufficient teaching of the unit will involve three lessons, each of which will focus on a single state of matter. The first lesson will describe the solid-state, describing distinct characteristics and dynamics of the state of matter. The second lesson will revolve around the liquid state, compare it with the previously learned solid-state to describe the difference between the two states. The third lesson will focus on the gaseous state of matter, to help the students recognize special features of gases from other states of matter. The third lesson will also describe how matter shifts from one state to another under specified conditions and the essence of transformation of matter in the three states. Each lesson will involve the students in various activities to enhance their understanding through a practical approach. The unit will, therefore, involve the use of various objects to aid in demonstrating distinction among the three states of matter. Upon completion of the unit, the students will describe matter according to the three forms it exists in and explains phase changes from one state to the other under associated conditions. The contents of this unit will help the students to understand the influence of matter to the natural environment around them.
Lesson 1.
| PROPERTIES OF MATTER; SOLIDS | |
| NJ STUDENT LEARNING STANDARDS | 3-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics. |
| LEARNING OBJECTIVES | The students will be able to evaluate matters according to the different states earlier mentioned in grade 2. The students will be able to identify the solid-state according to its physical characteristics and recognize the conditions under which matter may transform into other physical states. |
| ACADEMIC LANGUAGE | Students are learning about solids, and they will use words such as mass and volume when they are writing an explanatory text. Copies of a list of vocabulary words will be placed on each desk. A chart will be placed at the front of the class with symbols and figures illustrating the meaning of vocabulary. |
| MATERIALS | Ice cube, metallic bowl, candle, matchbox, a brick, an empty box, spoon, large bowl full of water, calibrated beaker, and a weighing balance. |
| PROCEDURES | |
| A. ANTICIPATORY SET ( 10 minutes) | The teacher introduces a brainstorm with the following set of questions. Each student will give their views and opinions, followed by a short class discussion. What is matter? What are solids? What are the examples of solids? The teacher will also require the students to name the various learning material. |
| B. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITY 20 minutes | The teacher will describe the physical properties of solids using the learning material. The weigh balance will be used to measure the mass of various objects to illustrate that matter has mass. The large basin with water will be used to describe the volume of various objects through immersing them and then measuring the volume of displaced water using the calibrated beaker. The candle will be used to melt the ice cube while describing conditions necessary for the change of state from solid to liquid. The teacher will then ask questions about the learned concepts as the students respond to them orally. Later, the students will tackle a quiz presented in a worksheet. |
| C. MODIFICATION OR ACCOMMODATIONS | The teacher will split the class into several discussion groups to help psychologically challenged and hearing impaired students seek more elaboration about the subject from peers. The use of large print textbooks, braille, and digital text will be put in place to foster understanding of the learned concepts among visually challenged students. There will be additional time for handling the quiz among the visually, physically, and psychologically challenged students. This form of accommodation will allow such students to synthesize the contents more efficiently. |
| D. CLOSURE 10 minutes | The teacher will explain the correct answers for the quiz. After the revision, any issues raised by the students relating to the topic will be addressed. The teacher will close the class by giving a takeaway test. |
| ASSESSMENT | The teacher will ask each student what characteristics of solids they learned, examples of solid materials used at home. Each student will also give an example of a situation in which matter transforms from solid to liquid, stating the necessary conditions. |
| FOLLOW-UP
| The student’s performance on the quiz and takeaway assignment will help the teacher evaluate the success of oral discussion and practical approach applied during the class, to determine their applicability in future lessons. Performance among students with special needs will be used to evaluate the forms of accommodation used, spotting out areas of weakness, need for incorporation of other forms of accommodation, and the necessity of revisiting the unit. |
Commentary
The lesson connects with 3-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and dynamics teaching standards as it focuses on how the existence of matter in solid-state influences the interaction between living organisms and their environment.
Knowledge of students to inform teaching.
The grade three class comprises of mixed gender students with prior knowledge of solids, encountered in grade 2. The lesson is, therefore, essential in helping the students develop a natural interpretation of the environment, enhance their reading skills, and learn new vocabulary. It will also foster their communication skills and cognitive development through class discussions. The students come from families residing within nearby estates with English as their first language. Their background environment, therefore, influences the natural interpretation of situations and language development through interaction with the people and surroundings. Although a larger proportion of the students have developed a crude interpretation of actual situations, some are still attached to the imagination. The lesson, therefore, adopts a practical approach to mitigate this difference.
Supporting Children’s Development and Learning
The class outline identifies the students’ specific needs to sufficiently equip them with the intended knowledge and skills. The experiment introduces the students to a solid-state of matter to boost their prior understanding in grade 2 about the subject. It is also meant to help the students develop an understanding of the environment they interact with outside the class. Splitting the class into several discussion groups and the use of large print textbooks, braille, and digital text is meant to build up an understanding of the subject among students with disabilities. Discussion groups will help less confident and psychologically challenged students develop assertiveness and self-esteem. Copies of a list of vocabulary words will be placed on each desk to enhance language development. The takeaway assignment will help the students exercise the use of learned vocabulary after the lesson. The assessment chart will describe the overall understanding of the subject among the students, and point out areas of weakness. It also describes performance among students with special needs to trace the effectiveness of the forms of accommodation and modification used and the need for change during future lessons. The assessment, therefore, describes the ability of the students to identify the solid-state according to its physical characteristics, and recognize the conditions under which matter may transform into other physical states.
