NAME: GREG WINIEWICZNEVADA STATE COLLEGE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMLESSON PLAN FORMAT

Lesson Topic: LightningLesson Rationale: This is a 1 day lesson introducing students to lightning.

Description of Classroom: This is a 4th grade classroom of 30 students. 17 boys and 13 girls.

Student Background: Students should already know what lightning is and what itlooks like first hand. They should also know that it usually forms during storms.

Nevada Standards:

P.8.B.2. Students know electric currents can produce magnetic forces and mag-nets can cause electric currents. E/S

N.8.A.3. Students know how to draw conclusions from scientific evidence. E/S

N.5.A.6. Students know models are tools for learning about the things they are meant to resemble. I/S

Language Objective(s): Students will create their very own electric discharges to represent lightning Students will write and illustrate what they learned in their science notebooks

Content Objective(s): Students will understand how lightning is formed by creating their very own elec-

tronic discharge without the use of any type of power source.

Key Vocabulary:Lightning, Thunder, Conductor, Positive charge, Negative charge

Best Practices: (put an X next to those that you address in your lesson)Preparation Scaffolding Grouping Options

X Adaptation of content X Modeling X Whole ClassX Links to background X Guided practice X Small groups

Links to past learning X Independent practice PartnersX Strategies incorporated X Verbal scaffolds X Independent

X Procedural scaffolds

Integration of Process Application AssessmentX Listening X Hands-on X IndividualX Speaking X Authentic (Meaningful) X Group

Reading X Linked to objectives WrittenX Writing X Promotes engagement Oral

Teaching Strategies:

Guided discovery, modeling, cooperative learning

Lesson Sequence:

Strategy 1(presented in class)1. Introduce students through lightning by watching the kid friendly YouTube video via the fol-

lowing link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usyOsyo4VaY(This video will introduce students to the positive and negative charges that form between a cloud and conductors on the earth surface resulting in lightning)

2. Students will be grouped (3-4 students per group) and be given a balloon and a light bulb. 3. As a group students will fill out the predict part of the “How does lightning occur worksheet”

answers the following questions. “What is going to happen when the balloon comes in contact with the light bulb?” “Why do you think this is going to happen?” “Why do you think the bal-loon has to be charged for this to occur?”

4. Each group will then blow their balloons up and take the balloon and the light bulb into a dark room.

5. Each member of the group will take turns charging the balloon by either rubbing it on their hair or clothing (make sure a lot of charge is built up in this process).

6. Each member will take a turn trying to get the light bulb to make sparks and flashes of light by moving the charged balloon around the light bulb. (make sure students try different strategies of running the balloon past the bulb for best results).

7. Small groups of students will then fill out the rest of the work sheet “How does lightning occur” and answer the following questions “What happened when the charged balloon came into con-tact with the light bulb? Where your predictions correct? Explain.” “How is this experiment re-lated to how lightning form?”

8. As a class we will discuss the results aloud for further clarification.

Strategy 2Students will be shown how to predict how far away lightning is striking as part of this lesson. Students will be told to calculate how far a strike is away the first step is to watch the sky for lightning. Once they see it they should begin counting 1 one thousand 2 one thousand and so on until they hear the sound of thunder. Let students know that each five seconds counted is equivalent to the lightning being 1 mile away. So if they count up to 15 seconds the lightening is approx. 3 miles away. In class we will create fake lightning by flickering the classroom light and then make a rumble sound to simulate thunder. Students will be asked to record how far away the simulated lightning is.

Strategy 3Groups will have to write predictions based on prior knowledge. Students must also write results to the balloon and light bulb experiment in their science notebooks and do a ticket out the door.

Accommodations:

Students will receive scaffolding from instructor if they seem to need a little extra help. Instructor will use questioning while groups are in their discussions to guide them in the right direction.

Materials and Resources:-Energy Saving Fluorescent Light Bulbs -Balloons

Review/Assessment: Students will receive informal assessment by assessing participation and students will be assessed by the lightning worksheets they turn in.

Reflection:

This lesson worked very well, and was very engaging for all students. 4th graders are very excited when it comes to science as we only do science lessons one day a week. The video that I presented the topic with helped students get a visual understanding for how lightning worked and was very kid friendly (so it wasn’t too complicating). This really helped introduce the concept and was a good gateway into the rest of the lesson. I know this lesson was effective as students talked about this activity the rest of the day and wanted to go home and show their parents the lesson. They were engaged the whole time and loved using the manipulative for discovery. Many students would even try to do their very own experiments by using more than one balloon or light bulb. If I had to do it again I might just give them the materials and not model how to do it to see if they could figure it out on their own. The lesson also met the Nevada standards about electric currents and magnetic forces. I was easily able to assess the students by looking over the

worksheet the students received and the majority of students were able to successfully complete this.

HOW DOES LIGHTNING OCCUR?

(Predict) 1. What is going to happen when the charged balloon comes into contact with

the light bulb?

2. Why do you think this is going to happen?

3. Why do you think the balloon has to be charged for this to occur?

(Report)1. What happened when the charged balloon came into contact with the light

bulb? Where your predictions correct? Explain.

2. How is this experiment related to how lightning forms?