SIOP

Lesson Plan: Kinesthetic Astronomy - Understanding Planetary Motion

Clay Lingo
EDU5025 Teaching English Learners
Professor Stewart
30 November 2016

SIOP Lesson Plan: Kinesthetic Astronomy - Understanding Planetary Motion

Teacher: Clay Lingo
Grade: 8th
Class: Integrated Science
Unit: MS - Space Systems

English Language Proficiency Level: Intermediate, Early Advanced


Time/Type: 60-minute sheltered lesson for Grade 8 English Learners in a mainstream science
classroom. This lesson integrates all parts of language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) and
is a component of a larger learning module: MS-ESS1 Earths Place in the Universe.


Preparation:

Next Generation Science Standards:

MS-ESS1-2: Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies
and the solar system.

MS-ESS1-3: Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.


Common Core State Standards:

RST.8.1 (MS-ESS1-2, 3):
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and




technical texts.

RST.8.7 (MS-ESS1-2, 3):
Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a
text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g. in a
flowchart, diagram, model, graph or table.)

WHST.8.2 (MS-ESS1-2, 3): Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey
ideas, concepts, and information through the
selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

SL.8.5 (MS-ESS1-2):
Integrate multimedia components and visual displays in presentations
to clarify claims and findings, and emphasize salient points.

ELD Standards:

Part I: Interacting In Meaningful Ways

B. Interpretive # 6: Reading closely literary and informational texts and viewing multimedia to
determine how meaning is conveyed explicitly and implicitly through language (RST.8.1 RST.8.7)

Expanding: a) Explain ideas, phenomena, processes, and text relationships based on close
reading of a variety of grade-appropriate texts and viewing of multimedia, with moderate
support. b) Express inferences and conclusions drawn based on close reading gradeappropriate and viewing of multimedia using a variety of verbs. c) Use knowledge of
morphology, context, reference materials and visual cues to determine the meanings of
unknown and multiple-meaning words on familiar and new topics.

Bridging: a) Explain ideas, phenomena, processes, and text relationships based on close
reading of a variety of grade-appropriate texts and viewing of multimedia, with light support.
b) Express inferences and conclusions drawn based on close reading grade-appropriate and
viewing of multimedia using a variety of precise academic verbs. c) Use knowledge of
morphology, context, reference materials and visual cues to determine the meanings of
unknown and multiple-meaning words on a variety of new topics.

C. Productive # 9: Expressing information and ideas in formal oral presentations on academic topics
(RST.8.1 RST.8.7)

Expanding: Presenting - Plan and deliver longer oral presentations on a variety of topics using
details and evidence to support ideas.

Bridging: Presenting - Plan and deliver longer oral presentations on a variety of concrete and
abstract topics using reasoning and evidence to support ideas and using a growing
understanding of register.

C. Productive #10: Writing literary and informational text to present, describe, and explain ideas and
information, using appropriate terminology (WHST.8.2)

Expanding: a) Write longer literary and informational texts collaboratively and independently
using appropriate text organization. b) Write clear and coherent summaries of texts and
experiences using complete and concise sentences and key words.

Bridging: a) Write longer literary and informational texts collaboratively and independently
using appropriate text organization and growing understanding of register. b) Write
increasingly concise summaries of texts and experiences using complete sentences and key
words.

Part II: Learning About How English Works

A. Structuring Cohesive Texts #1: Understanding Text Structure (WHST.8.2)

Expanding: Apply understanding of the organizational features of different text types to
comprehending texts and to writing increasingly clear and coherent arguments,
informative/explanatory texts and narratives.

Bridging: Apply understanding of the organizational features of different text types to
comprehending texts and to writing clear and cohesive arguments, informative/explanatory
texts and narratives.

A. Structuring Cohesive Texts #2: Understanding Cohesion (WHST.8.2)

Expanding: a) Apply knowledge of familiar language resources for referring to make texts
more cohesive to comprehending and writing texts with increasing cohesion. b) Apply
growing understanding of how ideas, events, or reasons are linked throughout a text using a
variety of connecting words or phrases to comprehending and writing texts with increasing
cohesion.

