Amy Benson

EDU 220

GUIDED DISCOVERY LEARNING LESSON PLAN

I. Describe the class

Preschool class of sixteen students. Eleven are girls and 5 are boys. All are four years

old. One is girl is LD and with ADHD, and one girl has a speech delay with an IEP.

Three students are ESL, with one whose first language is Korean and the other two

are Spanish speakers.

II. Subject/Skill

Subject: Science

Skill: Understanding how the mass of an object can determine its speed.

III. Objective(s)

Given a straw and several objects with various masses, the student should be able to

observe and distinguish the speed in which an object travels according to its weight.

In addition, the student should recognize that blowing through the straw is acting on

the object, causing movement.

IV. Procedures

During Science lesson, hold up several objects of different masses, ask the students

what they are, and pass them around for them to explore. Discuss the difference in

each objects mass. Use vocabulary such as heavy, light, big and small. Introduce a

straw to each student and show them how blowing air through them can make objects

move.
 Divide the students into groups of eight (the aide having one table with eight students

and myself with the other eight students) and have them sit around two large child-

sized rectangular tables. Instruct and demonstrate how to blow air from a straw.

Ask the students to make predictions on which object they think will travel the

quickest across the table. Graph each students’ answer.

Introduce words like heavy and light, faster and slower, and mass. The goal would be

to scaffold on the students’ prior knowledge of these vocabulary words.

Have masking tape section off eight segments of the rectangular tables (one for each

child). Then give them a straw and the same objects of different masses for each

student. Set this up as a race and see whose object crosses the tape finish line first.

Discuss who predicted the winner of the race (which object traveled the fastest).

V. Materials

16 of each of these objects: rocks, feathers, pom-poms, table blocks, foam shapes,

crayons, and straws.

Roll of masking tape.

Construction paper and marker for graph

VI. Grouping Structures

 Whole-Class discussion and then break the class up into two groups of eight around a

rectangular table. Return to the carpet to discuss the predictions as a whole group.

VII. Modifications

Pictures of each object being used with the translation in Korean and Spanish for the

ESL students, to show them the corresponding word in English.

The teacher’s aide will shadow the ADHD student and allow them to hold and

explore the objects while the lesson is being discussed.

Pair the speech delayed student with another classmate who is advanced in language

skills for further communication opportunities.

VIII. Assessment

Following the Science experiment, the students will have a whole-group discussion at

circle time reviewing the predictions of what object they thought would move the

fastest. The vocabulary introduced would be reviewed to assess that the children

understand their meaning. The teacher will ask questions about how the straw worked

and what was needed to make the objects move. The teacher will ask open ended

questions to allow the students to come up with different ways to solve the problem.