Indiana Wesleyan University

Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Science
2007 ACEI Standards

READINESS
I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal(s)Students will know how to determine seasonal weather patterns.

B. Objective(s)(specific terms)
1. After the experiment, students will explain why leaves change colors by drawing a picture
and writing at least 2 sentences to explain their picture.

C. Standard(s):
3.ESS.1 Obtain and combine information to determine seasonal weather patterns across the
different regions of the United States.
NSES: Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry
Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science

II. Materials:
Clear Jar
Bowl
Hot water
Leaves from different trees
Coffee Filters
Rubbing Alcohol
Plastic Bag
Tape
Spoon
Recording Sheet

Space: Start as whole group at student desks. Move to the living room for teacher
demonstration. Return to student desks after discussion.
When students move from one location to another I will gain full class attention and call one
table at a time, since there will be dangerous materials on the back table.
Time: 40 minutes 5 min intro, 25 min. lesson, 10 min. closure
Behaviors: I will implement the class management plan of giving out and taking away star
bucks. This will motivate students to stay engaged throughout the lesson.
Safety: Teacher will conduct the experiment since there is hot water and glass. I will place the
jar on a flat surface and will not pick it up. There will be a line in the living room that students
wont be able to cross while I conduct the experiment. When I do ask for students to come
closer to observe the jar, I will make the directions clear (Dont touch the jar, be careful
around the table, be still when you are up-close). I will never move the entire class at one
time, but will send them to a new location in table groups to prevent running into the table and
knocking over the jar.

III. Anticipatory Set

Good afternoon, imagine if there was going to be a huge snowstorm. If you could go to the
store one time what would you want to get to bring back to your house? (Call on a few
students) Why would you want to bring extra food and water? (Call on a few students) You
 would want to store up enough food to prepare for the storm, so you could survive and have
enough energy.

IV. Purpose: Today we are going to learn why leaves change colors in the fall. It is important to
know what causes the leaves to turn beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows as the seasons
change. You need to know when the leaves are getting ready to fall to the ground so you can
help your parents rake the leaves and jump in the piles.

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

(ACEI 1.0)
V. Adaptation to Diverse Students
BW: Hold him accountable to the management plan. Give him a choice of 2 seating options
during the demonstrations, neither by J or G.
JS: He can take one fidget item with him to the demonstration.
HK: Ask her to answer questions so she remains engaged.
A: If he asks a question, I will be sure to give a response so he doesnt keep asking even if the
question is unrelated to the discussion. He only needs to write one sentence, or he can use his
iPad to type the sentences.
(ACEI 3.2)

VI. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

Good morning class. We are going to conduct an experiment to answer the question, what
causes leaves to change colors? The leaves change color every year, but we dont often think
about why they change colors (Have examples of green leaves and colored leaves to show the
class). Before we conduct an experiment, I want you to write down your best guess as to what you
think the answer is. We call this making a hypothesis. Who wants to share their hypothesis with
the class? (Call on a few students) Now we are going to conduct our experiment to see if
anyones hypothesis was correct.
Gather students on the rug and couch in the living room.
I will conduct the experiment due to safety reasons, but the students will all be able to see and
make discoveries.
Step 1: Break apart the leaves into smaller pieces
Step 2: Place the leaves in a jar
Step 3: Pour rubbing alcohol over the leaves until they are fully covered.
Step 4: Put a plastic baggie over the lid of the jar.
Step 5: Place the jar in a bowl of hot water
Step 6: Cut the coffee filters into long strips
Step 7: Dip the coffee filter into the rubbing alcohol with leaves
Step 8: Engage the students in discussion about what is happening
What does somebody see that they want to share? (Have their responses guide discussion)
What do you notice about the color of the rubbing alcohol the leaves are in? What color is the
coffee filter now?
Have students return to their seats and write down their observations on their recording sheet.
Discuss the real-life version of our leaf experiment.
Leaves are colored by different pigments. The pigment that causes leaves to be green is
chlorophyll which is important for plants to make food using sunlight. The chlorophyll is so
powerful it takes over the other pigments in the leaves and only shows green. Once the weather
starts to get colder it would take a lot of energy to make chlorophyll, so trees break down
chlorophyll which allows the other pigments to show their colors. The tree takes the chlorophyll
out of their leaves before the leaves fall so it saves energy. Just like you said you would buy extra
 food before a snowstorm to save energy, the tree is trying to prepare for the colder weather and
conserve as much energy as it can. Right before the leaves fall to the ground they show other
colors that are usually hidden due to the strength of chlorophyll. In our experiment, the rubbing
alcohol broke down the chlorophyll in the leaves. When we dipped the coffee filters in the liquid,
the leaves other colors showed up on the filter.
Now look back at the question and hypothesis. Was your guess correct or do you need to change
what you originally thought based on what you discovered in this experiment?
Draw the conclusion you made after watching the experiment. Use evidence from the
experiment as proof to support your conclusion.
(ACEI 2.2)
(ACEI 3.3)
VII. Check for understanding: As students engage in discussion I will assess their knowledge of why
leaves change colors. I will have students talk with each other and with me to explain the reason
leaves change in the fall. If I hear common misconceptions from the students, I will address those to
the whole group.

VIII. Review learning outcomes / Closure: Now that we have answered our question, what causes
leaves to change colors? You are going to draw a picture of what happens when the tree breaks
down its chlorophyll. Write at least 2 sentences explaining your drawing.

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

Formal Assessment: I will observe student discussion and pay attention to the questions they ask. I will be
detecting how engaged they are during the demonstration in order to draw conclusions. The students will
fill out a recording sheet to take notes of the experiment.

Summative Assessment: The students will draw a picture and write at least 2 sentences that explain why
leaves change colors.
(ACEI 4.0)
REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS
1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
a. Blooms Taxonomy
b. Gardners Multiple Intelligences
7. Did I use the classroom management plan effectively to keep students on track?
8. Were students able to see the leaf demonstration close enough to make observations?
9. Did students understand the new vocabulary words that were introduced?
10. Did I have effective communication during the lesson presentation?
Revision Date: September 12, 2016
2007 ACEI Standard
Name: The Scientific Method
Question:

Why do leaves change colors?

Hypothesis:
I think ___________________________________________________________________.

Experiment Observations:

Conclusion: