Inquiry Lesson Plan Template (with Four Ways of Thinking connection)

Teacher:
Content & Title:
Grade Level:
Jiahui Ma
Science
4th
Standards:
NGSS:
4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place
by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
4-PS3-4. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one
form to another.
DCI:
PS3.A: Definitions of Energy: Energy can be moved from place to place by moving objects or
through sound, light, or electric currents.
PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and EnergyTransfer
Energy can also be transferred from place to place by electric currents, which can then be used
locally to produce motion, sound, heat, or light. The currents may have been produced to begin
with by transforming the energy of motion into electrical energy.
Objectives (Explicit & Measurable):
Students will be able to describe what a solar cell looks like and that when sunlight hits the solar cell,
electricity is generated.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable Assessment: formative and summative):
Walk around the classroom to observe.
The students have to finish the worksheet and present their work.

Sub-objectives, SWBAT (steps that lead to completion of objective; sequence from simple to more
complex):
Student will be able to create a solar house and explain how the house use the solar energy.
Lesson Summary and Justification: (summary gives detailed information about what students are
doing. Justification why is this lesson being taught)
A photovoltaic (PV) cell changes radiant energy into electricity. Electricity can run a motor to make motion
and make light. A solar collector absorbs radiant energy and turns it into heat. A solar collector can heat
water. A water storage tank painted black can store hot water and keep it hot by absorbing radiant energy.
Background Knowledge: (What do students need to know prior to completing this lesson)
Photovoltaic cells are also called PV cells, or solar cells, for short.
Solar-powered toys, calculators, and roadside telephone call boxes all use solar cells to convert sunlight
into electricity.
Misconception: (what possible misleading thoughts might students have?)
The sun is not only can make energy to cook but also can create electricity.
Process Skills: (what skills are you introducing or reinforcing)
manipulative ability
Four Ways of Thinking connection: (Provide a complete explanation of how your lesson plan
connects to futures, system, strategic, or values thinking. Define the way of thinking you selected
and used in this lesson plan. Remember, this should be included meaningfully in the lesson plan.)
Future Thinking: Some schools are adding PV cells to their roofs. The electricity helps lower the amount of
money schools must pay for energy. The students learn about the PV cells on their school buildings. Today,
solar energy provides only a tiny bit of the electricity we use. In the future, it could be a major source of
energy. Scientists are always researching and looking for new ways to capture and use solar energy.

Safety: (what safety rules and items need to be addressed?)

Be careful of the heat.
Inquiry Questions: (testable in the here and now.)
1. How do solar panels work?
2. Why we should use solar energy?
Key vocabulary: (list and define)
Materials: (list item and possible quantity)
1. Solar energy is energy from the sun. The sun
1. Cardboard box
gives off energy in many forms, including heat
2. Bright light source or sunny day
energy (the sun is hot!) and light energy (the sun is 3. Scissors
bright!). This solar energy can be turned
4. Transparency film or plastic wrap
into electricity through solar panels. This is useful
5. Tape
because we can use this electricity to power many 6. Clay
things like lights, phones, and computers.
7. Solar house kit
2. PV Cells: Photovoltaic cell
8. Solar House worksheet

