Project Narrative

For the project narrative I have included a detailed example of what this project entails

and how it will be related to the big picture question that I want students to understand. The big

picture question we will be answering is how does energy and light effect the world around us

and how do we use energy. We will be utilizing the Arizona Earth and Space Science Standard

7.E1U1.5. This project allows for the use of collaboration with other students in the classroom

through the peer to peer and hands on approach. Most of our project will be based on doing

hands on experiments and collaborating with other students in the groups. The use of hands on

experience will also allow students the opportunity to utilize their creativity during this project

and hopefully inspire them to be innovative.

Day 1:
Essential question for student direction: What is energy and what types of energy exist?
Learning Activities: We will learn what energy is by doing hands on activities in the classroom.
Students will understand that energy is the ability to create some sort of change in an object, and
that all objects store energy. We will focus on different types of energy by utilizing energy
stations that are set up on each table, the energy setups that we will have are mechanical, heat,
light, sound, and electrical. Depending on time we may have just three types of energy rather
than all five because we will go into detail later on in the lesson about each type. They can
collaborate with other students at their table or work alone and decide how to answer each
question on their worksheet.
Assessment: They should be able to name the three types of energy that we learned about for
this day. For this assessment I will use the worksheet to see where each student is at with their
understanding of what they see at each table. The worksheets will be giving students directions at
each table and also asking questions such as what did you observe, and what forms of energy are
being used. The worksheets will be used if we don’t have ipads but students will get the option to
have the hyper doc and worksheet on their ipad and circle around with that if they prefer.
Technology: The technology I will use will be some of the tools on the table for activities, and -
using the Ipads if those are available to circle around with.
Instructional strategies: Cooperative learning with stations. I will also be circling around to
answer questions and ask key questions that can help their understanding of the concepts.
Day 2:
Learning objective: Understand that light can be characterized as a wave and understand how
light behaves.
Essential question for student direction: how does light behave, what do you observe at each
station?
Learning Activities: For this learning activity we will talk about how light behaves using light
stations that are set up. We will use a flashlight, paper with pictures, prism, magnifying glass,
ruler, and clear plastic bowl for each table. These stations will be used for showing how light
bends, for understanding how light moves through a magnifying glass, and how prisms create
rainbows. This will help our overall understanding of the above question in how different forms
of energy behaves.
Assessment: I will have students on a worksheet write down what their observations were with
each tool located at the station. They should be able to explain what they see such as an object
bending using the bowl with water and ruler and they can explain why they think that is
happening. This will allow me to see where they are at with their understanding of how light
behaves.
Technology: Before we begin the stations, I will show two short five-minute videos to the class
about light and why it behaves like a wave and a particle and why it happens. There will also be
flashlights at the stations which could count as technology. Ideally for this technology I would
like each student to have an iPads and headphones and once they are done with the videos that
can begin moving to their stations.
Instructional strategies: For this there will be cooperative learning because they can work with
their groups at the table and I will also be circling around to ask questions and to help with the
ideas for the worksheet answers. To apply differentiation to this activity I will allow students to
move through stations and work alone if that is easier for them, they also have the option to work
with their partners at the stations.
Day 3:
Learning objective: Students will understand and be able to differentiate between reflection,
refraction, and absorption of light.
Essential question for student direction: How does light travel? This is essential because
understanding this will be able to help students understand refraction, reflection, and absorption
and why it is happening.
Learning Activities: We will continue our theme of stations but today we will have different
light stations that demonstrate reflection, refraction, and absorption. For the centers I will be
using flashlights, hard cover books, small mirrors, cake pan, construction paper, laser pointers,
bag of gummy bears and worms.
Assessment: To assess the understanding of each student I will have a worksheet for each center
with questions such as (Tell me what you know) How do you think light travels? What do you
know about light reflection? (Predict)What do you think will happen when you shine the
flashlight on the book? Stand the book up or have a peer help keep the book standing and shine
the flashlight on the book. This will move on to a describe section and explain section with
having students draw an illustration of how they directed the path of the beam of light. This will
help me understand what students are understanding the concepts and what we need to work on
together.
Technology: The technology we will be using will be laser pointers and flashlights.
Instructional strategies: Cooperative learning and I will be coming around to help with
questions and to ask questions that will help with the learning objective of the day and to apply
differentiation students always have the opportunity to work alone for these activities if that is
their preference.
Day 4:
Learning objective: We will be exploring sound and the relation it has to energy and
wavelength. Students will be able to understand that sound is a type of energy made by
vibrations.
Essential question for student direction: How is sound related to energy?
Learning Activities: Students will be moving to different sound stations and will each have their
own sound booklet to fill out. They will be working with their groups to fill out their notebook
and observe the materials related to sound at each station.
Assessment: Each student will have a booklet to fill out with questions related to sound and their
observations.
Technology: To incorporate technology into this activity I will show the students a quick video
about sound and wavelengths so that they can prepare for the learning and see something that is
more engaging than just me talking.
Instructional strategies: Cooperative learning as students will be working with peers through
the sound stations to answer questions and identify objects. I will also be coming around to
answer questions and help.
Day 5:
Learning objective: Students will be able to explain the differences between potential, kinetic
energy, observable energy and be able to name objects associated with these.
Essential question for student direction: how is potential and kinetic energy and different?
Learning Activities: We will learn what energy is by doing hands on activities in the classroom.
We will focus on potential energy vs kinetic energy and we will also talk about how light is
neither kinetic nor potential, but it is an observable form of energy. I will have three tables set up
with different objects that the students will be able to be hands on with. They can collaborate
with other students at their table or work alone and decide how to characterize every object.
There will be three ways to categorize energy on their worksheet and it will be kinetic, potential,
and observable.
Assessment: For this assessment I will use the worksheet to see where each student is at with
their understanding of the definitions and defining this in real objects. This will help me
determine where each student is and if they need help in this area.
Technology: The technology I will use will be some of the tools on the table for observable
light. Light sensor and flashlight are some examples of technology I will be using.
Instructional strategies: There will be inquiry-based learning as this question will require
critical thinking from the past lessons and the lesson they just learned. They can also choose to
work with partners on homework if that is easier.
Day 6:

Learning objective: Use light rays to create a photographic image and understand how a basic

pinhole camera works.

