Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

WITH MY COMMENTS
Hannah Kocher
READINESS
Big Idea:
Change It Up: Change occurs over time with the influence of new information or ideas
Rationale:
This lesson gives the students the opportunity to respond to the science lesson they did with catapults. In that
lesson, they described the physical characteristics of an object and then created a hypothesis to test which object
could be launched the farthest. In this lesson, they will use their knowledge they gained from that experiment to
write about an object that they think would be able to be launched the farthest.

I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
a. Goal(s)Unit (broad terms)
- Students will understand how changing variables influence outcomes. (In this case, how physical
characteristics might change how far the object will fly)
b. Objective(s)(specific terms)
- In their writing, students will be able to take the role of an object and describe their physical characteristics
in at least 5 sentences.
- Throughout the lesson, students will be able to use information from the science lesson to enhance their
writing.
c. Standard(s):
- ELA 2.W.3.1 Write a logically connected paragraph or paragraphs, that introduce an opinion, with a
concluding statement or section and multiple reasons to explain why a certain course of action should be
followed.
- Science 2.PS.4 Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have
the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.
II. Management
a. Time: 35-40 minutes
Anticipatory Set- 3 minutes
Minilesson:
Reading Book: 5 Minutes
Teaching Trait- 7 Minutes
Writing: 15-20 minutes
Sharing 7-10 minutes

b. Materials
- Small objects that students could choose to write about
- Coins
- Paper Clips
- Unifix cubes
- Base ten unit cubes
- Feathers
- Etc.
- Paper
c. Space
- Students will be at their desk for the entire lesson presentation. They are seated in table groups
that will allow them to do some prewriting/brainstorming together. Then they will work
independently at their desks. After students have had time to write, they we will transition to the
family room for students to share their work with their peers.
 d. Students
- During the anticipatory sets, students will be at a low talking level with their attention directed at the
person who is talking. I will redirect students back to the group conversation if they start side conversations.
While the students are writing, I will allow them to briefly converse with a neighbor for the purpose of
developing writing ideas. The students are used to writing as a whole group and are mindful of staying on
task while also encouraging one another with ideas and feedback. If students are beginning to get loud or
too far off task, I will go over to conference with them on their writing. I will leave the conference once I
have established a goal for the student to implement independently after I leave.
III. Anticipatory Set
- Who can remind me what my big idea is for my lessons that I am teaching? Thats right, its Change It Up,
and we are looking at how change happens over time and affects outcomes.
- What do you think of whenever I say change it up?
- Who can remind me how we saw change in our math lesson?
- What about the science lesson that we just did?
- In our science lesson, we were able to make predictions about how physical characteristics influence the
outcome of our catapult lesson. We described all of the objects and then launched them from our catapult.
You guys recorded how far each object went and then made a new hypothesis about what physical
characteristics make the object fly the farthest.

IV. Purpose: Today we are going to use what we learned in our science lesson yesterday to help us in our
writing.

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

Use major concepts, principles, theories, and research to construct learning opportunities that support students development,
acquisition of knowledge, and motivation.
(ACEI 1.0)

