Megan Kupsky

Mrs.Archambaults 4th grade/ELED 3221

11/4/15
edTPA Indirect Instruction Lesson Plan Template
Follow the Light
_____________________________________________________________________________
Central Focus/Big Idea: Energy: Conservation and Transfer. Students will be able to
independently identify the basic form of energy and explain how they interact with matter. This
lesson will focus on light.
Subject of this lesson: Light: How does it move and transfer from object to object?
Grade Level: Fourth Grade
NC Essential Standard(s): 4.P.3.1: Recognize the basic forms of energy (light, sound, heat,
electrical and magnetic) as the ability to cause motion or create change. 4.P.3.2: Recognize that
light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object or travels from one medium to another, and
that light can be reflected, refracted and absorbed.
Next Generation Science Standard(s): 4-PS4-2: Develop a model to describe that light
reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen.
21st Century Skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills- Students will use critical
thinking to sort words in the word sort as well as when completing their exit ticket. Problem
solving helps student learn the material better through interactive experiences. Outcomesstudents understand that models real objects and processes, and that model serve as a means to
communicate ideas about how things work. This can been observed through the table in their
science notebook. It describes things on a small scale but students know the real life thing is
better. Collaboration- Students will word together and compare answers to ensure total
understanding. This occurs when students talk amongst each other to solve the word sort clues.
Academic Language Demand
Language Function: In the table below highlight the one most important language
function for your lesson. Explain why you chose these.
Analyze

Argue

Categorize

Interpret

Predict

Question

Compare/contras
t
Retell

Describe

Explain

Summarize

Explain- Students will be expected to explain their thoughts about light in this
introduction lesson. The Engage activity will ask students to explain the word light in a

way that makes sense to them. Explore will make them explain the video they watch as
well as explain a word sort they need to complete.

Scientific Vocabulary: light, heat, medium, reflect, refract, absorb, regular reflection
pattern, diffuse reflection pattern,

Instructional Objective: Students will understand that energy takes various forms. They will
learn that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object or travels from one medium to
another. Students will understand light can be reflected, refracted and absorbed.
Prior Knowledge (student): Students should have background knowledge on electricity, circuits,
and magnets, how energy flows, how electricity works, what electricity can be used for. Students
will use the knowledge they learn today later on in the unit.
Content Knowledge (teacher): The teacher needs to know about the basic properties of light.
Light travels in a straight line. Light reflects off smooth, shiny, flat surfaces in a regular
reflection pattern. Light reflects off rough, shiny, uneven surfaces in a diffuse reflection patter.
Light that is not reflected is absorbed. Light bends as it passes through water.
Accommodations for special needs (individual and/or small group): I will make flashcards
with key words on it for ELL learners so when we discuss these words in the lesson they will
already have the words in front of t=hem. Also, when the class splits into groups to complete the
activities I will put the ELL students in a group with strong students who can help them.
Additionally I will be walking around the classroom checking on each group providing help
when needed. If a student is not comfortable with writing, I will allow them to draw pictures
instead of writing sentences.
Materials and Technology requirements:
SMART board
BrainPop video
Computer
Pencil
Paper
Students need their Science Notebook
Scissors
Glue
Total Estimated Time: This lesson will take place over one class period (approx. 60 minutes)
Source of lesson: Cooperating Teacher, Mrs.Archambault as well as BrainPop
Safety considerations: I will make sure the scissors are not passed out until they are needed so
as to make sure nobody cuts themselves.

