Georgia Southwestern State University Lesson Plan Guidelines

Created by GSW School of Education

EDEC 4200 Spring 2016
(Revised by L. Larsen)
Name: Taylor-Beth Young
Lesson Date: March 4, 2016
Lesson Start Time: 10:00

Lesson End Time: 10:50

Classroom/Lesson Context
__X__ Whole Group _____ Small Group _____ One-on-One
Please specify the number of students:
__9__ Girls __9__ Boys
Learning Central Focus
A. Lesson Plan Title: Experimenting with Types of Motion
B. Grade Level: Kindergarten
C. Central Focus:
The purpose of this lesson is to teach the students about pushing, pulling, and rolling
motion. After the vocabulary words, video, predictions, investigation activity, and final
discussion the students should understand how to differentiate between these three
types of motion.
D. Content Standard:
SKP2. Students will investigate different types of motion.
b. Push, pull, and roll common objects and describe their motions.
Student Learning Goal(s)/ Objective(s):
A. Skills/procedures:
The students will investigate types of motion. They will push and pull objects and
describe their motions.
B. Prior Academic Knowledge and Conceptions:
Prior to this lesson all of these students have had experience with motion. Whether it
was rolling down a hill or pushing a friend on a swing. For the students to be successful
with this lesson they will need to be aware of the fact that they have seen or caused
motion themselves and be able to relate it to their real life experiences. Most the
students in the class will not be able to correctly spell motion, push, pull, roll, and
prediction because they spell phonetically. All of the class except for three students

should understand the meaning of these words. As long as they can use the vocabulary
in the right context spelling does not matter in the lesson.
Common Errors, Developmental Approximations, Misconceptions, Partial
Understandings, or Misunderstandings:

A common misconception is that motion is a property of an object. Students often

believe that the objects can only move in one way. The proper conception is that objects
can move in many different ways when they are pushed or pulled. To address this I will
remind the students that they completed a lesson earlier this year where they pushed
and pulled objects causing them to move in many different ways. The objects can go
straight, zigzag, round and round, back and forth, fast and slow. This will help the
students remember what they have already learned.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks

A. Launch: ___5____ Minutes
I will begin the lesson by getting all the students to come sit on the carpet at the front of
the room. I will then gain the students attention by pushing a baby doll stroller to the
front of the classroom. The students will be curious about why I have this stroller and
what it has to do with the lesson. I will tell the class that they will be learning about push,
pull, and rolling motions. Also, I will explain that the baby doll stroller can be pushed and
pulled depending on which motion I do. The rules for this lesson are that the students
will listen, keep their hands to themselves, pay close attention to the video, and do not
touch any materials until told to do so.
B. Instruction: ____15____ Minutes
I will begin the instruction by writing the vocabulary words motion, prediction, push, pull,
and roll on the flip chart. I will ask the students if they have ever rolled down a hill,
pushed a friend/sibling on a swing, or pulled a wagon around. This will allow students to
think of real life examples of the three types of motion they will be learning. I will then
ask if anyone can define any of these vocabulary words on their own. As students define
the words I will write them on the flip chart. Once all the words are defined I will tell the
students that we are about to watch a video that shows examples of each of these types
of motion. I will tell them that they need to pay close attention to the video so that they
can tell me examples of each type of motion when the video is over. I will play a
YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef6Uvc-ojOI) called Donald Duck Put
Put Problems. This video will engage the students and will put the definitions they just
learned to use. The students will sit quietly during the video and after the video is over I
will ask the students some questions. What is an example of a pulling motion you saw in
the video? What is an example of a pushing motion as saw in the video? What type of
motion occurred when Donald Duck ran over Pluto and landed in the water? The
students will use their new and prior knowledge to answer these questions. I will know
students are meeting the intended objectives when they can answer the questions using
the correct type of motion and build upon each others answers.
C. Structured Practice and Application: ____25____ Minutes
We will begin the guided practice by staying on the carpet and reviewing that a
prediction is what you believe will happen or a good guess. I will tell the class that later

we will be using the tools provided to push or pull a stone without touching it with our
hands. We can only use a popsicle stick, a straw, a rubber band, and/or string. Together
as a class they will make predictions about if the stone will move or not and what the
best way to complete this will be. I will write all of this on the whiteboard for the students
to refer back to. Students will then return to their seat and write which prediction they
believe and write their plan of how to move the stone in their science notebook. Students
will be allowed to talk out their ideas with a partner to come up with their best plan
possible. I will be walking around the room and answering any questions once students
return to their seat to support the learning of this concept. I will also make sure that they
make a prediction about if the stone will move or not during this activity.

They will now begin the independent practice portion of the lesson. I will pass out all of
the materials needed which include; a floral stone, popsicle stick, a straw, rubber band,
and string. The students will be reminded before beginning that they may not use their
hands to move the stone, only the objects provided! The students can use one or all of
the materials together as long as they do not cut or break the material. Students will
have the opportunity to apply what they have learned today by conducting this
experiment. They will investigate new ways to push or pull the stone without using their
hands; using only a popsicle stick, a straw, a rubber band, and/or string. Once the
students have completed the experiment they will write what actually happened during
the experiment and if their prediction was correct in their black notebook. I will take up
the notebooks so I can check for comprehension. I will know students are meeting the
intended learning objectives by looking at their notebook and by observing them during
the experiment.

