Gravity Lesson Plan – Elizabeth Meringer

MSET Lesson Plan

Understanding Gravity

Author, Date

Elizabeth Meringer, August 5, 2016

summary of the lesson

In this lesson students will be reflecting on information they learned about gravity through hands-on experiences. This lesson is designed for students to implement the use of books, technology, tools, and imagination in order to understand gravity on Earth versus The Solar System.

Performance Objectives

Students will be able to:

Identify and apply to the term gravity to various objects
Visually compare and observe gravity with dropping of the objects
Comparing gravity in the solar system with that on Earth
Collect and interpret data

Outcomes

With the conclusion of this lesson, the students will understand gravity and what causes objects to be grounded on Earth as well as float in outer space. Using hands-on tools and applying the concepts, students will be able to see first hand the effect gravity has on objects. The students will have a firmer understanding of gravity and apply their knowledge both inside the classroom as well as outside and in their homes.The students will come together and discuss their findings as a class. They will put their ideas, experiments, and results together on the smart board to create a chart and a story related to that of The Magic School Bus. The students will define the terms and relate the terms to the original videos, stories, and the other adventures.

Scaffolding Knowledge

Essential Question: What is gravity and what does it do to objects on Earth compared to objects in space?

Tips on Scaffolding Verbs: http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/time_savers/bloom/

Level	Activities
Remembering	The terms by applying them throughout the lesson What gravity does to objects in outer space vs. on Earth
Understanding	Demonstrate and explain what gravity does both on Earth and in Outer Space Identify and summarize what it gravity means and how it is applied in a classroom, at home, outside, and in the solar system
Applying	Imaginative spaceship Dropping the various objects Find a product that takes longer to drop because of gravity versus objects that drop faster
Analyzing	Compare a cotton ball, paper clip, and basketball when dropped Distinguish the difference between dropping the original objects (cotton ball, paper clip, and basketball) verses dropping other objects found in the environment Record findings on the chart
Evaluating	Decide which objects dropped the slowest and from which points compared to those that dropped faster and why Predict what will happen if there was no gravity in the air o Record findings and observations
Creating	Creating the class concept map which will provide a deeper understanding of what each student did and how that can be applied to our overall Essential Question.

Multiple Intelligences

Intelligence	Activities
Linguistic	Deciding where to drop the object Saying when to drop an object making sure surrounding area is safe Discuss findings
Logical-Mathematical	Measuring the distance in which objects are dropped from compared to the time it takes for them to drop Comparing time, height, length (area)
Musical	The virtual storytelling videos on The Magic School Bus
Bodily-Kinesthetic	Pretend to be an astronaut Pretend spaceship Searching for more materials outside
Spatial	Spaceship Where the drop the objects from How much room they need to drop the objects in order to provide safety
Interpersonal	Discussing with classmates the amount of room needed to drop the objects versus the time it takes for the object to drop Comparing time, height, length, as well as different objects used By adding or taking away from the object(s), will it cause the object(s) to drop faster or slower Sharing what new objects they found and discussing what gravity will do to these new objects being dropped
Intrapersonal	Thinking of ways to make the objects drop faster/slower What causes the object to drop at a certain speed By adding or taking away from the object(s), will it cause the object(s) to drop faster or slower What object will float? How does gravity affect the objects?

Mind Styles

Concrete Sequential	Watching the Virtual Storytelling of The Magic School Bus Being an astronaut Understanding gravity Applying their knowledge on gravity Record findings
Concrete Random	Understanding how and why different objects fall at different times Comparing new objects to traditionally found materials Nature walk- using senses to grasp objects in no specific pattern
Abstract Random	Understanding how an astronaut processes gravity both on Earth and outer space Applying the understanding of gravity to different objects Internalizing the experiment when objects dropped compared to the original hypothesis
Abstract Sequential	Looking for objects that are similar in size o Did the objects similar in size fall at similar speeds? The objects that are different sizes did they fall at different speeds? Which objects were closer in speed? o What are the similarities between these objects? o Do these objects belong in the same environment? (leaves, rocks, chunks of dirt, basketball, pencil)

Standards Addressed

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6

With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7

With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.9

With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.

5.1.P.A.1 Display curiosity about science objects, materials, activities, and longer-term investigations in progress.

http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards

Teacher Preparation

Examples:

Eraser, paper, crayon

Smartboard
Pencils, erasers, paper, crayons, cotton balls, basketballs, paper clips, feather
List any printable handouts needed:

Recording sheet
- For extra practice:
- http://files.havefunteaching.com/free-worksheets/science/gravity-worksheet-2.pdf
- http://buggyandbuddy.com/gravity/(further exploration)
- http://www.physics4kids.com/files/motion_gravity.html
- http://www.ducksters.com/science/gravity.php

Key Terms

Gravity	Gravity is a downward force exerted on all objects
Outer space	The space to which Earth is located
Earth	The planet to which life exists
Astronaut	A human who is trained and examined to go to outer space
Spaceship Solar System	Vehicle in which an astronaut uses to get to space The collection of 8 planets with their moons, comets, asteroids

Lesson Outline

Focus and Review

Open the WebQuest/lesson and project for the whole class to view. Help students through the activity by showing them the navigation, explain parts of the webquest including what will be involved. The instructor will explain the details of the webquest including the help needed from the students in order to obtain information about gravity. The students will gather information using the Scientific Method in order to evaluate which objects fall the slowest, fastest, and why due to gravity.