Bridging: a) Apply knowledge of familiar language resources for referring to make texts more
cohesive to comprehending and writing cohesive texts. b) Apply increasing understanding of
how ideas, events, or reasons are linked throughout a text using an increasing variety of
academic connecting and transitional words or phrases to comprehending and writing texts
with increasing cohesion.

C. Connecting and Condensing Ideas #6: Connecting Ideas (WHST.8.2)

Expanding: Combine clauses in an increasing variety of ways to make connections between
and join ideas, for example, to express a reason or to make a concession.

Bridging: Combine clauses in wide variety of ways to make connections between and join
ideas, for example, to show the relationship between multiple events or ideas or to evaluate
an argument.

C. Connecting and Condensing Ideas #7: Condensing Ideas (WHST.8.2)

Expanding: Condense ideas in an increasing variety of ways to create precise and detailed
sentences.

Bridging: Condense ideas in a variety of ways to create precise and detailed sentences.


Content Learning Objectives (What is the content that will be mastered):

1. Ability to explain how planets got their name and why the ancients called them
Wanderers.

2. Ability to describe and contrast the similarities and differences of the planetary motion
models of Ptolemy, Copernicus and Kepler.

3. Ability to use a model to understand and demonstrate the retrograde motion of planets
using Mars as an example.

Language Learning Objectives (How will the language be learned):

1. Interact with peers by verbally sharing and explaining ideas based on reading of texts,
viewing of multimedia and participation in group-learning activities.

2. Learn, understand and utilize Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary terms in spoken language and
written texts: Orbit, Celestial, Constellation, Geocentric, Heliocentric, Elliptical,
Opposition and Retrograde. (Retrograde will be the only word taught in this lesson unit.)

3. Prepare summary written statements based on the reading of a scientific article in an
adapted text.

Adaptations:

Content and language objectives will be printed on the whiteboard and read aloud at the
beginning of class.

ELLs will be provided with a completed vocabulary list that can be referenced to assist with
the text reading and completion of the content definition map.

An example of a completed content definition map (vocabulary word, definition, sentence,
illustration) will be provided to each ELL.

I will frequently pass among the ELL students, engaging with them on an individual basis as
necessary in order to answer questions, provide step-by-step instructions where necessary
and ensure subject matter comprehension.

A teacher-prepared outline of the entire learning module will have been previously
distributed to all students for use as a guide to help take organized notes.

Printed texts with margin notes will be offered as adjuncts to the online readings in order to
help focus attention on important ideas and key concepts.


Building Background:

This lesson is part of a larger two-week module: Earths Place In The Universe. The class already
understands the structure of the solar system as well as the historical models of Ptolemy, Copernicus
and Kepler and how each attempted to explain earths motion and place in the universe. This lesson
will build on the students previous knowledge about the solar system and will introduce an
intriguing new concept that puzzled astronomers for more than two thousand years: Retrograde -
the apparent motion of a planet in a direction opposite to that of other bodies within its system, as
observed from a particular vantage point. A procedural scaffolding approach which transitions from
whole class to individual work will be used to reinforce previously learned concepts and introduce
new coursework. A variety of fun, interactive activities will be utilized throughout the lesson to
explicitly link new concepts to students background and to introduce and reinforce key vocabulary.

Lesson Plan:

I Do (5 minutes): The class begins with a review of the lessons agenda, the content and language
objectives, and the warm up exercise question that are written on the whiteboard. I will state these
orally, step-by-step, and each student will follow on their copy of the teacher-prepared outline
which details the days activities. ELLs benefit by hearing the spoken language while reading along
on the written outline. The I Do portion concludes with a quick Q&A session to ensure that all
students understand the sessions goals and are prepared to learn.