D. Closure: ____5____ Minutes

I will end the lesson by having a group discussion. All the students will meet on the
carpet. We will discuss what predictions were made and which ones were correct. Did
the stone move during the experiment? I will ask the students probing questions. What
actually happened during the experiment? What was the most successful material?
What was the most successful plan? Did you use one or all of the materials together and
how?
Differentiation/ Planned Support
A. Differentiation plan:
Students will be provided individual access to learning by being allowed to work with
partners for the guided practice portion of the lesson if necessary for better
understanding. Students with gaps in prior knowledge can be given visual instructions on
ways this activity can be completed. If the students do not know where to begin then
these visual instructions will get them to try multiple ways to move the stone with
pushing and pulling. This way the student will have the same experience as the rest of
their classmates.
B. Student Interactions
The students are allowed to work with partners during the guided practice portions of
the lesson. Students are partnered up by having one high level student and one lower
level student working together.
C. What Ifs

During the lesson the students may take longer than I have allotted to learn the
vocabulary. If this happens I will not play the entire 7 minute long Donald Duck video.
Some students may also struggle with coming up with a plan for the activity to move the
stone while writing; so I will partner them with a higher level student for the guided
practice. I will also be walking around to assist.

Theoretical Principles and/or Research Based Best Practices

The students will be allowed to work in partners for the guided practice portion of the
lesson while coming up with ideas of how they will use these materials to move the
stone. They will be allowed to consult a partner during the guided practice. I will be
walking around to help with their plan also. I found that Vygotskys zone of proximal
development explains why students being partnered up and the teacher walking around
will help students to better understand the learning tasks for this lesson. If the lower level
students are struggling to understand that they must push or pull the stone using the
objects to make motion then they will not be successful during this lesson. To keep these
lower students in the zone of proximal development they will require guidance. This
learning task is appropriate because with my help and a partners help the lower level
students should understand that a pushing and pulling motion can move the stone and
that this task can be completed using many different methods. There is not a wrong plan
as long as the stone has not been touched with the students hands.

Materials

For this lesson the teacher will need the YouTube video already pulled up, and all the
following objects in 18 bags prior to class; 18 floral stones (red for easier visibility), 18
popsicle sticks, 9 straws, 18 rubber bands, and 18 pieces of string (about 8 inches).

For this lesson each student will need a floral stone (red for easier visibility), popsicle
stick, a straw, rubber band, and string (about 8 inches).
Vocabulary

The vocabulary words for this lesson are motion, push, pull, roll, and prediction.

Analyzing Teaching
A. Worked/Didn't Worked
What worked well during the lesson is that the students prior knowledge helped them to
understand the vocabulary definitions. They also loved the Donald Duck video and were
giggling the entire time. The students listened well to that video and had a lot of
examples of pushing, pulling, and rolling motions during the discussion. The experiment
with the string, rubber band, straw, and popsicle stick trying to move the stone went
better than expected. Students used these materials in ways I never would have thought
of. Several students took it as a challenge to use all the materials at once. These things
worked well for the entire class except for the actual experiment which three students
were confused.

What did not work well was the amount of confusion when trying to write in their science
notebooks. Most of the students did not understand that they needed to write if they
believed the stone would move or not when using these materials. Below that they
needed to skip a space and tell their plan for moving the stone. Two students did not
understand what their tools would look like (precut string) and that they could not cut or
break the materials to change them in any way. Also, three students did not understand
that they could not touch or pick up the stone for any reason.

B. Adjustments
I need to make sure that I speak loud and clear for all the students to hear. I also need to
rehearse what I am going to say more before I teach the lesson, at least until I am more
comfortable coming up with things to say on the spot. I also need to take into account
more the amount of material that Kindergarteners can cover in a given time and be very
clear in my instructions. I often lost track of my time limit and how slowly the young
students worked.
C. Proposed Changes
Whole group: If I could reteach this lesson to the whole class again I would print out
questions for them to glue into their science notebook and answer. This may have cleared
up some of the confusion as to what they were needing to write. I would let the class see
what the materials looked like and know that they could not be changed. I would make sure
they knew that none of the materials could be broken or cut. I would also show the class
examples of ways not to use the stone. I would show them that it cannot be pushed, picked
up, or touched in any way.
D. Justification
These changes will improve the students learning because they will create less
confusion. By printing out what questions the students need to answer it will give them a
visual they can refer to repeatedly instead of forgetting their task multiple times. Letting
the students see the materials it would clear up any misconceptions about how the
activity can be completed correctly. Showing the student show to not move the stone will
allow them to write a plan to move the stone correctly. The students are young and I
would forget just how much material they learn at such a young age. I need to be clearer
with my instructions before they begin a task to keep from overwhelming students. An
article called The Principles of Instruction said that giving clear and detailed instructions
and explanations is one of the seventeen principles of effective instruction. The main
changes I needed to make to this lesson were all involving me making the instructions
more clear to avoid confusion. Clear instructions will allow the students to get more out
of the lesson and avoid learning incorrect information thinking it is true.