Name: Asia Brown

Class:
Date:3-17-15
edTPA Indirect Instruction Lesson Plan Template
Phases of the Moon
_____________________________________________________________________________
Big Idea: What big idea/unifying science concept is addressed in your lesson? Use the
Disciplinary Core Ideas and Science and Engineering Practices from the NGSS to help you
identify the big idea(s). Think about how you would teach this idea in multiple lessons- how
would it build?
The moon has eight different phases. This is because it revolves around the Earth and has
Grade Level: For what grade level is the lesson designed?
4th grade
NC Essential Standard(s): What specific standards are you going to address in this lesson?
Write it out, dont just list the number. http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/acre/standards/new-standards/
4.E.1.2 Explain the monthly changes in the appearance of the moon, based
on the moons orbit around the Earth.
Next Generation Science Standard(s): What K-5 performance expectation is addressed?
Please list the full code (i.e. K-PS2-1) and the statement. The NGSS are located here:
http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards.
1-ESS11.

Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be
predicted. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns could include that the sun and
moon appear to rise in one part of the sky, move across the sky, and set; and stars other
than our sun are visible at night but not during the day.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment
of star patterns is limited to stars being seen at night and not during the day.]

ESS1.A: The Universe and its Stars

Patterns of the motion of the sun, moon, and stars in the sky can be observed, described, and predicted. (1-ESS11)

Four Strands of Science Learning: Which of the Four Strands are emphasized in your lesson?
List each applicable Strand and provide an example of where it is present in the lesson.
Strand 1: Students are learning the basic concept of the phases of the moon. They are also
learning the names and characteristics of each phase.
Strand 4: Students are participating in discussions and presenting their posters to the class.

21st Century Skills: Using the 21st Century Skills Map-Science available on Moodle, choose
the two or three skills that are emphasized your lesson. Explain why you chose these.
Communication and Collaboration:
Collaborate with Others
Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams
I chose this because the students are working together to explore the concepts of the moon
phases, as well as to create an informative poster and present that to the class.
ICT (INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY) LITERACY
Apply Technology Effectively
Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate, and communicate information
The students are using technology to help them explore and learn more about the phases of the
moon. They are using the classroom set of iPads in order to do this.

Academic Language Demand

Language Function: In the table below highlight the one most important language
function for your lesson. Explain why you chose this.
Analyze

Argue

Categorize

Interpret

Predict

Question

Compare/contras
t
Retell

Describe

Explain

Summarize

Through identification of the specific moon phase and what it looks like each group will describe
what each phase of the moon looks like and draw that on a poster to present to the class.

Scientific Vocabulary: What are the key scientific terms that your students will learn through this
lesson?
o Phase
o Full Moon
o New Moon
o Waning Crescent
o Waxing Crescent
o First Quarter
o Last Quarter
o Waning Gibbous
o Waxing Gibbous

Instructional Objective: What is the specific learning objective for your lesson? What are the
students going to be expected to know and do? How will you know? Make sure your
instructional objective includes: conditions, performance, and criteria!
Given experiences to explore articles and videos about the phases of the moon, students will
complete a worksheet identifying the specific moon phases by name.
Prior Knowledge (student): What knowledge and skills should students already have to be
successful in this lesson?
Students should have knowledge about what the moon is, when the moon is visible, and how we
can see the moon, like how it is lit up by the sun.
Content Knowledge (teacher): What background knowledge does the teacher need to have?
Provide enough content here so that a novice colleague could teach this lesson.
The teacher needs to have the same knowledge about what the moon is and how and when we
can view it. Also, the teacher needs to know and be able to identify the phases of the moon.
Connections to Students Lives: How do you anticipate making this lesson relevant to your
students? How will you connect this lesson to your students experiences and interests?
Students should have experience with the moon and seeing it in the sky at night. They need to be
aware of the systems and processes of our solar system, since it is a part of their daily lives.
Accommodations for Students with Special Needs (individual and/or small group): What will
you do for students with special needs (ELL, ability, etc.)? NOTE: These accommodations
should be woven throughout the 5E cycle. You are just summarizing those accommodations
here.
Students will be able to move to the front of the class if they have visual accommodations, or are
not able to see my presentation and view any materials that I put up on the board up close.
Materials and Technology Requirements: What materials do you (as teacher) and students
need? What resources will be used? If materials are exotic, where can they be found? You need
to be specific with the amount of materials you will need.
Teacher: SmartBoard, Powerpoint,
Students: iPads, Construction paper, colored pencils.
Total Estimated Time: How long do you expect your lesson will take?
30-40 minutes
Source of Inspiration for the Lesson: Web site, textbook, colleague?
I was inspired for this lesson by a colleague, and by my observations of the class.
Safety Considerations: How will you make sure students are safe in your lesson?

During this lesson, students will be working with technology, and there is no specific safety
concerns other than basic classroom safety.

