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Teacher Candidate:

Bradley Kerr

Date: March 3, 2015

edTPA LESSON PLANNER


Grade: _10-12_

Content Area/Class Title: ___Conceptual Physics____

Group Size: __34_ Lesson Length: __54__ minutes


Planning for the Lesson
A: Standards
i.
Key Content Standard:
California Content Standards for Physics:
a. Students know how to predict the voltage or current in simple direct current (DC) electric circuits
constructed from batteries, wires, resistors, and capacitors.
ii.
Related ELD Standard:
Part 1: Collaborative: 1. Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative
discussions on a range of social and academic topics.
B. Objectives
i.
Learning Outcome/Objective:
Students will explain qualitative differences of how current flows through parallel and series circuits
using prior knowledge and observations to support their statements.
ii.
Language Objective (transfer this from "Incorporating Academic Language"):
Students will compare observable differences in parallel and series circuits to predict relative levels of
voltage, current, and resistance in direct current circuits.
D. Cognitive Task:
Students have to work collaboratively to explain differences in qualitative differences between two
strings of lights. Students will propose three hypothesis regarding what the difference is, as well as a
method for checking if their hypothesis is correct.
C. Assessments:
i.
Informal assessment strategies you will use during class (What evidence will you collect?)
I will use conversations with students during the activity and class discussion to check for gaps in
knowledge, and record student understandings and questions related to the learning objective in a
chart.
ii.

Written assessment you will use to determine, for each individual student, to what extent
they have met your learning objectives. (What evidence will you collect?)
Students will respond to question prompts on the class handout. I will analyze student responses to
determine the extent that the students have met the stated objective.
D. Lesson Resources/Materials (e.g., handouts, manipulatives, text pages, special supplies):
I will use a two-page hangout titled Whats different about these strings of lights for the students
cognitive task. I will also use a strand of incandescent lights, an ELMO projector, a computer, an
overhead projector, and two Snap Circuit sets, Whats different about these lights? PowerPoint
presentation.
Instructional Sequence - Engaging Students in the Learning Process
T = Teacher S = Students
Optional: Starter and/or Homework Discussion (_4_ min.)

The instructor will remind students of the parallel and series circuit problem set due date, and remind
students that it is a quantitative way of describing voltage, current, and resistance in a circuit.
Introduction (10_ min.): Describe how you will make connections to prior knowledge, tap into their
experiences and interests, and let students know what the objective of the lesson is.
T Contextualize the lesson as discovering differences between two strands of lights that are to be
used as decorations for an outdoor bar-b-que.
T Plug in a parallel-wired string of lights to demonstrate specific properties to the students.
T Draw a whiteboard illustration of how a lightbulb is constructed to show that the filament is part of
the circuit.
S Use knowledge from prior circuit labs to explain how the string can work with only some of the
lights working.
T Take apart the string of lights and show students the components of the circuit (e.g. fuse, outlet).
Questions:
How can you tell that the current is able to flow through the circuit?
What would happen if I put a new bulb in the socket where a light was out?
What previous activities have we done that informed your hypothesis?
T Have a class discussion on what students believe comprises a good explanation. Ask students
if someone was providing you with an explanation for a question you had, how would you want them
to respond?
S Contribute to the class rubric for what makes up a good explanation.
T Connect student ideas together. Re-voice their ideas, if necessary, to ensure clarity.
Body of the Lesson (30_ minutes): Describe step-by-step what the teacher and the students will be
doing during the lesson. Remember to include academic language and individual assessment during
the body of your lesson.
T Reference the PowerPoint and remind students of the lessons objective.
S Get in to groups of two and work on the assigned task.
T Purposefully monitor student conversation, recording understandings and misconceptions in the
pre-designed handout.
T Assist students in incorporating academic language in to their explanations. For example, press
students to explain how voltage and current are affected differently.
S Hypothesis about potential differences between the two strings of lights, and come up with
methods for testing their hypotheses.
S Use the characteristics of parallel and series circuits to discuss why the Edmonston Pumping
Plant in the California Aqueduct uses multiple pipes instead of one.
T Bring class to order and have students compare their responses to question 5, regarding whether
or not an additional strand would light up when added to the end of each strand.
Questions:
If none of the lights are working, is current able to flow?
Why is it important to plug the string in to an outlet? What does the outlet provide?
How is the lightbulb considered part of the circuit?
Homework (if you are assigning homework, what will it be?):
Students will continue to work on a problem set that has questions that challenge them to use Ohms
Law to predict voltage, current and resistance at various points in a circuit.
Closure (_14___minutes): Describe how you will lead the students to summarize the lesson and
restate the learning objective.
T Restate that there are observable differences between series and parallel circuits that can be
used to describe the relationships between voltage, current, and resistance.

