KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: __Alyssa Coughlin

Date:

Cooperating Teacher:
Group Size:

20

Subject or Topic:

Coop. Initials
Allotted Time
Rubber Tree

45 mins

Grade Level 2nd grade

Section

STANDARD:
Standard - 4.1.2.D Identify differences in living things (color, shape, size, etc.) and
describe how adaptations a re important for survival.
Standard - 3.1.2.C2 Explain that living things can only survive if their needs are
being met.

I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):

A. The second grade students will be able to identify various rainforest plant
characteristics by examining different pictures and writing down what they
observed.
B. The second grade students will be able to identify the reasons why the
rainforest is important to human beings by doing the inquiry activity with their
table groups.
II. Instructional Materials
A. Pictures of rainforest plants placed on the students tables at the beginning of
class before students come into the classroom.
B. Rainforest music that will be played off YouTube.
C. Post-it notes on all of students desks
D. Large lined poser paper to place the post-it notes.
E. Rubber tree PowerPoint
F. Borax
G. Water
H. White glue
I. Spoons
J. Three containers
K. Try to hold all materials

L.
M.
N.
O.

Direction sheet to mix all of the materials

Inquiry sheet
Pencil
Blank piece of paper for the exit slip

III. Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of
additional content)
A. Prerequisite skills
1. Knowing how to make observations
2. Knowing what adaptations are
3. Cooperative learning
B. Key Vocabulary
1. Rubber tree- a tree found in various rainforest areas that produces a
white milky substance used to create man mad rubber materials
2. Pollination- a process that flowers go through with bees and birds
that helps aid plants to produce other plants
C. Big Idea
1. What is the rubber tree and why is it important for human beings?
D. Content
1. What plant adaptations/ characteristics are
2. What the rubber tree is
3. What animals benefit from plants
4. What man made items are made form rubber
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction
1. The teacher will already have pictures of different rainforest plants
spread out on the students tables.
2. The students will be directed to sit at their desks/tables once they are
in the classroom.
3. Once all students are seated, the teacher will direct the students to
look at the different rainforest plant pictures on their tables and make
some observations.
4. Students will be told to write down one observation they have made
from looking at the rainforest plant pictures on their tables.
5. The teacher will play music from the rainforest will be played on the
computer by the teacher.
6. The teacher will turn off the music to a low volume after 3-5 minutes
of the students looking at the pictures.
B. Development
1. The teacher will then bring the whole class together
2. The teacher will ask for one member of the table to collect the
characteristics and place them on the poster board.

3. Once all of the post-it notes are placed on the poster board, the
students will be instructed to write down the characteristics in their
science notebooks as the teachers reads them off.
4. The teacher will collect the rainforest plant pictures.
5. The teacher will then ask the students what they think these plants do
to help the animals in the rainforest.
6. The teacher will explain that plants and animals have developed
relationships over centuries, especially in the rainforest.
7. The teacher will show a picture of an ant and plant interaction along
with birds and flower interaction.
8. The teacher will explain each picture in detail by pointing out the
picture.
9. The teacher will first explain that animals such as ants benefit from
different leaves found in the rainforest because the ants get nutrients
from those leaves by eating the leaves.
10. The teacher will then explain the second picture on the slide and say
that different kinds of birds such as the hummingbird benefit from
flowers in the rainforest because of the pollination.
a. The teacher will ask if any of the students know what
pollination is.
b. The teacher will explain that pollination is the process for
different plants to create other plants.
11. The teacher will then ask the students what they think these
rainforest plants do to help us as humans.
12. The teacher will show the students various pictures of different man
made items on the screen:
a. Rubber tire
b. Rubber duck
c. Rubber bands
d. Rubber eraser
13. Once the students have a minute to think, the teacher will then ask
the students to make a prediction as to what they think those pictures
have to do with the rainforest and share with the class.
14. The teacher would then explain that all of these human made items
are produced because of the rubber tree that is found in the
rainforest.
15. The teacher would put a picture of the rubber tree on the screen.
16. The teacher would explain that this particular tree is called the
rubber tree because it creates a white liquid when the tree is cut open
on a part of the trunk.
17. The teacher will then tell the students that she has some rubber tree
liquid mailed to her from the Rainforest Association for the students
to investigate.
18. Once all sheets are handed out to the students, the teacher will
explain the materials on the trays.
a. Borax

b. Water
c. White glue
d. A direction sheet to follow when mixing the materials
19. The teacher will hand out the Rubber Tree Inquiry Sheet (see
attached).
20. The teacher will tell the tables that they need to work together as
group to mix the materials together and make observations about
what happens as the materials are mixed.
21. The teacher will then go over the direction sheet (see attached) and
elaborate what exactly the students should be doing to mix the
materials to create the rubbery substance.
22. The teacher will tell the students to look at their inquiry sheet and fill
out the sheet as they go, especially making a prediction before
mixing the materials.
23. As the students are working, the teacher will talk around the room
and check student progress.
24. Once all students have filled out the inquiry sheet, the teacher will
tell the students to clean up their tables with all materials put to the
side.
C. Closure
1. Once all tables are cleaned up, the teacher will have the students
share what they observed during the activity.
a. The teacher will ask what happened the material and the result
of when the students mixed the materials together.
2. After the whole group discussion, the students will take out a piece
of paper from their science notebook and write down their favorite
part of the lesson.
D. Accommodations/Differentiation
1. For Sam, a student with a learning disability, the teacher should aid
her during the inquiry sheet process if she is struggling with making
a prediction or explaining what happened when the materials were
mixed.
2. The differentiate instruction for struggling students; the teacher can
place the struggling students at tables with their peers that are
comfortable with the material. This way, the struggling students can
learn from the other students through the activity.
E. Assessment/Evaluation Plan
1. Formative
a. The teacher will asses the students understanding of the
materials through collecting the inquiry sheet and the exit slip.
2. Summative: N/A

V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Student Performance in Terms of Stated Objectives (Reflection on
student performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who fail to meet acceptable level of achievement)

Remediation Plan

1.

B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective

answers to question recorded after lesson is taught)
Are there things that you think would be beneficial to add to this lesson?

2.

Is there anything you would like to change about the lesson?

3.

After this lesson is complete, do the students show a good understanding of the
material?

VI. Resources (in APA format)