Content and Strategies (Procedure)

In your procedure, be sure to include all of the following 5Es. Your procedure should be
detailed enough for a colleague to follow. If you will be relying on technology (e.g., a YouTube
video), describe your back up plan thoroughly. Imagine your most novice colleague needing to
teach from your plan. Dont just answer the questions. Additionally, I expect you to include
possible questions you could ask for each section. This needs to include higher-order
questions.
Engage: How will students attention or interest be captured? How will you access students
prior knowledge and experiences so they can connect what they will be learning to their own
lives? How will you identify prior conceptions? (Note: Do NOT just put a video link here! If you
are using media or text to engage students, describe the prompts you will use to frame students
viewing of the video/reading of the book and the questions you will use to elicit their thinking on
the concepts presented later in the lesson. Another hint: if you find yourself teaching concepts,
vocabulary, etc. here, move it to the Explain stage! Here, you should just be eliciting students
prior knowledge on the topic.)
Teacher will follow a power point, this will describe everything that will be said in the lesson in
order to assist those that are visual learners. They will receive an index card to create a KWL
chart and fill out what they know about the moon and its phases and what they want to know.
During this the teacher will present the students with some questions to think about such as:
What is the moon? What do you know about it? When can we see the moon? How is the moon
visible to us? Does the moon always look the same?
Explore: What common concrete experience will the students have that allows all students
access to materials and gives them time to talk about and communicate their ideas? What
questions will you ask to facilitate exploration?
Students will first as a class view a video featuring a song about the phases of the moon to
introduce the phases in a fun way. Then they will be split of into groups, two per table. They will
be given access to an iPad in their group. Provided will be a few articles links that they will be
given to explore the different moon phases, they will be given 15-20 minutes to research the
questions: What are phases? How does the moon change? How many phases does the moon
have? They will record the answers to these three questions and any other interesting facts that
they discover in their inquiry notebook.
Explain: How will you structure student sharing from exploration? How will you facilitate
students conceptual development? How will you help students connect explanations back to
their experience? How will you build on student explanations to help students use appropriate
vocabulary to label concepts and ideas? What questions will you ask to facilitate this process?
How many phases does the moon have? Yes, the moon has 8 different phases as it makes its
revolution around the earth. So, what are the different phases of the moon? Teacher will allow
students to discuss with the group about what they learned in the explore phase and the teacher
will answer questions that they have accordingly. As students discuss the different phase names

the teacher will present the moon phase names and their accompanying visual aid up on the
board. Why does the moon appear to be changing shapes in the sky over its cycle? This is
because the moon is revolving around the earth as the earth is revolving around the sun. The sun
stays in the same place, and as the moon moves around the earth it is being lit up by the light of
the sun. The sun is always lighting up half of the moon, just like it lights up one half of the earth
and we have day and night because of it. The moon works the same way, we only see the Day
part of the moon. The moon phase is solely dependent of the moons location into respect with
the sun.
Elaborate: What opportunities will there be for students to apply newly learned ideas, concepts,
and skills? (Note: Another activity is ideal, which may also be used as a more formal, summative
assessment.) What questions will you ask to facilitate students application of the learned ideas,
concepts, and skills?
Students will now work in their same groups. They will be assigned a specific phase of the moon
(8 groups) to research and present to the class. They will create a poster that will include a title
which will be their moon phase, a drawing of the moon phase with the appropriate shading, and
the definition of the moon phase and when and how it occurs. They will stand up and present this
to the class. They will have 15 minutes to complete this.
Evaluate: How will you assess each students progress toward the stated objective(s)? What
evidence will be collected? What types of assessment will be used (formal, informal, formative,
summative)? (Note: List out all of the types of assessment you have integrated throughout the
other 4Es.)
Informal Assessment: The poster that will be completed by the group, as well as the KWL chart,
this allows me to see that they are understanding the concept and is less data driven.
Formative Assessment: The teacher will circulate the room during the lesson to listen to student
conversations.
Summative Assessment: Phases of the moon worksheet.
To be completed after the lesson is taught (if applicable)
Assessment Results of All Objectives/Skills: I was not able to assess the students on their
meeting of the objective individually. I ran out of time, and was only able to look at the poster
that the group made and use my informal observation of the room as I circulated.
Reflection on Lesson:
This lesson definitely did not go as planned. I started out well, but during the exploration using
technology phase the students had trouble getting to the websites, and then wouldnt stay on task
while using it. I also should have had more examples on hand and had the students work with the
content more. I followed a format of teaching that my teacher wanted me to use, since they
always follow a PowerPoint and use iPads. If I had the chance to teach this again I would have
them do a more experiment based lesson.

Graded Elements

Developing (Level 1)

Acceptable (Level 2)

Exemplary (Level 3)

Initial Planning
Several required components are
missing. The components presented
do not align well with the lesson.

Most required components are present.

One or two may be missing, require more
detail, and/or not be completely aligned
with the lesson.

All required components are present and align with the

lesson.

(0-1 point)

(2 points)

(3 points)

One or more required components

are missing. The components
presented do not align well with the
lesson.

All required components are present. One

or two may not be completely aligned with
the lesson.

All required components are present and align with the

lesson.

(0-1 point)

(2 points)

(3 points)

Identification of academic
language demand (both
language function & vocab),
instructional objective, and
content knowledge

Several required components are

missing. The components presented
do not align well with the lesson.