Content and Strategies (Procedure)

In your procedure, be sure to include all of the following 5 Es. Your procedure should be
detailed enough for a colleague to follow. If you will be relying on technology (e.g., a YouTube
video), describe your back up plan thoroughly. Imagine your most novice colleague needing to
teach from your plan. Dont just answer the questions. Additionally, I expect you to include
possible questions you could ask for each section. This needs to include higher-order questions.
Engage: Before the lessons start, set up the SMARTboard with the Brainpop video. Have
students bring their science notebook and a pencil to the carpet. Open up to a fresh page!
I would tell everyone:
When I say go, write down everything you can think of when you hear the word, light.
Ok go! Give the students about 60 seconds
Now do the same for electricity. Ready? Ok, Go! Give the students about 60 seconds
to write words down in their notebook. Walk around as the students write.
I would tell the students to put their notebook to the side; we will come back to their list later.
Now we are going to watch a video about light. Pay attention to the video and see how this
relates to what you have been learning in science. Play the BrainPop Video. After the video ask
the following questions:
-What is an artificial light source?
-What is a natural light source?
-How does the human eye see light? (light is reflected off objects and our eyes catch the
light waves)
Explore: We will discuss more about the video in a little bit. For now we are going to complete a
word sort! I am going to split the class up into groups of four and give each group a plastic bag.
Inside each bag are cards with pictures or words on them. Each team will be responsible for
matching up the correct picture with the word in the amount of time given. I will dismiss you
from the carpet in groups to go back to your seat!! Bring your science notebook with you!
Groups:
List the words:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Light-Can be natural or artificial, travels very quickly through space in a straight line
Heat- A typical source is from the sun
Medium- also known as an object
Reflect- Light bounces off an object,
Refract- Light travels through different materials at different speeds
Absorb- The color that we see any object as
Bend- Lights passes through water and has this illusion, different wave lengths pass through
different angles.
Regular Reflection Pattern- Light reflects off of smooth, shinny and flat surface
Diffuse Reflection Pattern- Light reflects off of a rough, shinny, uneven surface
Colors Absorbed (Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet)- color reflected Red
Colors Absorbed (Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Indigo, Violet)- color reflected Green
Prism- Used to split white light into its component colors

13. Waves- how the human eye sees light, vibrate through space

Explanation: Ok lets come back together and discuss how each group separated the word.
Using the document camera, lets talk about each matching pair. Make sure your group is
following along with each pair; fix the pair if missed one. Also, be sure to write the word and
matching sentence in your notebook. Ill pair up the first one! Light-can be natural or artificial,
travels very quickly through space in a straight line! Remember how in the video it said light
would travel in a straight line and keep traveling until something got in its way? Ok who wants
to try the next pair? (Do this for all of the other words, be sure to explain why the match goes
together, ask questions!!)
Good job everyone we matched up all of the words correctly! Now lets go back to what we first
did. Everyone pull out your science notebook and flip to the page where you wrote down ideas
for light and electricity. Up on the board I have a bubble map that is empty. I want to fill it with
all the words relating to light! One at time raising your hand I want you to tell me a word you
came up with for light. (Teacher: use computer to type words onto SMARTboard, this way you
can drag and re-arrange the words once all the words are given)
(Start with a head bubble of All about light then add three connector bubble underneath for the
different categories)
Phew there are so many words up there! Lets see if we can arrange them in a way that makes
sense. I see we have a lot of objects that are artificial light so I can put them in a group over here!
Does anybody else a category we could use? I also see natural light, ways light moves, perfect!
Remember, light is a wave that reflects off objects and sends waves into our eyes so we can see!
Elaborate: Now lets expand on light a little bit more. Can anybody tell me how light moves? We
heard from the video it moves in a straight line, but is that it?? (Hopefully students say no!).
There are 5 main ways light travels!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Light travels is in a straight line.

Light reflects off a smooth surface, called regular reflection pattern.
Light reflects off a rough surface, called diffuse reflection pattern.
Light is reflected and absorbed from objects, the light that gets reflected it the light we see!
When light passes through water it bends/refracts because the light waves are moving through
different material at different speeds.

I am going to pass out a handout that explains the 5 ways light travels! I want you to cut out each
box , paste it on the left hand side of your science notebook, save on the right hand side to write
examples we discuss in class. You may need to use a couple pages to fit all the boxes. This
should only take a couple of minutes! Once you have done this, meet me back at the carpet with
your notebook and a pencil. (Count down to get students attention). I should have everyone back
at the carpet. Ok, now lets look at the first box.

