Dakota State University

College of Education
Student Teaching-- Observed Lesson #1

Name: Josie Parry

Grade Level: 4th Grade
School: Sioux Valley Elementary School
Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Time: 1:00--2:00

Reflection from prior lesson:

Throughout the school year, Mrs. Bezdichek has had the students participate in a number of
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) activities. These activities have allowed
students to problem solve, collaborate with one another, and think creatively. More importantly,
with these STEM challenges, students have been forced to consider and apply the Engineering
Design Process in order to find success.

Lesson Goal(s) / Standards:

3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified
criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well
each is likely to meet the crieteria and constraints of the problem.

3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are
considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Lesson Objectives:
During the “Plan” phase of the STEM challenge, students will independently sketch a labeled
picture of their plan for the device on the worksheet they are provided.

During the “Plan” phase of the STEM challenge, students will work in groups of three to
brainstorm and write out a list of five steps to plan for the decive they will create.

During the “Create” phase of the STEM challenge, students will work in groups of three to begin
the process of creating their device with only the materials they are given.

Materials Needed:
1. Copy paper and cardstock
 2. Construction paper
3. Masking tape
4. Straws
5. Craft sticks
6. Binder clips
7. Paper clips
8. String
9. Fishing line
10. Valentine bear
11. Copies of the lab sheet, trivia sheet, self-assessment sheet & rubric
12. Pencils
13. SmartBoard & PPT
14. Plastic containers for student materials
15. Classroom space for group work

Contextual Factors/ Learner Characteristics:

Mrs. Bezdichek’s homeroom consists of 27 students, and they are seated in six rows of desks.
Six students are on an IEP, but they receive full instruction in the classroom with additional
support outside of the classroom. Two students are diagnosed with dyslexia, and three students
are diagnosed with ADHD and one student with ADD. Furthermore, one student has been
idenfied as having emotional distrubance (ED), as noted on his IEP. I will need to be aware of all
of these behaviors and identifications as I instruct and guide students through the activity.

Mrs. Bezdichek’s homeroom only has science twice a week, as they have social studies the other
two days of the week. Today is the first of two days that the students will have science, and the
allotment of time will be about an hour both today and tomorrow. Since I plan on having
students work in groups, they will be expected to find a spot in the classroom, either around the
desks or in the outside area, that will work best for them. There are some strong personalities in
the classroom that I will need to keep in mind when grouping the students to ensure both
academic and social success with the activity.

This science lesson will occur at the end of a short school day. I will need to keep this in mind
and continue to engage the students as the time gets closer to dismissal. Furthermore, since this is
the first day of a two day lesson, I will need to ensure that each group is at a good stopping point
to better help them be successful tomorrow.

A. The Lesson

1. Introduction-- 7 minutes
Prior to this science lesson, students will be finishing up their ELA activities and assignments. I
will ensure that they are allowed a quick bathroom and drink break before I start in on the
lesson. This will help them refocus and reset prior to the beginning of the science lesson.

Getting attention & relating to past experience and/or knowledge (5 minutes):

Hello, friends! Now that we have had our bathroom and drink break, it is time to refocus and get
ready for the fun science lesson that we have planned for today.

Can anyone tell me what day it is tomorrow? I will call on students until I receive the desired
answer: Valentine’s Day. Yes! It is Valentine’s Day! I want to find out what you all know about
Valentine’s Day with a little trivia. At this point, I will have two students help me pass out the
trivia sheet. I am going to give you all about two minutes to answer the questions and then we
will have a whole group discussion about what you put and the correct answers. After about two
minutes, I will stop students and start a two minute discussion about the answers. One question
that was not included on your trivia sheet but I want to focus on today is, “How do Valentine
gifts get delivered to a person?” Possible reponses: delivery man, through the mail, online, in
person, etc.

Just a couple of weeks ago, you all had the chance to work in groups on a STEM challenge that
involved the creation of a bridge. With that activity, you all had to work together to problem
solve, collaborate with one another, and be creative. More importantly, you had to use the
Engineering Deisgn Process to ultimately create a bridge that would hold a cup full of 100
pennies. Let’s go ahead and disucss the Engineering Design process before we get started. Can
anyone explain to me what the first step is when we use the Engineering Design Process? I will
continue to prompt students until we have covered all of the steps in the Engineering Design
Process. Now that we have reviewed the steps in the Engineering Design Process, we can use the
process more confidently with our Valentine STEM Challenge.

