University of West Alabama

5E Lesson Plan Template

Teacher: Mendy Webb Thomley

Date: 5/22/19

Subject area/course/grade level: Science 4th grade

Materials: computer, projector, student Chromebooks, student textbook, Stemscopes materials, rubric,
napkins, a 2 liter soda bottle, gravel (aquarium gravel will work), sand, dirty water, cheese cloth, and rubber
bands, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle PPT,

Standards (State and ISTE Standards for Students):

4.5 Compile information to describe how the use of energy derived from natural renewable and
nonrenewable resources affects the environment (e.g., constructing dams to harness energy from water, a
renewable resource, while causing a loss of animal habitats; burning of fossil fuels, a nonrenewable
resource, while causing an increase in air pollution; installing solar panels to harness energy from the sun,
a renewable resource, while requiring specialized materials that necessitate mining).

3c Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create
collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

Objectives:
The students will learn more about renewable and non-renewable resources and their effects on the
environment.

The students will use technology to express what they have learned about saving our natural resources.

Differentiation Strategies (How will the lesson address the various learning styles of the students and the
needs of those with special needs?):
The lesson will be differentiated in a few ways to help all students be successful. The teacher will group my
students where my higher kids will help the lower kids and guide their discussions to make them
successful.
The engagement piece of the lesson will be differentiated for my kinesthetic learners who like to move
around while learning. They will be able to collaborate with others and be creative.
The exploration stage of the lesson is made for the hands-on learners who learn through experiments and
working with their hands. This part of the lesson is also really good for collaboration.
The explanation part of the lesson plan is differentiated and allows students who are visual learners to view
a PPT and learn more about the topic. There are also discussion questions for the learners who learn
through collaboration.
The elaboration part of the lesson allows students to be creative and focuses on individual work. There are
always some students who prefer to do their own work without collaboration and this part of the lesson
helps them.
For my special need students, I will shorten their assignment if needed or give them extra time to complete
their brochure. I will also partner them with people I know they work well with. If they have too much anxiety
to talk in front of others, then I will allow them to write their answers down.

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 ENGAGEMENT:

The teacher will review over the meaning of non-renewable and renewable resources with the students.
The teacher will split the class into four groups and pass out a resource card to each group. (energy
resource cards) The students will need to come up with some type of kinesthetic movement to go along
with their energy source. The teacher should give them 5 minutes to discuss their resource card and come
up with a motion.

The teacher will then call each group to do their motion and they will have to justify their answer and tell
why they chose that movement. Once all students have completed their motion for the class, the teacher
will discuss with the students about each resource card. The teacher will explain how fossil fuels take
many years to form so once we run out then we will just be out. They also discuss solar power and
hydroelectric energy and how they are both helpful and where they come from. The last thing the teacher
talks about is wind energy and how it helps the environment. The students will discuss with the teacher
how wind energy, solar energy, and hydroelectric energy are all renewable but fossil fuels are non-
renewable and take way too long to be created again. Once the discussion is over the students will move
to the next part of the lesson.

Assessment: The teacher will float around the classroom and do a formative assessment as they hear the
students discussing their resource card. The students will work with their group and the teacher will assess
them as they have conversations about non-renewable and renewable resources.
EXPLORATION:

 The students will build a homemade water filter to learn about saving water. They will work in groups as
the teacher supervises and coaches them on the activity. The teacher will demonstrate to them as they
complete their own filter.
 The directions to this activity can be found here: https://sciencing.com/make-water-filter-science-experiment-
5507017.html

 The teacher should already have baskets set up for each group and they should contain napkins, a 2 liter
soda bottle, gravel (aquarium gravel will work), sand, dirty water, cheese cloth, and rubber bands. The first
step is to cut the 2 liter bottle and remove the top half which will already be done for them. They will just
have to put the cheese cloth over the narrow-opened end of the bottle and secure it on with rubber bands.
The second step is to put the top half of the bottle upside down in the bottom half to help the top half stand
up. The third step is to add layers of sand, gravel and charcoal into the top half of the bottle. This is what
the water will flow through in order to filter. The fourth step is to get dirty water and the fifth step is to pour
the water into the funnel made from the bottle.
 The students should be able to see the dirty water going into the filter and the clean or at least cleaner
water is coming out. This activity will show students how they can recycle our resources.

