LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE Your Name: Brittany Kominska Title of Lesson: Benefits of Photovoltaic Energy Grade: 6th STANDARDS

NOTE: Please list at least two complete standards your lesson plan covers. [Common Core State Standards (math and language arts), Next Generation Science Standards (science), Arizona State Social Studies Standards (social studies)]. 1. 2. 6.W.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. Social Studies, Strand 5: Economics, Concept 1: Foundations of Economics, PO 1. Identify how limited resources and unlimited human wants cause people to choose some things and give up others.

LESSON SUMMARY/OVERVIEW Provide an overview/synopsis of the lesson and the topics that it will cover. Mention the sustainability connection/lens associated with this lesson plan you are creating. Students will utilize the data theyve collected, along with further specialized research, to construct a 5 paragraph persuas ive letter to the school administration or a parent to implement solar panels at school or at home. Students will mention the sustainability of solar panels and what makes it sustainable. Students will add any benefits, research, and any other collected information to make claims for their reasoning. OBJECTIVES Describe what you want students to know/be able to do as a result of the lesson. For example, Students will be able to 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Students will be able to utilize collected data and information to create claims to support their decision to implement solar panels on their school/home. Students will be able to organize their claims and reasons using a concept map. Students will be able to introduce their claim and organize reasons clearly in a letter format. Students will be able to support their claims using relevant evidence from credible sources. Students will be able to explain how limited resources and unlimited human wants cause people to choose some things and give up others. Students will be able to complete their formal letter by using a concluding statement that coincides with the argument presented.

ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION What measures will you use to know if you students met the objectives? The students will complete a formal letter. The letter must have the following items: 1. Correct construction of a formal letter. 2. A clear and organized introduction paragraph that organized their reasons supporting their argument. 3. At least 3 claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources, that support their claim. 4. The letter must mention how limited resources and unlimited human wants cause people to choose some things and give up others. 5. The letter must end with a concluding paragraph that follows the argument presented. PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE What will students need to know prior to completing this lesson and how will you access their prior knowledge? The students will need to know the basic functions and benefits to photovoltaic energy and how it relates to sustainability. To access this prior knowledge, students can utilize their Photovoltaic Notebook, created during day 1 of the unit, to refresh their memory on all of the information gathered throughout the unit. MATERIALS List of required materials. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Photovoltaic Notebook (each students should have one completed) Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer (one per student) Doc Cam Example Persuasive Essay (located on webpage cited below) Notebook Paper

6. 7.

Pencils Computers with access to the internet VOCABULARY/KEY WORDS

List of key vocabulary terms. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Sustainability- Using resources in a way that wont destroy them or use them up. Resources- A natural feature or phenomenon that provides support for human life Energy- Usable power that comes from heat, electricity, etc. Photovoltaic- Producing electric current when exposed to light Solar- Relating to, or determined, by the sun Electricity- A form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles as a current.

TEACHING PROCEDURES Procedural Steps (Step by step instructions for teaching the lesson): 1. Teacher will tell the students that today they are going to be writing a persuasive letter to either the school administration or their parents to persuade them to install solar panels on the roof. 2. The students will be told that they can get out their Photovoltaic Notebook and they can reference its information at any point throughout the lesson. 3. The teacher will hand each student a Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer and will display one on the Doc Cam for further instruction. 4. The teacher will then lead the students step-by-step through the process of filling out the graphic organizer. 5. The teacher will begin by stating that a clear introduction is necessary and key. The students will need to keep their audience in mind and will also need to hook them so that they will continue reading. The introduction should also clearly state their purpose of the letter. Since they are to be writing about solar panels, they need to say why they feel that these are relevant and important to the reader. They will also need to be sure to make a clear connection to how this type of energy will change the future of Earths energy. 6. The teacher will then explain to the students that they will need to provide three claims with supporting evidence. They will be instructed to utilize their Photovoltaic Notebooks, as well as any relevant and credible internet resources, to use as claims or evidence. 7. The teacher will fill out one reason as an example. For example, the teacher can say that solar panels reduce carbon emissions in the reason section of the organizer. Using the students help, the teacher can list evidence that supports that claim. For example, since the solar panel gets its energy from the sun, it does not need to use any fossil fuels or other pollutants to function. 8. The teacher will then show the students an example of a persuasive essay on another form of renewable energy; wind turbines. 9. The teacher will open the persuasive letter by Jessica Unthank on wind turbines and read it aloud. 10. Upon completion of reading this letter, the teacher will ask the students whether this is a good persuasive letter or a not-so-good persuasive letter and why. 11. The students should respond that this is not a good example because the author doesnt list any evidence to su pport her claims and does not have the structure of a formal letter (i.e. there is no clear introduction, supporting evidence, or concluding paragraphs.) 12. The teacher will explain that the expectation is that students have a clear and engaging introduction paragraph that introduces the topic and its importance. They will also need to have three paragraphs (one for each claim) with clear, relevant, and credible evidence to support it. They will need to end their paragraph with a well-prepared concluding paragraph that follows their argument and has a call to action. 13. The teacher will then explain the importance of mentioning how we have limited resources here on Earth and that humans want more than the Earth can provide. They will need to mention in their letter that human wants cause people to choose some things over others and that they can still choose to have solar panels and accomplish sustainable electricity in a way that is protecting the Earths resources. 14. The teacher will tell the students that they can now begin to complete their graphic organizers. 15. The teacher will explain that when they are done with their graphic organizers, they can begin to write their rough draft using lined paper. 16. Upon completion, students will need to staple their graphic organizer to the back of their rough draft and turn it in. Once they have been graded and edited, the teacher will give them back to allow the students to complete a final draft. 17. The teacher will close the lesson once all students have turned in their rough draft and will instruct them to clean up their areas. RESOURCES List any references you used to create this lesson. If you borrowed ideas from any lesson plans please note them here. Use APA format.

Unthank, J. (n.d.). Persuasive letter. Retrieved from http://sustainablewind.tripod.com/id7.html

Lady, M. (2013, Sept.). Persuasive letter pre-write graphic organizer. Retrieved from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Persuasive-Letter-Pre-write-Graphic-Organizer-657164

WAYS OF THINKING CONNECTION Provide a complete explanation of how your lesson plan connects to futures, system, strategic, or values thinking. Define the way of thinking you selected and used in this lesson plan. Remember, this should be included meaningfully in the lesson plan. This lesson plan is meant to connect the idea of using solar energy to provide a long-lasting and sustainable source of energy that will change the future resources. Throughout the week students learned about what solar energy is, how it works, and even worked hands on with a miniature solar cell. Throughout the lessons it is emphasized that the resources currently being used to generate electricity are limiting our resources here on Earth. By writing a persuasive letter to their parent, or the school, they are having to explain why solar panels will be an asset to the future of electricity and energy. By relating this renewable energy to the future, they are using a variety of different types of thinking. It is obvious that futures thinking plays a huge role in this lesson. The students are directly relating what they can do today to change the face of energy in the future and how it can protect Earths limited resources. They are also using values thinking by taking something they are utilizing everyday, such as electricity, and drawing light into how harmful our current practices are and placing value on preserving and protecting that resource.