I.

Standard
A.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

Name: Josh Rankin

Date: 1/29/16

Cooperating Teacher: Mr. Ryan Anderson

Co-Op initial:

Group Size: 28

Grade: 4th

Subject: Science- Circuits

Time: 30 minutes

Section:

3.4.4.C1- Understand that there is no perfect design.

B. 3.4.4.D1- Investigate how things are made and how they can be improved.
Objective
A. The fourth grade students will be able to recall the parts of a light bulb along with
applying knowledge of circuits to recognize which circuits will work by checking
multiple circuits and recording results.
Materials
A. Circuit Kits
B. Science Notebook
C. Writing Utensil
Subject Matter
A. Prerequisite Skills
1.
Able to read and write
2.
Familiarity with vocabulary words from previous lesson.
B. Vocabulary
1.
Filament- A metal piece inside of the bulb that lights up using
electricity.
2.
Negative- Side of the cell that is flat and has a - sign
3.
Positive- Side of the cell that sticks up and has a + sign.
C. Big Idea
1.
Students learn some of the more detailed components of the light
bulb.
2.
Students
D. Additional Content
1.
Safety procedures for experimenting.
2.
Thomas Edisons work beyond the light bulb.
Implementation
A. Introduction
1.
The teacher will transition the students from the ELA block.
2.
The teacher will then ask the students what they know about
Thomas Edison and what he did that might affect them.
3.
The teacher will then bring up a website containing an interactive
diagram of Thomas Edisons laboratory complex.
B. Development
1.
The teacher will show the students a standard light bulb,
reminding the students of Edison and what he did.
a. The students will guess how the bulb can be lit.

2.

The teacher will ask the students how many D-cells would be
needed to light the bulb.
3.
The teacher will start with a number offered by students (choose a
lower number 1-5) and will explore how many it will take to make the
bulb light.
a. The teacher will pick sticks to have students help
b. The teacher will continually add batteries to the circuit until the
bulb lights. (This will be around 15).
4.
The teacher will have strips of 3 pictures with different types of
circuit combinations to see if they will work.
5.
The students will use their 3 strips of paper and test each picture to
see if the circuit draw will actually work.
6.
The students will write draw the circuit plan out, write down
whether the circuit worked or not, and why they think it did or did not
work. If the circuit does not work the students should also write down
what they would do to make the circuit work.
a. Every strip of pictures should contain at least one circuit that does
work and one that does not work.
7.
If students finish before others, they will try to create a different
circuit design that they did not have on their strip.
C. Closure
1.
The teacher will show a short video reviewing facts about Thomas
Edison.
2.
The teacher will show a short video reviewing the some of the
details and facts about Edison and his light bulb.
3.
The teacher will tell the students about some of the experiments
that will take place the next day.
D. Assessment
1.
Formative- The teacher will check the students work for step 6 in
their science notebook.
2.
Summative- No summative assessment for this lesson. Unit test at
the end of the unit.
E. Accommodation/Differentiation
1.
For student 16 who has difficulty writing the teacher will have a
one on one interview where the student explains their thoughts, findings,
and reflections.

VI.

Reflection
A. Report of Student Performance
100% of the students were able to correctly find the correct or correct the
incorrect circuits. The students were able to easily recreate the circuits diagramed

on the slips and test to see if the circuits worked or not. All students were then
able to determine what was wrong with the incorrect circuit and correct the
problem. All students had explanations of their work and what they found using
content specific vocabulary.
B. Remediation Plan
There is no need for a remediation plan for this lesson.
C. Personal Reflection
1.
Will the 3 pictures give the students enough of an experience if
they happen to only be able to finish those 3?
The three pictures were enough, since the students were able to discuss
with other students the different pictures. The discussions were inquiry
based and had a fair amount of specific vocabulary use. Some students
questioned other and had them retest their circuits.

2.

What is another form of assessment I could use that may be better

than interviewing or recording and reflecting in the science notebook?
I think recording in their science notebooks is the best form since it can be
checked daily and then checked again at the end. I can develop better
inquiry questions or direct the experiments more so that they have a
clearer topic or concept to write and reflect on after they finish their
experiment.

3.

Will the video be a good closure activity?

Since the time is capped at 30 minutes I played the video in the
background as the students cleaned up. The video is a good wrap up and
provides the students some extra information that is not necessary but will
help them understand more about Edison than the lesson went into.

VII.

Resources
Thomas Edison Invention Factory. United States. National Park Service. (n.d.). ENHS.
Retrieved January 26, 2016, from
http://www.nps.gov/features/edis/feat001/inventionprocess/ENHS.html

Thomas Edison and the light bulb. Retrieved on January 26, 2016. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1lKwZTtzIY
Electric circuits (2nd ed.). (2004). Washington, D.C.: National Science Resources
Center.tyruf