Creating a need to know & sharing objective in general terms (2 minutes):

Today, you are going to work on another STEM challenge, as it is important to be able to work
through the Engineering Design Process while collaborating with your peers. This challenge,
however, will follow the Valentine’s Day theme. The question that you will be answering in this
challenge is, “How can you build a carrier that will safely deliver a Valentine’s Day gift on a zip
line?”

This will be a two-day activity; therefore, you will only get through the “Plan” stage of the
challenge, as well as get a start on the “Create” phase of the challenge. Today, you and your
group members will be expected to sketch a design of your carrier device, write a list of plans
you will utilize to create that device, and ultimately will engage in the beginning process of the
creation of your carrier device.

2. Content Delivery (47 minutes):

Activity Introduction and Instructions (5 minutes):
Before I put you all into groups, I want to go through the instructions of what you will be
working on today, and I am going to give each of you a template that you can follow to help you
work through the STEM challenge. I will have a presentation on the Smartboard that will list the
instructions as I explain them so that the students know exactly what is expected of them. Also, I
will have a couple of students help me pass out the template that students can use during the
STEM challenge as well as a written list of directions they can keep as the work through the
STEM challenge.

First and foremost, you will find the main question of this challenge at the top of your worksheet:
“How can you build a carrier that will safely deliver a Valentine’s Day gift on a zip line?” This
carrier device will be responsible for delivering the Valentine bear across the zip line that is set
up. Not only will you need to build the carrier itself, but you will also be expected to find a way
to attach the carrier to the zip line with the materials you are given. Once everyone has their
carrier made, each group will be presenting them to the rest of the class tomorrow and will test
your carrier on the zip line. I plan on having you decorate your carriers sometime tomorrow as
you contine to create your finished product.

On the SmartBoard, I have a list of materials that you and your group will be provided with to
create your carrier device. I will list all of the materials that are listed on the board: copy paper
and cardstock, construction paper, masking tape, straws, craft sticks, binder clips, paper clips,
string, fishing line, as well as the permitted use of a ruler and scissors. Just a reminder that these
are the ONLY materials you are allowed to use for this challenge, and this is where your
creativity and problem solving will come into play. I will also be passing around a sheet of paper
to each group that will describe the rules when brainstorming and creating the carrier device.

First task: Independently draw a sketch of the carrier device (5 minutes):

First, I want you all to independently draw a sketch of the carrier device you and your group may
choose to create on your worksheet. If you feel you need more room to sketch your device, feel
free to grab some pink scratch paper (located on the counter on the side of the room). Keep in
mind the materials you will have, and remember that you also need to find a way to attach your
carrier to the zip line. Not only do I want you to sketch the device, but I walso want you to label
the parts of your sketch as well as the materials you are using for that particluar part of the
carrier. You will have four minutes to work on your sketch. Your time starts now.

Direct instructions for group work (5 minutes):

Before I show you the groups you are placed in, I want to go ahead and give you information on
what you will be doing in your groups. First and foremost, you and your group members will
work together to create a final sketch of your carrier device. I want you to consider EVERY
group member’s original sketch and incorporate something from each person’s drawing to your
final sketch. Remember that it needs to be labeled. I will utilize a type of formative assessment,
such as “thumbs up,” to ensure that the students know what is expected first when they get into
their groups.

After you have completed your final sketch as a group, your second task will be to write five
SPECIFIC steps you will take to create your carrier device. This will be completed right on the
template I gave you. Can anyone tell me what it means when I say I want SPECIFIC steps? I will
take answers from students until I hear the desired answer: detailed. I will then utilize a
formative assessment, such as “thumbs up,” to ensure that all students know what is expected of
them after they complete their final group sketch.

Finally, you will have the chance to start on your creation and building of your carrier device.
Remember that you may only use the materials Mrs. Bez and I provide you. Does anyone have
any questions before I show you your groups and you get started?

Formation of groups & group brainstorming (12 minutes):

You will now get into your groups. Your groups have been randomly selected and they are
posted on the SmartBoard. You will have one minute to find your group and find a space in the
classroom that will work best for you and your group members. Your minute starts now.

