Elementary Science Unit Plan - Essay Example

Lesson One: Science Inquiry (Day Will it float? Grade level: Elementary Grade Central focus: At the end of the day will be able to comprehend what are the things that float. NYS Learning standards for Science and Common Core learning standards: 1. Standard 1 science from mathematics, science and technology empowers students to be acquainted with and apply scientific fundamentals, concepts and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and identify the historical development of ideas in science. Act 19. Will it float? Plan and perform a study to present an understanding about various things that can float and others which cannot float. Learning Targets: The main objective is to make the students understand what are the objects that can float? Abstraction and symbolic representation enable students to communicate scientifically with their immediate environment and relate objects in nature. Simple logical reasoning must be used to draw conclusions, recognize the types of matter present in nature. Procedure: 1. Start off by explaining that there are different kinds of objects. When they float or sink they push away water. 2. Explain the concept of displacement. When water is pushed aside by any object it is called as displacement. 3. Explain that if the amount of water displaced or pushed aside by an article weigh up more as compared to the object or article itself, the water is capable of holding the object up on its surface. The object floats. 4. Explain that when an object pushes less water as compared to its weight, the water cannot hold the object on the surface and the object sinks. 5. Explain with an example, take an aluminum foil and make a boat. Float this boat on the surface of water. It pushes greater amount of water because of its large surface area and therefore the aluminum boat floats. At the same time explain displacement of water by the aluminum boat. 6. Explain the fundamental of surface area of the foil. Now crumple the foil to reduce the surface area. When this crumpled aluminum ball is placed in water it displaces less water as compared to its weight and therefore the crumpled aluminum ball sinks. 7. Explain that amount of water displaced determines whether the object will sink or float. 8. Ask the students to give examples from their surroundings. Take objects like pencil, eraser, paper clip, a bar of soap, plastic spoon, twig, marble, crayon etc. Drop items one at a time. 9. Ask the students to observe them carefully. Ask them to record their findings. 10. Discuss why certain its float while others sink 11. Ask the students to write at least five more examples of objects that they think will sink and others that they think will float. Ask them to observe carefully and perform practically. 12. Ask them to compare what they predicted and what happened when they performed the experiment to show the practicality. 13. Introduce the term buoyancy. Language demands: Vocabulary: Objects Displacement Water Sink Float Buoyancy Informal Assessment: The examples The discussions The chart Formal Assessment: State whether each of these objects will sink or float? Objects/ Items Sink Float Twig Soap Crayon Plastic spoon Marble Paper clip Pencil Complete the sentences with the words- displaces, weighs more, weighs less 1. An object that ___________ does not displace water to a greater extent and therefore it sinks. 2. An object that ___________ displaces water to a greater extent floats. 3. When an object is placed on the surface of water it ___________ water. This decides whether the objet will float or sink. Accommodations for students with special needs: 1. Hearing impaired 40 dB Loss FM Trainer: Follow IEP 2. Autism Spectrum Disorder: Low Functioning Speech Generating Device: facilitating them to converse by pushing certain buttons and then the device will speak for them. 3. Struggling writers Aide sits with student and takes notes Provided with web or graphic organizer that the aide helps the student fill in. Lesson One: Science Inquiry (Day 2) Title: Will it float? Grade level: Elementary Grade 1 Central focus: At the end of the day students will be able to comprehend why things float. Learning Targets: The main objective is to make the students understand that matter is made up of molecules. Generalization and representational aspects enable students to communicate scientifically with their immediate environment and relate objects which can float and which cannot float. Simple logical reasoning must be used to draw conclusions, recognize the types of matter present in nature. Procedure: 1. Start off with the revision of the previous class. 2. Ask what examples they have written in two different columns of sink and float. 3. Ask question if water pushes the objects that float? 4. Explain the concept of buoyancy. Buoyancy is an upward force present in the liquid which allows the object to float. 5. Explain the concept that when boat and other objects which float, are placed in water they push aside enough water to generate a force that keeps the objects on the surface of water and thus the objects such as boats float. 6. Explain that buoyant force that pushes the object is greater than gravitational force that pulls the object down. 7. Discuss that a shell or bottle cap when kept on the surface of water in the form of boat, it floats but if the bottle cap is filled with water till its edges, it will sink. 8. Explain the concept of density. 9. Explain the concepts that if an object is denser than water it sinks and if it is less dense than water it will float. (Web. Sink or float, n.d.) 10. Explain the concept why things float? Perform a simple experiment with the help of saltwater or fresh water to explain which is more buoyant? In any way, addition of salt in water affects the buoyancy of water? This could be performed by taking two containers, one with normal water (label as Normal Water) and other with salt water (Label as Salt Water). Place one-one egg in each of the containers. 