Teacher Instructional Process

The teacher will begin by reading the book as a whole group “The Magic School Bus Gets Lost In Space” with a discussion followed by showing the students a Virtual Story The Magic School Bus:Get Lost In Space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1te-ILnNcs

Who are the main characters?
What did you notice?
What were the characters wearing in outer space?
What objects did you notice in space?
What objects would you like to put in space? Why? What do you think they would do?

Once the students are introduced to a few vocabulary terms, and have watched and discussed the video, and read the book, the students will get a chance to apply their new knowledge. They will pretend to create the space ship in the middle of our circle rug, pretend to put on their astronaut outfits, and “explore” the Solar System. Students will state what they would “see” in the Solar System and start to point out planets, moons, and stars. We would discuss the word gravity and other new terms.

We will come back to Earth and the next activity will be introduced. The teacher will explain to the students that they will be given three distinct objects: a cotton ball, basketball, and a feather. They will be put into group of two or three and drop them from random areas in the classroom. Once they take notes and jot down how long it took the object to fall, as a class we will take a walk around the school finding objects to compare to the original three: cotton ball, basketball, and feather. They will get back into groups, experiment and compare, document their group findings and then document them on the smart board. Students will have to think and use their ideas to experiment and work off of each others emotions and ideas. They can think about what other objects to experiment with.

Prompt the students with questions about what they think the lesson is about.

What makes you stand on the ground?
What makes you float in outer space?
Why does our school not float?
How do our chairs stay on the ground?
What objects float?
What other objects stay on the ground?

As the children list different objects and answer questions, the questions/answers will be written on the board in a chart form.

*The teacher can use The Magic School Bus Explores the Solar System as a follow up.

Ask them to relate their experiences to this topic

Have you ever floated?
- Where and with who?
What happens after you jump up? Do you stay in the air?
Can you name any objects that float?
Why do bubbles float?
- What do bubbles pop?
What do balloons float?

Open the Task page

During the lesson the students will be responsible to complete three adventures (tasks). Each one provides them with a deeper understanding of gravity and help guide them in their quest to understand and define gravity:

Do you know someone who is an astronaut?
Have you ever wondered what gravity does?
Do you know what gravity is?

It will be your mission to go out and solve these questions!

Open the Process page

The students will be watching, discussing the video and reading the book, followed by being introduced to a few vocabulary terms. The students will get a chance to apply their new knowledge by pretending to create the space ship in the middle of our circle rug, put on their “astronaut outfits”, and “explore” both nature and the Solar System. Students will state what they would “see” in the Solar System and start to point out planets, moons, and stars. We would discuss the word gravity and other new terms.

After coming back to Earth the teacher will explain gravity to the students and ask comprehension questions to understand where the students are in their understanding of gravity. The teacher will state that they will be assigned groups and given three distinct objects: a cotton ball, basketball, and a feather. They will be put into group of two or three and drop them from random areas in the classroom. The students will be given question prompts to help better assist them with their direction.

What makes you stand on the ground?
What makes you float in outer space?
Why does our school not float?
How do our chairs stay on the ground?
What objects float?
What other objects stay on the ground?

Once they take notes and jot down how long it took the object to fall, as a class we will take a walk around the school finding objects to compare to the original three: cotton ball, basketball, and feather. They will get back into groups, experiment and compare, document their group findings on their papers and smart board. Students will have to think and use their ideas to experiment and work off of each others emotions and ideas. They can think about what other objects to experiment with.

Finally, they will create their own story related to gravity and what they learned throughout the process and present it as a group. They will go to the website https://storybird.com/classes/ms-lizs-class/ in order to begin the creation of their story.

Guided Practice

During the group activity, prompt students to stay on task, refer to the questions in the webquest, write answers in their journals. The students will also be required to perform the experiments by dropping the objects from various places and filling out their recording sheet. They do not need to drop their objects in any particular order. They will use the Scientific Method to compare and contrast their findings and then present their findings to the class.

Independent Practice

During the Individual Practices students will interpret the videos, collect data both inside and outside the classroom, collaborate their data with their classmates and analyze their findings in order to better understand the idea of gravity.

The following links can be used as independent practice for those students who would like to further investigate gravity.

http://files.havefunteaching.com/free-worksheets/science/gravity-worksheet-2.pdf
http://buggyandbuddy.com/gravity/ (further exploration)
http://www.physics4kids.com/files/motion_gravity.html
http://www.ducksters.com/science/gravity.php

Closure

Students will collect their data, present it to the teacher and peers, and give their own understanding of gravity through the use of hands-on experiences.

Alternate Outline – Accommodations

Students will be working in groups of 5

if need be they can work in pairs

English Language Learners will be able to verbally explain their experiment and how gravity affects what they explored
Students who are below grade level will be paired with another student who is above grade level to work with each other. They can take turns dropping objects and collecting data.

Suggested Follow-Up

If students need more practice on skills, visit:

http://files.havefunteaching.com/free-worksheets/science/gravity-worksheet-2.pdf
http://buggyandbuddy.com/gravity/ (further exploration)
http://www.physics4kids.com/files/motion_gravity.html
http://www.ducksters.com/science/gravity.php

M.S.E.T program. Ramapo College, New Jersey. 2012

References:

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/lessons/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Gregorc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences

Name: ______________________

Directions: Drop object from either a desk, chair, table, or shelf (or ask a teacher for permission for another spot in the room). Draw a picture of the object, circle if it floats or touches the ground, and say why.

Object	float	Touch the ground	Why?
Name: cotton ball	Yes or no	Yes or no How long did it take? (seconds)
Name: basketball	Yes or no	Yes or no How long did it take? (seconds)
Name: feather	Yes or no	Yes or no How long did it take? (seconds)
New Objects: