DIXIE STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

ELEMENTARY 3rd SEMESTER LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

(1/25/13)
Teacher Candidate _Nicholas White___ Grade Level _3rd_ Title __Introduce Newtons Law and Compare
Pushing and Pulling_
CONTEXTUAL FACTORS (classroom factors)
Contextual Factors: 26 students
9 boys/17 Girls
5 minority students

ELL: Reshiea WIDA 5 or 6

Elisabeth WIDA 5 or 6
Ryan WIDA 5 or 6
Josh WIDA 1

Struggling Learners:

Classroom environment: The classroom is

set up into six long tables. A majority of the
students in the classroom sit at these tables
except for one student whose desk is set at the
back of the classroom. There are 4 students at
5 of the tables and one table of 5. There is also
an ELMO, a smartboard, five student
computers and the teachers computer in the
room. The room is often decorated with the
students vocabulary words for the week,
posters to remind students what they need to
be working that week. The teacher also posts a
daylily schedule on one side of the white board
for students to refer to throughout the day.

Students above level: John

(GATE) Jasmine (GATE)

Students with an IEP:

Alison: Speech
Jason- Reading
Nathan
Comprehension/Writing
Matt-Fluency/Math/Writing
Ryan-Reading/Writing/Math
Sarah- Reading/ Writing/Math

Alison, Jason, Nathan, Matt,

Ryan, Sarah

Students with Behavior problems:

Ryan: Has to be reminded to stay on task. Sometimes has to be asked
multiple times to get his attention
Sarah: Does not stay on task. Has a tendency to bug the students
around her when they are working. At times will have melt downs
when other students touch her or she gets frustrated with something.
Alison: often is off task, has to be asked to sit down several times a
day, and has been known to be loud and mean.

WALK-AWAY (As a result of this lesson, what do I want the students to know, understand, and be able to do?)
State Standard/Objective: Standard 3

Students will understand the relationship between the force applied to an object and resulting motion
of the object.
Objective 1
Demonstrate how forces cause changes in speed or direction of objects.
a. Show that objects at rest will not move unless a force is applied to them.
b. Compare the forces of pushing and pulling.
Content Walk-Away: I will draw and describe to show that objects at rest will stay at rest and those in motion will stay
in motion (1).
Language Walk-Away: I will fill in a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the forces of pushing and
pulling (2).
Vocabulary: push, pull, force, motion, rest (9)

ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE (What evidence do I need to show the students have

learned the Walk-Away?)
Formative Evidence (checking for understanding throughout the lesson):
Students will be able fill in a Venn diagram
Students will be able to understand the differences between pushing and pulling
Students will be able to define what a force is in their own words
Students will be able to answer questions about force, observations, and predictions.

Modifications/Accomodations (ELL, IEP, GATE, etc.)

Josh: Keep the vocabulary

words on the board to allow
him to see them. Use
pictures, actions, gestures to

Students will be able to tell a partner what Newtons law (an object in motion will stay
in motion unless acted on by some other force.)(30)
Content Walk-Away Evidence (Summative): Students will draw and describe to show
that objects at rest will stay at rest unless forces are applied to the object (30).
Language Walk-Away Evidence (Summative): Students will fill out a Venn diagram
comparing the forces of pulling and pushing (30).

Approx.
Time
5 min.

help him understand the

vocabulary.
Struggling Writers: Keep the
vocabulary words on the
board, so they can use them
to label their drawings.
Sarah: allow her to tell you
what will happen.
Ryan: During the
assessment, remind him to
stay on task. Occasionally go
over to him and make sure
that he is working. Ask him
questions about the Venn
diagram.
John: If he scores 80% or
higher on the pretest, allow
him to participate in a selfguided web quest that will
extend his knowledge.
Jasmine: If she scores 80%
or higher on the pretest,
allow her to participate in a
web quest that will extend
her knowledge.
Alison: Prompt her to keep
her on task.

ACTIVE LEARNING PLAN

Activate/Building Background Knowledge
Take a moment to think about this question, When you think of the words force, rest, pushing and pulling,
what do you picture or think of? (7) Now, turn to your partner and tell them what you thought of. (16,17,
18) What did you think of? (16,18) Today, we are going to be learning what each of these words mean,
and one other word. Lets read our goal and find out how those words are related.
I will draw and describe how objects at rest will stay at rest and those in motion will stay
in motion and fill in a venn diagram comparing and contrasting the forces of pushing and
pulling.
Formative assessment:
Learning Goal
Think about the words force,
pushing, pulling, and rest and
how they are related.

Success Criteria
Students will activate
background experience by
thinking of one thing that is
related to those words.

