Hayley CunninghamSimple Machines-LAP 1

“Introduction of Simple Machines”

I. Content : Describe what it is you will teach. What is the content?

In this lesson, students will be introduced to simple machines. Students will engage in a

sorting activity, listen and follow along to a read aloud to determine the main idea of the text,

and watch a Brain Pop video about simple machines. Students will be asked to keep track of

information by recording it in their journal.

II. Learning Goal(s) : Describe what specifically students will know and be able to do after the experience of this class.

Students will be able to list the 6 types of simple machines.

Students will be able to define simple machine and force.

Students will be able to determine the main idea of a text.

Students will be able to use evidence to back up claims.

Students will be able to work in a small group setting.

III. Rationale : Explain how the content and learning goal(s) relate to your Curriculum Unit Plan learning goals.

The entirety of this unit revolves around students understanding the role of simple

machines in everyday life; including how simple machines can work together to make a

compound machine. In order for students to understand this, they need to also understand that

simple machines make work easier by changing the amount or direction of force to move an

object. This lesson serves as foundation to the rest of the unit. It introduces what a simple

machine is, what the 6 types of simple machines are and begins to introduce the subject of force.

Having this premise now will aid them as they continue learning about simple machines

throughout the remainder of the unit.

IV. Assessment : Describe how you and your students will know they have reached your learning goals.

Throughout this lesson, students will be informally assessed based off of engagement

with the lesson, their ability to remain on-task, and through means of participation in discussion.

Students will know their expected behavior, as we will review expectations at the beginning of

the lesson. Students will be formally assessed by means of a journal. Students will be made

aware that they will be accountable for completing their journal throughout the unit. For this

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Hayley CunninghamSimple Machines-LAP 1

“Introduction of Simple Machines”particular lesson, students are expected to fill in the definition for simple machine and force and

list the 6 types of simple machines. Ample time will be given in class. Completion of this journal

will allow me to know students are on task and are actively engaging in the lesson. Additionally,

I will randomly ask students for their definitions or to list the simple machines. By this, I will be

able to informally assess whether or not they are aligned with my learning goals.

V. Personalization and equity : Describe how you will provide for individual student strengths and needs. How will you and your lesson consider the needs of each student and scaffold learning? How specifically will ELL students and students with learning disabilities gain access and be supported?

My lesson was designed to provide a variety of means for students to access the content.

The students in my classroom have very distinct ways of learning and of extracting information.

I needed to provide different means for students to understand the concept of simple machines.

During the determining the main idea of the text portion of the lesson, I provided my students

auditory support by reading the text aloud as they followed along. My aim was to reach those

students who learn by reading or listening to a text being read, but also to provide a means for

struggling readers to access the text.

A more creative approach was taken to allow students to access the content by including

a lower-leveled BrainPop video on simple machines. It was targeted towards my ELL students

who need more stimulation/motivation to learn. Overall, my goal was to reach distinct types of

learners when introducing our unit of study and to make this lesson more comprehensible

(Gibbons, 133).

VI. Activity description and agenda

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Hayley CunninghamSimple Machines-LAP 1

“Introduction of Simple Machines”a. Describe the activities that will help your students understand the content of

your class lesson by creating an agenda with time frames for your class. Be prepared to explain why you think each activity will help students on the path toward understanding.

Time Teacher Activity Student Activity Materials Needed1-5 Minutes Explain Sorting Activity:

Groups will sort the pictures into a category based off of similarities or differences between the pictures- they must have an explanation for how they chose to categorize them.

Review Expectations for group work

Ask material managers to pass out the sorting cards to each table.

Ask questions or clarification of directions

Answer questions when prompted by raising hand

Material managers will pass out the cards to each table.

Sorting Pictures(7 sets)

5-15 Minutes Filter through the room as students sort their cards into a category; ask questions; probe student thinking

Students will work in their group to sort pictures into categories.

Sorting picture set

15-25 Minutes Facilitate student sharing Students will choose one person in their group to explain how their group classified the pictures.

Students will listen respectfully as their classmates present.

Pictures sorted into groups

25-45 Minutes Ask material managers to distribute Simple Machines: Forces in Action pages 4&5 as well as the first page of their journals.

Read aloud pages 4 & 5. Ask students to follow along and listen for the main idea of the pages.

Turn & Talk: What is the main idea of the reading?Facilitate whole class

Actively listen to the read aloud for the main idea; follow along with text

Discuss with a partner the main idea of the article.Participate in whole-class

Simple Machines: Forces in Actionp. 4 & 5

First page of simple machines journal.

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Hayley CunninghamSimple Machines-LAP 1

“Introduction of Simple Machines”discussion

Re-read pages 4 & 5 aloud.Ask students to find supporting details that support the main idea of the text.

Facilitate whole class discussion on supporting details.

discussion.

Actively listen to the read aloud for details to support the main idea; follow along with text

Participate in whole-class discussion.

45-50 Minutes Introduce our unit of study as simple machines: ask students to look in their article for the six types of simple machines; ask students to list them in their journal

Look through text for the six types of simple machines; list in journal

First page of simple machines journal.

50-60 Minutes Show Brain Pop Jr. Simple Machines Video (x2)

Facilitate discussion of what a simple machine is and force.

Actively watch video looking for the definition of simple machine and force; copy down definitions in journal using information from the video as well as the article

First page of simple machines journal.

60-65 Minutes Present the sorting activity again by explaining the intended categories are the six types of simple machines.

Hold up each picture and ask students to decide which simple machine it would be.

Categorize each picture into one of the types of simple machines.