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Assessment: The teacher will informally assess the students on how well they collaborate and work
together on their filter. The teacher will also ask questions after the activity to make sure they understand
why it is important to filter water and reuse our resources.

EXPLANATION:

This stage of the lesson is your part. You will cover vocabulary, concepts, ideas – whatever is necessary –
to help the students understand the lesson. Include higher order thinking questions to help the students
connect and comprehend the point of the lesson. Provide specific details of your explanation phase.
Include hyperlinks or screen shots to videos, web resources, or mobile applications. Also, include any
presentations or documents used. You are not required to use technology for the explanation phase, but
may choose to do so.

The teacher will have the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle PPT already pulled up on the computer and ready to go
through it with students. The PPT can be found here for the teacher to use.
The teacher will first review the meaning of reduce and talk to the kids about using less resources and
saving them in any way possible. The teacher will review over ways we can reduce and use less like riding
bikes to save gas or using plastic plates instead of disposable. Once the teacher has gone over this, the
students will answer the question “What are some ways you can reduce around your house?” The students
will be given time to turn and talk to their neighbor and then we will have a whole group discussion about it.
The students should give answers like reducing the amount of water they use in the shower or brushing
their teeth.
The teacher will review the meaning of reusing next and discuss with the students reusing means to use
something more than once and maybe even in a different way. The teacher will then give the students
ways to reuse things in different ways like reusing shopping bags when going grocery shopping or
donating old clothes to others who need them. The teacher will then ask students “What are some ways
we can reuse” and the students will turn and talk to their neighbor. The teacher will then review as a whole
group and allow students to share their answers. The students should answer something like reusing
plastic or aluminum water bottles instead of throw away bottles.
The teacher will review the definition of recycle with the students and they will discuss it means to reuse
something in a different way. The teacher will also give them examples of recycling like separating waste
into recycle bins or create art with certain waste items like bottles or cans. The teacher will discuss with
them why it is so important to recycle for our environment and will ask them “what are some other ways we
can recycle?” The teacher will give them partner talk time and then go to whole group to review. The
students will give answers like save water bottles and recycle them or recycle used paper instead of
throwing it away.

Assessment: The students will be informally assessed based on their conversations as they are doing turn
and talk with their partner or in the whole group discussion time. The teacher will walk around and ask
probing questions as they are trying to figure out an answer. The students will be listened to closely by the
teacher.

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ELABORATION:

The teacher will be giving the students about 20 minutes to create a brochure about saving energy and
resources. The students will have to list 5 things you can do to save resources on their poster. They can
find an example brochure here on how the layout should look for the students. The students will need to
have a title at the top, 5 facts about saving energy, and 2 pictures at the bottom of their brochure. The
students will be given a rubric found here. This rubric explains things that the teacher will grade the
students on while grading their brochure.
The students will complete this brochure to show the teacher if they understand ways of recycling and
saving energy. This brochure should encourage the students to save more.

Assessment: The students’ brochures will be graded based on the rubric created here. The students will
show their understanding of saving energy through their brochure they create.
EVALUATION:

The students will informally be assessed throughout the lesson. The teacher will listen to discussions and
conversations held by students in order to see if they comprehend saving resources. The students will
complete a brochure about saving natural resources and the rubric that is used to grade it is here.

Find the student example here:

Student example of brochure
This student made a 21/24 because they had a couple of spelling issues and only included one picture.

References:
Bybee, R.W. et al. (1989). Science and technology education for the elementary years: Frameworks
for curriculum and instruction. Washington, D.C.: The National Center for Improving Instruction.
Bybee, R. W. (1997). Achieving Scientific Literacy: From Purposes to Practices. Oxford: Heinemann.
National Research Council. (1999). Inquiry and the national science education standards: A guide for
teaching and learning. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Polman, J.L. (2000). Designing project-based silence: Connecting learners through guided inquiry.
New York: Teachers College Press.

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