KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: Erica Mistler

Cooperating Teacher: Dr. Varano
Group Size: 20

Allotted Time 1 hour

Subject or Topic: Rainbows

Date: 4/16/16
Coop. Initials
Grade Level Kindergarten
Section

STANDARD:
S.K2.A.2.2.1Identifysimpletoolsthatcanbeusedinaninvestigation(e.g.,measuring
cup,handlens,ruler,balancescale,thermometer).
S.K2.A.2.1.1Understandthatmakingachangetoaninvestigationmaychangethe
outcome(s)oftheinvestigation.
S.K2.A.2.1.2Describeoutcomesofaninvestigation
I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):
A. The students will be able to make a rainbow using paper towels and colored
water.
II. Instructional Materials
A. Water
B. 7 plastic cups
C. Paper towels
D. Red, blue, and yellow food dye
E. KWL chart
F. Rainbow video: https://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/rainbows/
G. Rainbow video song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt2DCGYzSsc
H. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet construction paper
III. Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of
additional content)
A. Prerequisite skills
1. Color names
2. Basic phonics skills
B. Key Vocabulary
1. Rainbow
2. Absorption C. Big Idea

1.
2.
D. Content
1.
2.
3.

The students will know how a rainbow is formed.

The students will know the colors of the rainbow.

The sun makes a rainbow when the light passes through raindrops.
The raindrops act like tiny prisms.
When the light shines through these tiny prisms it bends the different
colors and these colors spread out to make a rainbow.
4. The order of the colors of the rainbow are red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, indigo, violet.

IV. Implementation
A. Introduction
1. The teacher will tell the class that today we will be learning about
rainbows.
2. The teacher will play a video about rainbows:
https://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/rainbows/
B. Development
1. The teacher will ask the class if anyone has ever seen a rainbow
before.
2. The teacher will allow the students to answer this question and
respond appropriately to their stories.
3. The teacher will then do a KWL chart with the students.
4. The teacher will pass out two post-it notes to each student.
5. The students will be instructed to write what they know about
rainbows on one and one the students want to know about rainbows
on the other.
6. The teacher will go around the room and share what they wrote and
come up and put their responses on the KWL chart.
7. The teacher will then explain that the sun makes a rainbow when the
light passes through raindrops.
8. The raindrops act like tiny prisms.
9. When the light shines through these tiny prisms it bends the different
colors and these colors spread out to make a rainbow.
10. The teacher will ask the students if anyone knows the order of the
colors of the rainbow.
11. The teacher will play the video of the rainbow song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt2DCGYzSsc
12. The teacher will call on students to see if they can remember the
colors in order.
13. The teacher will then hand out sheets of construction paper for each
color of the rainbow.
14. The students will be instructed to come to the front of the classroom
and get in rainbow order.
15. The teacher will ask the students if they think this looks correct?
16. The teacher will correct the students where they are incorrect.

17. The teacher will tell the students to go back to their seats.
18. Explain to the students that today we are going to try and make our
own rainbow.
19. Ask the class if they have any ideas how we would do this.
20. Let the students explain how they would make a rainbow and then
hand out the materials they will need to make one.
21. Give each table 7 cups of water, food dye, and paper towels.
22. Give the students an opportunity to see if they can figure out on their
own how to make a rainbow.
23. After the students have tried asking them what went wrong and how
doing they think they could change it.
24. Tell them to put a few drops of blue food dye in two cups, a few
drops of yellow food dye in another cup, and a few drops of red food
dye in another.
25. The students should line the cups up so that they go blue, clear,
yellow, clear, red, clear, and then blue.
26. Show the students how to roll up the paper towel so it is in a long
rectangle.
27. Have the students put one end of the paper towel in the blue and one
in the clear.
28. Have them roll up another one and put one end in the clear and one
in the yellow.
29. Have the students keep doing this until all paper towels are
connected.
30. Tell the students we need to wait a little to see the end results.
31. After they are finished explain to the students what happened.
32. The clear water should have changed color.
33. Explain to the students that the color from the cups absorbed into the
paper towel and put its color in the clear cup.
34. Both of the colors that got absorbed mixed together to make a
different color.
35. Tell the students that the word absorbs means to soak up.
36. Have the students draw a picture of the rainbow they made in their
science notebook.
C. Closure
1. Ask the students if they have any questions about what they did
today.
2. Tell the students that we will be learning about summer around the
world in class tomorrow.
D. Accommodations/Differentiation

1. Jordyn, a student with a specific learning disability in reading and

writing, will have a scribe to write his information on the post-it
notes.
2. The students will be given picture directions to help guide them
through the inquiry.
E. Assessment/Evaluation Plan
1. Formative
a) The teacher will check the students science notebook after
class to make sure the students drew the rainbow correctly.
2. Summative
a) There will be a summative test at the end of the unit.

V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Student Performance in Terms of Stated Objectives (Reflection on
student performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who fail to meet acceptable level of achievement)
Remediation Plan
B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective
answers to question recorded after lesson is taught)
1. What can I do to improve the lesson?

2. Did the students seem to grasp the content?

VI. Resources (in APA format)
https://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/rainbows/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt2DCGYzSsc