KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM
LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Teacher Candidate: Mackenzie Rosenfelt
Cooperating Teacher: _________________________________________________
Group Size: Whole-group, Small-group,
Allotted Time: 50 Minutes
Subject or Topic: Matter- Measuring Matter

Date: TBA
Coop. Initials: ________________
Grade Level: 3rd Grade
Section: _____________________

STANDARD(s):
S3.C.1.1.3: Classify a substance as a solid, liquid, or gas
S3.A.2.2.1: Identify appropriate tools or instruments for specific tasks, and describe the information they provide
(i.e., measuring [lengthruler; mass balance scale] and making observations [hand lensesvery small objects]).
I.

Objective
a. The 3rd grade students will be able to apply their knowledge by measuring objects using each
type of measurement and documenting their findings on a chart.

II. Instructional Materials

Measuring cups
Chart paper
Balance
Pennies
Mug
Paper clips
Stapler
Pencil
Small ball
Toy boat
A box of objects previously measured by the teacher
Inquiry charts
Science notebooks
Water
III. Subject Matter/ Content
a. Prerequisite skillsi. Identifying properties of objects (shape, size, color, texture)
ii. Prior knowledge of the 5 senses
iii. Measuring objects
b. Key vocabularyi. Matter- Anything that takes up space and has mass
ii. Solid- State of matter that keeps its shape and volume
iii. Liquid- State of matter that keeps its volume but forms to the shape of its container
iv. Gas- State of matter that expands to occupy the volume available
v. Mass- the amount of matter an object has
vi. Volume- the amount of space that an object takes up
vii. Density- a measure of the amount of matter in a certain amount of space
c. Big idea(s)i. Differentiating between the three states of matter and how they are made up
ii. Identifying the properties of matter
iii. Measuring matter
d. Additional contenti. N/A
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction Boys and girls, yesterday in class we discussed what matter is, the three states of
matter, and the properties that allow us to describe different types of matter. Today, we will

discuss different ways to measure matter.

a. Before beginning lesson teacher will call on students to review information from the
previous day:
i. What is matter?
ii. What are the three types of matter?
iii. What are some properties that we can use to describe matter?
B. Development
a. Teacher will tell students that there are a few different ways to measure matter. The three
types of measurement that will be discussed will be mass, volume, and density.
b. Teacher will have a chart drawn with three columns for each type of measurement to write the
definition, how to weigh, and examples for each.
c. Massi. Mass is the amount of matter an object has. Teacher will write this on the chart
paper.
ii. Solids, liquids, and gases all have mass.
iii. We can weigh an objects mass with a balance. The metric unit for mass is the gram
(g). Teacher will write this on the chart paper.
iv. Teacher will choose 4 objects to weigh with balance to show how to measure mass.
1. Paper clip
2. Pencil
3. Stapler
4. Mug
5. Penny
d. Volumei. Volume is the amount of space that the object takes up. Teacher will write this on the
chart paper.
ii. Solids, liquids, and gases all have volume.
iii. We can measure the volume of liquids by using a cup with numbered units on its
side or a graduated cylinder. The metric unit for volume is the liter (L). Teacher will
write this on the chart paper.
iv. We can measure the volume of solids with water. To do this, we record the measure
of liquid in a measuring cup then place a solid object into the cup. Then we record
the new level of the water. The difference in the water levels is equal to the volume
of the rock. Teacher will write this on the chart paper.
v. Teacher will show an example of measuring a liquid with a measuring cup.
vi. Teacher will show an example of measuring a solid by pouring water into a
measuring cup and dropping a ball into the cup.
e. Density
i. Density is a measure of the amount of matter in a certain amount of space. Teacher
will write this on the chart paper.
ii. Solids, liquids, and gases all have density.
iii. Teacher will show an example of density by dropping pennies and a toy boat in
water to see if they sink or float.
1. An object will float if it is less dense than the liquid or gas it is submerged
in. Teacher will write this on the chart paper.
2. The pennies have a higher density than water and will sink.
3. The toy boat has a lower density that water and will float.
f. Inquiry
i. Students will break up into groups of 4-5 to complete the inquiry.
ii. Each group will be asked to choose 5 objects from the box on the teachers desk to
measure.
1. Mass will be measured with a balance and students will write down both
items they measured and circle which weighed more accorsding to the
balance.
2. Volume will be measured with the displacement of water. Students will
look at the measuring cup and see how much water the have placed in the
cup. Next, theyll put an object into the water and see how much the water
raised in the measuring cup. They will use subtraction to identify the
volume.

Density will be measured by the objects ability to sink or float. They will
write the name of the item and then write sink or float underneath the
objects name to identify what happened when they placed it in water.
iii. Before performing the inquiry, students will take out their science notebook and
write down 3-4 statements about what they think could happen, what they want to
see, or any ideas/questions they have about the inquiry.
iv. Each individual student will be given a chart to document the measurement of each
object. Students will be measuring the mass, volume, and density for each object.
Students are encouraged measure each object so that they are getting a reliable
answer.
v. After measuring, students will check with their group members to be sure that they
all have the same answers. If there is a discrepancy, they are to measure that object
again.
3.

C.

Closure
a. After the inquiry is completed, the students will come together have a discussion about
what they found interesting.
b. Teacher will ask students what they may change and if there is anything they would like
to try if they were to complete this inquiry again.

D. Accommodations / Differentiation
a. Student D.B. has dyslexia and exhibits difficulty with fine motor skills.
i. Instead of a science notebook, the student will have a word processor to document
information. This information includes notes, questions/answers, homework, etc.
ii. The teacher will give student a copy of the information written on the chart paper to
keep in a binder.
iii. The student will also complete the measuring matter chart on the word processor, the
teacher will send the worksheet to the student.
E. Assessment/Evaluation plan
1. Formativea. Students will write down 3-4 ideas in their science notebook that they
think may happen during the inquiry. The completion of this will be
documented on a checklist.
b. Groups of students will complete a chart that documents the various
objects their measurements for each type of measurement used. The
completion of this will be documented on a rubric.
2. Summative- There is no summative assessment for this unit.
V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Students Performance in Terms of States Objectives
E.

Personal Reflection
a. How could this lesson be improved?
b. Are the students understanding the content? If not, what can I do?
c.

Are there any steps I could add to make this lesson more engaging for students?

1. VI. Resources
Foresman, S. (2006). Science: See learning in a whole new light. New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.