SINGLE SUBJECT CREDENTIAL PROGRAM

EDSC LESSON PLAN

TEMPLATE Revised 4.15
For directions on how to complete this form, see EDSC Lesson Plan Directions and Scoring Guide in the SSCP Handbook at
www.sscphandbook.org.

Name

CWID

Craig Francis

890866122

Class Title
Chemistry

Subject Area
Chemistry

Lesson Title
Solar Cell Inquiry

Unit Title
STEM Project

Grade Levels
10-11

Total Minutes
104

CLASS DESCRIPTION
28 Sophomore and Junior students. All have passed algebra and one has had physics.
STANDARDS AND LESSON OBJECTIVES
CCSS Math, CCSS ELA & Literacy History/Social
Studies, Science and Technical Subjects, NGSS, and
Content Standards
HS-PS3-3. Design, build, and refine a device that works
within given constraints to convert one form of energy
into another form of energy.
HS-PS4-3. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning
behind the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be
described either by a wave model or a particle model, and
that for some situations one model is more useful than
the other.
HS-PS4-4. Evaluate the validity and reliability of claims
in published materials of the effects that different
frequencies of electromagnetic radiation have when
absorbed by matter.
Lesson Objective(s)
Students will explain that :

Light comes in packets of energy called photons

Photons of a specific wavelength liberate

electrons from their atoms

Photovoltaic cells are composed of electron rich

and electron poor layers.

Light frees electrons to move between layers and

create a current.
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
Purpose/Focus of
Type
Implementation
Assessment

EL

PM

English Language Development Standards (ELD)

Condensing information from academic text and applying

information to a real world problem.
Collaborate with peers to negotiate experimental design

Evidence

The evidence will come in the Discussion and Conclusion

sections of Inquiry Lab Report

1. Establish prior
knowledge of the
mechanism of Solar
1. Think Write Share
Cells
2. Think Write Share
2. Establish prior
knowledge of Electricity

Students will complete

two GOs. One on Close
Reading and the other
for Inquiry
To demonstrate the
students acquisition of
solar cell content and
critical thinking skills
through inquiry lab

Students progress will

be monitored by walking
around and listening to
conversations, reviewing
progress on GOs and
teacher approval of
hypothesis for Inquiry.
Assigned lab report on
Solar Cell Inquiry

Feedback Strategy

How Informs Teaching

Class Discussion

If students demonstrate
prior knowledge of Solar
Cells function, will jump
to construction of cells.
If students demonstrate
prior knowledge of
electricity, will skip
review.

Feedback will be verbal

through asking
facilitative questions to
guide students through
acquisition of content.

If 30% of students are

having issues with
content, TC will change
strategy to focused
inquiry on reading.

Written comments on lab

report. If lab report is
substandard, students
will have the opportunity
to make corrections and

This determines whether

content requires reteaching.

report

resubmit.

INSTRUCTION
Instructional Strategies
Think-Write-Share, Video presentation, Close reading, Inquiry
Lesson Introduction/Anticipatory Set
Time
Teacher Does

10 min

1) TC starts slide presentation with essential

question.
2) TC introduces learning goals
3) TC review on Electricity

Lesson Body
Time
1.
2.

85

3.

4.

Lesson Closure
Time

Teacher Does
Videos
a. PNP Cells
b. DSSC
Close Reading
a. Focused Inquiry on Close Reading GO
i. Approach to academic text
ii. Start with specific questions that you
want to answer.
1. Three reads
a. Scan
i. Organization
and main ideas
b. General
Information
i. Concepts
c. Focus/Details
i. Specific details
associated with
the topic or
question trying
to answer
2. Highlight confusing
words, phrases, and
concepts
3. Highlight things that you
found interesting.
4. Use of vocabulary list.
5. Write explanations of hard
to understand concepts in
your own words.
6. Answer the questions on
the close read GO.
Model Solar Cell Assembly
a. Take notes, youre going to have to do this.
b. Film for further study (School Loop)
i. HomeworkList the parts and write
the steps for assembly
Inquiry
a. Focused Inquiry on Inquiry GO
i. 5 Things that you know
ii. 5 questions from things that you
know
iii. 1 testable hypothesis or big question
1. IfThen.
iv. Materials and procedure to test
hypothesis or answer questions
v. Introduce lab report format
Teacher Does

Student Does
1) Think write Share on, Solar panels are one of the
foundations of the green initiative, they are showing
up everywhere, How do they work?
2) Learning Goals
3) Think Write Share on DC Circuit, Participate in
review if needed
Student Does

Watch the videos

Conduct close reading exercise and answer
questions
Take notes on cell construction
Design Inquiry experiment using GO

Student Does

Assign homework for day one, Collects Inquiry GOs

Turn in Inquiry GO for safe keeping
for safe keeping
Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Multimedia
a. Overhead projector with computer
b. Video Camera to record cell assembly
c. Materials
vi. Solar Cell Kits
vii. Multi meters
viii. Organic Dyes
1. Raspberry Juice
2. Other Juices?
3. Spinach
a. Ethanol
i. Denatured
ii. Will kill you if you drink
b. Mortar and pistil
ix. Centrifuge
x. Light sources
1. Sunlight
2. Florescent Lights
3. Incandescent light
4. Black light
5. LED Light
5

Co-Teaching Strategies
TC Teach and MT support
DIFFERENTIATION
English Learners
The use of graphic
organizers and text
questions for close reading.
Video presentation on
content
Vocabulary list
w/definitions for academic
English. Presentation of
learning goals, Group work
being paired with native
speaking students

Striving Readers
The use of graphic
organizers and text
questions for close reading.
Video presentation on
content
Vocabulary list w/definitions
for academic English.
Presentation of learning
goals, Group work being
paired with stronger
reading students

Students with Special

Needs

Follow IEP

Advanced Students

Additional academic paper

for more in-depth and more
difficult reading

REFLECTION: SUMMARY, RATIONALE, AND IMPLEMENTATION

This will be the students introduction to inquiry. In order to accomplish this, focused inquiry on the inquiry and close
reading processes will be needed to show the students the path forward. Multiple strategies are incorporated into the
lesson as this is a long block class. Effort to reduce lecture time is embedded into class and activities are broken up
into listening, talking, reading and planning. Research passed pedagogy such as Think Write (pair) Share, and
scaffolded close reading are used. The inquiry process is also scaffolded with a GO. Students grapple with the content
as they design and execute experiments of their own design. The assembly of the solar cell is modeled and filmed.
Students will be required to decode the video to establish the assembly steps prior to constructing the cells.