Grade: 3 Subject: Language Arts
Unit: Communities
Lesson Focus: Science – Materials & Structures - How to Write an Experiment
The students will learn how to conduct and write an experiment. The students will complete the experiment: How to build a stable structure. The purpose of this experiment is to discover how to create a strong foundation and a stable structure.
Timeframe: 30 Minutes
“I can” statements
I can conduct an experiment.
I can write an experiment.
I can explain how to create a stable structure
Outcomes
Students will construct a structure safely to meet certain established criteria.
· build a structure thinking about shape, strength, stability and/or balance.
Students will communicate effectively and clearly and respond personally and critically.
· demonstrate effective active listening habits in multiple cultural contexts
ask and respond to questions to seek clarification of others’ ideas to consolidate information
· respond to and give directions that are multi-step with increased complexity
Students will interact with sensitivity and respect, considering audience, purpose, and situation.
· use social conventions such as turn-taking, politeness*, when to speak and when to listen, in a range of conversations and cooperative play situations in multiple cultural contexts
· use established courtesies and conventions of conversation in group work and co-operative play situations with consideration for audience and purpose
Students will respond personally and critically to a range of culturally diverse texts.
· infer meaning within and beyond a variety of texts
· discuss how prior knowledge supports comprehension of culturally relevant text
Students will convey meaning by creating print and digital texts collaboratively and independently using imagination, personal experiences, and feelings.
· express ideas in complete thoughts using simple, compound, and complex sentences
Students will be expected to create text including digital collaboratively and independently using a variety of forms for a range of audiences and purposes.
· choose forms of writing that are appropriate to specific purposes and audiences
· include information that is relevant and purposeful for an intended audience
Resources:
Student Science Book: Build it Up
screencast: How to conduct an experiment video
How to Build a Stable Structure experiment worksheet
21Century Skills
· Communicate and Collaborate ·Create&Publish
· Citizenship ·Find&Validate
·Apply and Interconnect ·Analyze & Synthesize
·Evaluate & Leverage
Mini-lesson:
Explicit Teaching (I do)
Before you begin to build a structure you need to decide how you will build the foundation. What is a foundation? If students are unable to explain the word, look in the glossary in your Science book.
It is important that we create a strong foundation that will make our structure stable. What does the word stable mean? If students are unable to explain the word, look in the glossary in your Science book. You will be conducting an experiment to explore how we can make a strong and stable structure.
Before you begin you will be watching a video on how to conduct an experiment, with a partner. Pause the video, as needed to do your experiment and complete the worksheet. You will do your experiment with a partner but you will each complete a “How to Build a Stable Structure” experiment worksheet.
Groups (We do)
View screencast How to conduct an experiment video. Complete the experiment and the How to Build a Stable Structure experiment worksheet, while watching the video (Write your answers in complete sentences). Students can pause the video as they work through the experiment.
Teacher circulates around the classroom, assisting students when needed (give them time to try to figure things out before offering assistance. Notes which students will be asked to share their work.
Makes notes about student’s work on iDoceo app.
Time to Share (We share) & Explicit Teaching (I do)
The Whole class gets together in a circle, with their experiment worksheets. We discuss the following.
What did you need to do at the beginning of the experiment? Read the question and make a prediction. (Teacher chooses 1 or 2 students to read their prediction)
Why did you make that prediction? Did you think of something that you know or have seen?
What did you do next in the experiment? Make sure I had all required supplies. Read and do each step in the procedure.
Have 1 or 2 different students share 1 of their observation (starting at observation #1) and ask questions like …
Did you describe exactly what happened? What else could you say? What did this make you think about/
What was the final part of the experiment? Conclusion
Have 1 or 2 students share their conclusions and ask..
How did you come to this conclusion? What observations made you conclude this? What could you add to your conclusion to make it clearer? What supporting evidence from your observations do you need to include?
At the end of each part of the share allow all students time to make revisions to their experiment.
*If some of the observations are different; explore why. Did they do something in a different way?
Independent (I do)
In Science Journal write a reflection, answering the following questions.
Explain how to create a strong foundation and a stable structure.
What did you observe that helped you reach this conclusion?
Differentiation:
Choose student’s partners to support specific students
Students who have a writing adaptation can complete the How to Build a Stable Structure experiment worksheet on the computer, using an Assistive Tech program, such as Kurzweil.
Teacher may need to conference with groups who are having difficulty.
