Science Lesson Plan 1

Indiana Wesleyan University
Bailey Count
4th Grade, Frances Slocum Elementary, Miss McAdams
LESSON RATIONALE
The goal of this lesson is for students to develop familiarity with the purpose our moon serves and how it functions within
our universe. Through this experience, students will see the value the moon holds as a singular within our solar system,
which connects to the big idea that each individual holds significance in a whole community. This lesson will be presented
in a way to facilitate student-led learning and exploration of the nature of science.
READINESS
I. Goals/Objectives/Standards
A. Goals—Unit
a. Students will engage in collaborative investigations to find solutions for a given question and explain
why science validates a certain natural function.
b. Students will investigate the moon and it’s properties to determine the effects it has on earth.
c. Students will be able to formulate conjectures about the meaning of science and its nature, testing its
limits to confirm or disprove their beliefs.
B. Objectives—
a. After this lesson, students will have performed an investigation to determine how the moon moves
through the sky and how it appears to change day to day.
b. Throughout this lesson, students will collaborate with their peers to gather data in order to answer the
given question of inquiry.
c. After this lesson, students will explain the reason we can observe the moon going through its different
phases.
C. Standards:
a. 4.ESS.1 Investigate how the moon appears to move through the sky and it changes day to day,
emphasizing the importance of how the moon impacts the Earth, the rising and setting times, and
solar and lunar eclipses.
b. SEPS.1 Posing questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
II. Management Plan- Time per lesson element, use of space, list of materials. Describe expectations and procedures.
A. Time:
a. Anticipatory Set-5 minutes
b. Lesson Presentation-11 minutes
c. Investigation-18 minutes
d. Closure-5 minutes
Use of space:
a. Anticipatory Set-whole group on the reading carpet
b. Lesson Presentation-whole group reading carpet
c. Investigations-groups scattered around the room
d. Closure-whole group on the reading carpet
Materials:
● Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
● styrofoam ball
● pencil
● Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXe0yxzYkjo
● flashlight or lamp without a shade
● investigation journal page (written response)
● directions sheets for the stations
1
● Investigator Name Tags
● QR code for video
● phases visual representation
III. Anticipatory Set

● Reading the book Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes-designed as a fun way to show students that we will
be investigating the moon and how perspectives are truly the same for everyone who view the moon.
● “What phase of the moon was the kitten seeing as the bowl of milk?”
● “Has anyone ever looked up to the sky and noticed how the moon changes?”
IV. Purpose:
“Today we are going to be investigating this question, ‘How does the moon have its phases as it moves around the earth?’ The
moon is one important part of our solar system, almost exactly like how you as a person are a very important part of our
classroom. Everything has a purpose, and we are going to experience ourselves what that purpose is.”
PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

V. Adaptation to Individual Differences and Diverse Learners--
● Most students need meaningful application, which is where the inquiry-based investigation gives
students a chance to discover their own meaning of the purpose of the moon and how it functions
● Group investigations-allows students who don’t work well independently to have accountability and
motivation to stay engaged
● Kinesthetic based learning, students who need physical activity during a lesson will be walking around
frequently in this lesson
● For my visual learners, the investigation includes concrete examples of the concepts they are exploring
VI. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

● Introduce multiple questions students will be answering in the investigation:
o Students will be given an investigator’s name tag to put their name on
o “We have investigated before what the moon phases look like, but have we actually considered why the
moon has the different phases and how it occurs?”
o “Does the moon shine any light of its own because we can see it so clearly?”
● Students will be given an “investigation journal” page that is going to record their research process for the lesson
● During whole group before we do the investigation, I will have students construct a theory on why the moon
actually has its phases, to explain why the moon looks different on different days. The class will also take a vote on
whether or not the moon has any light of its own, students will close their eyes during the vote (in the
investigation, students will discover the moon simply reflect light from the sun which we can see from earth).
● I will introduce the investigation station with the light bulb and styrofoam ball on a pencil
o Station 1: will be split into two groups, one group will first go to the QR station, where they will watch
a video that explains how the moon orbits the earth and bounces light it gets from the sun at different
angles, which creates the phases
o Station 2: Conceptual Understanding, students take turns acting as the “earth” and holding the moon
and spinning in a circle in front of the lamp to see how the phases occur as the moon makes its full
rotation around the earth
o Station 3: Response station-students respond to the experience and what they know about the moon’s
phases
● Before students begin, I will walk to each station and explain my expectations of behavior and model the steps
students are to do to complete the task, I will remind students that there will be directions on a sheet of paper at
each station to refer to later
● Differentiate Instruction:
2
o After students complete both stations, they are to complete an independent response, I will provide the
option of completing a written response, or recording a video of their conclusions from the
investigation
o Stations splits up students more evenly and gives them space to perform their investigations and move
around while they do so
o Students will be given timely reminders of how much time they have at each station to prompt them as a
whole group to stay on task
VII. Check for understanding. How do you know students have learned? What strategies will you implement if all
students have not met lesson outcomes?
● Reteach: whole group during the closure, re-asking the questions from the beginning of the investigation and
then having students share their findings with one another
o Have students come back to whole group on the reading carpet
o Ask students to explain their findings in whether or not the moon has any light of its own
o Reiterate to students using the model that “As the moon orbits the earth, the moon reflects light from the
sun and that is why we can see it from here on earth, this also explains why we cannot see a new moon
because the moon is directly in front of the sun so no light is being reflected to us here on earth.”
● Targeted Questioning to facilitate discussion“Does the moon physically change shape as it goes through the different
phases?” “Why do you think that is”
o “The moon never changes its shape, but as we saw through our investigation, as the moon orbits, the phases
happen because of its position to the sun and how much light it is getting.”
● Ask students if they would like to change their vote from the beginning
VIII. Review learning outcomes / Closure

● Student discussion time, sharing their opinions based on the investigation, give students time to bounce back and
forth between one another
● “What is one thing you feel you learned from today’s investigation?”
PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

Formative Assessment:
● Targeted, multi-tiered questioning during the investigation process
● informal observation of students as they work and I walk around the room to evaluate whether students are
staying on task and learning
● Personal video/written response after investigation, this will help me assess whether students have a conceptual
understanding of why the moon has phases
REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS

1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
a. Did the investigation help students answer the question of inquiry presented at the beginning?
b. Were students motivated to construct their own meaning of science during this lesson?
c. How could I better support students during independent work to dig deeper?
3
QR code for Station #1
Station #1
1. Use your ipad’s camera to scan the

QR code, click the link that pops up
2. Get a pair of headphones to watch

video
4
3. Watch the entire video to help you
gain some information for your
investigation
4. If you have any questions, quietly

raise your hand
Station #2
1.You are acting as the Earth!
2.Use your inside voices while performing an

investigation
3.Take one of the styrofoam balls and stand in

front of the lamp, facing the light bulb
5
4.Slowly start to turn in a full circle, keeping
your eye on the “moon”
★Pay CLOSE attention as you orbit to how

the position of the moon affects how much
light it gets
★Can you identify the different phases?
6
Print these for display at the lightbulb station for students to refer to

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Indiana Wesleyan University

III. Anticipatory Set

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

VI. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

VIII. Review learning outcomes / Closure

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS

1. Use your ipad’s camera to scan the

2. Get a pair of headphones to watch

4. If you have any questions, quietly

2.Use your inside voices while performing an

3.Take one of the styrofoam balls and stand in

★Pay CLOSE attention as you orbit to how

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