ED 345 Calvin College Teacher Intern Lesson Plan Template

Teacher Intern: Jared Swanson Date: 3/13/2018

Grade Level: 6/7th Subject/ Topic: Conservation of Energy
Approx. time spent planning this lesson: 2 hrs
DOMAIN 1: PLANNING & PREPARATION
Main Focus: Conservation of Energy, Energy Transfers
Brief Context: In this lesson we will be continuing our investigation of the law of conservation of
energy. Last class we briefly talk about and defined the term. During this class we will see the law in
action and collect data to show evidence of the law.
Prerequisite Knowledge/Skills: Students should understand the relationships of different types of
energy, especially kinetic and potential. Students should also know what the law of conservation of
energy is.
Objectives:

Students will be able to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy
is transferred to or from the object.

Students will be able to describe how amounts of potential energy that are stored in a system change
at different distances.

MS-PS3-4 Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy
of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.

MS-PS3-2 Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a
distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.

Assessment: Bell work, investigation packet, data analysis, claim and evidence.

Worldview Integration: Students will understand the world around us is full of energy. Everything
has energy and God made the Earth that way. There is no way to create or destroy energy. It is
always being recycled and transferred.

Instructional Resources: Investigation worksheet, science notebook, meter sticks, tennis ball, video
on electric cars

Universal Design for Learning Networks/Domains (see UDL Guidelines )

RECOGNITION STRATEGIC AFFECTIVE
Multiple Means of Multiple Means of Expression Multiple Means of
Representation Engagement
Options for Perception Options for action/interaction Options for recruiting
interest
Information will be given Students will be interacting with
through hands on activities and each other and the teacher. Teacher will have students do
discussions This class has mostly group a few activities to talk about
work, however, students have energy transfers and the Law
time to work individually. of Conservation of Energy.
Options for
Language/Symbols
Information will be given orally,
through demonstrations, and
through the hands-on activity.
Options for Expression Options for Sustaining Effort
& Persistence
Students will be writing, talking,
and answering questions.
They will be working in a group
and filling out a lab
investigation sheet with their
group members.

Options for Comprehension Options for Executive Options for Self-Regulation

Function
Students will be required to
work on this group assignment.
They should encourage
collaboration and that all group
members are on task.

DOMAIN 2: THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

COVENANT MANAGEMENT: Relationship & community building

The students will be having discussions with each other and the teacher. As students work on the
activities and a lab guide, the teacher will be assisting and guiding students as they ask questions
and work together. The teacher will encourage collaboration and problem solving.

CONDUCT MANAGEMENT: (Behavioral expectations, strategies to encourage self regulation,

etc.)
Identify at least 2 ways you will gain whole group attention: Asking thought-provoking questions,
waiting until everyone is silent and paying attention before continuing or giving further instructions.
Strategies you intend to use to redirect individual students: Asking questions to refocus that
students on the activity at hand, give students a task, small activity, or role to keep them from being a
distraction to others.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT: Students will work in their table groups when doing this lab activity.

DOMAIN 3: INSTRUCTION
CONTENT MANAGEMENT: THE LESSON

Students will begin class by working on their bell work in their science notebooks. The bell work is,
“Draw a flow map of energy bring transferred in a system. (e.g. from last class: basketball and tennis
ball dropping, ball rolling down binder and hitting another ball, pendulum)

After the students have worked on the bell work for about 3 minutes, we will discuss the bell work as
a class and the teacher will chose one students example and draw it on the board. Other students
will add or remove things that they think are necessary to the energy system.
From this, the teacher will review the Law of Conservation of Energy. “What is the law of
conservation of energy? Where do we experience this law? Can someone give me another example
where we can witness this law in action?”

After talking about the law, students will do a few quick activities to demonstrate it.

The teacher will tell the students to start rubbing their hands together. “When we get cold we rub our
hands together to get warmer. This is because the potential energy stored in our hands turns into
kinetic energy when we start rubbing. As you can feel your hands are getting warmer the longer you
rub then. The kinetic energy is now turning into thermal energy. The total mechanical energy from
the beginning is now transferred into different types of energy, but it is still the same amount.”