Chart paper with 6 simple machines pre-labeled.

Pictures

b. What particular challenges, in terms of student learning or implementing planned activity, do you anticipate and how will you address them?

For this particular activity, I anticipate that some students will struggle working in small

groups. Lately in class we have had some students that struggle to work together. In order to

combat this, I will review expectations for working in small groups, such as being respectful

listeners and not complaining if there’s someone we’re working with that’s not our favorite

person. I will also remind students that if someone is bothering them, they should raise their hand

or call out my name to diffuse the situation before they do something to retaliate back.

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Hayley CunninghamSimple Machines-LAP 1

“Introduction of Simple Machines”

VII. List the Massachusetts Learning Standards this lesson addresses.

Technology/ Engineering, Grades Prek-22.1 Identify tools and simple machines used for a specific purpose, e.g., ramp, wheel, pulley, lever.

Students will be able to list and explain the 6 types of simple machines.

SL. 4.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL. 4.2. Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

RI. 4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

RI. 4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

RI. 4.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.

VIII. Reflection

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Hayley CunninghamSimple Machines-LAP 1

“Introduction of Simple Machines”a. In light of all areas of planning, but especially in terms of your stated purpose and

learning goals, in what ways was the activity successful? How do you know? In what ways was it not successful? How might the activity be planned differently another time?

In terms of my stated learning purpose and learning goals, this two-day lesson was a

success. By the end of the lesson, students were able to work together in small groups, define

simple machine and force, were able to categorize the pictures in the correct class of simple

machines, and were able to use text to determine the main idea.

During the first activity, students were able to categorize the pictures into groups and

explain their reasoning. There was a minor disagreement among one group on how to categorize

the pictures. One student strongly disagreed with the rest of the group. I reminded that person of

our expectations for working in groups (being respectful). She informed me that she had no

friends in that group and no one wanted to hear her thoughts (apparently, during art class they

had gotten into an argument and had all picked new best friends). I listened to her idea and it was

very similar to another group’s idea, so I asked that group if this student could join them.

Everything went smoothly from then on.

In terms of the categories student chose, three out of the six groups categorized the

pictures as indoor items vs. outdoor items. One group went so far as to create a middle group,

items that can be both indoor and outdoor. Another group classified them as sharp and soft items,

whereas another group classified them as items that turn, can be pushed, or can be pulled. Our

last group, which was stumped, classified them by the numbers that were on the bottom of each

picture. They categorized them in pairs. During the time I talked to students as they were sorting

as well as when they were presenting, it was apparent that students were reaching my goal of this

activity- to use evidence to back up their claims. This was a great segue into our next activity.

During the read aloud portion of the lesson students did amazing. After one read aloud

they were able to pull out the main idea of the text. After a turn and talk, four students shared

what them and their partner believed the main idea of the text to be. One student shared that it

was about how machines are useful to humans to do their work. Similarly, another student shared

that it was mainly about how machines help people do work. Another shared about how

machines were used to build thing across times. And finally, the last student shared that it was

about how machines had been around for a really long time. I was very impressed that this was

picked out during the first read aloud. It was clear that students were taking this seriously and

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Hayley CunninghamSimple Machines-LAP 1

“Introduction of Simple Machines”using the skills learned through their Animal Defense unit. Many students underlined and

highlighted key words while others, like Alkawthar, wrote the gist of each paragraph in the

margins (see Appendix). As a class, we decided that the main idea was that machines help make

work easier for people. Students were able to effectively use evidence to support the main idea

after a second read-aloud.

Students were able to successfully identify the six types of simple machines from the

article. Many were confused as they thought wheel and axle were two different machines. They

insisted there were seven instead of six. I explained how a wheel and axle was one simple

machine and that the video we were able to watch would help them understand.

Besides a few minor technical problems, the brain pop went great! It gave students a brief

intro into what we would be learning about over the next couple of weeks. Students were able to

link what they read in the article to what they heard and saw in the BrainPop. They were able to

successfully write down the definitions of simple machine and force in their journal (see

Appendix). I was impressed that all but one student wrote down the definitions. One of our ELL

students, Vanecia, even attempted to write down the definitions (See Appendix).

Finally, in the last portion of the lesson, students were able to sort all but one picture

correctly on the chart paper (See Appendix). Understandably, students put the doorknob under

screw when it belonged under wheel and axle. This is something that we will address in future

lessons as well.

In the end, I loved this lesson. If I had to add something, I would include an exit slip at the

end. I would ask students to list the six types of simple machines, and I would ask students to

define simple machines and force. I would have also made the journal a little more accessible

and appealing. If I were to implement this lesson again, I would ask students to draw a picture

next to each simple machine and next to their definitions of simple machine and force. I think

this would have made it a little bit more fun, the page a little more colorful, and it would’ve

acted almost as a mnemonic device to help students remember the definition when they see the

word.

b. What did you learn from the experience of this lesson that will inform your next LAP?

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Hayley CunninghamSimple Machines-LAP 1

“Introduction of Simple Machines”In the end, I learned, as aforementioned, that my journal needed to be a little better. For my

next LAP, I will use student definitions to create a glossary page of their journal to include

pictures. I will also use it as an opportunity to introduce some more key vocabulary that will be

paramount to the rest of the unit.

Appendix

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Hayley CunninghamSimple Machines-LAP 1

“Introduction of Simple Machines”

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Hayley CunninghamSimple Machines-LAP 1

“Introduction of Simple Machines”

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“Introduction of Simple Machines”

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Hayley CunninghamSimple Machines-LAP 1

“Introduction of Simple Machines”

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