Five Lesson Plans

Liesl Ebenholtz

September 25, 2002

1. Clouds

In this lesson, the objectives are to understand what a cloud is, how it is formed, and the various types of clouds. It starts off using the book It Looks Like Spilled Milk as a discussion of what the students think clouds are. It gives a website for the children that explains how clouds are formed. The site also has pictures of the 4 main types of clouds. The hands-on activity is one in which the children make the different types of clouds using blue paper and cotton balls. Journal writing is suggested. Extension activities might be to read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs to the children and/or have them graph the different types of clouds they see in the sky for a week.

The lesson is geared towards second graders, but could be adapted above or below that grade level. It caters to different learning styles, involves a hands-on experience, is student-centered, and the assessment is authentic (the final product involving the blue paper and cotton balls).

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ScienceMakeClouds2.htm

Different Learning Styles Yes

Hands-on Experience Yes

Clear Expectations Yes

Collaboration No

Student-centered Yes

Higher Level Thinking Skills No

Authentic Assessment Yes

2. Sands of Time

The purpose of this lesson is to have the students describe and explain short-term and long-term interactions of Earth’s components by experimenting with “sand” and how it is formed. The lesson starts off with a hands-on experiment using 2 grades of sand paper, film canisters, and sugar cubes. The students are to predict which grade of sand paper, coarse or fine, will “erode” the sugar cube the fastest when the cube is shaken in the canister with pieces of sand paper along the sides. After predicting, the students then do the experiment, keeping track on a chart. The children then use magnifying lenses to examine the grains of sugar. They also draw and describe the grains they see.

This lesson is one in which students are actively learning by using a hands-on experiment. The expectations are clear and concise. The assessment is authentic in that the students are expected to draw and describe the end product, which is the eroded sugar cube.

http://www.caosclub.org/freelessons/earth11.html

Different Learning Styles No

Hands-on Experience Yes

Clear Expectations Yes

Collaboration Yes

Student-centered Yes

Higher Level Thinking Skills Yes

Authentic Assessment Yes

3. Valentine Candy Count

In this lesson, the students use several skills:

Observing, predicting, sorting, classifying, graphing, gathering and recording data, interpreting data, and applying

and analyzing data.

The teacher supplies a 12 oz. Bag of Valentine Conversation hearts and a large glass decanter in which to place them. The students then predict which color candy they think will be found most frequently by placing name Valentines (pre-made Valentines with the students’ names written on them) on the prediction graph. Next, the students sort and classify a cup-full of hearts according to color. They record their results on a student recording sheet, and finally graph their results on a final results graph. A discussion is then held about the results.

Other ideas: have the students eat the hearts when they’re done, the students figure out number sentences about the graph, the students design their own graphs about a topic of their choice, or have the students ask the teacher questions about the graph they’ve just done together as a class.

This lesson is engaging, motivating (candy is always motivating!), hands-on, and student-centered.

http://www.youth.net/cec/cecmath/cecmath.07.txt

Different Learning Styles Yes

Hands-on Experience Yes

Clear Expectations Yes

Collaboration No

Student-centered Yes

Higher Level Thinking Skills Yes

Authentic Assessment Yes

4. Calculator Pattern Puzzles

This lesson appears to be designed to allow children to explore number patterns and relationships while introducing them to the calculator at the same time. Students create “pattern puzzles” that they share with other students. It is best for each child to have his/her own calculator in order for them to be engaged at all times. The authors also suggest that if it is impossible for each child to have his/her own calculator, then an overhead projector calculator could be used with the entire class. The teacher then introduces the idea of “counting constant” and demonstrates how to make the calculator count. Basically, the children are shown that when they punch “1 + 1 =” then continue to punch the = button, the calculator will count sequentially. By changing the “code” students will be able to begin to explore patterns. Examples of codes are 2 + 2=, or 6 + 6=. This also works for subtraction patterns such as 100-1=. Pattern puzzles are then introduced. An example that can be modeled might be: “4,8,12,16,___ what comes next?” Or, “24,28,32,___,40,48,___? Fill in the missing numbers” might be another example. Assessment is done by having the children explain how they solved each others’ pattern puzzles.

This lesson is very motivating as calculators are fun for children of all ages to use. It is clearly a hands-on activity and allows for higher level thinking skills.

http://www.youth.net/cec/cecmath/cecmath.06.txt

Different Learning Styles Yes

Hands-on Experience Yes

Clear Expectations Yes

Collaboration No

Student-centered Yes

Higher Level Thinking Skills Yes

Authentic Assessment Yes

5. Waste Garden

This lesson plan’s objective is to have students understand how trash biodegrades and to understand that trash doesn’t just “go away” when we throw it away. The students are introduced to where trash is taken in most parts of the United States (landfills). Then, the students build their own landfills, or waste gardens, using shoe boxes lined with foil (to keep moisture in, similar to a real landfill). The shoe boxes are filled with soil and then pieces of trash are buried or placed in the box. The trash items are items such as toothpicks, Styrofoam, newspaper, plastic, foil, cardboard, etc. Each of these items degrades at different speeds. The boxes are covered with the tops and are sprayed daily to keep things moist. After several weeks, the boxes are opened up and the students unearth the items they buried and compare them to the control group items, or the items that were not buried. The students then compare and contrast the buried items to the control group items.

This lesson is one which involves the students in a hands-on experience. It states clear expectations and is student-centered.

http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/admin/topdoc/gi/235/chapter2.html

Different Learning Styles Yes

Hands-on Experience Yes

Clear Expectations Yes

Collaboration Yes

Student-centered Yes

Higher Level Thinking Skills Yes

Authentic Assessment Yes