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Lesson Plan
Jamey Courses: Science and English Language Arts Unit: Creating Colour Title/Lesson: Introduction I am hoping this lesson will take approximately one week of a five week unit to complete from start to finish. **Please note that within this larger lesson plan are multiple, smaller, interdependent lessons. The students must go through each lesson in a sequence in order to achieve the final understanding of the larger lesson. Date: September 27th, 2013 Grade Level: 1 Class Make-up: The students have basic knowledge of colours, as well as light and shadows and are able to read and write at, or above, a Grade 1 level. There are 20 students in the class. Additionally, there are several ELL students who sometimes require assistance when reading and/or writing. The unit, Creating Colour, will occur mid-year when students motor skills are more developed. This particular lesson will occur near the beginning of the unit when students are just starting to understand and grasp the concept of light, which is a precursor to learning about colours. This unit is a building block for the Grade 4 unit Light and Shadows, and therefore, it is important to introduce and discuss the concepts of opaqueness, translucency, and transparency while at the same time exploring light and shadows, which is the purpose of this lesson. Big Idea The purpose of this lesson is to explore three science concepts, which are: opaqueness, translucency, and transparency through inquiry-based learning. This lesson also includes a descriptive writing component related to shadows. Essential Questions: What makes shadows? What is the relation to light? What do the words opaque, translucent, and transparent mean? What is a descriptive sentence? Can you write one about a shadow? Learning Objectives General Outcome 1: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences

Durnin 2 The lesson is designed to provide students with opportunities to orally explore their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences. Throughout the lesson, I ask numerous questions about light and shadows that provide students with opportunities to respond and tell me what they think. 1.1 Discover and Explore: share personal experiences; make observations about activities; choose to read or write with others are all within the larger lesson. General Outcome 4: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view, and represent to enhance the clarity and artistry of communication. Students are provided the opportunity to practice effective strategies for using language with precision, clarity, and artistry through their descriptive writing. 4.1 Enhance Legibility: use appropriate spacing between letters in words and between words in sentences; use words and pictures to add sensory detail 4.2 Attend to Conventions: write simple statements, demonstrating awareness of capital letters and periods General Outcome 5: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view, and represent to respect, support, and collaborate within a group. Students are provided the opportunity to work with another student., therfore, they start to learn how to work with another student to meet a common goal. 5.2 Work within a Group: work in partnerships and groups Students will know....... and be able to............. Students will know what shadows are and be able to describe what creates shadows in relation to light. Students will know what opaque, translucent, and transparent are, the relation to light, and be able to identify the three elements when asked. They will also be able to identify and classify concrete objects as opaque, translucent, or transparent. Students will know the cultural connotations of shadows and be able to write a descriptive sentence about their own shadow. Making Connections & Expanding Knowledge: Connections among subjects are inherent in the lesson. Focus on collaboration and group work Students work in pairs for the experiment with the flashlight and are almost always allowed to negotiate understandings with other members in the class. Inquiry-based learning There are several experiments and activities (eg. shadow walk) that students participate in to inquire and compose understandings. I ask questions that allow students to think deeply about the topics. Learner differentiation There are hands-on activities as well as writing-based activities

Durnin 3 to try to engage all learners within the classroom. Expanding knowledge - This lesson will allow students to expand upon their previous knowledge about shadows and light. The larger unit is Creating Colour, and knowing what dark and light are will help students perform basic activities required within the five week unit plan. For example, part of the science curriculum involes making colours, which requires knowledge of the properties of darkness and lightness (ie. If you blend red and white, you will get pink, etc.).

Pre-assessment: Materials: Informal and formal assessments will For the lesson opening, I will require occur all year. For this lesson, I will have a Smartboard with access to the already assessed students abilities to internet. Other required materials grasp basic science concepts, which will are listed in the sections below. inform how I teach this particular lesson. I will also have assessed students progress with writing, which will inform how I will teach descriptive writing. Lesson Opening: I will show this Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty0C8mH4Jy8 to begin the lesson to get students thinking about shadows. I will ask, Does everyone have a shadow? Can you feed a shadow? Are shadows alive? etc. If students do not already have basic knowledge of shadows, they will after the lesson opening is complete. Participatory Learning & Procedure: Time Day 1 Shadow Walk 45 mins Instructor Activities Learner Activities -Take students outside to -Participate in the do a shadow walk (can be shadow walk done inside as well, if -Make observations necessary). about the shapes and -Instruct students to sizes of their shadows make observations about -Share findings from the their shadows. Ask: shadow walk or from what do they look like? past experiences with What shapes do they the class make? etc. -Answer the question, - When we return from what makes a the shadow walk, we will shadow? get together as a class -Compare findings with and share the findings Bullas book based on what they saw -Share thoughts today, or based on past experiences with Resources/Materials -Bullas What Makes a Shadow -2 pieces of poster paper -Markers

Durnin 4 shadows. -I will write down (model writing) their responses on a large sheet of paper. -Ask students, what makes a shadow? -Read Bullas What Makes a Shadow? aloud while pointing out specific pictures. -Model note-taking as we read the book; write down important facts on a different piece of paper -Compare students findings to the descriptions in Bullas book. - Ask the students if the book changes or confirms what they thought. Students will orally explain why or why not their thoughts changed.