T Using Snap Circuits, create a circuit with a voltage source and four lamps connected in parallel.
Demonstrate the brightness of a single lamp, and then have students predict what will happen if
another lamp is connected.
S Predict how the brightness of the lamps will change, if at all, when an additional lamp is
connected. Students will use the concepts of voltage, current, and resistance to explain their answer.
T Press students to fully explain their hypothesis and allow for multiple students to share their ideas.
S Evaluate the validity and soundness of their peers ideas.
T Demonstrate the brightness of a single lamp in the series circuit, and then have students predict
what the brightness will be when an additional lamp is connected using a think-pair-share.
S Discuss with their partner what their prediction is, and then explain it to the class using academic
language from the lesson.
T Encourage students to incorporate vocabulary such as changes in current, voltage, and total
resistance, modeling appropriate usage and having the students re-voice each others ideas.
Questions:
If the lights are the same brightness, what does that tell us about how much current is going
through each?
How does the voltage felt by this resistor compare to the others?
How much total resistance does a ball of charge experiences along this path?
How many paths are there for the electrons to take?

Incorporating Academic Language


1. Describe the learning task(s) related to the content learning objective.
Students will learn that there are observable differences between parallel and series circuits that
can be used to describe relative voltage, current, resistance, and power in the circuit.
2. Language Function: How will students be communicating in relation to the content in the learning
task(s)? Identify the specific function (purpose or genre) you want to systematically address in
your lesson plan that will scaffold students to stronger disciplinary discourse. Some examples are:
describe, identify, explain, justify, interpret, analyze, construct, or argue.
Justify with evidence.
3. Language Demands: Looking at the specific function (purpose or genre) your students will be
using, what are the language demands that you will systematically address in this lesson?
Vocabulary:
New to this lesson: string of lights, wall socket, fuse,
Previously taught but need continued support: Parallel circuit, series circuit, voltage,
current, resistance, power, hypothesis, explain, interpret.
Previously learned: charge, brightness, circuit, connect, closed-loop, predict, observation,
brainstorm.
Syntax1: Students will need to use statements that associate causality, such as I think _____
will happen because _______. Students will be use sentences such as There was a change
in __________-, so there must be a change in _____ in order to relate the observable
changes to the underlying scientific ideas.

Use of a variety of sentence types to clarify a message, condense information, and combine ideas, phrases, and clauses.

Discourse2:
Students will discuss with peers how to problem solve.
Students will verbally communicate the explanatory mechanism for observations.
Students will justify predictions with evidence from prior learning and experiences.
4. Language Objective: What is/are the language objective(s) for your lesson? (The students will
(FUNCTION) (LANGUAGE RELATED TO CONTENT) (SYNTAX AND/OR DISCOURSE)
For example: The students will compare different types of parallelograms using transition words
such as similarly, different from or by contrast. Note: be sure to copy and paste the language
objective into the top of the lesson planner.
Students will compare observable differences in parallel and series circuits to predict relative levels of
voltage, current, and resistance in direct current circuits.
6. Language Support: What instructional strategies will you use during your lesson to teach the
specific language skill and provide support and opportunities for guided and independent
practice?
One the primary strategies for this lesson is to allow ample wait time between questions and
responses to allow all students to develop an initial response to questions even if they elect not to
share out. Additionally, students will be pressed to explain what information they are using to form
their predictions or responses to questions, either quantitatively or qualitatively. The structure of the
task is designed such that students have to support their responses with more in-depth explanations
that prompt the use of scientific concepts and domain-specific vocabulary.

