USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014)
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd
What Standards (national or state)
relate to this lesson?
(You should include ALL applicable
standards. Rarely do teachers use just
one: they’d never get through them
all.)
Objectives- What are you teaching?
Evaluation Plan- How will you know
students have mastered your
objectives?
Name: ___Ellie Magnuson____________________________
Subject/Content: Science Group Size: 19 Date of Lesson: 9/26/17
Lesson Content
SC.35.CS-CS.1.2: Describe how models and simulations can be used to solve real-world issues in science and
engineering.
SC.3.N.1.1: Raise questions about the natural world, investigate them individually and in teams through free
exploration and systematic investigations, and generate appropriate explanations based on those explorations.
SC.3.P.10.2: Recognize that energy has the ability to cause motion or create change.
SC.3.P.10.1: Identify some basic forms of energy such as light, heat, sound, electrical, and mechanical.
The student will use the design process to create a balloon powered racer that makes forward progress after
recognizing that energy has the ability to cause motion with no errors in understanding the relation between
energy and motion.
Formative: Students will be able to come up with two possible sketch solutions for a balloon racer. They should
be able to critically think about their designs and come up with some strength and weaknesses about each
one. I will come check their worksheets when I see that students completed this independently.
Summative of this lesson: Students will be able to work with their specified partner to design and plan a
blueprint. They are instructed on their worksheets to: “Compare your design with your partner’s and choose
the one you want to build. Sketch your blueprint. Remember to identify materials and label your design.” The
final product they design will be their evidence of learning.
Summative of unit: Students will show if they understood the material by the worksheet they filled out
throughout the process of designing their balloon racer. They should be able to test their balloon racer in trials,
reflect and improve, and justify their thinking. The balloon racer will also be a part of this assessment.
USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014)
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd
Step-by-Step Plan
(What exactly do you plan to do in
teaching this lesson? Be thorough.
Act as if you needed a substitute to
carry out the lesson for you.)
Where applicable, be sure to address
the following:
 How will materials be
distributed?
 How will students transition
between activities?
 What will you as the teacher do?
 What will the students do?
 What student data will be
collected during each phase?
 What are other adults in the
room doing? How are they
supporting students’ learning?
 What model of co-teaching are
you using?
Name: ___Ellie Magnuson____________________________
Subject/Content: Science Group Size: 19 Date of Lesson: 9/26/17
Lesson Implementation
Time Who is
30-40 responsible 1. Start off introducing the essential question: “How does energy cause
minute (Teacher or motion?” Then, play a video on what an engineer is.
s Students)? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9I35Rqo04E
2. Introduce and explain what Science Olympics is and refer back to what they
Students did in 2nd grade for it. Go over the materials for the balloon racers.
3. We will revisit the essential question. I will explain that they will be applying
what they have learned about energy to this year’s Science Olympics. This
explanation will start out with a class discussion about what energy is. I will
then ask them to think about energy that might be in a balloon. I will
demonstrate blowing the balloon up and letting it go. We will have a class
discussion with the question: “How do you think energy caused the balloon
to move?” After the discussion, I will have them turn and talk with their
partner to the question: “How are we going to use the balloon to set our
balloon racer in motion?”
4. I will hand out the “Science Olympics Planning Sheet.” On projector, I will
model for them the problem/challenge that they are trying to figure out.
After asking them, we will write down, “How can I set my balloon racer in
motion using energy?” I will have the materials displayed for everyone to
see. I will model a brainstorm idea when students are done. There will be
noticeable strengths and weaknesses to the design. The class will discuss
these strengths and weaknesses.
5. Students will then be instructed to brainstorm model A & B and draw a
design. They will list the strengths and weaknesses of each design
independently.
6. (if time permits) CT will place students in teams of two that they will be
working with for entire project. They will come up with a plan/design with
the directions: “Compare your design with your partner’s and choose the
one you want to build. Sketch your blueprint. Remember to identify
materials and label your design.” Students will work with their partner and
put it in their work in progress folder when they are done.
USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (S 2014)
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd
Meeting your students’ needs as
people and as learners
Differentiation—based on the needs
of your students how will you take
individual and group learning
differences into account.
Relevant Psychological Theories and
research taken in consideration
when planning this lesson
Name: ___Ellie Magnuson____________________________
Subject/Content: Science Group Size: 19 Date of Lesson: 9/26/17
If applicable, how does this lesson connect to the interests and cultural backgrounds of your students?
This lesson connects to students because all students are familiar with the everyday objects that engineers
make. Even in the video I play, they talk about how mechanical engineers make cars, electrical engineers make
microwaves, and software engineers help design computers. These are things all students in the class are
familiar with and see on an everyday basis. Now, they get to be an engineer, too, and design their own balloon
racer.
In both of my CT’s blocks, she has gifted students in them. While not all of the students are gifted, it can be
difficult at times to keep the gifted students busy while other students are finishing their work. That is why I
decided to add the part, “Students who get done early may list strengths and weaknesses of design A.” The
gifted students in the class will be able to already complete this step as everyone is finishing their designs.
By modeling a brainstorm idea after students already design one of theirs, I help give the students who
struggle some ideas about what they may include in design B and what might not be the best to include. It also
models how they can see strengths and weaknesses in their own designs.
Pairing students up with help some of the struggling students get ideas from others, and also may challenge
the gifted students who get placed with each other. All students can work at their own paces in this student-
centered approach.
I decided to use the information I learned in my course Measurement for Educators to analyze the knowledge
and cognitive process dimensions of Bloom’s Taxonomy. The standard “SC.3.P.10.2: Recognize that energy has
the ability to cause motion or create change” taxonomy level is remembering conceptual knowledge. This
standard does not demand a significant amount of cognitive skills to grasp. The standard “SC.3.N.1.1: Raise
questions about the natural world, investigate them individually and in teams through free exploration and
systematic investigations, and generate appropriate explanations based on those explorations” taxonomy level
is analyzing meta-cognitive knowledge. This standard, however, does take cognitive skills to assess. In my
lesson, I start off with a lower cognitive process by the class discussion with how energy causes motion. They
must understand the concept to come up with the problem/challenge. Then, I have them apply the
information to come up with their own brainstorm ideas and analyze their designs. This lesson hits many
cognitive processes necessary for Bloom’s Taxonomy cognitive levels.