Assessment Strategy
Observe are students sharing
with a partner what they thought
of.
Questioning

Modification/accommodations: (ELL, IEP, GATE, etc.) Josh: Have him share with me what he thinks of
when he hears those words. Give him a sheet of the vocabulary with definitions filled out. Repeat the
words with gestures to clarify in L1 (19) Ryan: have him share with me what he thinks of. Sarah: pick her
as one of the volunteers to share what she thinks of. Alison: Pair her with a partner that will work well
with her and keep her on task. GATE: call on them when I ask them to tell me what they thought of.

10 min

Focus Lesson (I do it)

So, today we are going to be learning about the words force, pushing, pulling, motion, and rest.
The word force is a push or a pull that changes an objects direction or speed. For example, if I want to
move this ball, I either have to push it or pull it, and when I do I am using force to move it. (11) Turn to
your partner and tell them an activity outside that might require you to use force. (16, 17,18) Class say
force.
Pushing is a force that moves an object away from the thing putting the force on it. Pulling is when a
force moves the object towards the thing that is putting the force on the object. Think about this, would
kicking a ball be considered pushing the ball or pulling it? (18) Now, share with your partner what you
think it is, and why you think it is that? (16, 17,18) What if I were to pick up the ball? Would that be a push
or a pull, class? (16)
The next word is motion. This is any kind of movement from an object. We can describe motion in both
the direction it goes and how fast or slow it goes. For example, I can say that this marker went down
quickly or this ball moved slowly to the right. The opposite of motion is the word rest. This means that
there are no forces acting on the object and it is not moving. Showing you this picture, which ball would
be at rest and which would be in motion? Turn to your partner and tell them which ball is at rest and
which ball is in motion. (11,12,16,17,18,19)
(Put a set of books at rest on a table.) Can I have one student come to the front of the class? (Instruct the
student that they need to try to move the object without touching it or exerting any kind of force on it.)
Can the object be moved? Which one of our vocabulary words would describe this book? Now, I want you
to stop this ball from rolling without touching it. (call on another student) I also want you to move the
book, this time you can touch it. (do this with the ball as well.)Class, why could the first student not move
the book and the second student could? Why do you think that they could stop the ball?(4,6,12,16,18)
Well, a man named Sir Isaac Newton came up with a law that describes what just happened. (display
slide) he said, an object in motion will stay in motion unless another force acts on the object, and an object
at rest will stay at rest unless the object has a force act on it. The students hand put force on to the book to
get it to move, and on the ball to get it to stop.(11)
Formative Assessment:
Learning Goal
Students will be able to use the
vocabulary words accurately

Success Criteria
They can identify objects at rest,
in motion, and the forces of
pushing and pulling

Assessment Strategy
Think pair share
questioning

Modification/accommodations: Josh: create a sheet of definitions with pictures, use actions to

demonstrate pushing and pulling, and ask him to demonstrate what words mean. Ryan: ask him if
picking up the ball is a push or a pull. Sarah: ask her to tell you an example of an activity that requires
force. Alison: have her tell you directly which ball is in motion and which is at rest. GATE: call on john to
move the book without force, call on Jasmine to move the book with force.

15 min

Guided Instruction (We do it)

Now looking at our objective, we need to take this information that we just have learned and do two
things with it. Lets read our objective again to see what we need to do.
I will draw and describe how objects at rest will stay at rest and those in motion will stay
in motion and fill in a venn diagram comparing and contrasting the forces of pushing and
pulling.
So looking at our objective, we need to draw a picture that describes how we need to apply a force to an
object in order for the object to move. When we draw and describe, we need to not only draw a picture,
but we also need to tell the person as much as we can about the subject.
First, should we draw a ball or a book? (16)
On your paper I want you to draw two books/balls and then on one ball we are going to draw a hand
next to the ball and an arrow in front of the ball that shows us the direction that the ball is going. Then at
the very bottom of the page I want you to write that objects at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon.(11)

Now, I want to add the words motion and force to my drawing. Where do you think that I can add these?
(29, 30) What about the words pushing?
Next we need to fill out a Venn diagram comparing the forces of pushing and pulling. Tell me what do
you use a Venn diagram for? What do we put in each circle? What do we put in the middle of each circle?
Formative Assessment:
Learning Goal
Draw and describe how an object
will stay at rest unless a force is
applied.
Use a Venn Diagram to compare
and contrast.

Success Criteria
They will be able to follow the
teacher in the creation of a
drawing.
They will be able to identify what
a Venn diagram is used for

Assessment Strategy
Asking questions
Observation are they drawing
it with the forces and the object
giving the force in the right
spots?
Questioning.

Modification/accommodations: Josh: display a Venn diagram so that he can see it. Point to it when you
say Venn diagram. Ryan: keep him engaged by asking questions or have him come to the board to draw
one of parts of the force picture. GATE: ask them how they would put newtons first law in their own
words. Sarah: use proximity to keep her engaged and participating in class. Alison: have her choose
which object I draw. Struggling writers: put the slide with Newtons law of motion on it for them to copy
(5)

10 min.

