Below are some of the science lesson plans that can be found on a variety of websites. The lesson plans are just a few examples of lessons I would teach in my classroom. The lesson plans can also be incorporated at home!
1. The Brain and Senses: This lesson plan allows students to explore their brain and different senses and functions that their brain can perform. These functions include taste, memory, sight and touch. For the sight activity the students will look at a variety of optical illusions. The brain is constantly trying to fill in the blank spaces and filling them with information. The students will observe the different images that they see in each optical illusion. The materials needed are jelly beans, paper clips, and about eight objects. In the taste activity the students will guess the different flavors of jelly beans without knowing the flavor. Then the students will discuss why their brain made assumptions of different flavors judging by the color. In the memory activity the students will be shown different objects in a minute. Next, the students will have to write down as many of the objects as they remember. This activity tests short term memory and the students will answer whether or not there was an object that all the students didn't remember, or one that they all did. The last activity will be an experiment on touch. In this activity the students will test pressure points on each others hand using paper clips.
2. Spaceship Builder:The spaceship builder lesson allows students to create their own spaceship to explore their knowledge of space and building. The students are creating a spaceship that will be safe in space. The students are to brainstorm and design their own spaceship on paper, collect materials, build, and display their creations in class. The students will be able to answer the following questions after their activity:
1. Why did you choose to build this?
2. Do astronauts live in this spaceship and where?
3. What was the hardest part about building your spaceship? What would
you change next time?
3. Sink or Float: In this lesson plan, the students will predict which objects will sink or float. The different materials needed are: a bucket of water, a towel, a cork, pencil, paper clip, crayon, twig, marble, plastic spoon, and a bar of soap. (A literature connection would be to include the book, Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham ). The teacher will introduce each material and the students will predict on a recording sheet whether the object will sink or float. After each material is placed in the water the class will reflect on their predictions to see if they were right or not. The students will then answer the question, why did the object sink or float? An at home extension would be to have the students test different objects at home and record whether they float or sink.
4. Pendulum Problems: In this lesson plan, the students will use the scientific process to explore the effects of force on an object in motion. The students will create their own pendulum using a ruler, tape, two feet of string, marble, popsicle sticks, large straw and a meter stick. Using a recording sheet the students will predict what will happen when the pendulum swings and how the ball will react. For an at home extension the students will notice the different forces when driving a car. Students will observe whether or not a car that is driving faster has to apply the breaks harder or sooner then the cars that are driving slower.
5. Planet Power: This lesson plan is extremely easy for students to do at home! Students will need balls (in different sizes such as a tennis ball, Ping-Pong ball, or playground ball), citrus fruit in different sizes, a glass marble, an inflated balloon, and a small pebble. (There should be 10 different items ranging in sizes. The students can start off by sorting the objects whichever way that they want. Then the students will sort the objects like scientists would sort the planet: by size, by weight, or by nearest or farthest to the sun. The students will have the balloon represent the sun and line up the other planets in accordance to their position near the sun. To extend this activity the students will research the following questions:
1. How far away are the planets from the sun?
2. How far is Mars from Earth?
3. How big is the sun?
4. How big is the sun compared to the other stars in the solar system?
6. Liquid Learning : The objective for this lesson is for the students to explore matter, different liquids and their densities. The students will need about five different containers that can be filled with five different liquids. The students will then observe what is in the containers and estimate what each of the liquids is. To introduce liquids the students will observe a glass of water to show a liquid, an ice cube to observe a solid and if available a cup of boiling water to represent gas. Then the students will notice how the shapes of the containers may be different by the type of matter is still a liquid. The liquid form of matter changes shape to fit its container so the volume will be the same for each container. The students will also need 4 clear plastic cups, club soda, food coloring, and salt to observe the liquid densities. The students will fill two cups with water, one cup with salt, and one cup with club soda. First, have the students drop the food coloring into all 4 of the cups. The students will observe the difference in how long the food coloring took to spread throughout the water. The students will observe why the cups look the same but behave differently.
7. How Hot is it Anyway?: In this activity students will demonstrate how heat can be produced by rubbing two objects together. Students will learn how to use different instruments (thermometer) to measure temperature. For this activity students will need a pencil, paper, sandpaper, a thermometer, a block of wood and lotion. The students will first start off by rubbing their hands together. Then the students will observe and record what happened. Next, students will rub the sandpaper and wood together and record what happens. Students will rub their hands together for thirty-seconds and find the temperature afterwards. Finally, the students will put lotion on their hands and rub them together for another thirty seconds and record the difference. This activity can easily be done at home with one student. To extend this activity students could find a variety of objects around the house to rub together and observe.
8. Glacier Guide: For a more advanced activity students will discuss glaciers and how they change the land. Students will need paper, a pencil, newspaper, markers, an ice cube tray, water, sand, two plastic cups, a teaspoon, and paper towels. Students will be demonstrating how glaciers cause dramatic change on the land. First they will put two of the ice cubes in a cup filled with water and two of the ice cubes in a cup that is filled with sand. Then the students will rub the sandy ice cube against the top of the cup using a paper towel and record what they notice about the top. Next the students will repeat the process using the clear ice cube and recording what they notice happens to the top of the cup. The sandy ice cube represents how the glaciers cut depressions into the earths surface.
9. Tornado Time : In this lesson plan the students will learn how to create a tornado using simple household objects. Students will need water, a clear plastic bottle, dish washing soap, and glitter. Students will fill the plastic bottle 2/3 of the way full of water. Then the students will add a few drops of dish washing soap and glitter. Students will screw on the cap and turn the bottle upside down so that they are holding the bottle by the cap in their hand. Next the students will spin the bottle in a circular motion and observe if there is a tiny tornado forming. The mini tornado is formed because of centripetal force (an inward force directing an object or fluid such as water towards the center of its circular path). Afterwards students will brainstorm where other vortexes such as the tornado are formed such as hurricanes.
10. Balloon Blow-Up : The objective of the lesson is for students to understand the impact of carbon dioxide. Students will be blowing up balloons using baking soda and lemon juice. In this activity the materials needed are 1 teaspoon baking soda, lemon juice, a balloon, 40 mL of water, a straw and a soft drink bottle. Students will stretch out the balloon before beginning the experiment. Then the student will pour the water into the bottle. Next, the students will pour in the baking soda and lemon juice. Very quickly, the balloon will be placed around the spout of the bottle. Adding the baking soda to the lemon juice creates a chemical reaction. The students will observe that the gas is pushed out of the bottle and up into the balloon. The gas created is carbon dioxide. To extend this activity use soda instead of the water and Pop Rocks candy instead of the lemon juice and baking soda and watch what happens to the balloon!
No comments:
Post a Comment