Assessment
| Students performance in percentage | Number of students | Proportion in the total number of students in the class (%) | Number of physically challenged students | Proportion in the total number of students in the class (%) |
| 0-25 | ||||
| 25-50 | ||||
| 50-75 | ||||
| 75-100 |
Lesson 2
| PROPERTIES OF MATTER; LIQUIDS | |
| NJ STUDENT LEARNING STANDARDS | 3-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics. |
| LEARNING OBJECTIVES | The students will be able to distinguish matter in a liquid state from other physical states. The students will be able to identify the liquid state according to their physical characteristics and recognize the conditions under which solids may transform their physical state into liquid and vice versa. The students will be able to identify the differences between liquids and solids earlier learned. |
| ACADEMIC LANGUAGE | Students will learn and use words such as liquid, weight, and compression during the lesson. A list of vocabulary with their corresponding meanings will be issued to each student. The teacher will go through the list of vocabulary with the students to give them a clear understanding of their meanings. |
| MATERIALS | Water, containers of different shapes, weight balance, and a calibrated beaker. |
| PROCEDURES | |
| B. ANTICIPATORY SET ( 10 minutes) | The teacher asks the following set of questions, and each student attempts to answer; What is a liquid? What are the examples of liquids? What are some differences between solids and liquids? |
| C. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITY 20 minutes | The teacher will describe the physical properties of liquids with the help of the learning materials. The teacher will also use the calibrated beaker to describe how liquids occupy space, and containers of different shapes to describe how liquids lack a definite shape. The weigh balance will measure the weight of water in the beaker to describe the fact that liquids have weight. The teacher will then ask questions about the learned concepts as the students respond to them orally, and a quiz follows, which is done in groups of fours. |
| D. MODIFICATION OR ACCOMMODATIONS | The teacher will go around the class, emphasizing the subject among the visually, physically, and psychologically challenged students. This form of accommodation will improve the understanding among such students. The quiz will be handled in groups of fours to help psychologically challenged and hearing impaired students seek more explanation about the subject from the fellow students. The teacher will extend the deadline for submitting an assignment among students with special needs. The extra time will help such students develop knowledge about the topic and consequently improve their performance. |
| E. CLOSURE 10 minutes | A class discussion will be held about the quiz as the teacher explains the correct answers and respond to any issues raised by the students relating to the topic will be addressed. The class ends with a takeaway assignment to be submitted before the next science lesson. |
| ASSESSMENT | The teacher will go through each student’s response to the quiz to identify areas of weakness. Individual students’ performance on the quiz and takeaway assignment will be recorded to evaluate the overall performance of the class concerning the understanding of the subject. |
| FOLLOW-UP
| The student’s performance on the quiz and takeaway assignment will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the session I knowledge acquisition about the subject. It will also be used to stipulate the best teaching techniques for future lessons and assess the need for revisiting the unit. Performance among students with special needs will be used to evaluate the forms of accommodation used, demonstrating their strengths and weaknesses. The analysis will be used to develop the most effective forms of accommodation and modification for the class. |
Commentary
The lesson is in line with the demands of 3-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and dynamics teaching standards. It draws attention to how liquids affect the interaction between living and non-living things. After successful completion of the lesion, the students should construct arguments on how the existence of liquids influences their lives.
Knowledge of students to inform teaching.
The grade three class have a prior basic understanding of liquids, taught in grade 2. The lesson, therefore, aims at assisting the students in developing factual arguments about the environment, improving their reading and writing skills as well as communication. The lesion will also influence their perceptions about cooperation with classmates through class discussions and experiments. The students are residents of nearby estates and had English as their first language. Their family backgrounds, therefore, strengthen realistic interpretation and analysis of situations, language development, and communication skills. Although a larger proportion of the students have developed a crude interpretation of situations through a realistic approach, some are still attached to fiction. The practical approach followed during the lesion will, therefore, help in mitigating the differences.
Supporting Children’s Development and Learning
The lesson addresses the specific needs of students to qualify the learning objectives effectively. The learning activity adds weight on the subject of liquids previously tackled in grade 2 and inculcating the understanding of the environment. Splitting the class into groups of fours, emphasizing the subject among students with special needs, and extending the deadline for submitting assignments helps such students to keep up with their colleagues despite the physical challenges. Working in groups helps less confident and psychologically challenged students develop positivity towards learning and understanding as they seek clarification from colleagues. A list of vocabulary with their appropriate explanations will be issued to each student to encourage language development. Class exercises and take away tests will help the students exercise the use of learned vocabularies after the lesson, boosting language acquisition. The assessment chart will describe the overall performance among all students on the takeaway test. It also describes specific performance among students with special needs to assess the efficiency of accommodation and modification forms observed during the lesson, therefore, describing the need for improvement. The assessment illustrates the ability of the students to distinguish matter in a liquid state from other physical states, identifying liquids according to its physical characteristics, and recognize the conditions under which solid matter may transform the physical state into liquid and vice versa.
