Inquiry Lesson Plan Template (with Four Ways of Thinking

connection)
Teacher:
Content & Title:
Grade Level:
Alexis White
New EnergyFourth Grade
Nonrnewable and
renewable
resources
Standards:
Grade 4 Concept 3: Oraganisms and Environments PO1. Describe ways various
resources are utilized to meet the needs of a population. PO2. Differentiate
renewable resources from nonrenewable resources PO3. Analyze the effect that
limited resources (e.g., natural gas, minerals) may have on an environment.
PO4. Describe ways in which resources can be conserved (e.g., by reducing,
reusing, recycling, finding substitutes).
Objectives (Explicit & Measurable):
Students will be able to identify and differentiate if a resource is a renewable or
nonrewable resource, but with focus on geothemeral, wind, biomass, water and
solar.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable Assessment: formative and summative):
(formative)
(summative)
Students will correctly draw and explain why 3 resources are renewable and why 2
resources that are nonrenewable. They may choose which ones they want to
represent.
Sub-objectives, SWBAT (steps that lead to completion of objective; sequence from
simple to more complex):

Students will be able to identify objects in their enviornment.

Students will be able to understand what energy is and why it is important.
Students will be able to read the hand outs they have received.
Student will be able to caterogize certain resources (geothemeral, wind,
biomass, water and solar)
Lesson Summary and Justification: (summary gives detailed information about what
students are doing. Justification why is this lesson being taught)
Students will be exploring the enviornment around them, and understanding how they affect and use
that enivorment. Students need to understand what resources they have available to them, and the
idea that eventually we many run out of resources like water or fossil fuels if we are not caring for the
resources that produce our enegry for us. Students need to think about what life would look like with out
energy and create ideas on how to better use these resources. This lesson will inspire students to take
personal responsibilty for the earth we live on.

Background Knowledge: (What do students need to know prior to completing this

lesson)
Students will need to know basic reading and writing skills. Since this is the first day of this lesson
students will not be expected to understand all the
Misconception: (what possible misleading thoughts might students have?)
Students may think that with all the techonologies that we have now that we might not be using any
nonreneable resources. Students need to understand that as a society we are using both very heavily
right now.
Process Skills: (what skills are you introducing or reinforcing)
I am introducing and reinforcing the skill of understanding the students own surrroundings and how that
affects their way of life.
Four 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.)

Values thinking is the idea that we look at how our values effect has on our own decisions. I will use this
concept in the lesson to show children that they value energy more than they realize, imagine if you
couldnt watch TV or have the lights on when trying to do your homework. This will let the student think
of how important this lesson is to their every day lifes. I will also be using futures thinking. Futures
thinking is how the past and the present influences the future. In this lesson we will look at what
resources we have used in the past, the ones were currently using and how we can better use these
resources in the future.
Safety: (what safety rules and items need to be addressed?)
Normal classroom behaviors.

Inquiry Questions: (testable in the here and now.)

1. (to explore) What would happen if the world ran out of energy resources?
2. (to elaborate) If this were to happen, how could we create new techonologies to create the
energy that we need? Could we use more of the (geothemeral, wind, biomass, water and solar)
resources we are already trying to use?
Key vocabulary: (list and define)
Materials: (list item and possible
1. Energy
quantity)
2. Renewable
1. Board markers
3. Nonrenewable
2. Natural resource match and mix worksheet
3. Nonrenewable versus renewable energy
worksheet
4. Renewable Energy Worksheet
5. Write and Draw Paper
6. Notebooks or lined paper
7. Colored Pencils
8. Regular pencils
(All worksheets are attached at the end of the
lesson)

Engage - In this section you should activate prior knowledge, hook student
attention, pose a question (IQ#1) based on your lesson objective that students
will seek to answer in Explore.
Teacher Will: (hook)
Students Will:

Teacher will walk in and flip on and off the

lights, then explain that in a world without
energy many of our techonologies like lights
and cellphones would not exist.
Teacher will ask for someone to explain what
the word energy means.
The teacher will then explain that energy
refers to the power created to use resources.
Promote the class to guess what renewable
means. Then explain that it is something that
can be replaced.
Ask for someone to guess what nonrenewable
is and then explain to the class what it is.
Teacher will pass out Nonrenewable versus
renewable energy worksheet
The class will completely this together
through a discussion.

