Core Decisions of Lesson Design NOTE: It is important to note that the experiment of the lesson was entirely changed

to make it more challenging for the students. Thus a lot of the procedural instructions were revised and modified to fit the experiment as well as the guided practice. These changes are reflected in the revised lesson plan. The comments in purple show my own thinking as I reviewed the feedback. What The concept of matter is a cornerstone for scientific understanding. Matter gives form to our world. I have found my students explore objects of different states of matter all the time. For instance, many students in my class enjoy playing with blocks or water. Students will activate their understanding of matter from using objects in different states on a daily basis. The lesson is designed to provide students with understanding of the three states of matter. I have provided a variety of activities to keep the students engaged and foster their understanding of matter. For instance, students will first be provided the opportunity to interact with objects of different states of matter. They will be asked to record observations, just as many scientists do when observing natural phenomenon. We will then have a group discussion, where students will be encouraged to share what they observed with their classmates. Afterwards, the instructor will read What is the World Made Of by Kathleen Zoefeld. These activities were chosen to provide students with a deep understanding of matter and will assist their understanding of more complex concepts. Why For my second grade class, we have prepared a lesson that will help students distinguish between the three macroscopic states of matter solid, liquid, and gas. These are the most observable properties of matter. My envisioned lesson steers away from a rote understanding of matter. When talking to colleagues, I discovered many of us had a common experience in learning about matter. For instance, we learned that anything that has mass is made up of matter. Matter, we learned, means whether something is solid, liquid, or gas. While this is true, matter is much more complex than what it tends to be reduced to in typical science curriculum. In a higher-grade level science class, students might learn that states of matter are composed of microscopic particles. While I want students to have a strong understanding of the three states of matter, my goal for them is to see the real-life application of matter as something that exists in all states and forms the world around us. How The lesson will activate this prior knowledge and help the students understand the scientific reasoning behind different states. To do this, I will provide three sealed Ziploc bags to my students (two groups of three). One bag will be inflated, one will contain dyed water, and one will contain a pencil. The instructor will ask them to think about the forms the objects take. The students will be asked to try to manipulate the objects, to test whether they will change shape. In

addition to thinking about shape, the activity also encourages students to consider what type of container is necessary to hold the object. A worksheet will be provided so that they can record their observations. While they continue to think about the objects, I will discuss the reasoning behind how these objects form, introducing the basic concepts of matter. To conclude, a read aloud story entitled What is the World Made of by Kathleen Zoefield will be read.

Lesson: Whats the Matter?

Second Grade 35-40 minutes Goals/Objectives Students will identify the three states of matter and make observations about the properties for each state. Standards The following lesson relates to the The Framework for K-12 Science Education. Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Idea - Physical Sciences Core Idea PS1: Matter and Its Interactions PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter Based on the Science a Process Approach, students will practice the following: making observations; classifying objects; making predictions and inferences; communication skills. Materials 1 whiteboard easel and a few markers 3 gallon size sealable plastic bags colored water 1 pencil 1 transparent cup student data sheet Picturebook: What Is the World Made Of? by Kathleen Zoehfeld. Group 1 Materials (3 students) pattern blocks plastic bottles - one each with water and milk stuffed animals clay inflated balloon Group 2 Materials (3 students) unifix cubes plastic bottles - one each with juice and liquid soap

cotton balls play dough inflated balloon

Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues 1 The lesson will take place in a small pod area outside of the classroom which will provide the teacher with a more quiet and private space to conduct the lesson. The six students intended for this lesson will be removed from the classroom, so they are not distracted by their classroom teachers instruction and the remaining students. Throughout the lesson, students will sit on tables (3 students per table), so they have enough space to work with their materials. Prior to starting the lesson, the teacher will set up the small whiteboard easel across from where the students will sit. 2 Students will be asked to take one pencil and eraser with them before going outside to the pod area for their lesson. The materials will be handed to the each group of students before the start of the activity. 3 Some management concerns might arise while students are working in groups. Conversations about subjects other than science might start to emerge as the teacher attends to others. The teacher might consider giving students extra work if they finish early and time the activity, so they are aware of the time constraint and stay focused on the task. Plan The Hook (5 mins) Teacher will start by setting the purpose of the lesson and engaging the students by connecting to their prior knowledge about matter. Today we are going to learn about how different objects that we see, feel, taste, or even smell exist in different forms and are all made of matter. We are going to practice being good scientists by listening, observing, and being respectful to our classmates. I expect you all to do your absolute best and participate, raise your hand if you have a question or comment, and practice being good listeners. She will begin by asking the following question: Can anyone identify one object that you see around us? After students have shared, she will invite further participation by asking How can you describe that object? What is it made of? What are some of its characteristics? Does anyone have anything to add to that? The teacher will then thank everyone for sharing their observations. The Body (30 mins) Direct Instruction (5 mins) Teacher will then ask if anyone knows what the word matter means (Who can explain to us what the word matter means?). Based on the responses that students give, this would be a good time to make sure that students understand the two literal meanings of the word. After sharing, the teacher will ask the students if anyone knows another meaning for the word matter, and explain that in this lesson matter refers to something that occupies a given space. She may provide two different examples of sentences that use the word in different contexts to further deepen their understanding. For example she might pose the following two questions: Whats the matter Tom? and What matter do you think this object is made of? and discuss how they both mean different things.