Discourse includes the structures of written and oral language, as well as how member of the discipline talk, write, and
participate in knowledge construction.

edTPA Day 2
Grade: _10-12_

Content Area/Class Title: ___Conceptual Physics____

Group Size: __34_ Lesson Length: __104__ minutes


Planning for the Lesson
A: Standards
iii.
Key Content Standard:
California Content Standards for Physics:
a. Students know how to predict the voltage or current in simple direct current (DC) electric circuits
constructed from batteries, wires, resistors, and capacitors.
iv.
Related ELD Standard:
Part 1: Productive: 11. Justifying own arguments and evaluating others arguments in writing.
Part 1: Productive: 12. Selecting and applying varied and precise vocabulary and language
structures to effectively convey ideas.
Part 2: Connecting and condensing ideas: 6. Connecting ideas.
B. Objectives
iii.
Learning Outcome/Objective:
Students will be able to use observations of parallel and series circuits to predict relative changes in
voltage, current, and resistance.
Students will be able to use a growing knowledge of electric current and circuits to make an educated
recommendation of what types of lights should be used for outdoor lighting.
iv.
Language Objective (transfer this from "Incorporating Academic Language"):
Students will interpret qualitative observations of circuits in terms of changes in voltage, current, and
resistance using connecting phrases such as which means a change in, therefore, as a result of, or
indicating.
D. Cognitive Task:
Students will work collaboratively in groups of two to construct and evaluate four different circuits,
determining how changes in voltage, current, and resistance are responsible for observable changes
in the circuit. Students will also compare the function of their constructed circuits to real-world
applications, such as relating a pressure activated alarm to a door bell.
C. Assessments:
iii.
Informal assessment strategies you will use during class (What evidence will you collect?)
I will use conversations with students during the activity and class discussion to check for gaps in
knowledge, and record student understandings and questions related to the learning objective in a
chart.
iv.

Written assessment you will use to determine, for each individual student, to what extent
they have met your learning objectives. (What evidence will you collect?)
Students will complete a 17-question, 5-page worksheet for their lab activity. I will also collect a
handout that has two circuit schematic drawings, one in parallel and one in series, which has students
create tables that show voltage, current, and resistance (VIR tables) at key points in the circuit.
D. Lesson Resources/Materials (e.g., handouts, manipulatives, text pages, special supplies):
18 Snap Circuit sets, Parallel and Series Circuit guide, ELMO projector, poster board, markers,
colored pencils, 4- large beakers, water, salt, How is your home wired? lab, Circuit Drawing Key,
Current and Circuit basics handout, table for recording student understandings and misconceptions.