Answer questions that the teacher

poses.
Particapte in the conversation

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

This part of the lesson could use the best teaching pratice of a a discussion. This allows for everyone to
have some input while also leading to clarity.
To differentiate for students, the teacher could already have the students take notes on a piece of
paper, or give extra time to review the worksheet that has been given to them. Students will able to use
that worksheet throughout the whole lesson.

Explore - In this section students should take the lead and actively use materials
to discover information that will help them answer the question posed in

Engage. Teachers may choose to give steps to follow, especially for younger students,
but the goal is for students to discover some or all of the sub-objectives of the lesson.
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #1)
Students Will: (list all steps)

Teacher will instruct students to complete the

natural resources match and mix worksheet

Students will find a partner and complete

the worksheet together.
They then will particapte in the
discussion on the worksheet.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

For this portion of the lesson the best teaching pratice that is used is partner work.
To differentiate for students, the teacher could have a higher level students and a lower level student
working together so that the higher level student can explain it to the lower level student. If needed the
students can use the prior Nonrenewable versus renewable energy worksheet to help them understand
the match and mix worksheet.

Explain In this section students share what they discovered, teacher connects
student discoveries to correct content terms/explanations, students
articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the lesson sub-objectives
by answering the question from Engage before moving on.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Students will particapte in the
The teacher will lead the class into a larger
conversation and add in details to the
discussion.

discussion on what the worksheet was and if

there was anything else they couldve added.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

This part of the lesson could use the best teaching pratice of a a discussion. This allows for everyone to
have some input while also leading to clarity.
To differentiate this part of the lesson the teacher can review the Renewable Versus Non-Renewable
worksheet one-on-one with the students who are having more diffculties. The teacher should describe
some other examples of renewable and non-renewable resources. While also allowing for more time on
the assingment.

Elaborate In this section students take the basic learning gained from Explore and
clarified in Explain and apply it to a new circumstance or explore a particular aspect of
this learning at a deeper level. Students should be using higher order thinking in this
stage. A common practice in this section is to ask a What If? question. IQ #2
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #2)
Students Will:

Teacher will walk around and answer

questons that the students may have.
The teacher will lead the class to go over the
worksheet that they completeld.

Complete renewable energy worksheet.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

To differentiate this the teacher can read to the student, or the student may not have to give a full
discription of what each one is, only two of them. To differentiate this part of the lesson the teacher can
review the Renewable Versus Non-Renewable worksheet one-on-one with the students who are having
more diffculties. The teacher should describe some other examples of renewable and non-renewable
resources. While also allowing for more time on the assingment.

Evaluate In this section every student demonstrates mastery of the lesson

objective (though perhaps not mastery of the elaborate content). Because this also
serves as a closing, students should also have a chance to summarize the big
concepts they learned outside of the assessment.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:

Hand out the draw and write papers.

Walk around and answer questions the
students may have.

Complete a draw and write for a

nonrenewable resource.
Complete a draw and write for a renewable
resource.

Closure: (revisit objective, IQs and make real world connections)

The teacher will ask the students to share ways they use renewable energy every day and then ask
them to share ways they use non-renewable energy each day. Great answers include: heating their
home, riding in a car, and cooking dinner. This should look like a classroom discussion. Then ask the
student to look for the next view days and see if they notice any nonrewable or renewable resource that
they are using in their day to day lifes.

**Best Practices List the Best Teaching Practices you will use to enhance
the learning outcomes. In each section where prompted, list the best
practice, how the practices will be used and the purpose.

RENEW
ABLE
EN
ERG
Y
review
ANSW
ERTHE FOLLOW
INGQUESTIONS ABOUTRENEW
ABLE ENERGY.
1. Why is it important to try to use as many renewable resources as possible?

2. Name all 5 renewable energy sources and give a brief description of each.

LOOKATTHE FOLLOW
INGPICTURES ANDLABEL THEMACCORDINGTOW
HICH
RENEW
ABLE ENERGY SOURCE THEY DEMONSTRATE.