Name: Spencer Gallant

Class: ELED 3221-001

Date: 3/10/15
edTPA Indirect Instruction Lesson Plan Template
The Muscular System
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Central Focus/Big Idea: The muscular system is one of the human body systems that students
will study.
Subject of this lesson: The muscular system
Grade Level: 3rd
NC Essential Standard(s): 3.L.1 Understand human body systems and how they are essential
for life: protection, movement and support.
Next Generation Science Standard(s):
MS-LS1-3. Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting
subsystems composed of groups of cells.
21st Century Skills:
Make Judgments and Decisions: Students will be analyzing the information given to determine
the correct answer in the assessment.
Communication and collaboration: Students will be working in collaborative groups as they
complete their word sort as well as doing their assessment in a group setting.
Academic Language Demand
Language Function: In the table below highlight the one most important language
function for your lesson. Explain why you chose these.
Analyze

Argue

Categorize

Interpret

Predict

Question

Compare/contras
t
Retell

Describe

Explain

Summarize

Scientific Vocabulary: contract, muscle, tendon, voluntary muscle, involuntary muscle

Instructional Objective: Students will be able to collaboratively interpret information given and
answer questions related to the muscular system. They will be able to successfully answer 3 out 4
questions correctly in the evaluate phase of the lesson.

Prior Knowledge (student): Students have a general understanding that the human body is
composed of various systems that are essential to our survival. Students should have learned
about the skeletal system and understand that the skeletal system protects our organs, gives the
body its shape, and it works with muscles to move the body.
Content Knowledge (teacher): Teachers should know the three types of muscles that make up
the body: smooth, cardiac, and skeletal muscles as well as their functions. The teacher should
also know that muscles work in pairs to move bones. In addition to this, teachers should know
that our brains send messages to our muscles to help us move.
Accommodations for special needs: For ELL students, I would use pictures to help them
understand the key vocabulary words to ensure that they understand the content. For struggling
readers, I will help read aloud the questions in the assessment phase of the lesson.
Materials and Technology requirements: Smart board, power point, 4-5 compact mirrors, 19
copies of the student assessment, 19 rubber bands, popsicle sticks to make the frame of the
skeleton for the visual of the human body and rubber bands wrapped around the popsicle sticks
to represent muscles, word sort cards (8 cards per group, 4-5 groups).
Total Estimated Time: 1 day
Source of lesson:
Daniel, L. (2006). Macmillan/McGraw-Hill science (pp. R-23). New York: Macmillan/McGrawHill School Pub.
Muscles. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 16, 2015, from
https://jr.brainpop.com/health/bodies/muscles/preview.weml
Safety considerations: I will make sure that students understand how to use their personal space
when they are moving their bodies around. I will also explain rules and procedure for safely
carrying out other physical movements as students explore using their muscles.
Content and Strategies (Procedure)
Engage:
Remind students that they have been learning about the skeletal system. Ask students:

What does the skeletal system do? (Gives the body its shape, it protects organs in the body, and it
works with muscles to move the body)

The teacher will have a KWL chart posted on the wall. Students will be provided with post-it
notes to write on one post-it one thing that they already know about the muscular system, and on
another post-it, one thing that they want to know. The students will place their notes under the
corresponding column and the teacher will read some of their ideas off of the chart.

I will ask students to stand up and find their own personal space in the classroom. Students will
be instructed to jump up and down, skip, run in place, do jumping jacks, and twist from side to
side. Ask students:

How are we able to make all of these different movements? (We use our muscles to move)
How many muscles do you think our bodies have? (There are over 600 muscles are in the body)
If I wanted to stand on one leg, what does my body do to make that happen? (The brain sends
messages to our muscles and tells them to move)

Explore:
Provide one mirror for each group of students and tell students to take turns looking at their
expressions in the mirror as they perform the following actions: smile, frown, move your eyes
from left to right, stick out your tongue, make a surprised face. Ask students:

How does your face feel as you are moving it around? (Anticipated answer: I can feel my cheeks
move when I smile)
How can you move your eyes around? (muscles in my eyes allow me to see and move my eyes in
different directions)
Is your tongue a muscle? (yes, the tongue is a muscle too)

Tell students to make a muscle as they flex their muscle ask them:

How do you think this is happening?

Does your arm change shape when you flex your muscle? (Yes, the upper part of your armbicep- gets larger when you flex your muscle)
Does your bicep feel different when you make this motion? (Yes, it feels tight)
How does it feel when you relax your arm? (It feels normal)

Explanation: Give every student a rubber band and tell them to stretch it far out and release it
back to its normal shape. Connect this concept with how muscles feel in the body. The rubber
band is elastic, meaning it stretches easily. Muscles are similar, they are like rubber. They can
contract and relax easily to help you move. All movements that you make are due to muscles.
You can speak, walk/run, see, digest food, and carry out many other movements due to our
muscles.
Show students slides on the power point containing further explanations about the muscular
system. C:\Users\Spencer\Documents\the muscular system.pdf (power point also provided on
weebly page)
Elaborate: Show students the Brain POP Jr. video about muscles
https://jr.brainpop.com/health/bodies/muscles/ (username: palmbeach password: palmbeach)
Show students a human representation of our muscles on the popsicle stick man. Ask students:
What do the popsicle sticks represent on the human? (the bodys skeleton)
What do the rubber bands wrapped around the popsicle sticks represent? (the rubber
bands represent our muscles covering our bones)

Give each group of students the word sorting cards. Have students try to match the type of
muscle (smooth, cardiac, skeletal) with the correct place in the body that the muscles are
found as well as the corresponding picture. Answers for the card sort: smooth muscles,
(intestines, lungs) cardiac muscles (heart), skeletal muscles (bicep, triceps).
After the word sort, students can complete the what I have learned, L portion of the KWL
chart by placing post-it noted in this portion of the chart.
Evaluate:
Formative assessment: Students will be informally assessed as they complete their matching
activity in the elaborate phase of the lesson.
Summative assessment: Students will take an assessment where they will work collaboratively
with their group members to interpret the questions being asked and choose the best answer for
each question. Students must get 3 out of 4 questions correct to indicate mastery of this topic.
To be complete after the lesson is taught as appropriate
Assessment Results of all objectives/skills: The students did well overall on the summative
assessment. The majority of the students obtained mastery by getting 3 out of 5 questions correct.
Reflection on lesson: Summary of lesson and reflection provided on another document on
weebly website
CT signature/confirmation: _________________________________ Date: ________________