Warm Up (5 Minutes): I will read a question written on the white board and then restate it in a
think-aloud format in order to model strategies for students to consider in order to construct
meaning from the think-pair-share warm up activity. Students will partner into heterogeneous
pairings (i.e. non ELL and ELL teams) to read a short text from the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
website: Ancient Times and The Greeks. This differentiated instructional activity satisfies content
objective #1 and offers all students, especially ELLs, an opportunity for an oral rehearsal wherein
they first read the text, think individually to form an answer to a question and then share their ideas
with their partner. This activity will be scaffolded for ELLs with a printed margin notes copy of the

text plus access to the completed vocabulary list. Additionally, I will pass between the teams to
interact where necessary in order to ensure comprehension.

We Do (35 Minutes): I will bring the class together as a whole and again use a think-aloud approach
to pose questions to the students about the think-pair-share activity. This gives all students an
occasion to reinforce and share their learning on a group basis, and it affords additional
opportunities for ELLs to practice speaking. (5 minutes)

The next learning activity is a review of previously introduced vocabulary plus subject matter in
content objective 2: the planetary motion models of Ptolemy, Copernicus and Kepler. The class will
divide into teams of four or five students each and an online version of Jeopardy will be used to
present the material. This activity, which fosters effective student-student interactions by again
pairing native speakers with ELLs, reinforces previously learned concepts, encourages table talk and
offers opportunities for application of learned content and language knowledge. As warranted, ELL
students will be offered a short amount of additional time to formulate their spoken answer(s). (10
Minutes)

A summary of planetary retrograde is the next learning activity and a short video will be used to
introduce this new topic in a visual format to help make the content concepts clear. I will follow by
briefly demonstrating use of two online simulators that the students will use during the You Do
portion of the lesson. I will verbally scaffold the demonstration by reinforcing the spoken
description of the simulations with additional context and definition, and I will model the strategy I
want the students to use when they interact with the simulator later in the lesson. I will also provide
an opportunity for students to ask questions. Next, a visual vocabulary exercise will take place to
introduce and reinforce the lessons new Tier 3 term: Retrograde. A simple example of a planetary
retrograde diagram will be displayed and I will introduce and define the word in simple, concrete
terms. I will contextualize the word by demonstrating its use and I will use other descriptive words
to provide for additional understanding and context. Following this introduction, students will pair
again into their Jeopardy groups to collectively work on their individual copies of a four-quadrant
content definition map in order to develop meaning, context, spelling and usage for the new term. I

will pass among all the groups to answer questions and/or ensure comprehension and will then
follow by asking questions of each group. The student teams will interact with one another before
offering their answer. I will paraphrase students answers as needed. This scaffolded peer-to-peer
exercise will be another opportunity for ELLs to practice their writing and speaking skills and for all
students to discuss ideas, access the thought processes of others and solidify their own thinking.
This learning activity addresses content objective #3. (20 min)

You Do (10 Minutes): All students will access online content at the NASA website and read a short
text about Mars Retrograde. A hands-on session with the simulator that models and animates the
motion of the MARS retrograde will be utilized as part of the exercise to help clarify key concepts
and make the content more comprehensible. Students will also use the time to complete their
content definition maps. Separately, I will work with the ELL students who will partner in selfselected pairings to utilize a GIST strategy in order to complete the sentence construction portion of
their content definition maps. A copy of the online text with margin notes will be available to place
focus on important ideas, key concepts, vocabulary (or other) words and their definitions, and to
draw attention to important supporting facts. (At the end of the larger learning module, each of the
content definition maps will be added to the students Word Study Books, where they will be
organized by topic of study.)

Assessment/Exit (5 Minutes):
Assessment of student learning will be two-fold. First, I will conduct informal assessments
throughout the class-time walk-arounds. These on-the-spot observations will be opportunities for
me to determine the extent of student learning and more importantly, occasions for me to
determine where learning or comprehension has not occurred and where additional instructional
remedies are required. The second assessment will measure learning outcomes with an exit ticket.
This wrap-up technique will be a familiar exercise to the students; they will respond to two sentence
starters that will assess comprehension of the days subject matter: 1) I learned... and 2) I still dont
understand... Aside from giving all students an opportunity to provide feedback, this exercise will
offer a final opportunity to reinforce learning and use newly acquired vocabulary in a written format.

