UTC GENERAL EDUCATION LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE (Four page limit)

PRELIMINARY INFORMATION
Candidate:
Christina Martin

Date developed:
September 2016

Lesson Title:
Investigation of Forces
Grade Level: 3
Number of students: 24
Unit/theme:
Motion and Forces

Date of lesson:
November 10, 2016
Knowledge domain/subject:
Science
Period/time/estimated duration:
One class period

Where in the unit does this lesson occur?

Middle

Structure(s) or grouping for the lesson (all that apply):

Large group
Individual work

**USE COMPLETE SENTENCES IN RESPONDING TO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING LESSON PLAN ELEMENTS**
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTEXT:
In our classroom, there are 13 female students and 11 male students. One student has a 504 plan due to major hearing loss. This
student will have several accommodations. The student will always be placed at the front of the room or nearest to the teacher. The
student will also be given a FM system that the instructor will comply with at all times in order for the student to hear effectively in
the classroom. There are 2 students with IEPs; these students have been diagnosed with ADHD. These students will be allowed to
sit on stability balls at specific times during the lesson. They will also have a Velcro strip placed on their desk in order to help with
their sensory needs. During times in which they have to work in groups they will be placed with strong peer support in which they
are able to work effectively. Finally, our class has two ELL students. The teacher will provide videos with Spanish subtitles shown in
class. Audio books and tapes in the first language of each ESL student will be provided. Peer support and teacher made picture
cards will accompany each lesson and concept covered in class.

RESOURCES, MATERIALS, TECHNOLOGY, EQUIPMENT FOR THE LESSON:

Rope
Tug of war graph handout

CENTRAL FOCUS:
Students will investigate and make observations about mass and the force needing to move it.

JUSTIFICATION/RATIONALE:
This is an important lesson in order to understand motion and forces that leads into other aspects of science as we continue on in
our unit.

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDREN

Students prior knowledge is formed from their everyday experiences with force and motion. This is the second lesson about motion
and forces. The students knowledge from the previous lesson will aid in their learning of this lesson.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE(S):
Teacher:
The student will be able to explain science concepts in relation to motion and force.
The student will be able to cite examples of how motion and force affect life.
The student will be able to identify how an applied force changes the direction of a moving object.
Student:
I can explain the relationship between motion and force.
I can tell examples of how motion and force affect my life.
I can identify how force changes the direction of a moving object.

CONTENT STANDARDS
GLE 0307.11.1 Explore how unbalanced forces affect the direction of a moving object.
GLE 0307.11.2 Recognize the relationship between the mass of an object and the force needed to move it.

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEMANDS

LANGUAGE FUNCTION: Investigate
Language Demand:
(VOCABULARY)
Tier 1: Explore, recognize, compare
Tier 2: Push, pull, force, motion
(DISCOURSE)
Students will explore how forces interact with moving objects. They will observe the relationship between the mass of an object and
the force that is required to move it.
LANGUAGE SUPPORT:
Tug of war contest
Scientific method chart

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING

Diagnostic/pre-assessment: A pre-test will be given prior to starting the unit.
Formative assessment/feedback to learners: Contest result worksheet.
Summative assessment (if any): A post-test will be given at the end of the unit.

EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT LEARNING:

Exceed expectations: Students will be able to give new and fresh examples of how motion affects force and the relationship
between the two. They are able to understand and use all vocabulary correctly.
Meets expectations: Students will be able to discuss the relationship between motion and force.
Below expectations: Student cannot explain the relationship between motion and force or how they affect each other.

PROCEDURES FOR THE LESSON

LIST THE HIGHER-ORDER (CRITICAL) QUESTIONS YOU WILL ASK STUDENTS IN THIS LESSON:
Were any of your hypotheses supported? Which ones?
Using the terms pull, force, friction, and motion, explain why certain teams won.

BEGINNING:
Review learning targets
Review vocabulary

MIDDLE:
Students will engage in a tug of war competition. Students will predict, analyze, and propose strategies in order to understand force
and its interaction.
Inquiry Experiment:
1. Make a prediction: which class will win and why?
2. Record and analyze outcome: Who won? Why do you think the team won?
3. Construct a plan in order for the losing team to win. In order to construct a plan we need to:
a. Identify the main reason for loss.
b. Determine the physical attributes of each team (number of students, number of boys vs. girls, body size/structure, athletic
ability/strength)
c. How can we create a greater amount of force, so that the losing team will win? Develop a question/problem. Tell students that
this is what scientists do.
d. Create a hypothesis. Model using a larger size of the Data Entry Chart (or project using document camera). Teacher continues
to take students through the scientific method in this way, using appropriate scientific terms.
e. Think about the following variables/strategies: Does number of, size, order, gender, body type, space, orientation and distance
from target.
4. Discuss the results and form a conclusion.
5. Continue with additional questions that test different variables and construct/write the hypotheses, procedures, results and
conclusions. Students use organizer as a guide.

END:
Students discuss their answers to the discussion questions in think-pair-share procedure.

DIFFERENTIATION/EXTENSION (How will you provide successful access to the key concepts by all the students at their ability
levels?)
Supporting students with special needs:
For our student with hearing loss we will give instructions via the FM system, and allow the students to communicate questions
either in writing or if possible by verbally answering the question. For our students with ADHD collaborative learning will give them
the opportunity to get up and move around in the classroom, hopefully giving them the ability to better concentrate in discussion.
Strong peer support and pictures and videos in the childrens first language will be provided for the ELL students.
Challenging experienced learners: Students will be given the chance to further research this topic on an iPad or computer. This will
allow these students to find how magnet affect something that interest them (i.e. cars, weather, sports, etc.)
Facilitating a classroom environment that supports student learning: The classroom has stability balls, Velcro strips, multilingual
audio books and print books, etc. All of these things contribute to student learning. The environment of the room will invite
childrens curiosity and encourage exploration along with the freedom to ask questions. Positive feedback will be given to
encourage and develop student learning.
Extension:

I will meet with students how seem to be struggling with the material and we will work together to see how we can help the
students become more successful in their understanding of the material.

WHAT Ifs:
What if students find the material too easy?
If the material seems to be too easy for students we will begin to discuss motion and force at a deeper level. We will discuss motion
and force when it comes to more complicated objects such as cars and trains.
What if students cannot stay focused during the activity and end up having outside discussions with other group members?
The teacher will be walking around in order to see if students are on track. The teacher will discuss what is happening with each
group and what they learning through their investigations.

REFERENCES:
https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/forces-and-motion/video/
Developed in part from the work of Dr. D. Johnson & Dr. E. Stevens, Roberts Wesleyan College, Teacher Education Dept.