Drexel Lesson Plan Template

Gravity experiment

Teacher: Anthony Pantalone

Grade: 2
Content Area: Science

1. Content and Standards:

a. W.2.7Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of
books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
b. W.2.8Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided
sources to answer a question.

2. Prerequisites:
a. Students know how to complete a science experiment using the scientific method

3. Essential Questions:
a. Will a heavier object fall faster than a lighter object?

4. Materials and Equipment:

a. Smart board
b. experiment worksheet
c. pencil
d. video
e. experiment materials (feather, book, pencil, eraser...)

5. Instructional Objective:
a. Students will be able to create a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, record data and
the results to form a conclusion.

6. Instructional Procedures:
a. Before
i. The teacher will introduce the lesson by reviewing the scientific method
b. During
i. The teacher will hold up 2 objects of different weight and ask the students
to share ways in which they are different (allowing the students to
discover the fact that they are different weights).
ii. Once a student recognizes they are different weights, the teacher will ask
if that object will fall faster. As a whole group, the teacher will lead the
class through the experiment to find out if heavier objects will fall faster
by dropping 2 different objects 4 times. Throughout the experiment, the
teacher will guide the class through filling out the scientific method
worksheet for the experiment.
iii. Once the test is complete, the teacher will lead discussion on the results,
completing the worksheet.
 iv. When the students finish the worksheet, they will be directed to put the
paper away.
c. After
i. The teacher will hold up a hammer and a feather and ask which they think
will fall faster now that they know weight is a factor in how fast objects
fall. The teacher will take a poll, ask students to raise one hand if the
hammer will fall first, the other hand if the feather will fall first, or both
hands if they will fall at the same speed.
ii. Once we see that the hammer falls faster, the teacher will ask the students
how that could be, using least to most intrusive questioning to help
students find the answer themselves.
iii. When the students learn that the air affected the feather, the class will
watch a video of a feather and bowling ball falling in a vacuum to show
what happens when no air is present.

7. Assessment:
a. Student understanding will be assessed during the whole group via the teachers
observation.
b. Formal assessment will come in the form of the students performance on the
experiment worksheet.
i. To assess scientific understanding
1. Students will complete the hypothesis, results and conclusion
independently
ii. To assess writing
1. The teacher will collect the worksheet to assess students writing,
i.e. spelling, grammar and use of punctuation.