Assessment:
How to Build a Stable Structure experiment worksheet
Teacher’s observational notes
Unit: Communities
Lesson Focus: Science – Materials & Structures - How to Write an Experiment
The students will learn how to conduct and write an experiment. The students will complete the experiment: How to build a stable structure. The purpose of this experiment is to discover how to create a strong foundation and a stable structure.
Timeframe: 30 Minutes
“I can” statements
I can conduct an experiment.
I can write an experiment.
I can explain how to create a stable structure
Outcomes
Students will construct a structure safely to meet certain established criteria.
· build a structure thinking about shape, strength, stability and/or balance.
Students will communicate effectively and clearly and respond personally and critically.
· demonstrate effective active listening habits in multiple cultural contexts
ask and respond to questions to seek clarification of others’ ideas to consolidate information
· respond to and give directions that are multi-step with increased complexity
Students will interact with sensitivity and respect, considering audience, purpose, and situation.
· use social conventions such as turn-taking, politeness*, when to speak and when to listen, in a range of conversations and cooperative play situations in multiple cultural contexts
· use established courtesies and conventions of conversation in group work and co-operative play situations with consideration for audience and purpose
Students will respond personally and critically to a range of culturally diverse texts.
· infer meaning within and beyond a variety of texts
· discuss how prior knowledge supports comprehension of culturally relevant text
Students will convey meaning by creating print and digital texts collaboratively and independently using imagination, personal experiences, and feelings.
· express ideas in complete thoughts using simple, compound, and complex sentences
Students will be expected to create text including digital collaboratively and independently using a variety of forms for a range of audiences and purposes.
· choose forms of writing that are appropriate to specific purposes and audiences
· include information that is relevant and purposeful for an intended audience
Resources:
Student Science Book: Build it Up
screencast: How to conduct an experiment video
How to Build a Stable Structure experiment worksheet
21Century Skills
· Communicate and Collaborate ·Create&Publish
· Citizenship ·Find&Validate
·Apply and Interconnect ·Analyze & Synthesize
·Evaluate & Leverage
Mini-lesson:
Explicit Teaching (I do)
Before you begin to build a structure you need to decide how you will build the foundation. What is a foundation? If students are unable to explain the word, look in the glossary in your Science book.
It is important that we create a strong foundation that will make our structure stable. What does the word stable mean? If students are unable to explain the word, look in the glossary in your Science book. You will be conducting an experiment to explore how we can make a strong and stable structure.
Before you begin you will be watching a video on how to conduct an experiment, with a partner. Pause the video, as needed to do your experiment and complete the worksheet. You will do your experiment with a partner but you will each complete a “How to Build a Stable Structure” experiment worksheet.
Groups (We do)
View screencast How to conduct an experiment video. Complete the experiment and the How to Build a Stable Structure experiment worksheet, while watching the video (Write your answers in complete sentences). Students can pause the video as they work through the experiment.
Teacher circulates around the classroom, assisting students when needed (give them time to try to figure things out before offering assistance. Notes which students will be asked to share their work.
Makes notes about student’s work on iDoceo app.
Time to Share (We share) & Explicit Teaching (I do)
The Whole class gets together in a circle, with their experiment worksheets. We discuss the following.
What did you need to do at the beginning of the experiment? Read the question and make a prediction. (Teacher chooses 1 or 2 students to read their prediction)
Why did you make that prediction? Did you think of something that you know or have seen?
What did you do next in the experiment? Make sure I had all required supplies. Read and do each step in the procedure.
Have 1 or 2 different students share 1 of their observation (starting at observation #1) and ask questions like …
Did you describe exactly what happened? What else could you say? What did this make you think about/
What was the final part of the experiment? Conclusion
Have 1 or 2 students share their conclusions and ask..
How did you come to this conclusion? What observations made you conclude this? What could you add to your conclusion to make it clearer? What supporting evidence from your observations do you need to include?
At the end of each part of the share allow all students time to make revisions to their experiment.
*If some of the observations are different; explore why. Did they do something in a different way?
Independent (I do)
In Science Journal write a reflection, answering the following questions.
Explain how to create a strong foundation and a stable structure.
What did you observe that helped you reach this conclusion?
Differentiation:
Choose student’s partners to support specific students
Students who have a writing adaptation can complete the How to Build a Stable Structure experiment worksheet on the computer, using an Assistive Tech program, such as Kurzweil.
Teacher may need to conference with groups who are having difficulty.
Assessment:
How to Build a Stable Structure experiment worksheet
Teacher’s observational notes