I.

Standard

III.

IV.

V.

Date:

Cooperating Teacher:

Co-Op initial:

Group Size:
A.

II.

Name: Josh Rankin

Subject:

Time:

Grade:
Section

3.4.4.C1- Understand that there is no perfect design.

B. 3.4.4.D1- Investigate how things are made and how they can be improved.
C. 3.4.4.A1- Understand that tools, materials, and skills are used to make things and
carry out tasks.
Objective
A. The fourth grade students will be able to explain what light bulbs are made of and
how they work by creating their own filament and connecting it to make a
working circuit.
Materials
A. Circuit Kit
1.
Conductors and insulators bag reduced to large nail, wire mesh,
plastic mesh, and golf tee.
2.
Clay and nichrome
B. Science notebook
C. Writing Utensil
Subject Matter
A. Prerequisite skills
1.
Ability to read and write
2.
Skills from previous circuit lessons.
B. Vocabulary
1.
Filament- Metal piece that lights inside of the light bulb.
C. Main Idea
1.
The inside of a light bulb requires certain materials and
construction to work.
D. Additional Content
1.
There are modern light bulbs that require a much different
composition and construction to work the intended way.
Implementation
A. Introduction
1.
The teacher will transition the students from ELA to science.
2.
The teacher will ask the inquiry questions of the day.
a. How can we make our own version of a lightbulb?
b. Why do we put glass around our filament?
3.
The students will discuss how they can do that using their circuit
kits.
B. Development

1.

VI.

The teacher will show the students the teacher made model of
what the handmade filament will look like without the nichrome filament
attached.
a. The teacher will read the safety reminders of using the nichrome.
2.
The teacher will show the students how to set up the wires in the
clay, but the students will be responsible for discovering a way to build the
rest of the filament circuit.
3.
The teacher will split the students into pairs.
4.
The students will receive their kits and construct the circuit.
5.
The teacher will be available to help but provide prompting
questions to support, not steps to build the circuit.
6.
Students will respond to the questions:
a. Why do we put glass around the filament in real lightbulbs?
b. Bonus: Based on what you know about fluorescent bulbs (the
curly bulbs), how do you think these are different from
incandescent (regular bulbs) on the inside of the bulb?
7.
If students finish before clean up time:
a. The students will then experiment with their choice of at least 2
conductors to see if they will light or not.
b. Diagram their hand made filament circuit.
C. Closure
1.
The teacher will read a passage from the book Energy.
2.
The teacher will have students discuss the correlation between
electricity and heat, especially when looking at filaments.
D. Assessment
1.
Formative- The teacher will have a checklist for 3 items, a
working circuit with handmade filament, a diagram of the circuit, and an
answer to the first question.
2.
Summative- There will be no summative assessment. There will
be a unit test at the end of the unit
E. Differentiation/Accommodations
1.
For student 16 who has difficulty writing the teacher will have a
one on one interview with the student.
Reflection
A. Report of Student Performance
100% of the students were able to make a circuit and discovered the correct way
to tie the filament to make energy flow through it. Some students were not able to
see the filament light but they constructed it the proper way and knew what the
problem was. All of the students noticed that the bulb produced heat and in some
form wrote that is the reason for putting the filament in a bulb. Some also noted
other reasons which included preventing the filament from being broken or
separated from the wire.
B. Remediation Plan

There is no need for remediation in this lesson.

C. Personal Reflection
1.
Did the change in distributing student kits help prevent students
using the kits before being instructed to use them?
The transitions were smoother but students still needed the extra
prompting to not get their kits until directed and to not open them until
directed. The students need this because they will not hear directions for
the more advanced lessons and then will not be able to do what is
necessary for the lessons.
2.

Did I need to provide more support for students to be able to

discover a way to construct a working circuit with a handmade filament?
The students struggled with the filament on the first day but when we got
to the second day they were able to do slightly better. The students needed
me to model more on how to well tie the filament so that they can make
their own version. I struggled with tying the filament so I knew the
students would need extra time so using a second day helped.

3.

How did I help students while still letting them explore and
discover an answer on their own?
I only needed to help students do the procedural steps in the process. The
students are doing well at creating circuits and developing ideas to do the
inquiry experiment, but they need help with some of the small
construction procedures. I need to make sure that I am able to do all of the
parts of the inquiry, including the small parts, so that they will be able to
successfully complete the inquiry.

VII.

Resources
Electric circuits (2nd ed.). (2004). Washington, D.C.: National Science Resources Center.

Spilsbury, L., & Spilsbury, R. (2013). Energy. London: Raintree.