Most required components are present.

One or two may be missing, require more
detail, and/or not be completely aligned
with the lesson.

All required components are present and align with the

lesson.

(0-1 point)

(2 points)

(3 points)

Identification of connections
to students lives, prior
knowledge, and
accommodations for special
needs

One or more required components

are missing. The components
presented do not align well with the
lesson.

All required components are present. One

or two may require more detail or not be
completely aligned with the lesson.

All required components are present and align with the

lesson.

(0-1 point)

(2 points)

(3 points)

Identification of central
focus, lesson subject, grade
level, materials, time, lesson
source, and safety

Identification of NC
Standards, NGSS, 4 Strands
and 21st Century Skills

Lesson Introduction

Engage

Engage stage states pre-skills rather

than using questions to gauge
readiness and generate curiosity.
Misses opportunity to motivate
students and help them make
connections to their lives and prior
knowledge.

Engage activity somewhat sets the stage

for attending to the lesson, but important
connections to students lives and/or prior
conceptions are missing.

(0-2 points)

(3-4 points)

Engage activity creates interest and generates curiosity in

the topic by connecting it to students lives. Identifies prior
conceptions to gauge readiness for the lesson. Clear
connections made to prior learning or knowledge. Provides
focus for the remainder of the lesson. Highly relevant and
compelling questions are present.
(5 points)

Lesson Development

Explore

Explain

Elaborate

Students are given a limited

opportunity to explore with materials
or phenomena. Not clear how the
exploration will provide a common
experience for students to build
conceptual knowledge and
communicate their ideas with others.

Students have the opportunity to get

directly involved with phenomena and
materials. They are provided with a
common experience so they can share
and communicate their ideas about the
core concepts addressed. Teacher
direction may drive instruction rather than
student inquiry.

Students have the opportunity to get directly involved with

phenomena and materials. Students are provided with a
common experience that assists them in sharing and
communicating their ideas about the core concepts
addressed. Student inquiry drives the instruction. Highly
relevant and compelling questions are present.

(0-2 points)

(3-4 points)

(5 points)

Explain stage does not introduce

students to common language, terms,
or vocabulary, and is entirely teacherdirected. No opportunities are given
for students to communicate their
ideas with others through writing,
drawing, or speaking, and/or the
product or activity does not relate to
stated objective(s).

Students have some opportunities to

explain concepts, but this process may be
primarily teacher-directed. There may not
be sufficient opportunities for students to
communicate with others to develop and
demonstrate their mastery of new
vocabulary or terms through writing,
drawing, and speaking.

Students are encouraged to explain concepts in their own

words based on what they did in the Explore phase.
Teacher introduces common language, terms, and
vocabulary and helps students build on their initial
explanations to construct more accurate and sophisticated
explanations. Some form of writing, drawing, or speaking is
used to assess students development, progress, and
growth with the new information presented. This stage is
predominantly student-led, with the teacher asking highly
relevant and compelling questions to guide the process.

(0-2 points)

(3-4 points)

(5 points)

Activities are unrelated to concepts

learned and/or do not facilitate deeper
understanding in students.

Activities provide some opportunity for

students to expand their understanding of
the concepts or to make connections with
related concepts.

Activities allow for students to elaborate on the concepts

learned, make connections to other related concepts, and
apply their understandings to the world around them.
Highly relevant and compelling questions are present.

(0-2 points)

(3-4 points)

(5 points)

Lesson Evaluation
Assessment is limited to one form in a
single stage and does not relate to
the objective(s).

Assessments gauge student learning of

the objective(s) but may not directly align
with the conditions or behaviors of the
objective(s). Only formative OR summative
assessments (not both) are used and are
not fully incorporated through all stages of
the lesson.

Candidate effectively proposes multiple strategies for

determining levels of mastery of lesson objective(s).
Assessments are clearly aligned with the objectives of the
lesson. Both formative and summative assessments are
seamlessly incorporated throughout all stages of the
lesson.

(0-2 points)

(3-4 points)

(5 points)

Evaluate

Additional Lesson Components

Alignment/structure of
lesson

Lesson focuses on how to complete

an activity, rather than on developing
student understanding of content and
skills.
Several key activities do not align to
the objective(s) and standards.
(0-1 point)

Accurate science content

Communication of ideas

Lesson sequence is clear and time is

allowed for student questions and practice,
but important details regarding some
segments may be missing from the lesson.

Sequence and organization of lesson is effective, logical

and structured to increase student understanding. Lesson
sequence allows for student questions, practice and
success during each important segment.
All activities align to the objective(s) and standards.

Most activities align to the objective(s) and

standards.
(2 points)

(3 points)

Science content is not accurate.

Science content is accurate in most of the

lesson plan.

Science content is accurate throughout the entire lesson.

(0 point)

(1 point)

(2 points)

The plan is difficult to read or hard to

follow because of excessive
mechanical (spelling, grammar)
errors.

Ideas are communicated somewhat

clearly, with some mechanical (spelling,
grammar) errors found.

Ideas are communicated clearly, with no mechanical

(spelling, grammar) errors found in the lesson plan.

(0-1 point)

(2 points)

(3 points)