11. Ask the students to observe carefully. Explain the fundamental that by adding salt the density of water increased. Salt water is denser as compared to the normal water. As soon as eggs are placed in the jars containing normal water and salt water, the egg in the normal water sinks while egg in the saline water floats. This is because of the density of water. Since addition of salt increased the density of water, the egg seems to be less dense and hence it floats on the surface of water. 12. It could be concluded that addition of salt increases the density of water as a result buoyancy of the object increases. 13. Explain addition of salt should be monitored closely. Add little salt and then place the egg on the surface of water it may not float. Add some more salt and then place the egg it may remain suspended, keep adding salt till the egg floats on the surface of water. 14. Explain the fact that big and heavy ships float on sea water because of the density of salt water and the buoyancy. (Web. The Floating Egg, n.d.) Language demands: Vocabulary: Density Buoyancy Informal Assessment: The demonstration The discussions Formal Assessment: Match each item on the left with the correct item on the right. 1. _____________ Mass a. if an object will float or not 2. _____________ Volume b. a measure of the amount of matter in a certain amount of space. 3. _____________ Density c. the amount of matter an object has 4. _____________ Buoyancy d. the amount of space an object takes up. (Web. Chapter 10 Vocabulary, n.d.) Accommodations for students with special needs: 1. Hearing impaired 40 dB Loss FM Trainer: Follow IEP 2. Autism Spectrum Disorder: Low Functioning Speech Generating Device: allows them to communicate by pushing certain buttons and then the device will speak for them. 3. Struggling writers Aide sits with student and takes notes Provided with web or graphic organizer that the aide helps the student fill in Lesson One: Science Inquiry (Day 3) Title: Will it float? Grade level: Elementary Grade 1 Central focus: At the end of the day students will be able to comprehend how bubbles are responsible in making the object float. Learning Targets: The main objective is to make the students understand the concept of interconversion of diverse states of matter on the basis of heating and cooling. Conceptual understanding and experimental representation enable students to communicate scientifically with their immediate environment and relate density and buoyancy in nature. Simple logical reasoning must be used to draw conclusions, recognize the types of matter present in nature. Procedure: 1. Start off with the revision of the previous classes. 2. Ask how they will define density and buoyancy. 3. Ask them if they know that carbonated beverages contain gases like carbon do-oxide. 4. Explain how this gas will help objects dance. To demonstrate this, fill a glass with carbonated beverage. Place a few raisins into the glass. Ask the students to observe carefully. 5. Explain the fact that raisins have more density than soda and therefore it sinks. However, soda is a carbonated drink and contains carbon di-oxide. As a result, air bubbles attach to the raisin and this makes the raisin rise up through the liquid. This is because carbon-di-oxide provides raisins with extra buoyancy, enabling it to float to the surface of the glass container. As soon as the bubbles detach themselves from the raisin it sinks again. The process of rise and fall or raisin will continue as long as the soda has fizz. When the carbon-di-oxide diffuses off the raisins will not get the lift. 6. Explain the fundamental that air bubbles are lighter than water and so rise up because of buoyancy (Web. Dancing Raisins, n.d.). 7. Make sure that students understood the concept of floating and sinking. Students must be in a position to differentiate between sinking and floating. Provide the students with day-to-day real life objects such as wood, a block of aluminum, milky plastic and clear plastic. They should hold the objects in hand and assess if they sink or float. In this manner students will learn to differentiate sinking or floating phenomenon of various objects made up of different materials. 8. In a similar manner ask the students to compare objects made from the same material but of different size. Ask them if small size behave the same as the big? (Web. Sink or Float, n.d.) Language demands: Vocabulary: Carbonation Sink Rise Informal Assessment The group activity The group discussion Formal Assessment Explain the following items- oil, water and corn syrup on the basis of density and buoyancy (www.google.com/image) Accommodations for students with special needs 1. ESL Language/ translator teacher present for activity Pictures in primary language and in English. English word next to primary language word 2. ADHD Help hand out and collect materials Aide to sit with child during activity 3. Struggling readers Differentiated instruction, text read to them Make short questions Give word bank for assessment References Chapter 10 Vocabulary. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.northallegheny.org/cms/lib4/PA01001119/Centricity/Domain/253/Chapter%2010%20Vocabulary%20Study%20%20Guide.pdf Dancing Raisins (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/science-projects/dancing-raisins.pdf Sink or float. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=32849 The Floating Egg (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/science-projects/buoyant-egg.pdf Read More