Guided Practice (10 mins) The teacher will introduce three sealed plastic bags on the desk in front of her to the students, one containing a pencil, one filled with water (sealed), and one filled with air that puffs out. She will show the students the first bag with the pencil and ask what state of matter they think it represents. She will then remove the pencil from the bag and will pass it around by asking Does the pencil keep its shape if we do nothing to it? Does it take up space? She will repeat the same process for the plastic bag filled with water that represents a liquid. She may also manipulate the bag so the water changes shape as the bag changes form. She will take the water out of the bag and pour it in a transparent cup to help students see that the liquid will take the shape of the container. Teacher will draw students attention to this by asking What shape is the water in when it is in the bag? What shape does the water fill when it is in the cup? Can you explain a little bit more. Finally, the teacher will repeat the same process with the third puffed up bag and ask students what they think is in the bag. If students say there is nothing in the bag, the teacher may open the bag and flatten it out to invite further curiosity. This will help the students make a connection between air and gas. Throughout the guided practice, the teacher will use the whiteboard to write down the three states of matter as they go through them one by one. Independent Practice (15 mins) After having reviewed the terms solid, liquid, and gas with the students during guided practice, the teacher will break them into two groups of six students, provide each with a set of different materials along with the data worksheet. They will be asked to identify each object and determine if it represents a solid, liquid, or gas. Now you are going to work in a small group with two other classmates. I will pass out a set of materials for each group and your task is to try to identify each object and use your data sheet to record your observations. The teacher will then model and explain how the data sheet is to be used, so the students know what is expected of them (it would be best if the teacher gives these instructions before passing out the materials to keep students engaged as they listen to the directions; giving out the materials first might distract them). As the students work on the activity, the teacher will circulate from group to group to monitor their responses and listen in on conversations. She may want to encourage and remind students to not only consider the actual object but also what may be inside the container (mainly for the liquids and gases). The teacher should also occasionally remind students of how much time they have left to work on the activity. The students will then come together for a brief discussion about their classifications of the different objects. Each group will be given the chance to share an object or two that they found the most interesting or surprising. Students will be asked to comment or ask questions about the presenting groups observations. Teacher will guide the discussion by asking questions such as What state was that matter in? What helped you make that prediction? Can you name another object that would fit into that category? Do the rest of you agree with this groups predictions? At the end of the activity, the teacher will collect all their materials/worksheets to get them ready for a read aloud. The teacher will conclude the lesson by reading the book selection out loud (see materials) to further reinforce the concept of matter and help them see that everything around them in the world is made of matter in different states; she will make sure to stop and allow them a few moments to answer the questions posed in the book.

Closure (2 mins) Teacher will close the lesson by restating the objective of the day and what they have learned. Today we looked at matter in all three states: solid, liquid, and gas. We made some observations and predictions about the characteristics of materials in each of those three categories. I want to thank everyone for being good listeners and observers. You all did a wonderful job, and I am so proud of everyone for participating. The teacher will then instruct the students to take their pencils with them and quietly return back to their classrooms. Assessment At the end of this lesson, it is important to know whether students have understood the three different states of matter and the properties that define them. The conversations that students have with their partners, their verbal and written responses, and the teachers observations during the lesson will all serve as evidence to assess students understanding. These different forms of evidence will be gathered primarily through active listening and making observations. The teacher will walk around as the students work in their groups to listen in on their conversations by paying close attention to how they describe the different objects and the kinds of predictions they make about the three different states. The evidence of student learning gathered during the lesson will help the teacher determine how well the students are progressing towards the goal for the lesson. Have they gained a basic understanding of the three states of matter? When asked to name other objects that fit into one of the three categories, does their definition work? Is it consistent with what was discussed during the lesson? How well can they apply their thinking to their classmates explanations during the discussion? During the read aloud, the teacher will gauge their understanding of the three different states of matter by their responses to the questions in the book. Anticipating students responses and your possible responses 1 A potential issue that may arise during the activity is the students reliance on their group members to guess the answer and simply copy one anothers responses. If this seems to be happening, the teacher may ask students to take turns guessing, so everyone gets a chance to contribute. 2 Below you will find some possible teacher responses to some anticipated student responses that might come up during the lesson: a. Anticipated response 1: Its solid because its hard. Possible teacher response 1: Can you show me an example of a solid object that is not hard? How do you think thats different from the hard object? Can you explain a little bit more? b. Anticipated student response 2: Theres nothing in it because its empty. Possible teacher response 2: Well, what if I decide to open the bag and flatten it out, what do you think is in the bag now? Accommodations 1 Accommodations for students who may find the work challenging can be considered by making sure they are grouped with students who can help/guide them through the task. 2 Questions such as How would you describe the three states of matter that you have identified? Can you write down some of their characteristics? What are some things that you notice about

them? How do they feel/look? Do all the solids look the same? can be posed to students who finish early to help extend their understanding.