KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate:

Lisa Henderson

Cooperating Teacher:

Date: February 16, 2016

Coop. Initials:

Group Size:

Allotted Time:

Subject or Topic:

Introduction to the Sun

Grade Level: Fourth Grade

Section:

STANDARD: (Next Generation Science Standards):

Standard Area-ESS1: Earths Place in the Universe
Grade Level- Elementary School (3-5)
Standard- ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars- The sun is a star that appears
larger and brighter than other stars because it is closer. Stars range greatly in their
distance from Earth.
STANDARD: (PA Common Core):
Standard Area- 3.3: Earth and Space Sciences
Grade Level- 3.3.4B: GRADE 4
Standard- 3.3.4.B1 Identify planets in our solar system and their basic characteristics.

I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):

The students will be able to generate a KWL chart as a class by producing knowledge
about the sun and the solar system.
The students will be able to explain what the sun is, its scientific name, where it is found,
and its size by summarizing in their science journals after the lesson has been fully
completed.
II. Instructional Materials
A. Smart board to show YouTube Clip: Here Comes the Sun: Crash Course Kids
B. Giant poster paper for class KWL chart
C. Markers

D. Pencils
E. Science journals
F. Guided notes outline (enough for each student to have their own)
Book: Sun by Gregory Vogt
III. Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of
additional content)
Prerequisite skills
A. A basic understanding of what the solar system is.
B. Knowing that the sun is a part of our solar system
Key Vocabulary
A. The star that is which the central body of the solar system, around which the
planets revolve and from which they receive light and heat is known as the
sun.
B. Any of the heavenly bodies, except the moon, appearing as a fixed luminous
point in the sky is known as s star.
C. Radiating or reflecting light is known as luminous.
D. The collection of eight planets and their moons in orbit around the sun is
known as the solar system.
Big Idea
A. The sun and what it is
Content
A. The sun is a star.
B. The sun is the largest star.
C. The suns scientific name is sol.
D. The sun is found in our solar system.
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction1. The teacher will place the poster paper on the class chalk board/ Smart Board
in the front of the class. This poster paper will be used to create a class KWL chart. At
this point in time students will already know what type of chart this is.
2. The teacher than will write out in marker the word sun at top of the poster
paper in the middle. The teacher will create three columns down the paper horizontally
each labeled. One will be K, one will be W, and one will be L.
3. The teacher than will begin a class discussion on the sun.
4.Ask students to raise their hands and volunteer to come up to the front of the
room and write down anything in the K (what you already know) column of the chart
based off of their previous background knowledge of the sun.
5. Once all hands have been called on that were raised the teacher will read the
information written down in the column. The teacher will have the students raise their
hands if they have heard the written statement before.
6. The teacher will now begin the lesson; today we will learn about the sun. We
will learn what it is, what scientists call it other than the sun, and where it can be found.

B. Development1. The teacher will pass out guided notes to the students to fill in along with the
YouTube clip, Here Comes the Sun as presented on the Smart Board. The teacher will log
onto the computer, pull up the video, and begin the video. The video will run for roughly
2 minutes.
2. As the students are watching and filling out their worksheet the teacher will
begin to prepare a list of vocabulary words (sun, star, luminous, solar system) on the
board for the next class activity. The teacher will write them on the board (where the
video is not being played).
3. Once the video has reached 2 minutes the teacher will close it down and allow
the students sometime to finish completing their guided notes.
4. After roughly 5-7 more minutes the teacher will go over the answers to the
guided notes.
5. The teacher will explain and teach each fact and answer of each question to the
class one by one. The answers will be better explained and taught through the remainder
of the lesson.
6. The students will be addressed to put their sheets folded up in their science
journals and draw their attention over to the list of words presented on the board. The
teacher will read them one by one and have the students repeat after her.
7. The teacher will than give brief definitions to the students of each word. The
teacher will explain how these are our vocabulary words for the day.
8. The teacher will than ask the students based off of the lesson so far if there is
anything they would like to learn.
9. Students will raise their hands and respond (take 3-4 volunteers). The teacher
will have those students go up to the KWL chart and write with a marker provided by the
teacher what they would like to learn in the second column labeled W. Once the
column has a few responses the teacher will explain that they will now read a book.
10. Next the teacher will do a read aloud of the book Sun by Gregory Vogt. Before
starting to read the teacher will discuss with the students how they are now to lend a
listening ear and try to listen for the vocabulary words found within the book.
11. When a vocabulary word is found a student will raise their hand. The teacher
will stop reading and call on the student and ask what word has been found. The student
will respond and tell again what the word means based off of what they learned earlier.
12. The student who raised their hand will come up to the front of the room, grab
an index card, marker and a piece of tape from the teacher and will write the word with
the marker on the index card.
13. The student will than place it with the piece of tape on the science word wall
found in the classroom. (The word wall has been created since day one based off of all
units throughout the year.) The teacher will resume reading.
14. Once all the vocabulary words have been found and the story has been fully
read the students are open for a class discussion based off of what was just read and may
ask the teacher any questions.

15. Once the discussion is over the students will volunteer to write in the L
column what they have learned by the end of the lesson. The teacher will allow 3-4
volunteers to write a new fact.

C. Closure1. Once the students are done asking all of their questions, everything has been
made clear, and the L column of the KWL has been filled the students will take out their
science journals.
2. The teacher will erase the vocabulary list on the board and write out three
questions. The questions will be as followed: What did you learn about today? What is
the sun? What vocabulary words did we learn today?
3. The teacher will have the students write a paragraph answering the following
questions in their journals.
4. The students will be told that tomorrow they will learn now what the sun does
for our earth and the living things found on it.
D. Accommodations/DifferentiationTwo students in the classroom have two different disabilities. One student has a visual
problem and another has a learning disability.
1. For the student with a visual problem the teacher will make sure to have the
student sit towards the very front of the room.
2. For this student the guided notes sheet will be in bold, much larger print.
3. For this student so that there is no struggle to see the YouTube clip it will be
projected at the highest level possible.
4. For this student so that there is no struggle to see the book it will be the larger
copy and have bold print.
5. For the student with a learning disability the guided notes will already be filled
out and complete.
6. For this student they will be assigned a partner to discuss their journal entries
and answer the questions.
E .Assessment/Evaluation Plan1. Formative
a. The class KWL chart is the lessons formative assessment.
2. Summative
a. At the end of the week students will have a test on the sun and the different
aspects that are taught and covered about it throughout the unit (what it is,
what its scientific name is, where it can be found, its size, what it does for
living things on earth, how it is part of producing day and night, and how it
creates shadows).

V. Reflective ResponseA. 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)
B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective
answers to question recorded after lesson is taught)
i. Did I introduce the topic effectively?
ii. Did my lesson fall into the allotted time frame?
iii. Could something have been done differently?
iv. How could my lesson improve?
VI. ResourcesEye on the Sky Lessons for the Elementary Classroom. February.16, 2016, from
http://www.eyeonthesky.org/index.html
YouTube Clip Here comes the Sun. February. 16, 2016, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=6FB0rDsR_rc&list=PLhz12vamHOnagseIgy26MoPI79NXiFBwN