V. Adaptation to Diverse Students--

- To help students come up with a topic, I will have objects on their tables that they could choose to write
about if they wanted to. Having the physical object will help students describe its characteristics in depth.
Students will also have inspiration of what to write about through the objects. However, students are not
limited to what I provide for them. If want to do something different, they may choose whatever they want
to write about.
- Though most of my students are able to clearly articulate their thoughts through writing, some struggle
with organizing their thoughts and providing details. For these students, I will provide them with a simple
recording sheet (similar to the table included in the science lesson) to write down characteristics of the
object. By having them identify characteristics, students will have a general outline to follow in their writing.
- Through my conferencing, I will be able to intentionally select students that need assistance either in
expressing their thoughts or extending their writing. My presence will be able to motivate them in their
writing and support their individual needs.
(ACEI 3.2)
VI. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)
(ACEI 2.1).
o Minilesson
Anticipatory Set:
- On your desks I have put a bunch of small objects. Now, I am going to describe one of the objects and I
want you to decide at your table group which object I described and then hold it up. Do you think you
can do it?
 - Okay, the object that I am thinking of is a small cube that can fit inside the palm of your hand.
Of all the cubes at your table, it is the smallest. What object did I describe?
- Students will hold up the different cubes (because all the tables have different cubes and other shapes
to choose from). I will then ask them why they held up different cubes even though I gave the same
directions for all the groups.
- Though they are all small cubes, there are other characteristics about the objects that help us
differentiate them.
Purpose Statement:
- Today we are going to learn about how we can carefully select words to help us describe objects and
their characteristics.
Implement Specific Trait of Writing: Word Choice
- I am going to read you this book and I want you to listen to how the author lets us know that Edwardo
is the horriblest boy in the whole wide world. What words does he use to make his point?
Share Example: Edwardo The Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World
- Do you think Edwardo is good or bad?
- How did you see change in this book?
- Who can tell me something they heard as evidence that Edwardo is the worst boy in the whole world?
- Who can tell me how the author showed that Edwardo was also the best boy in the whole world?
Provide Information:
- The author uses specific language to let us know about Edwardos characteristics and then he provides
an example to help make his point. For example, on this page, it says that Edwardo was a dirty boy
because how would often forget to wash his face and brush his teeth. The author uses language to
describe Edwardo and show the reader how that characteristic fits him.
- Just like this author tells us about Edwardo and his good and bad characteristics, I want you to describe
the good and bad characteristics of the objects at your desk. In our science lesson, we described the
objects physical characteristics and then launched them to see which ones went the farthest. Then, we
looked at the physical characteristics and wrote what we thought influenced those outcomes. Today,
we are going to look at different objects and describe their physical characteristics and how they are
good or bad for them. You are going to take the perspective of that object and describe whether or not
you would travel far when launched from a catapult. I want you to try to convince me, just like all those
people convinced Edwardo that he was the worst and the greatest kid in the whole wide world.
O Writing
- You are going to take the perspective of the object and then describe your physical characteristics, like
you did for our science experiment, only from the perspective of the object. You should use pronouns
like I, me, and my when describing the characteristics of your object. Then, you will state how those
characteristics are either beneficial or not for being shot from a catapult. I want you to include at least
3 specific characteristics of your object in your description. You might talk about the size of the object,
the shape, the weight, the material it is made out of, or the surface (flat, bumpy, jagged). You must
also include how that characteristic influences its ability to travel through the air. Does anyone have a
question? Okay, you may begin.
- For conferencing, I will plan to talk to at least five students about their writing. During this time, I will walk around the
classroom and conference with students at their desks. I will use my physical presence as a means of management,
specifically talking to students who need to be redirected back to work or need to extend their writing.
O Sharing (Whole Group)
- Once students have worked on their drafts for about 15-20 minutes, I will ask them to transition to the
family room in the classroom. There, I will ask if anyone would like to share what they wrote. The
students can then read their creative writing to the class. During the 7-10 minute time for sharing,
approximately 6-7 students should be able to share their writing.
(ACEI 3.3)
 VII. Check for understanding.
I will check for understanding throughout the lesson through questioning and observing students as they work. After
reading the book, I will use leveled questions to determine if my students understand how to show examples of characteristics
to prove a point. I will also touch on how they see the idea of change in the book and after the students have shared their
writing with the class. Through walking around the classroom and conferencing with students, I will make sure that students are
understanding the prompt and writing down their thoughts. I will also check their understanding through reading their drafted
papers.
VIII. Review learning outcomes / Closure
Who can tell me what we did today?
How did you incorporate what we learned yesterday in our science lesson into our writing?
How do you think you might change the object that you wrote about to make it more suitable for flight?
PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT
- I plan to assess my learners throughout the lesson by walking around the room to see if students are writing and
conferencing with a select few. This will allow me to hear students talk about their writing and show me what they
know both about writing but also about the science lesson where we began to talk about physical characteristics of
objects and how they affect outcomes. I will also assess all students through reading their papers and giving them
feedback.
- For summative assessment, I would look at a revised and edited copy of their draft to see how my students are able
to improve their work in response to feedback. I would specifically look to see if the students were able to write at
least 5 sentences with a persuasive tone to describe what makes their object good or bad for flight.
(ACEI 4.0)
REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS
1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
a. Blooms Taxonomy
b. Gardners Multiple Intelligences
7. Were students able to connect information from the science lesson to their writing?
8. How might I have students use science to validate or support the claims made in their writing?