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Grade 4 Science Translucent, Transparent, Opaque Lesson 2 - November 23 45 mins

Stage 1: Desired Results
Lesson Students will get to experiment with a flashlight and objects to classify each object as
Overview: transparent, translucent, or opaque. In the previous lesson, they learned the definitions of these
terms. Now, they will get to apply this knowledge to the world around them. They will fill in a
worksheet that asks them to make predictions about how an object should be classified, and
then classify the object properly after experimentation.
GOs: Students will: Identify sources of light, describe the interaction of light with different
materials, and infer the pathway of a light beam.
SOs: Students will:
 Classify materials as transparent, partly transparent (translucent) or opaque.
 Distinguish transparent materials from opaque materials by determining if light passes
through them and by examining their shadows.
Learning Students will:
Objectives  Practice making predictions ang hypothesis before conducting an experiment.
 Apply previously learned knowledge to a real-life experiment.
 Classify materials as transparent, translucent or opaque based on observations of light
passing through them and the shadows they create.

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

Formative Class discussion after the worksheet to Summative N/A
Assessment discuss results. Assessment

Stage 3: Learning Experience

Prior to Print enough worksheets for the class. Resources: Worksheet
Lesson: Items on the worksheet must be found Flashlights
around the classroom – the worksheet
can be altered if needed.
Pair students into suitable groups.
Make sure you have enough
flashlights for one flashlight per pair.
Time: Content/Description Differentiation/
Assessments:
Introduction:
2 mins Review of Previous Concepts/New Learning: Last time we learned what it
means for an object to be transparent, translucent or opaque. You created your
flip-sheets with the definitions in them and we looked at some materials that
were transparent, translucent and opaque. Now, you will get to do your own
experiments and use what you have learned to classify different objects around
the classroom.
Transition: Hand out worksheet to all students.
5 mins Body: Before they begin the activity, go over the worksheet with them and Do a listening
show them what to do. First, before they get into pairs, they must individually check randomly
make predictions about the objects. In the first column of the worksheet, they to call on
will circle the word which they think the object will be classified as. Then, they students to
will get to work with a partner to classify each object on the worksheet using a make sure they
flashlight and observations about light and shadows. They will put a checkmark know what to
in the box corresponding to the term they have classified the object as. This do.
lesson is happening during COVID restrictions, so for this lesson they will need
extra instructions on how to handle items safely. One partner will use the
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flashlight for the first half of the worksheet, then they will sanitize the flashlight
and switch roles. They should only use objects that belong to them or their
partner, and only touch it if it belongs to them. Wear masks and sanitize!
5-10 Learning Activity 1: Prediction Making
mins  Students will work individually to make predictions about the objects on the
worksheet.
 They will circle the word that they think each object will be classified as.
 They may refer to their definition flip-sheet to help them make their guesses.
Transition: Allow about 5 minutes for prediction making before checking in
again. Ask students to raise their hand if they are done and move on once all
students are done. Announce the pairs that students are working in. One at a
time, call up a pair and have them put their mask on and sanitize. Give one of
them a flashlight and have them wait until all pairs are ready before they start.
20-25 Learning Activity 2: Observations and Experiments The worksheet
mins  Once all students are paired up and have the materials, they may begin. has pictures and
 They will go around the classroom and find the objects listed on the sheet. labels of each
They will shine the flashlight on the object and decide how it should be object to make
classified. it easy for all
 One student will use the flashlight for one side of the sheet. Once they are students to
done one side, they will show you and give you the flashlight to sanitize. understand.
The other student then uses the flashlight for the other half of the worksheet.
 They must show you once they are done, and then they can put the sheet into There is no
their duo tang. writing required
 Students who finish early may work on their science title page. as that is not the
focus of this
lesson.
Transition: After about 20 or 25 minutes, send all students back to their desks
and instruct then to take their worksheet out if it is not already out.
10 mins Consolidation: Go over the worksheet as a class. Use this as a discussion Class
opportunity and ask students how they classified their materials. You may call discussion,
on students at random if not enough are responding. Ask them about their assess students’
predictions as well: Did anyone predict everything correctly? Was anyone understanding
surprised by a prediction that was different from an observation? as they explain
their answers.
Review of Key Concepts/Point to Next Class:
Stage 4: Reflection
1. How the students responded to the lesson as planned and taught: Students were well engaged and
excited to get to do some hands-on experiments. They were especially excited since this school year has been
much less interactive with all the COVID rules and restrictions. They behaved quite well because they knew
this type of lesson takes place much less frequently now and they wanted to be on their best behavior so they
could do these partner projects more often. The all completed their experiments quite quickly and mostly
correctly, which showed that they understood the concepts fairly well.
2. Specific strengths of the lesson plan and delivery: The lesson was strengthened by the inclusion of the
hands-on experiment, which made the students more motivated to learn. I also believe the custom-made
worksheet was a strength, because I was able to pick objects that I knew they would be able to test in the
classroom. Having them make predictions before their experiments also lead to an interesting discussion – a
few of them predicted that paper would be opaque, but then found it was translucent. We also had a good
discussion about how some of the items on the worksheet might differ in classification – such as water
bottles, curtains and glass. Some of these objects are transparent, translucent or opaque depending on the way
they are made or intended use (colored vs. clear water bottles, blackout vs. sheer curtains, regular vs. frosted
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glass).
3. Specific weaknesses in the lesson plan and delivery: The students finished the lesson very quickly –
about fifteen minutes earlier than I planned. I should have planned some extensions for them to work on
when they were finished. One option that would have been good would be having them choose other objects
around the room or at their desk to experiment on and classify. One interesting thing that happened was lots
of jokes were made about the fact that I mostly made the pairs out of boys and girls. I ignored the giggles and
comments because it caught me off guard but in further lessons I may want to call them out on it instead so
that they don’t continue the behavior. Another thing I noticed was that some of them were not experimenting
with the objects as thoroughly as they should have. Some students classified paper as opaque because they
shined a light on it while it was laying flat on a table, instead of holding it up and trying to see if they could
see through it.
4. What must be addressed to improve this plan? This lesson could likely include another learning activity
for the students to do after the discussion, considering how quickly they were able to do it. More
demonstrations with the flashlight should also be done before sending them off on their own, since some of
them did not do the experiments properly at times.
5. How I have grown from this teaching experience: This lesson taught me a bit more about how much the
students are able to do in a 45 minute lesson. I am getting a better idea of what kind of activities take longer
than others for the students to complete. This was also the first time I heard them make some
interesting/immature comments. I chose to ignore them because I didn’t quite know what I should say, but
my TA gave me some helpful tips on how to approach this in the future.