Instructional Sequence - Engaging Students in the Learning Process


T = Teacher S = Students
Optional: Starter and/or Homework Discussion (___ min.)
Introduction (20_ min.): Describe how you will make connections to prior knowledge, tap into their
experiences and interests, and let students know what the objective of the lesson is.
S will begin the class with a warm-up exercise that has them quantitatively determine voltage, current,
and resistance in a parallel circuit and a series circuit. T will then go over the exercise with the whole
class, having students lead the discussion. T will model appropriate language usage if it is
appropriate.
T Distribute parallel and series circuit warmup. Explain the format of the VIR table, emphasizing the
pattern component that explains how voltage, current, and resistance at individual points relate to the
equivalent voltage, current, and resistance felt by the entire circuit.
S Complete task as an individual and raise hand for assistance if it is needed.
T While students work on the task individual, take roll and prepare circuit sets for distribution,
assisting students when they need it.
T Once students have completed the exercise, place a blank handout under the ELMO and present
it on the projector screen. Prompt students to share out their responses, as well as how they made
their calculation.
T Fill out the VIR table for each segment, emphasizing the pattern for voltage, current, and
resistance in both parallel and series circuits.
T Help students link the quantitative task to their qualitative explanation of parallel and series
circuits from the day prior.
Questions:
How does the total resistance in the circuit compare to the value of individual resistors? What
effect does this have on current?
How can you use the values for current and voltage that you calculated here to explain the
differences in brightness of the lamps from yesterday?
How many paths does the current have to flow in each circuit?
Body of the Lesson (80_ minutes): Describe step-by-step what the teacher and the students will be
doing during the lesson. Remember to include academic language and individual assessment during
the body of your lesson.
S Get in to groups of 2-3 and gather copies of the How is your home wired? handout and a Snap
Circuit set.
T Restate the conditions for a good explanation that was created by the students, and verbally state
the learning objective for the days lesson.
T Discuss appropriate and safe usage of the circuit sets, such as how to prevent short circuits and
turning off the circuit when manipulating objects that move.
S Use the manual from the Snap Circuit set to construct the circuit models, draw the schematic
representation using the Circuit Drawing Key for assistance, and respond to the question prompts.
T Monitor student activity during the lab, pressing students to use key academic vocabulary to
interpret their observations. Record individual student understandings and misconceptions in the
table.
S With their partner, make careful observations of the circuits properties, and interpret them in
terms of voltage, current, resistance, and power.
T Provide an approximate timeline for students, and inform them every 10 minutes that they should
move on to the next circuit.
T After 50 minutes, call the class to order and have them put away lab handout. Inform students
that they will be moving on to a group exercise, and that they will need their circuit set. Coordinate

with students who need additional time for assignments per IEP or 504 a time when they can come in
to class and have access to the circuit sets to complete their handout.
S Break in to groups of 3-5 students, move to a lab table, and then listen for further instruction.
T Inform students of the purpose of the carousel activity that will occur during the next lesson. On
Friday, you will work with your group to present your assigned circuit to the class in what is called a
Carousel activity. Some of you will stay at the poster and describe how it works to your peers, while
others will move around the class and check out the other circuits, providing feedback on how they
could improve their presentation. Consequently, everyone in your group will need to know how your
circuit works, so make sure you work together! I will assign a circuit to your group, and you are
responsible for creating a good explanation of how it works, as well as thinking of a creative real-world
application for your circuit. There is a table on each handout that you can use to help you record your
observations, as well as talk about how voltage, current, and resistance can be used to interpret your
observations. I will write this on the board, but each poster needs to have three drawings: a copy of
the circuit, the schematic, and a drawing of the real world application. You will also want to include
any of the key points that you need to explain how your circuit works on your poster.
S Construct the circuit, and use the question prompts to guide further exploration of the circuits
functions.
S Record observations and interpretations on the handout.
T Assist students in using relevant physics ideas to explain their circuits functions.
S Have certain members of the group record observations while others prepare the three drawings.
Questions:
How can you use what youre observing to explain where the current is flowing in the circuit?
Why does the speaker get louder/quieter based on these conditions?
Why would covering the photoresistor with your finger stop the current from flowing?
Homework (if you are assigning homework, what will it be?):
Students will be given the opportunity to finish the conclusion questions from the lab activity as
homework.
Closure (_4____minutes): Describe how you will lead the students to summarize the lesson and
restate the learning objective.
S Pack up the circuit sets and turn the posters in to the front of the class.
T Remind students of the characteristics that make up a good explanation, and encourage them to
take the time to provide high-quality responses to the conclusion questions.
T State that the purpose of the carousel activity is to provide students with an opportunity to
communicate to each other as scientists, and also to demonstrate an ability to incorporate the content
knowledge that they have learned to explain real-world phenomena.
Incorporating Academic Language
3. Describe the learning task(s) related to the content learning objective.
Students will work collaboratively to describe observable changes in circuits (e.g. brightness of a
lamp, rotational speed of a fan, or loudness of a speaker) in terms of changes in voltage, current,
and resistance within the circuit.
4. Language Function: How will students be communicating in relation to the content in the learning
task(s)? Identify the specific function (purpose or genre) you want to systematically address in
your lesson plan that will scaffold students to stronger disciplinary discourse. Some examples are:
describe, identify, explain, justify, interpret, analyze, construct, or argue.
Interpret.