Engage - In this section you should activate prior knowledge, hook student attention, pose a question
(IQ#1) based on your lesson objective that students will seek to answer in Explore.
Teacher Will: (hook)
Students Will:
Watch a video: How do solar panels work
Follow along when I read the passages
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKxrkht7CpY
Think and ask the two questions:
Read 2 passages to the class
1. Have you seen a solar cell? Where did you see
1. Electricity from the sun
it?
2. What did it power?
2. Electricity in Space
Discuss the concepts and ask the student:
1. Have you seen a solar cell? Where did you see it?
2. What did it power?
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
Explore - In this section students should take the lead and actively use materials to discover
information that will help them answer the question posed in Engage. Teachers may choose to give
steps to follow, especially for younger students, but the goal is for students to discover some or all of the
sub-objectives of the lesson.
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #1)
Students Will: (list all steps)
Divided the student into 5 groups of 4.
Each group will creat a solor house by following
Introduce the step of making solar house:
the direction and create a solar house
Step 1: Use a cardboard box to make a house with big Step 1: Use a cardboard box to make a house
windows and a door in the front.
with big windows and a door in the front.
Step 2: Use clear transparency film to cover the
Step 2: Use clear transparency film to cover the
windows.
windows.
Step 3: Use black construction paper to make a round
Step 3: Use black construction paper to make a
water storage tank. Attach it to the side of the house
round water storage tank. Attach it to the side of
with tape as shown in the Front View drawing.
the house with tape as shown in the Front View
Step 4: Make two holes in the top of the box like in the drawing.
Top View drawing. Each hole should be about one
Step 4: Make two holes in the top of the box like in
centimeter (1 cm) in diameter.
the Top View drawing. Each hole should be about
Step 5: Place the solar collector on top of the house as one centimeter (1 cm) in diameter.
shown in the drawings. Put the tubing from the solar
Step 5: Place the solar collector on top of the

collector into the water storage tank.

Step 6: Place the PV cell on top of the house. Insert
the light through the hole as shown in the diagram. Put
the stem of the motor through the other hole for the
motor stem.
Step 7: Put a tiny bit of clay into the hole of the fan and
push it onto the stem of the motor that is sticking
through the ceiling.
Step 8: On a sunny day, place the house in the sun
with the front facing south.
Step 9: Observe the light shine and the fan turn as the
PV cell turns radiant energy from the sun into
electricity. The solar collector shows how a real solar
house could heat and store water. It doesnt really
work.

house as shown in the drawings. Put the tubing

from the solar collector into the water storage
tank.
Step 6: Place the PV cell on top of the house.
Insert the light through the hole as shown in the
diagram. Put the stem of the motor through the
other hole for the motor stem.
Step 7: Put a tiny bit of clay into the hole of the fan
and push it onto the stem of the motor that is
sticking through the ceiling.
Step 8: On a sunny day, place the house in the
sun with the front facing south.
Step 9: Observe the light shine and the fan turn as
the PV cell turns radiant energy from the sun into
electricity. The solar collector shows how a real
solar house could heat and store water. It doesnt
really work.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
Explain In this section students share what they discovered, teacher connects student discoveries to
correct content terms/explanations, students articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of
the lesson sub-objectives by answering the question from Engage before moving on.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Show the students the solar cell and explain that it
each group will present their solar house and
turns sunlight into electricity.
expain why their hous is work or not.
Ask each group to present their solar house and
The student can creat a poster if they want.
expain why their hous is work or not.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
Elaborate In this section students take the basic learning gained from Explore and clarified in Explain
and apply it to a new circumstance or explore a particular aspect of this learning at a deeper level. Students
should be using higher order thinking in this stage. A common practice in this section is to ask a What If?
question. IQ #2
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #2)
Let the student search online or brainstorm other
electrical items aht eletricity from the solar cell.
Discuss other electrical items that electricity from the
solar cell might operateat home and at school.

Students Will:
search online or brainstorm other electrical items
aht eletricity from the solar cell.
Discuss other electrical items that electricity from
the solar cell might operateat home and at
school.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

Evaluate In this section every student demonstrates mastery of the lesson objective (though perhaps not
mastery of the elaborate content). Because this also serves as a closing, students should also have a
chance to summarize the big concepts they learned outside of the assessment.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Have students write about the solar house on the
write about the solar house on the Solar House
Solar House worksheet.
worksheet.
Closure: (revisit objective, IQs and make real world connections)
**Best Practices List the Best Teaching Practices you will use to enhance the learning outcomes.
In each section where prompted, list the best practice, how the practices will be used and the
purpose.