Collaborative/Cooperative (You do it together)

Now, in your groups I want you to fill in the Venn diagram comparing the forces of pulling and pushing.
Here are some questions to consider as you fill these charts out.
1. What activities do we use pushing?
2. What activities do we use pulling?
3. Which activity is harder, pushing or pulling?
4. What do the two types of force have in common?(6, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
I want each group to come up with an answer to each of these questions and then I want you to put your
answer in the part of the Venn diagram that best fits your answer. I will give you five minutes to work on
it as a group.
What did you put in each of your Venn diagrams?(16, 18, 29, 30)
Formative Assessment:
Learning Goal
Fill out the Venn diagram

10 min

Success Criteria
Students will be able to have
words or phrases that answer the
questions that I give them.

Assessment Strategy
Filling out the graphic organizer.

Modification/accommodations: Josh: on the back of his paper with vocabulary, write the questions.
Struggling Writers: keep the prompts posted on the smartboard. Struggling readers: read all the
prompts. Sarah: work with her to fill out simple answers in the Venn diagram, Ryan: prompt him to keep
on task and help his group. Alison: have her work with a group that is staying on task and works well
with her.
Gate: have them to think of more than one answer to the questions if possible.
Independent (You do it alone)
Lastly, I want you to draw and describe on your own. You will draw and describe a ball that is being
pushed and one not being moved. You will need to label the drawing at rest with the word rest and the
drawing using force using the word motion. You will also need to show me with an arrow the direction of
the force. You will also need to tell me what needs to be added to an object at rest in order for it to move
(30)
Summative Assessment: have students draw and describe how an object at rest will stay at rest unless
acted on.
Modification/accommodations: Josh: give him a copy of the vocabulary words with the definitions on it.
Ryan/Sarah/Alison: prompt them to keep them on task. Gate: have them try and draw what a pulling

force might look like. Struggling writers: leave the vocabulary words on the board so that they can see
them and copy them. (5)
Closure/Review of walk-aways, vocabulary, and essential questions
(Note: Closure includes student interactions, reflection, and/or demonstrations.)
Who would like to tell us about the drawing they made? (pick a few) (28)
Class, tell me, what is a force? What is motion? What does it mean when I say an object is at rest? Fill in the
blank: what are the two types of force? (27)
Lets read our objective again.
I will draw and describe how objects at rest will stay at rest and those in motion will stay
in motion and fill in a venn diagram comparing and contrasting the forces of pushing and
pulling.

Can you show me a how you would use the pulling force to grab your book? What about to
push your book?

SIOP Indicators (Add SIOP number and description within the lesson plan)
Preparation: 1-Content objectives, 2-Language objectives, 3-Content appropriate, 4-Supplementary materials, 5Adaptation of content, 6-Meaningful activities
Building Background: 7-Linked to background, 8-Linked to past learning, 9-Key vocabulary
Comprehensive Input: 10-Appropriate speech, 11-Clear explanation, 12-Variety of techniques
Interaction: 16-Opportunity for interaction, 17-Grouping supports objectives, 18-Wait time, 19-Opportunity for L1
students
Practice/Application: 20-Hands-on materials, 21-Activities to apply content/language knowledge, 22-Language skills:
reading, writing, listening, speaking
Lesson Delivery: 23-Content objective supported, 24-Language objective supported, 25-Students engaged, 26-Pacing
Review/Assessment: 27-Review vocabulary, 28-Review concepts, 29-Feedback, 30-Assessment

TEACHING NOTES
What do I need to remember to do? What materials do I need to have ready? What is the approximate time needed for
this lesson?
Find/ create a picture that shows a ball rolling and a ball at rest. Bring a ball and a text book to class. Create a
handout for Josh that has the vocabulary words with definitions. This lesson should take about 45 60 minutes to
teach.

REFLECTION AFTER LESSON

How can I use the assessment data to reflect on & evaluate the outcomes of teaching and learning? How can I transfer
what I learned from teaching this lesson to future teaching? What was effective and not effective? What goals can I
set to improve my practice and student learning?
I felt like I rushed through this lesson because I only had thirty minutes to teach it but after looking at the data from
my assessments for this lesson, I think that the students really understood that an object at rest will stay at rest unless
you use a force to move it. I could have given them more opportunities to draw and describe so that they could get
used to the concept because I think that most of them just copied what I did on the board. Most of the students did
come up with great examples of pushing and pulling, so I think they understood the difference between the two.
In this lesson I used a PowerPoint and a Smart Board to write on. I think that the PowerPoint was a great tool to help
me remember what activities I wanted to do with my students and keep my lesson moving at a pace that was suitable
for my students.
I think that one of the major weaknesses of this lesson was that there was a little too much teacher talk and very little
time for them to practice the skills of drawing and describing. In future lessons, I will be sure to give them more time
to practice the skills and reduce teacher talk. Also, in this lesson I struggled with classroom management, so I will
work with my mentor teacher to see what we can do to fix this.