Lesson Plan format for beginning teachers

Student Teacher: David King and Hazana Razak Lesson Topic: Science Year Level: 4 Class size:6 School: Wantina South Primary Date: 15/04/2012 Time of Lesson: Duration of Lesson: 60 min

Teaching Focus:
For students to contribute their own predictions and hypothesise as to why they have made their predictions. After testing students will reflect on what they got right, what they got incorrect and consider their prior conceptions.

Student Learning Focus:

To consider scientific process of hypothesis, testing and reflection

Background knowledge:
No background knowledge. This task is to establish basic, rudimentary scientific procedure through practice

VELS: Level 3 Science Continuum

At Level 3, students plan, design, conduct and report collaboratively on experiments related to their questions about living and non-living things and events. They select and use simple measuring equipment, use a range of appropriate methods to record observations, and comment on trends. They describe the concept of a fair test and identify the variables associated with an experiment. They develop fair tests to make comparisons and explain how they have controlled experimental variables.

Student differences:
This will be an interactive exercise which will allow all students to contribute as predictions will be required by all. Also each student will get a turn to test an item in the exercise.

Resources:
Bucket of water, items for testing, exercise books, pens.

Stage of lesson
Intro TEACH new skill Body APPLY new skill taught Closure ASSESS new skill

Classroom organisation and duration: 6 students

Activities and tasks:

Student action: What will students be doing?

Teacher action: What will you be doing? What will you be saying?

Lesson Introduction and elaboration:

How will I:
engage and interest students? explain the purpose and aim of the lesson? explain/model/ demonstrate new content knowledge? connect the lesson to previous learning?

Introduce that the scientific process begins with simply observing and noting events and outcomes in a simulated environment. Draw up observation table that they can copy into their books. Explain, demonstrate the first observation with student assist.

Taking item from tray, write it up in table. Ask in circle, "do you think this will float or sink? Why?" Place item in water. Initiate discussion.

Students will be taking much of discussion, as well as the hands on demonstration. Students will write up their predictions and observations in their notebooks. Students can also make some drawings of how they interpret the "forces" at work in the task.

Teachers will introduce and explain exercise. Teachers will facilitate discussion and move task along.

Body of the Lesson:

Practising and applying new knowledge
What learning tasks or learning centres will I have? What instructions will I give to students? Will I lead a small group? How will I conference with individual students?

There will be no need for individual conferencing as this is a small group task. Instructions are for students to consider the scientific process of observe and report, and to consider their pre-conceived predictions against the actuality.

Based on prior knowledge, students will be asked if they can use what they've already seen to re-evaluate predictions and give justifications for these predictions.

Facilitating discussion.

Lesson Closure
Review and sharing time
How will I select students to share? How will I encourage students to articulate what they have learned? How will I celebrate student achievements?

Quiz checking and consolidating lesson focus.

Assessment:
What assessment methods will I use to determine whether my aims for the lesson have been achieved? How does the assessment criteria relate to VELS progression points?

Self Evaluation:
What did I observe about student learning? What did I do well in teaching this lesson? What problems occurred in teaching the lesson? What would I do differently if I taught the lesson again? How successful was I in working on my teaching focus?

Supervisor evaluation:

Observation and quiz results.