It looks like all of you have made it into your groups-- great! Now, as a group, I want you each
to independently present the sketch you created. Once each of you have preesnted to your group,
I want you to brainstorm and sketch a final draft of the carrier device your group plans on
creating. Try to incorporate something from each group member into your final sketch. You will
have about five minutes to do this. Your time starts now.

Your five minutes of sketching a final draft is up! Now that you have a final draft of what your
device carrier will look like, your group will work together to create a list of five or more steps
you will take to create your device on the worksheet you were given. Part of the Engineering
Design Process involves creating specific steps to get to your desired result, so I want you to try
to be really specific with your written steps, and I want each of you to record the steps on your
own worksheet, as you will each be turing in your own worksheet at the end of the challenge.
You will have about five minutes to come up with these steps. Your time starts now.

Beginning process of carrier creation (20 minutes):

Now that you have all engaged in the brainstorming process for your carrier device, it is time to
build! Mrs. Bezdichek and I will come around for the mateirals you and your group will be able
to use to build your carrier. Remember to make your carrier device as strong as you can so it
keeps the Valentine bear safe on the zip line. Also remember that you need to find a way to
attach the carrier to the zip line. I will have the Valentine bear available for groups to check out
and measure in case you need that information to create the carrier. You have about twenty
minutes today to work on creating your carrier. Tomorrow, you will test your carrier in a pre-test
on the zip line and then make any changes necessary to finalize your carrier device. We will also
present and do a final test on your carrier devices tomorrow. Your time starts now. If a group
ends up completing their carrier device before the twenty minutes is up, I will consider having
them move on to the pre-test phase of the STEM challenge. If I feel that they could make a few
more changes, I will suggest this and remind them to make their device as good as it can be.

3. Closure (5 minutes):
Ok, friends! It is time to wrap up our STEM challenge for the day. I am SO impressed with the
work you have done today, and I can’t wait to see how all of the pre-tests and final tests go
tomorrow. Now it is time to clean up. I want one person from each group to collect all of the
group’s paper templates and put them in the plastic container; I want another person to collect all
of the materials and put them in the platic container; and I want the last person to come to me to
grab a Sticky Note. When everything is put away, please find your seat and wait quietly to wait
for the next directions.

B. Assessments Used
Pre-assessment:
The students will be pre-assessed during the “Plan” phase of the STEM challenge. I will gauge
their problem solving and creativity through the sketching and step-by-step planning phase.

Formative assessments:
I will continually observe the students during their independent and group work. As students are
sketching their designs and creating their step-by-step plans, I will be able to formatively assess
and guide them in their plans to create their carrier device. Furthermore, once the students start
creating their carrier device in their groups with the materials, I will be able to observe and
assess their ability to work together and use the materials they are given. Through all of this, I
will ultimately be able to assess each student’s ability to use the Engineering Design Process.
Furthermore, I will utilize the “thumbs up” formative strategy when giving students direction to
ensure that all students know what is expected of them.

Post-assessment:
Tomorrow’s lesson will give me the opportunity to assess, as the students will be testing their
carrier devices. Each group’s device will serve as a form of assessment for the activity. Also, I
will provide each student a self-assessment to complete at the end of the activity. This will give
me an idea of how the students feel about their independent and group work.

C. Differentiated Instruction
● This lesson meets the needs of a number of different learning styles that are identified in
Gardner’s multiple intelligences:
○ Linguistic: part of the activity involves writing out specific steps the groups will
follow to create their carrier device
○ Logical-mathematical: the students will be expected to create a carrier device that
will fit the measurements of the Valentine bear
○ Spatial: students will create a sketch of their carrier device, both independently
and in a group, which forces them to picture their final product
○ Kinesthetic: students will be moving around the classroom to build their carrier
device, they will be using their hands to create something
○ Interpersonal: students will be working in a group and will be expected to
collaborate with one another
● As I stated in the Contextual Factors portion of the lesson plan, there are three students
who are diagnosed with ADHD and one student with ADD as noted on their IEPs. This
STEM challenge will help keep these students engaged and focused, as it allows them to
move around and work with others.
 ● Some students in the class love to build, while others may have little interest. I will be
sure to group students in groups where there are a couple of students who enjoy building
and a couple of students who like the decorating/planning portion of the challenge.

D. Resources
1. Mrs. Bezdichek