-Light travels in a straight line. We see sunlight in the box traveling in a straight line to Earth.
Turn and talk to a partner about an example for number 1. Ok raise your hand and one person tell
me an example! Perfect! Let have 2 more examples. Be sure to write down these examples on the
right side of the page to reference them later.
-Can somebody read the second box? (student reads). Hmm the picture shows us the incoming
light rays bouncing off the mirror (smooth surface). Turn and talk to your partner about another
example of a smooth surface. Ok raise your hand and tell me an example! Lets hear two more
examples!
-Perfect our third box says that light reflects off rough, shiny, uneven surface in a diffuse
reflection pattern. We see a soup can as the rough surface. Turn and talk to your partner about
another example of a rough surface. Ok raise your hand and tell me a few examples.
- The fourth box is rather large and when I first looked at it I was confused so lets go over this
one together. All colors travel in waves. The object absorbs some waves and some dont
depending on the object. At the top it says Light that is not reflected is absorbed. Each picture
has a different color car so that must mean the car did not absorb the car color light wave but
reflected. The first car is red, this means that every other color (orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo, violet) is absorbed by the car but since red is not it is reflected. Lets look at the second
car the color of it is green. Raising your hand not shouting all at once, what does this mean about
the light waves? Which colors got absorbed and which one got reflected? Try not to look at your
sheet! Yes thats the right answer! Now what happens when we see a black car going down the
road? What does that say about the colors being absorbed? (Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green,
Yellow, Indigo, Violet) What color is reflected? (Black). The final car is what color? (white)
Perfect so what happens to the colors to make a white car? What colors are absorbed? (none)
What colors are reflected? (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) So then why do we
see a white car? All of the visible colors we can see are bundled together to put off white light! It
is also important to note that the light is coming from the sun. The sun from the light allows us to
see all visible light colors. You will learn more about this later. Lets get back to boxes! So if I
had a yellow car, what light color is being absorbed? (Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet).
Turn and talk to your neighbor about an object you notice and discuss what colors are absorbed
ore reflected. Ok let me have one person share with the class. First say what your object is then
say what color is reflected and which colors are absorbed.
-Ok our fifth and final box! Light bends as it passes through water. We know from the video
bending is the same thing as refracting. The picture example has light rays coming down through
the waterbed. Has anybody ever been in the water or swimming pool, looked down at your feet
and notice they looked bent? Thats because when light rays hit the water different rays hit at
different times so it give the appearance of our legs being bent. Turn and talk to your partner
about another example of light bending. Ok would someone like to share?
Everyone now should have many examples beside each box in their science notebook!
Are there any questions?
.

Evaluate: Remember, light is a wave that reflects off objects and sends waves into our eyes so
we can see! Sometimes the waves get absorbed and we see the color that is left out just like the
cars on the word sort cards and in our science notebook. Also, water plays a trick on our eyes
because the waves are being refracted making it look like the objects bending in the water. Can
someone tell me one-way light travels? (Have students answer and give examples for all four
ways)
Perfect those were great answers! Your exit ticket today will let me know how well you
understood my lesson. On the sheet of paper there three questions I want you to answer about the
lesson. Take your time and do your best! Once you are done you may turn them in to me and
then go on BrainPop Science lesson and play science light games. Go back to your seat and
work on the answers independently.
How will you assess each students progress toward the stated objective(s)? What evidence will
be collected? What type of assessment will be used (formal, informal, formative, summative)?
I will collect an exit ticket from the students. They will be asked to answer a couple questions
about what was talked about today in class. This will not be taken as grade and will be a
formative assessment.
To be complete after the lesson is taught as appropriate
Assessment Results of all objectives/skills:
Reflection on lesson:
CT signature/confirmation: _________________________________ Date: ________________