ADAPTED TEXT WARM UP

ANCIENT TIMES
Five planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were known to the ancients. To the
unaided eye, these planets appear star-like. However, the planets moved relative to the stars. For
this reason they were called wandering stars. Our word "planet" comes from the Greek
word planetes, meaning "wanderer."
PLANETS AS GODS
To the people of many ancient civilizations, the planets were thought to be deities. Our names for
the planets are the Roman names for these deities. For example, Mars was the god of war and Venus
the goddess of love.
THE GREEKS
"What are the uniform and ordered movements, by the assumption of which the apparent
movements of the planets can be accounted for?"
Plato 4th Century B.C.
Plato wondered why the star-like planets moved relative to the stars. Trying to answer the question
was to occupy the attention of astronomers for many centuries.

Relative: This means when the position of one object is compared to the position of another object.
Sentence example: In the morning, the position of the sun relative to the earth is above and to the
east of us.

Deities: This is another word for a god or a goddess. Sentence example: Mars and Venus are
examples of deities worshipped by the ancients as gods.

Uniform: This word is often used to describe a special set of clothes, like a military uniform. It also
means that something is the same in all parts and at all times. That is the meaning we are using in
this reading. Sentence example: The color of the bedroom walls was a uniform gray.

Assumption: This means a belief or feeling that something is true or that something will happen,
although there is no proof. Sentence example: Shes always making assumptions about how much
money people have.

Astronomer: This means a scientist who studies astronomy (the scientific study of the sun, moon,
stars, planets, etc.) Sentence example: The astronomer used a telescope to study the planet Mars.

Visual Vocabulary Builder

RETROGRADE: An APPARENT change in the movement of the planet

through the sky.

Instructions:

1. Write the vocabulary word.
2. Find a definition of the word in the dictionary. Write a NEW definition using your own words.
3. Use the vocabulary word in a sentence.
4. Draw a picture to represent the word.

ADAPTED TEXT You Do

Mars Retrograde

If you were to look up in the eastern sky at the same time each night and note where Mars appears to be
compared to the constellations of stars, you would find the planet a little farther east with each viewing. That
is, Mars appears to move from west to east from one night to the next.

Every two years or so, there are a couple of months when Mars' position from night to night seems to change
direction and move east to west. This strange behavior was very puzzling to early sky-watchers. Did the
planet really stop, back up, change its mind, and then continue to move forward? Did it have some weird,
mystical meaning? Today we know what's going on. It's an illusion, caused by the ways that Earth and Mars
orbit the sun.

Mars Retrograde Happens Every Two Years

The two planets are like race cars on an oval track. Earth has the inside lane and moves faster than Mars -- so
much faster, in fact, that it makes two laps around the course in about as much time as it takes Mars to go
around once.

About every 26 months, Earth comes up from behind and overtakes Mars. While we're passing by the red
planet, it will look to us as though Mars is moving up and down. Then, as we move farther along our curved
orbit and see the planet from a different angle, the illusion will disappear and we will once again see Mars
move in a straight line. This apparent erratic movement is called "retrograde motion." The illusion also
happens with Jupiter and the other planets that orbit farther from the sun.

Just to make things a little more odd, the orbits that Earth and Mars follow don't quite lie in the same plane.
It's as if the two planets were on separate tracks that are a little tilted with respect to each other. This causes
another strange illusion. TEACHERS NOTE: See the online reading for a picture that will help you understand

Constellation: A group of stars that form a shape in the sky and have a name. Sentence example: Canis Major
is the name of a constellation that looks like a big dog.

Mystical: Something with powers or qualities that are difficult to understand or to explain. Sentence
example: Wise men once thought that mystic forces controlled the activities of the brain.

Illusion: Something that seems to exist but does not. Sentence example: Mirrors on a wall can give the
illusion of the room being bigger.

Plane: Any flat or level surface, or an imaginary flat surface. Sentence example: The dish and glass sat on the
top of the table and were located on the same plane.

MARS RETROGRADE SIMULATOR I

MARS RETROGRADE SIMULATOR II