5. Language Demands: Looking at the specific function (purpose or genre) your students will be
using, what are the language demands that you will systematically address in this lesson?

Vocabulary:
New to this lesson: equivalent.
Previously taught but need continued support: resistance, current, voltage, series, parallel,
open switch, closed switch, schematic, evidence, Ohm, energy, circuit, power.
Previously learned: measure, increase, brightness, compare, relationship.
Syntax3: The light got brighter because _____. I saw ___, which means that _____
increased/decreased. ______ is responsible for providing _____ to a circuit.
Discourse4:
Students will collaborate and verbally interpret observations with a partner.
Students will individually defend a position.
Students will collaborate to create a visual representation of a circuit.
Students will ask questions to clarify meaning.
6. Language Objective: What is/are the language objective(s) for your lesson? (The students will
(FUNCTION) (LANGUAGE RELATED TO CONTENT) (SYNTAX AND/OR DISCOURSE)
For example: The students will compare different types of parallelograms using transition words
such as similarly, different from or by contrast. Note: be sure to copy and paste the language
objective into the top of the lesson planner.
Students will interpret qualitative observations of circuits in terms of changes in voltage, current, and
resistance using connecting phrases such as which means a change in, therefore, as a result of, or
indicating.
7. Language Support: What instructional strategies will you use during your lesson to teach the
specific language skill and provide support and opportunities for guided and independent
practice?
Students will be pressed to explain the causal mechanisms that result in the observable changes
they are commenting on. I will challenge students to predict the outcome if certain variables are
changed (e.g. amount of resistance), and then have them test to see if their hypothesis was
accurate. For students that are struggling more to incorporate academic language, I will utilize
more step-wise questioning, leading them to a comprehensive explanation that incorporates the
academic language needed to accurately interpret observable changes. The questions designed
for the task are open ended to allow students to express their interpretations freely, but also have
hints or subsequent questions that prompt them to incorporate prior knowledge or experience to
justify their explanation and strengthen their interpretation. Additional scaffolding for language use
is provided within the task, where students record their observations and then record what variable
(voltage, current, resistance, or a combination thereof) is the underlying mechanism explaining the
observation. Students are provide with a word bank and a Gotta have it checklist for their
conclusion questions. Students can also reference the parallel and series circuit guide and the
Current and Circuit basics handout for assistance in explaining how voltage, current, and
resistance function within circuits.

3
4

Use of a variety of sentence types to clarify a message, condense information, and combine ideas, phrases, and clauses.

Discourse includes the structures of written and oral language, as well as how member of the discipline talk, write, and
participate in knowledge construction.