Assessment
| Students performance in percentage | Number of students | Proportion in the total number of students in the class (%) | Number of physically challenged students | Proportion in the total number of students in the class (%) |
| 0-25 | ||||
| 25-50 | ||||
| 50-75 | ||||
| 75-100 |
Lesson 3
| PROPERTIES OF MATTER; GASES | |
| NJ STUDENT LEARNING STANDARDS | 3-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics. |
| LEARNING OBJECTIVES | The students will be able to identify the various characteristics of gases. The students will understand conditions under which gases change into other physical states of matter. The students will understand the water cycle. |
| ACADEMIC LANGUAGE | Students will use vocabulary such as gases and compression during the lesson. The teacher will go through the list of vocabulary with the students to give them a clear understanding of their meanings. |
| MATERIALS | Balloon filled with air and tied off, bicycle pump, portable Bunsen burner, a beaker with some water, and a metallic lid. |
| PROCEDURES | |
| C. ANTICIPATORY SET ( 10 minutes) | The teacher asks the following set of questions, and each student attempts to answer; What are gases? When do we use gases? What are some physical characteristics of gases? |
| D. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITY 20 minutes | The teacher will describe the physical properties of gases with the help of the air balloon. The teacher will also use the bicycle pump to describe how air can be compressed and give real-life examples during which classes are compressed. The portable Bunsen burner will be used to heat the water in the beaker until it evaporates to describe the change in state. The vapor will then condense on the metallic lid. This experiment will describe the water cycle The teacher will then ask questions about the learned concepts as the students respond to them orally, and then issue a worksheet with questions to be handled in groups. |
| E. MODIFICATION OR ACCOMMODATIONS | The teacher will demonstrate the experiment an extra time for the psychologically, visually, and hearing-impaired students reinforce their understanding. Doing the exercise in groups will help psychologically challenged and hearing impaired students seek more explanation about the subject from the fellow students. The teacher will extend the deadline for submitting assignments among students with special needs to help such students develop knowledge about the topic and consequently improve their performance. |
| F. CLOSURE 10 minutes | The teacher will revise the exercise with the students, explaining the correct answers. A takeaway assignment will then be issued to be submitted before the next science lesson. |
| ASSESSMENT | The teacher will give each student a chance to respond to each question to assess their understanding. Individual students’ performance on the quiz and takeaway assignment will be recorded on the assessment chart to evaluate the overall understanding of the concepts learned. |
| FOLLOW-UP
| The student’s performance on the takeaway assignment will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the session. It will also be used to identify more effective teaching techniques for other lessons. Performance among students with special needs will be used to determine the effectiveness of forms of modification and accommodation applied during the session. The evaluation will be an important element in identifying the most effective forms of accommodation and modification. |
Commentary
The lesson is in line with the demands of 3-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and dynamics teaching standards because it explains how gases are vital in the lives of living organisms and their natural environment. Upon completion, the students should deduce contention on the fact that gases influence the lives of living organisms and their environment.
Knowledge of students to inform teaching.
From grade 2, The students have a basic comprehension of gases. Therefore, the lesson intends to assist them in acknowledging their understanding about the environment, upgrade their reading and writing skills. The lesion will also influence their communication skills and perceptions about cooperation as they work in groups. The students are residents of nearby estates. Their family backgrounds, therefore, taught English as their first language. Their upbringing, thus, strengthens realistic interpretation and analysis of situations and communicating in the English language. Most of the students seem to have admissible language skills and critical thinking. However, a small proportion of the class has not acquired sufficient listening and interpretation skills. The teacher will, therefore, demonstrate the experiment an extra time for such students to confirm their understanding.
Supporting Children’s Development and Learning
The lesson identifies and addresses the needs of students to effectively boost their prior understanding of the subject. To achieve this goal, the lesson acknowledges prior understanding of the subject among the student through the use of a brainstorm during the anticipatory set. Allowing the students to work in groups helps diffident pupils develop confidence and self-worth. The teacher will demonstrate the experiment an extra time to offer another chance for the students who might have missed important points during the lesson. The teacher also gives a worksheet with a class exercise and a takeaway at the end of the lesson to demonstrate the practice of learned vocabularies as a way of boosting language appropriation. The assessment chart will describe the performance among students with special needs. It will, therefore, be used to assess the effectiveness of teaching principles and methods applied. The assessment will describe the students’ ability to identify the various characteristics of gases, conditions under which gases change into other physical states of matter, and how the water cycle occurs.
Assessment
| Students performance in percentage | Number of students | Proportion in the total number of students in the class (%) | Number of physically challenged students | Proportion in the total number of students in the class (%) |
| 0-25 | ||||
| 25-50 | ||||
| 50-75 | ||||
| 75-100 |
Work Cited
State Department of Education. (2019). 3-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics. New Jersey Student Learning Standards. https://www.nj.gov/education/cccs/2016/science/3-LS2.pdf