Day 2 Change 45 mins

-Read The Dark, Dark Night to the class -Again, ask students what makes a shadow? (review from last session) -Ask students to make predictionsDo shadows change?, What happens to the shadows when one gets closer to the light?, Further away? Show the students the objects that will be used in todays lesson. Ask them to make predictionsWill the light travel through this object? Why or why

-Listen to the book -Answer what makes a shadow? -Make predictions about whether or not shadows change, about the objects, etc. -Participate in the experiment -Express findings and recognize if predictions were accurate or not

-The Dark, Dark Night -1 piece of paper -Markers -10 flashlights

Durnin 5 not etc. -Record predictions on a piece of paper with the heading, Do Shadows Change? -Experiment: Make groups of two: one holds the flashlight, the other is the model. Darken the room. On instruction, the student with the flashlight will move closer to the model; then, will move further away. Three objects will also be provided (opaque, translucent, transparent). Shadows (or lack thereof) on the wall should be noted by the students -Get together as class. Share findings and compare them to the predictions made. There will probably need to be guidancedid the light pass through a solid object etc. Record new facts about opaqueness, translucency, and transparency.

Day 3 Science Focus 45 mins

-Ask students to share what they know so far about shadows. If necessary, remind students that shadows are formed when light cannot pass through an object (opaque), shadows cannot be formed when something is transparent, and that a little shadow may be formed when an

-Share what they know -Art journals about shadows -Pencils -Describe the difference -Crayons or pencil crayons of opaqueness, translucency, and transparency in relation to objects -Enter information into art journals

Durnin 6 object is translucent. -Enter their findings (drawing and printing) in their art journals with a picture of the experiment with the flashlights completed yesterday. - I will do an example with them before they start (scaffold) and explain the expectations

Day 4 and 5 Descriptive Writing 45 mins each day

-Juicy Words (descriptive words) as well as sentence writing will have already been introduced to the class -Explain the cultural perspective about shadows (they are often viewed as spooky or scary). Read a descriptive book that portrays shadows as scary to inspire student thinking. -Ask students to draw a picture and write a spooky sentence about their own shadow using descriptive words. -I will do an example with them first (scaffold) and explain the expectations. -Will hang work in the classroom.

-Listen to the book -Draw a picture and write a descritptive sentence about their own shadow. The sentence does not have to be scary if students prefer to try something else. I want to invoke creativity.

-25 pieces of paper -Pencils -Pencil crayons and crayons

Assessment: Students will be assessed on a spectrum. If possible, I would like to include the students in the assessment process so they begin to understand the responsibilities they have in their own learning.

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Science Assessment: Science Inquiry General Learner Expectations: Students will: 1-1 Bring focus to investigative activities based on their own questions and those of others Specific Learner Expectations: Students will: Focus ask questions that lead to exploration and investigation; predict what they think will happen and what they might find Students will be assessed on whether or not they understand the words opaque, translucent, and transparent through their writing and/or drawings. For example, they will be graded on if they fully understand the concepts, if they kind of understand the concepts, or if they do not understand the concept. There will be an opportunity for self-assessment. Students will have the opportunity to come and talk to me about what they learned, how well they think they did on the assignment, etc. I am looking for honesty and a true reflection about their performance. Language Arts Assessment: The assessment will mostly be based on the Program of Studies Outcome 4.1 Enhance and Improve and 4.2 Attend to Conventions because it is something that the class will have been working on continuously and will be gauged throughout the year on various pieces of work. Informal assessments will occur as well. For example, the experiment provides students the opportunity to work in pairs and I will informally assess how well they worked with others. The first section will be on communication and will have to do with the purpose of the assignment. For example, the students will be graded on if the purpose is unclear, if the purpose is somewhat clear, or if the purpose is clear. The second section will be on sentence structure. For example, if the sentence is incomplete, if the sentence is somewhat complete, or if the sentence is complete. The third section will be on conventions (spelling and punctuation). For example, if the student uses capitals and periods sporatically or not at all, if the student generally uses capitals and periods correctly, or if the student almost always uses capitals and periods correctly. The fourth section will be on visual presentation, which includes the descriptive sentence and the picture. For example, if the students demonstration is visually unclear (odd spacing, placement, or legibility), if the student produces a visual presentation that is amost clear, or if the student produces a visual presentation that is clear. The fifth section will be on creativity. I want to promte students creativity within the classroom.

Durnin 8 Student should demonstrate that they tried something new and/or took a risk. Of course, there will be no failure in this regard. The last section will be a self-assessment. Like in the science assessment, students will have the opportunity to come and talk to me about what they learned, how well they think they did on the assignment, etc. I am looking for honesty and a true reflection about their performance. Differentiation: The activities in the class are designed to engage as many learners as possible through differentiation. In the large, overarching lesson, and in the sequence of the smaller lessons, I include a Youtube video, inquiry-based learning through questioning, experiments, drawing, and writing to provide variety. I am assessing drawings and/or writing in the science component to provide more flexibility. ELL students may have difficulties writing the descriptive sentence, therefore, the students can orally tell me what they want to write and I will write it in highlighter for them to trace over. Another solution can be for them to tell me what they want to write, then I write it on a piece of paper, and they type it on the computer. This solution might be the better option for more aesthetically pleasing work (no highlighter marks). Lesson Summary/Reflection: To be determined after each small lesson as well as after the overarching lesson is complete. I will take specific notes to improve for next time.