“Now can everyone clap once?” After students are done clapping, the teacher will ask, “What energy
transfers were happening when you clapped your hands?” The teacher will call on a few students to
give their answers. “What happened was the potential energy turned into kinetic energy which turned
into sounds energy. That is why you heard the clap. Sound energy is another form of kinetic
energy.”

“What happens when you go bowling?” Students will discuss what kinds of energy transfers might be
happening in a bowling alley. The teacher will draw a flow map on the board of energy going from
your hand to the ball to the floor to the pins. “Energy is being transferred to each on of the objects
and that is affecting that object. (e.g. energy from hand to ball makes ball move, energy from ball to
floor makes loud noise, energy from ball to pins make noise and pins go everywhere.)

Finally, the teacher will discuss the pendulum activity from the last class and what kinds of energy
transfers there were in that activity. Students should understand that the kinetic energy in the ball
was being transferred elsewhere (friction in the air, thermal) and that is why it slowed down and
eventually stopped.

After discussing these energy transfer examples, the teacher will explain that they will be doing an
investigation activity to test the law of conservation of energy.

The teacher will pass out the investigation activity worksheet and explain that students will work in
groups of 4 (table groups)

First, the teacher will introduce the predictions. Students will record two predictions before they begin
the activity. The first one will be: If I change the height from which the ball is dropped, then the ball
will bounce (higher, lower, or the same). The second prediction will be: When I drop the ball, it will
bounce (higher, lower, the same) than its original position.

Students will spend a couple of minutes writing down their prediction statements.

Now, the teacher will go over the directions as the students follow along on their worksheet.
 Hold the bouncy ball at the top of the meter stick.
 Without applying extra force, release the ball.
 Observe to see how high the ball bounces back up the stick.
 Record the data in your data chart below.
 Repeat steps 1-4 reduce the height of the drop to 80 cm.
 Record the data.
 Repeat the process for 60, 40, and 20cm.
 Record the data each time.
The teacher will now release the students to get started. One student will go get the materials
needed for the group and then get started will the activity. Each student should have a role and the
teacher will walk around making sure that is the case.

The teacher will be asking questions about how the height affects the height of the bounced ball. The
teacher will also be asking students why they think the ball is not returning to its original drop height.

When students are finished with the activity they should answer the 4 questions on the back. These
questions are:
o Does the ball ever bounce back to the drop height?
o Why does this happen?
o Describe the changes in potential, kinetic, and mechanical energy of the ball throughout the lab.
o Choose one of the heights, and draw a flow map, showing the energy transfers in the system.

After all students are finished with the questions, the teacher will ask one student from four different
groups to answer these four questions. The student who answers the last questions can come up to
the board and draw their flow map. The other students will pitch in and add anything that was missed
or correct any mistakes.

The teacher will explain that the ball was dropped and did not return to its original height because
some of the kinetic energy was transferred elsewhere (friction, air resistance, thermal), meaning it
didn’t have the same amount when it returned.

Students will now create a claim and evidence for their data. The teacher will assist with the claim
and give an example (I claim that the ball will never return to its original drop height when dropped).
The students will work on an evidence statement using the data they collected from the activity.

After students are finished, they will share some of their ideas and the teacher will write some of them
up on the board.

Students will now turn in their activity sheets into the assignment box.

If there is time at the end of class, the teacher will show a video about electric cars. This video talks
about the law of conservation of energy in electric cars. They use the potential energy that is
gathered and capture some of it when it turns into kinetic energy. Instead of this energy going to
waste, they use it power and recharge the battery.

When watching the video students should think about how this relates to the law of conservation of
energy and some of the activities we did in class.

Students should turn in their homework before they leave class.

DOMAIN #4: PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

CANDIDATE NOTED EVIDENCE OF PROFESSIONALISM: I attended a PLC meeting with other
science and math teachers to brainstorm and discuss how to collaborate and also what advice we
could give each other about certain students.