Developmental Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Stephanie Steinberg, Angela Davidheiser, Megan Fink Date: 11/3/18

Group Size: 20 Allotted Time: 40 minutes Grade Level: 2nd grade

Subject or Topic: Gravity (Unit: Lesson 1)

Common Core/PA Standard(s):

● 3.2.P.B6 Use Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation to describe and predict the
motion of objects ranging from atoms to the galaxies.

Learning Targets/Objectives:

● The second-grade students will investigate gravitational pull by dropping different

objects from the same height.
● The second-grade students will observe how variously weighted objects fall from the
same height by completing a Venn diagram.

Assessment Approaches: Evidence:

1. Pair Share 1. Observation/note taking

2. Gravity activity/Venn diagram 2. Compare and contrast two objects of
3. Thumb up/down different weights as we do the
4. Graphic organizer experiment, collect
3. Observation
4. Two part graphic organizer-
predict/reflect, collect

Assessment Scale:

(Score student inquiry/graphic organizer sheet using the below scale)

1- Below Basic 2- Basic 3-Proficient

(inaccurate information) (somewhat accurate information) (all accurate information)
Subject Matter/Content:

Prerequisites:

● Basic concepts of weight (heavy versus light) in everyday life

● Recognizing that large objects are not always the heaviest
● Recognizing that small objects are not always the lightest

Key Vocabulary:

● Gravity- “a force that pulls down on everything on Earth”

● Mass- “the amount of matter in an object”
● Weight- “a measurement of how heavy an object is”
● Matter- “anything that takes up space”
● Force- “a push or a pull”

Content/Facts:

● Gravity
○ Gravity (definition) (in video) (anchor chart)
○ Gravitational pull (explain) (in video) (anchor chart)
○ What affects gravity? (in video) (anchor chart)
○ Force (definition) (in video) (anchor chart)
● What does gravity involve?
○ Mass (definition) (in video)
○ Matter (definition) (in video)
○ What is the difference between mass and matter? (in video)
○ Weight (definition) (anchor chart)
○ How could weight affect gravity? (in video)
● Real world examples
○ Simple objects (bouncing a ball) (in video)
○ Soccer ball at rest (closure/intro Newton’s Laws for next lesson)
○ How does gravity tie into Newton’s Laws? (closure/prepare for next lesson)

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies:

● The teacher will write the target question on the board.

● The teacher will provide directions by telling the students to think about the target
question on their own, pair up with a partner, and share their ideas with one partner.
● Target question: “How do you think weight affects the way an object falls?”
● The students will share their ideas with a partner, discussing the target question.
● The teacher will walk around, observe, and take notes on the pair discussion.
● The teacher will ask the target question to the whole class and provide students with an
opportunity to share one idea that they came up with on their own or with their partner.
Development/Teaching Approaches

● After discussing and sharing ideas, the teacher will pull up a four-minute content
video for the class to watch.
● The video references what gravity is including definitions of gravity, weight, matter,
and concepts regarding how gravity works, why gravitational pull flows up/down, and
cause and effect regarding objects in gravity.
● After the students watch the video, the teacher will bring the class back together again
by gathering them in a section of the room to make an anchor chart.
● The anchor chart will be made based off of evidence from the video, background
knowledge of the students, and additional content details from the teacher.
● In a whole group setting, the teacher and students will discuss ideas and create an
anchor chart with content definitions, specific important ideas, and pictures/examples.
● Refer to sample anchor chart at the end of the lesson plan to see what ideas were
pulled from the video to make the anchor chart.
● Anchor chart does not have to match the sample exactly, but it should focus on the
same ideas including definitions and examples.
● The teacher will divide the class into groups and send them to various work centers in
the room to work with the gravity activity.
● At each work center, there will be a folder labeled “Gravity Worksheets”, and each
folder will have four Venn diagram sheets and four predict/reflect graphic organizers.
● At each work center, there will also be a box of materials for the students to work with
for the activity.
● The teacher will provide directions by saying: “As your groups settle in to your work
center, you will see a folder with paper and a box of materials. Each of you will get
two papers, one of each kind. “
● While the students settle into their work areas, the teacher will explain the directions
for the activity.
● The teacher will hold up the predict/reflect organizer and say “First using this sheet, in
the first column we are going to record our predictions. Think about what might
happen when you drop the objects from the same height and write down what you
think will happen”.
● Then the teacher will hold up the Venn diagram and point out different parts of the
Venn diagram. The teacher will point to the areas where the students will write the
names of each object.
● Then the teacher will tell students how to put their information in the Venn diagram by
asking them what they think belongs in each section, and quickly reviewing how to use
a Venn diagram.
● This part of the directions should take only a minute because students will be familiar
with how to use Venn diagrams from language arts.
● The teacher will close the directions by holding up the first sheet again, and explaining
that they will fill out the reflection section after the activity is completed with the Venn
diagram.
● The teacher will then give students time to work with their group for the activity, walk
around, observe, take notes, and provide scaffolding for groups who may need extra
help.
 ● After the groups finish investigating the objects and filling out the venn diagram, the
teacher will ask the students who is ready to move on by asking them to give a thumbs
up if they are ready.
● When all of the groups are ready to move on, the teacher will briefly explain how to fill
out the reflection section of the first graphic organizer.
● Teacher: “Work with your peers to think about how the experiment went and record
your ideas in the second column.”
● Teacher: “As you are filling out the sections, think about answering some of the
questions provided for you in the boxes.”
● As the students finish with the gravity activity, the teacher will bring the class focus
back together by asking for volunteers to share some of their experiences with the
materials and activity.
● As the lesson closes, the teacher will summarize the main ideas of how motion is
related to gravity, by connecting ideas from our activity to the ideas listed on the
anchor chart.