Essential question for student direction: How does the size of the pinhole effect the brightness

of an image?
Learning Activities: For this activity we will be working on creating our own pinhole camera
and discussing how this relates to light and energy. From understanding that light travels in a
straight line we can understand that is inverted when it passes through a small hole and this will
allow students to see this in person. For this activity I will bring in milk jugs, or juice cartons for
each student, wax paper, masking/cellophane tape, pins, and flashlights for groups to test their
cameras.
Assessment: This will be with the post activity discussion as we can talk about who’s camera
worked well, the struggles we faced with our cameras, and how the size of the pinhole effected
our brightness. We can understand that the bigger the hole is the brighter the image is. I will be
able to come around and help students who are struggling with questions they have and identify
where certain students are struggling or need help with understanding the concept.
Technology: To use technology I can bring in examples of different types of cameras
throughout the years that I have collected and show these to the students. They can look at how
tech of a camera has progressed and move on to making their own pinhole camera.
Instructional strategies: Cooperative learning as they can get help with their peers at the table,
and inquiry based learning as they can assess the differences of each other’s camera and reflect
on why that is and what it has to do with light.
Day 7
Learning objective: The learning objective will be to write the names of the renewable energy
sources under the pictures and understand the advantages and disadvantages. This will be a two
day objective and they should be able to complete this objective after students have given their
presentations about different types of renewable energy.
Essential question for student direction: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the
renewable energy you are working on.
Learning Activities: Students will be given a specific renewable energy to research on their own
during class and prepare to engage with other classmates for a discussion on why they would use
this type and what the benefit of it is. For example, one student will get solar while another
student gets wind energy. I will guide them to resources, but they will be utilizing books in the
classroom and resources on their computers and iPad with headphones in. They can choose to
work with another student that has the same resource as them if that is easier.
Assessment: The assessment for this day will be focused on if students are able to use the
resources I have provided to come up with their own understanding and explanations into their
specific energy.
Technology: For the technology students will be utilizing their computers and laptops as a
source of research.
Instructional strategies: Cooperative learning as they can work in teams if they choose,
individual learning, and I will be coming around to help them reach conclusions and guide them
to resources.
Day 8:
Learning objective: The learning objective will be to write the names of the renewable energy
sources under the pictures and understand the advantages and disadvantages. Students will be
prepared to share their findings with students at their tables.
Essential question for student direction: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the
renewable energy you are working on.
Learning Activities: Students will be broken up into teams where students all have different
renewable energy sources. They will discuss what they have learned with the other students at
their table and discuss what the pros and cons are of each renewable energy resource.
Assessment: Each student will have a worksheet to fill out where they name the type of
renewable energy underneath the photo and they list the advantages and disadvantages of these.
Technology: To incorporate technology into this activity they will use iPad and computer for
resources as a guide to finding the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy.
Instructional strategies: Cooperative learning as students will be working with peers to discuss
their findings. I will also be coming around to answer questions and help.
Day 9:
Learning objective: Students will be able to draw and create an energy efficient eco house using
what they learned from the renewable energy resources.
Essential question for student direction: where will your energy sources be located and how
will they work?
Learning Activities: Students will be working in groups to put together a drawing on google
classrooms or on a piece of paper, this will be dependent on the technology we have in the
classroom. Students will be in the last groups where each student had a different type of energy
to research. They will work together to create an energy efficient eco house using the knowledge
they learned about renewable energy.
Assessment: The eco house will tell me how much they have learned from the renewable energy
resources and I will be able to assess where they are at in their learning.
Technology: Students will be using computers or laptops to put together a eco house on google
classroom together to show case their knowledge on renewable energy.
Instructional strategies: Cooperative learning and differentiation. If students do not want to do
the google classroom, they can do the drawing on paper and they will also have the option to
work alone if that is what they prefer.
Day 10:
Learning objective: The learning objective for this day will be understanding and being able to
summarize the past nine days of learning. Students will be able to answer the essential question
of how energy effects the world around us in their own perspective.
Essential question for student direction: How does energy effect the world around us and how
does it benefit us?
Learning Activities: For today’s learning students will get the option to pick how they want to
review and work on homework. They can use the resources from a guide I will put together for
them on the computer or iPad, work in a group, practice index cards. This will be a day focused
on review and working on concepts that some students might be struggling with.
Assessment: I will be giving homework over the past learnings that students can work on in
class and at home if they do not finish. This will allow me to come over and help with questions
and concepts so that students can be successful. They will also have a reflection to do to talk
about what they have learned in the last ten days, what they would like to know more about, and
what they are struggling with.
Technology: Students can have the option to use the iPad or computer to use the documents I
provide as a helpful resource for homework and overview if they want to practice the vocab and
concepts.
Instructional strategies: Cooperative and differentiation because students will get the option to
choose their own way to do homework and review for this day.
All the activities above are related to the project-based proposal and standard as they are helping
students see a more in depth look at the big picture idea. Utilizing the hands-on approach and all
the activities will help students learn how energy relates to their everyday life and can influence
critical thinking skills in and out of the classroom.