edTPA Day 3
Grade: _10-12_

Content Area/Class Title: ___Conceptual Physics____

Group Size: __34_ Lesson Length: __54__ minutes


Planning for the Lesson
A: Standards
v.
Key Content Standard:
California Content Standards for Physics:
a. Students know how to predict the voltage or current in simple direct current (DC) electric circuits
constructed from batteries, wires, resistors, and capacitors.
vi.
Related ELD Standard:
Part 1: Collaborative: 3. Offering and justifying opinions, negotiating with and persuading others in
communicative exchanges.
Part 1: Productive: 9. Expressing information and ideas in formal oral presentations on academic
topic.
Part 1: Productive: 11. Justifying own arguments and evaluating others arguments in writing.
B. Objectives
v.
Learning Outcome/Objective:
Students will verbally demonstrate an improved understanding of how voltage, current, resistance,
and power function in an electric circuit.
Students will engage in constructive peer-to-peer teaching/learning, and provide useful feedback to
their peers on how to improve their presentation.
vi.
Language Objective (transfer this from "Incorporating Academic Language"):
Students will explain how an electrical circuit functions, as well as real world applications of the circuit,
using causality statements such as the ____ increases, causing a change in ____ or ____ is
affected by ____, which can be used for ____.
D. Cognitive Task:
Students were verbally demonstrating an improved knowledge of electrical current and circuits
referencing the functions of a specific circuit to real-world applications. Students will provide useful
feedback to their peers on the quality of presentation and depth of explanation. Students will reflect
on their own learning, and what techniques their peers used that they thought were effective.
C. Assessments:
v.
Informal assessment strategies you will use during class (What evidence will you collect?)
I will use conversations with students during the activity and class discussion to check for gaps in
knowledge, and record student understandings and questions related to the learning objective in a
chart.
vi.

Written assessment you will use to determine, for each individual student, to what extent
they have met your learning objectives. (What evidence will you collect?)
Students will complete a handout at the end of the lesson that has students talk about what feedback
they found useful, what aspects of other presentations they thought were successful, and describe the
functionality of their circuit in terms of voltage, current, and resistance.
D. Lesson Resources/Materials (e.g., handouts, manipulatives, text pages, special supplies):

Poster board, markers, two colors of sticky-notes, 8-Snap Circuit Sets, projector, laptop with Microsoft
Office, watch with timer, 4 beakers, water, salt, Student Understanding handout, Group Grading
sheet.
Instructional Sequence - Engaging Students in the Learning Process
T = Teacher S = Student
Optional: Starter and/or Homework Discussion (_12_ min.)
Introduction (12_ min.): Describe how you will make connections to prior knowledge, tap into their
experiences and interests, and let students know what the objective of the lesson is.
T Place group posters around the room at assigned lab tables, and provide a circuit set, as well as
any supplemental materials, for each group.
T Remind students that the required elements for the presentation are on the handout for their
project.
T Assign students who were absent for the prior lesson as expert observers, who are responsible
for providing extra feedback for each group.
S Construct the circuit for their project.
S Finish group poster with drawings of the circuit, the circuit schematic, and a real-world application.
Additionally, the key points needed for a strong explanation of how the circuit works should be
included on the poster.
T Provide students with 10 minutes to complete their poster and prepare their presentations.
Body of the Lesson (_37_ minutes): Describe step-by-step what the teacher and the students will
be doing during the lesson. Remember to include academic language and individual assessment
during the body of your lesson.
T Use the Circuit Carousel PowerPoint to launch the carousel activity, explaining to students the
procedures and purpose. You will split your group in to two smaller groups. Half of you will stay at
your poster and present your project to your peers, while the others move to other groups and hear
their presentations. For those of you listening to other groups, you will be responsible for providing
useful feedback to your peers on the sticky notes provided. The green notes are for things you liked
about their poster or presentation, and they grey notes are for providing constructive criticism on how
they could have made their presentation even better. The groups will present their project for 90
seconds, and then you have 30 seconds to ask questions. We will rotate in a clockwise fashion
around the room. Make sure you get a chance to look at everyones poster!
S Split groups in to half, and assign roles for each individual. For those presenting the poster, they
will reference their poster and the functioning circuit to explain how their project works, as well as the
real world application for their type of circuit. The students listening will provide feedback for each
project. At each station, students will leave at least one thing they liked about the presentation, as
well as one suggestion for improvement.
T Visit stations, allowing students to manage discourse. Provide probing and pressing questions
challenging students to incorporate academic vocabulary and causality statements in their
explanations. Record individual student understandings and misconceptions on the Student
Understanding handout.
T Encourage students to ask questions of their peers presentations.
T Call out each rotation cycle. After students have had a chance to visit each station, instruct the
groups to have their members switch roles.
S Switch roles with the other members in their group.
T Begin a new rotation cycle. After every student has visited each station, call an end to the
carousel and have students take their seats.
S Turn in their group posters with the feedback attached and return to their seats. Additionally,
each group is responsible for submitting their groups project analysis table that they used to record
their observations.
Questions:

How is what your describing affected by the current/voltage in the circuit?


What can you do to increase/decrease the voltage/current/resistance?
Is there anything that you are still unclear about from their presentation?
What advice do you have for them that they could use to improve the quality of their
explanation?

Homework (if you are assigning homework, what will it be?):


None.
Closure (_7__minutes): Describe how you will lead the students to summarize the lesson and
restate the learning objective.
T Hand out the Group Grading Sheet to the students, and tell them the purpose is to reflect on
how their presentation went, as well as how well they were able to work together as a group.
S Assign points to their group members, as well as provide justification for the points given.
Respond to question 3 using disciplinary vocabulary to demonstrate an improved knowledge of
electrical circuitry.
T Collect the Group Grading handouts, and congratulate students on a job well done.
S Share out their favorite part of the activity, as well as what they will do differently the next time
they get to do a similar activity.
Incorporating Academic Language
5. Describe the learning task(s) related to the content learning objective.
Students will verbally communicate an improved knowledge of how voltage and current operate
within a circuit by explaining how physical observations function as a result of electrical properties
within the circuit.

6. Language Function: How will students be communicating in relation to the content in the learning
task(s)? Identify the specific function (purpose or genre) you want to systematically address in
your lesson plan that will scaffold students to stronger disciplinary discourse. Some examples are:
describe, identify, explain, justify, interpret, analyze, construct, or argue.
Explain.
7. Language Demands: Looking at the specific function (purpose or genre) your students will be
using, what are the language demands that you will systematically address in this lesson?
Vocabulary:
New to this lesson:
Previously taught but need continued support: parallel circuit, series circuit, resistance,
current, voltage, energy,
Previously learned: conductor, light, distance, function, relate.
Syntax5:
There was a change in ______, which means that _____ increased/decreased.
_____ changes due to _______.
This is useful because __________.

Use of a variety of sentence types to clarify a message, condense information, and combine ideas, phrases, and clauses.

Discourse6:
Students will verbally explain the function of an electric circuit.
Students will support their explanation with evidence.
Students will create multiple visual representations of circuits.
Students will individually provide written and oral feedback to their peers.
8. Language Objective: What is/are the language objective(s) for your lesson? (The students will
(FUNCTION) (LANGUAGE RELATED TO CONTENT) (SYNTAX AND/OR DISCOURSE)
For example: The students will compare different types of parallelograms using transition words
such as similarly, different from or by contrast. Note: be sure to copy and paste the language
objective into the top of the lesson planner.
Students will explain how an electrical circuit functions, as well as real world applications of the circuit,
using causality statements such as the ____ increases, causing a change in ____ or ____ is
affected by ____, which can be used for ____.
8. Language Support: What instructional strategies will you use during your lesson to teach the
specific language skill and provide support and opportunities for guided and independent
practice?
Students will reference their support materials (current and circuit basics, parallel and series circuit
guide, circuit drawing key) during their planning phases to improve the depth of their explanation.
The primary variables (voltage, current, and resistance) will be written on the whiteboard, as well as
their unit of measurement. I will also press students to strengthen their explanation using evidence
from their circuit, challenging them to discuss the explanatory mechanisms for their observations.

Discourse includes the structures of written and oral language, as well as how member of the discipline talk, write, and
participate in knowledge construction.

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