Student Response and Assessment Tools

Lesson Idea Name: Stars vs. Planets

Content Area: Science
Grade Level(s): 4th grade
Content Standard Addressed: S4E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to compare and contrast
the physical attributes of stars and planets. c. Construct an explanation of the differences between stars and
planets.
Technology Standard Addressed: 1- Empowered Learner

Selected Technology Tool:

☐ Socrative ☐ iRespond ☐ Quizlet ☒ Plickers ☐ Kahoot! ☐ Office365 Forms
☐ Other:
URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):
Instructional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG6S1aLEt2c
Chart:
https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-stars-and-planets.html

Technology that student will use to respond to questions/prompts:

☐ Computer ☒ Hand-held student response system (like iRespond) ☐ Phone ☐ Tablet (such as iPad)
☐ Other wireless device (such as iPod Touch)
Type of session:
☒ Teacher-Paced ☐ Student-Paced
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):
☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☐ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐ Creating

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

Engagement: Teacher will write objective and standard on board and mention in throughout the lesson.
Representation: Teacher will remind students what they have learned about the solar system and planets so
far, namely the order of the planets and their size.
Action and Expression: Students will participate in the lesson by using Plickers and instructional videos, which
provide opportunities for physical action.
Describe the instructional activities that will occur PRIOR to the SRT activity and how you will introduce
the SRT activity.
Teacher will begin by reviewing what students previously learned about planets in the solar system, their
order, and size. Teacher will then point to and introduce the standard and objective for the students. Then,
teacher will play instructional video. Captions will be included while video is played. After watching the video,
teacher will ask for any questions. Teacher will also ask, “Who can raise their hand and tell me one fact about
stars? Who else can tell me one fact about planets?” Then, teacher will show students the chart provided on
the website linked above. Teacher will print this chart out for each student or will allow them to access it on
their personal device. After reviewing the chart and pointing out the differences between stars and planets,
teacher will ask a couple students to name a difference between stars and planets. After this, teacher will
introduce SRT activity by telling students, “Now we’re going to review what we just learned about – the
differences between stars and planets. I’m going to give each of you a Plickers card. You’ll use this to answer
the questions.” Teacher will hand out the cards and pull up the Plickers quiz on the interactive board.
Describe the purpose of the SRT activity (check all that apply):

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 Student Response and Assessment Tools
☐ Assess prior knowledge ☐ Anticipatory set (Create interest in a topic) ☐ To illuminate common
misconceptions ☒ Formative assessment of content knowledge (for purpose of differentiation and
mastery for ALL students) ☐ Summative assessment of content knowledge ☐ Test preparation
☐ Survey/Poll ☐ Discussion starter ☐ “Homework” collection ☐ Other (please explain):

Briefly describe what will happen DURING the SRT activity:

This activity will last about 10 minutes. Students will use Plickers cards to answer questions on the quiz.
Teacher will show students how to use the cards before starting the quiz. Teacher will also remind students
the quiz is low stakes but that they should do their best to answer all questions and not look at their friends’
cards.
Students only the need the Plickers cards and teacher needs a phone or personal device with a camera.

Type of questions/prompts used in this activity (check all that apply):

☒ Multiple choice ☐ Multiple select ☒ True/False ☐ Yes/No
☐ Short open-ended response or fill-in the blank ☐ Longer open-ended response

If you are unable to provide a working sample of your questions, please list them below (8-10):
1) Planets create their own light. (T/F)
2) Which one doesn’t change positions? (MC)
3) If stars twinkle can planets twinkle too? (Y/N)
4) Our solar system has 8 planets and 1 star. (T/F)
5) Which one has low temperatures? (MC)
6) Which one is smaller? (MC)
7) Stars rotate a planet. (T/F)
8) Stars are like mirrors. They reflect light. (T/F)
Right/Wrong answers: Will there be right/wrong answers to these questions?
☒ Yes ☐ No
☐ Mixed (Some will have correct answers, other will not.)
Immediate corrective feedback: Will you pre-select correct answers to some of all of the questions and
display correct response to the class after the SRT activity?
☒ Yes
☐ No
Why or why not?
Teacher will go over the quiz after administering it and tell students the right answers. Teacher will do this so
students can learn from it, ask any follow-up questions, and successfully complete the next part of the lesson.
Describe what will happen AFTER the SRT activity?
Teacher will divide students into groups of 4 (table groups work well). Teacher will give every table a large
sheet of chart paper with two columns, one for stars and the other for planets. Teacher will have created an
example activity and will show it to the class while she explains the task. Students will work together to fill in
at least 3 facts for each column. They can include pictures and words. Each student must come up with one
fact. Teacher allows students to refer to chart from beginning part of the lesson if necessary. Teacher will
walk around classroom to observe students and informally assess them. After this, each group will present
their chart to the class. Teacher will close lesson by reviewing objective and what students learned.
How will the data be used?
The data from the Plickers activity will be used as a formative assessment to know how students are
comprehending the content. It will not be collected for a grade. Teacher will view results and determine if a
topic needs to be covered again before moving onto the next part of the lesson.

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Describe your personal learning goal for this activity.

My goal is to try Plickers and see how it works in the classroom. I hope to learn more about how it works and
how students respond to it. I hope my students will engage more with the lesson by using Plickers, and that it
will open their eyes to another form of technology that makes learning fun.

Reflective Practice:
I think the activities will engage students and provide opportunities for interactive learning. It gives them a
hands-on task, which stimulates their cognitive, physical, and communication skills all in one lesson. I think
students will also have various ways to increase their learning about stars and planets and share that
information with their peers, which fosters classroom community.
To further extend the lesson, I think I could provide an activity where students create a model of a star or
planet and provide information on it. Students can present their models and/or be displayed in the classroom.

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