Lesson+Plan

Lesson Plan

Earth and Space Lesson Unit


 * __Analyze You Learners:__**

The students are third grade students. Their skill levels are average for third grade and there are many different types of learners in the class.


 * __State Objectives:__**

SC.E.1.2.1: The student knows that the tilt of the Earth on its own axis as it rotates and revolves around the Sun causes changes in season, length of day, and energy available. SC.E.1.2.1.1: knows that days and nights change in length throughout the year.
 * __Monday:__** SC.E.1.2: The student understands the interaction and organization in the Solar System and the universe and how this affects life on Earth.

SC.E.1.2.2.1: knows the frequency of the lunar cycle is approximately 28 days.
 * __Tuesday:__** SC.E.1.2.2: The student knows that the combination of the Earth's movement and the Moon's own orbit around the Earth results in the appearance of cyclical phases of the Moon.

SC.E.1.2.3.1: knows the Sun is a star that is much nearer to the Earth than the other stars.
 * __Wednesday:__** SC.E.1.2.3: The student knows that the Sun is a star and that its energy can be captured or concentrated to generate heat and light for work on Earth

SC.E.1.2.4.1: knows characteristics of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
 * __Thursday:__** SC.E.1.2.4: The student knows that the planets differ in size, characteristics, and composition and that they orbit the Sun in our Solar System.

SC.E.1.2.5.1: knows the relative positions of all the planets.
 * __Friday:__** SC.E.1.2.5: The student understands the arrangement of planets in our Solar System.


 * __Select and Use Methods, Media, and Materials:__**

Create a PowerPoint quiz, Microsoft word, reserve cameras, reserve DVD player, Reserve time in the computer lab, create an online scavenger hunt with graphics, and create an online web quest, paper plates, and markers/crayons, construction paper


 * __Require Learner Participation:__**

Monday: Students will first watch a Bill Nye video (season 1 Episode 15) about the relationship between the sun and the earth and about earth’s axis. Students will be required to take notes during the video to be used in creating and labeling their own “earth.” After the video, as a group students will guide the teacher as she creates and labels the earth and sun on a Microsoft Word Document. Allow students to come to the front of the class and label and draw themselves using the Microsoft program. After the class creates and labels the earth students will turn in their notes.

Tuesday: Students will all create their own earth and moon using paper plates and markers/crayons. The students will then be put into groups so they can create their own Lunar Cycle and phases of the moon. Students will move their own earth and moon into the different phases and take pictures of each movement. Students are allowed to take their own pictures. Everyone in the group should at least take one picture. As the students are moving through the phases with the teacher’s aide they should be documenting with pictures as well as notes. One the students have taken all of the pictures the teacher can transfer the pictures to a PowerPoint and display for the class each groups moon/earth movements.

Wednesday: Students will go to the computer lab and follow a web quest about the sun and its characteristics. They will go to the website [] and click on the sun (teacher should be walking around to insure children are clicking on the correct link) the students will then take the web quest hand out and answer the questions using the information on the website. The students should be given time to navigate around the website as well as enough time to answer their questions. When all of the students are on the correct website the teacher should first play the “sun song” that can be found on the website under the link – play a sound about this topic.

Thursday: Students will be in the computer lab again today. They will use the word document to create all nine planets show students (before they go into the lab) how to draw circles, rings, craters, moon, and how to color in the planets. The students should use a Microsoft word document to create all nine planets. They should also label any characteristics about Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. After they have added any characteristics they know the teacher should pull up a graphic of each and allow students to explain what they see. The teacher needs to make sure all important characteristics are understood and created on the student’s documents. [] (earth) http://startswithabang.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/venus.jpg (Venus) [] (Mercury), [] (Mars)

Friday: Students will be in groups of nine (most groups will have only two) and each group will be a planet for the day. They have to create themselves using markers and crayons on construction paper. After students have created their planets they will them have to arrange themselves as the planets are arranged (students should understand that if two planets are close together the two groups should stand close together or if two planets are far apart students should stand far apart). As the students are arranging themselves the teacher will take a picture of each attempt until the students have the correct order. The teacher will them upload the images to a power point screen and as a group the students and teachers will go over the arrangements and make sure all students understand the arrangement and distance


 * __Evaluate and Revise:__**

The teacher will reflect on the Lesson Unit and make any corrections that are needed. Students should also be asked to do a reflection so the teacher can see what experiences were positive and what experiences were negative from the student’s perspective.