UTC GENERAL EDUCATION LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE (Four page limit)

PRELIMINARY INFORMATION
Candidate:
Christina Martin

Date developed:
September 2016

Lesson Title:
Investigation of Forces
Grade Level: 3
Number of students: 24
Unit/theme:
Motion and Forces

Date of lesson:
October 12th, 2016
Knowledge domain/subject:
Science
Period/time/estimated duration:
One class period

Where in the unit does this lesson occur?

Middle

Structure(s) or grouping for the lesson (all that apply):

Small Groups

**USE COMPLETE SENTENCES IN RESPONDING TO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING LESSON PLAN ELEMENTS**

INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTEXT:

In our classroom, there are 13 female students and 11 male students. One student has a 504 plan due to major hearing loss. This
student will have several accommodations. The student will always be placed at the front of the room or nearest to the teacher. The
student will also be given a FM system that the instructor will comply with at all times in order for the student to hear effectively in
the classroom. There are 2 students with IEPs; these students have been diagnosed with ADHD. These students will be allowed to
sit on stability balls at specific times during the lesson. They will also have a Velcro strip placed on their desk in order to help with
their sensory needs. During times in which they have to work in groups they will be placed with strong peer support in which they
are able to work effectively. Finally, our class has two ELL students. The teacher will provide videos with Spanish subtitles shown in
class. Audio books and tapes in the first language of each ESL student will be provided. Peer support and teacher made picture
cards will accompany each lesson and concept covered in class.

RESOURCES, MATERIALS, TECHNOLOGY, EQUIPMENT FOR THE LESSON:

1 Ping-Pong ball
1 golf ball
Spherical objects of varying weights

CENTRAL FOCUS:
Students will investigate and make observations about mass and the force needing to move it.

JUSTIFICATION/RATIONALE for your plan (Why are you teaching this lesson at this time for these learners? How does
yesterdays lesson connect to todays experiences?)
This is an important lesson in order to understand motion and forces that leads into other aspects of science as we continue on in
our unit.

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDREN

Students prior knowledge is formed from their everyday experiences with force and motion. In a previous lesson we discussed
magnets and how they affect motion and forces.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE(S)
Teacher:
The student will be able to explain science concepts in relation to motion and force.
The student will be able to cite examples of how motion and force affect life.
The student will be able to identify how an applied force changes the direction of a moving object.
Student:
I can explain the relationship between motion and force.
I can tell examples of how motion and force affect my life.
I can identify how force changes the direction of a moving object.

CONTENT STANDARDS
GLE 0307.11.1 Explore how unbalanced forces affect the direction of a moving object.
GLE 0307.11.2 Recognize the relationship between the mass of an object and the force needed to move it.

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEMANDS

LANGUAGE FUNCTION: Investigate
Language Demand:
(VOCABULARY)
Tier 1: Explore, recognize, compare
Tier 2: Relationship, motion, force, speed
(DISCOURSE)
Students will explore how forces interact with moving objects. They will observe the relationship between the mass of an object and
the force that is required to move it.
LANGUAGE SUPPORT:
Manipulatives
Small group experience
Circulate and listen

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING

Diagnostic/pre-assessment: A pre-test will be given prior to starting the unit.
Formative assessment/feedback to learners: Students will write a paragraph explaining what would happen if a golf team decided to
practice with a golf club and a ping pong ball instead of a golf club and a golf ball.
Summative assessment (if any): A post-test will be given at the end of the unit.

EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT LEARNING (YOUR CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT:

Exceed expectations: Students will be able to give new and fresh examples of how motion affects force and the relationship
between the two.
Meets expectations: Students will be able to discuss the relationship between motion and force.

Below expectations: Student cannot explain the relationship between motion and force or how they affect each other.

PROCEDURES FOR THE LESSON

LIST THE HIGHER-ORDER (CRITICAL) QUESTIONS YOU WILL ASK STUDENTS IN THIS LESSON:
How do different forces affect different objects?
Explain the relationship between the mass of an object and the force needed to move it.

BEGINNING:
Start the lesson by reviewing a few things about the lesson from the day prior. Talk about how magnets can affect force as well as
motion. Make sure students understand the standards that we will be discussing during the lesson.
Next, play Bill Nye videos about motion and force to students. Ask students about things they found interesting in the video or
something new that they learned. Ask students the main learning points through out the video.
Spilt students up into groups (they should already be in groups based on their table seating but if students need to be moved they
may be at this point).

MIDDLE:
1. Give each group one Ping-Pong ball, one ruler, and one golf ball.
2. Instruct students to predict and observe what happens when force is applied to an object.
3. Have them compare and write down the effects of a force of the same strength on objects of different weight by flicking the ping
pong ball gently with a finger and measuring the distance the ball covered with a ruler. Record the distance in centimeters on a force
chart. Instruct the students to flick the ping pong ball as hard as possible with one finger and measure and record the distance the
ball covered on the force chart.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 using the golf ball.
5. Using the information recorded on their charts, have students compare data and draw conclusions about force applied to objects
and it's outcome in direction of the object.
6. Allow students time to explore with force applied to objects by having available other spherical objects of varying weights.
7. Gather students together and discuss what they have discovered. The following questions may be used to guide the discussion.
What did you discover about the Ping-Pong ball as a force in motion? What did you discover about the golf ball as a force in
motion? Which ball produced the greater direction/distance and why? Did the balls move farther when a greater or lesser force was
applied to the balls? How would the speed of the object and distance change if force had increased or decreased in strength? What
does weight have to do with force?
8. Guide students in making a list of forces they see every day (examples could include batting or kicking a ball, strong winds and
breezes blowing, flowing water). 9. Guide students in defining that the greater the force applied to an object, the greater the change
in speed or direction of the object.

END:
Ask students to explain the relationship between force applied to an object and the speed or direction of the object.

DIFFERENTIATION/EXTENSION (How will you provide successful access to the key concepts by all the students at their ability
levels?)
Supporting students with special needs:
For our student with hearing loss we will give instructions via the FM system, and allow the students to communicate questions
either in writing or if possible by verbally answering the question. For our students with ADHD collaborative learning will give them
the opportunity to get up and move around in the classroom, hopefully giving them the ability to better concentrate in discussion.
Strong peer support and pictures and videos in the childrens first language will be provided for the ELL students.
Challenging experienced learners: Students will be given the chance to further research this topic on an iPad or computer. This will
allow these students to find how magnet affect something that interest them (i.e. cars, weather, sports, etc.)

Facilitating a classroom environment that supports student learning: The classroom has stability balls, Velcro strips, multilingual
audio books and print books, etc. All of these things contribute to student learning. The environment of the room will invite
childrens curiosity and encourage exploration along with the freedom to ask questions. Positive feedback will be given to
encourage and develop student learning.
Extension:
I will meet with students how seem to be struggling with the material and we will work together to see how we can help the
students become more successful in their understanding of the material.
Have students design and draw a paddle you would use to win a Ping-Pong tournament.

WHAT Ifs:
What if students find the material too easy?
If the material seems to be too easy for students we will begin to discuss motion and force at a deeper level. We will discuss motion
and force when it comes to more complicated objects such as cars and trains.
What if students cannot stay focused during the activity and end up having outside discussions with other group members?
The teacher will be walking around in order to see if students are on track. The teacher will discuss what is happening with each
group and what they learning through their investigations.

REFERENCES:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iKhLGK7HGk

Developed in part from the work of Dr. D. Johnson & Dr. E. Stevens, Roberts Wesleyan College, Teacher Education Dept.