Closure/Summarizing Strategies:

● Teacher: “Okay boys and girls, when we come back to science next time, we are going
to talk about a scientist named Isaac Newton and explore how objects move.”
● The teacher will place a soccer ball on a desk and ask students to think about the object
in relation to movement, using background knowledge that they have on gravity.
● Q1: “How do you think we can make this ball move?”
● Q2: “What could we do to make the ball move faster or slower?”
● Q3: “How could we stop the ball to bring it to a resting position?”
● The teacher will ask the students to think about the soccer ball, brainstorm ideas, and
come to class tomorrow prepared to explore properties of motion.

Accommodations/Differentiation:

● A student with a physical disability that requires a wheelchair may struggle to

maneuver around the classroom to get supplies, drop the objects at the same height,
and make sure the objects fall straight to the ground.
● We can rearrange the furniture in the room, as needed, to make sure every student has
ample amount of space to work.
● A student with a physical disability who has difficulty with fine motor skills like
writing, may have a teacher or a cooperating student scribe for them.
○ The student could tell the scribe what to write and the scribe may write it in the
appropriate sections (venn diagram)
○ The student could verbally tell the teacher their prediction and then verbally
tell their teacher why or why not their prediction was correct (inquiry)
● A student with a physical disability who has difficulty with fine motor skills may
struggle to hold the objects in the correct position.
○ Students will work in groups of two so that every student has the opportunity to
participate in the lesson through experimentation and observation.
Materials/Resources:

● Venn Diagram (1 per student/20 per class size)

● Two-part graphic organizer (1 per student/20 per class size)
● A blank half-sheet of paper (1 per group/10 per class size)
● A small square block (1 per group/10 per class size)
● A feather (1 per group/10 per class size)
● A marble (1 per group/10 per class size)
● Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljRlB6TuMOU
● Soccer ball

Boatner, K. [Crash Course Kids]. (2015, March 24). Defining Gravity: Crash Course Kids

#4.1. Retrieved: www.youtube.com

Foresman, S. (2006). Science: See learning in a whole new light student edition. New York,

NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

Foresman, S. (2006). Science: See learning in a whole new light teacher’s edition. New York,

NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

Macmillan, McGraw-Hill. (2011). Science a closer look: Physical science teacher’s edition

grade 2. Columbus, OH: Macmillan/McGraw-Hill.

 Let’s Make Predictions!

Name: ___________________________________ Date: __________________

Directions: In the left column, write or draw what you think might
happen during the experiment. In the right column, write or draw what
actually happened. Think about some of the focus questions when you
are reflecting!

Predict Reflect

*What do I think will happen? *Was my prediction correct?

*Why might that happen? *Why was my prediction accurate?
*What could happen as a result or after? *What happened in the experiment that I
did not include in my prediction?
 Record Note Taking Sheet

Date: Teacher:

Objectives:
● The second-grade students will investigate gravitational pull by dropping different objects
from the same height.
● The second-grade students will observe how variously weighted objects fall from the same
height by completing a venn diagram.

Observed Comments

Student:

Student:
Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels

Remediation Plan (if applicable)

Personal Reflection Questions

Additional reflection/thoughts