Science Lesson Sequence

Items in blue italics require action/completion

 Assignment Overview

This assignment is intended to support you in planning and teaching a coherent sequence of three science lessons. Your plans will
include collecting artifacts (video, evidence of children’s learning) that you will use in the Science Talk Analysis and Analysis of
Student Learning assignments.

Your three lessons do not need to occur on consecutive days but should represent a coherent set of experiences that support
children’s progress towards the same broad learning goal.

You will conduct one science talk with children in your field placement. You will video record your science talk and upload on
GoReact. Your science talk may occur:

●        Independent of your lesson sequence; [1]

●        Prior to the first lesson in your sequence or as the first lesson in your sequence—e.g., to elicit children’s ideas
and resources for learning;

●        During the second or third lesson in your lesson sequence—e.g., to engage children in “figuring out” work; or

●        As a follow-up to your lesson sequence—e.g., to engage children in (re-) considering a phenomenon based on
investigation(s) during the lesson sequence.
●        Note: Your “Science Talk Plan” must be approved before you conduct your science talk in your field placement
classroom.

In at least one of the three lessons—or as a separate event after your lesson sequence--you will plan to collect evidence of children’s
engagement with your learning goal. This evidence could result from activities that children are already doing as part of your lesson
or could be elicited through a more independent, formal task. You should collect evidence from all (or most of) the children in your
field placement classroom.

Your plan will consist of 4 parts:

 ●        Part 1: Instructional Context: Lay out the instructional context of your lessons—i.e., what “figuring out” and what
learning goal children will be working towards

●        Part 2: Sequence of Three Lessons: Describe a coherent sequence of three lessons that support children in
“figuring out” and in meeting your learning goal

●        Part 3 Lesson Plans: Develop specific plans for each lesson, specifying how you will conduct a science talk (i.e.,
engage children in discourse about science) in at least one of your lessons

●        Part 4 Evidence of Children’s Learning: Make plans to collect evidence of children’s learning with respect to
your learning goals.

Your TE 804 instructor must approve these four parts prior to your implementing your plans in your field placement
classroom.

To complete this assignment, please fill in the templates below. (You can simply save this document to your computer, remove the
directions above, and replace the red text below with your own text to complete each section.) Please rename the document
“SLS_YourLastName_Your FirstName.docx” and turn your completed assignment in to the D2L dropbox. You will also be asked to
share drafts of your assignment for instructor and/or peer feedback prior to submitting your completed assignment to D2L.

Grading

Points Components

4 Part 1: Instructional Context

●        1 pt: Text and “unpacking” of the performance expectation

●        1 pt: Phenomenon & driving question

●        1 pt: Teacher-level explanation of phenomenon

 ●        1 pt: Focus & 3-D learning goal

4 Part 2: Sequence of Three Lessons

●        1 pt for each of the three lessons (total of 3 pts)

●        0.5 pts: Science Talk description

●        0.5 pts: Evidence of Children’s Learning

15 Part 3: Lesson Plans

●        5 pts for each lesson plan (total of 15 pts)

7 Part 4: Evidence of Children’s Learning

●        3 pts: Task

●        2 pts: Exemplary response to the task

●        2 pts: Criteria for analyzing children’s responses to the task

30 Total

 
Part 1: Instructional Context

Name: Karen Almcrantz

Grade Level: Fourth Grade  

Mystery Science Lesson: https://.com/energy/energy-energy-transfer-electricity 

Performance Expectation: 4-PS3-1 Energy: [SA1] Use evidence to construct an explanation relating to the speed of an object to
the energy of that object.

Evidence statements for PE:[SA2] 

Students articulate a statement that relates the given phenomenon to a scientific idea, including that the speed of a given object is
related to the energy of the object (e.g., the faster an object is moving, the more energy it possesses).

 
Students identify and describe* the relevant given evidence for the explanation, including: The relative speed of the object (e.g.,
faster vs. slower objects).

Students use reasoning to connect the evidence to support an explanation for the phenomenon. In the explanation, students
describe* a chain of reasoning that includes: Motion can indicate the energy of an object.

Disciplinary core idea: PS3.A: Definitions of Energy The faster a given object is moving, the more energy it possesses.

What I need to know and share with my students through this science lesson is the importance of energy. Students will be able to
see and understand the components of energy and its play in motion, in this case, roller coasters. Some words that will be helpful
for our students to know would be potential and kinetic energy. The students will work towards diving into figuring out and coming
up with solutions to our driving question. This will also address the cross-cutting concepts of how energy can be transferred and
used between various objects. [SA3] 

Unit-Level Phenomenon and Driving Question:

Identify a phenomenon and associated driving question that you might use to support children’s learning with respect to your
performance expectation. (Hint: Think about your three lessons as occurring as part of a larger unit of instruction. What phenomenon
could children “figure out” as they engage with your performance expectation?) Then identify the explanation that children will be
working towards figuring out.

●      Phenomenon: The Sledding Hill [SA4] - There is energy used when using the sledding hill[SA5] . This phenomenon can
add a variety of questions. Why do we sled in the snow? Can I sled on grass? What does the angle of the hill have to be for it
to be functioning properly? Is there friction involved? Would my weight and height affect the speed I sled at? Why does it take
energy out of me to climb up the sledding hill? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYxyTybLxhs

○      Discussing something that is so familiar to us will help us understand how roller coasters are similar when it
comes to energy.

●      Driving question: How does the speed of an object relate to its energy?[SA6] 

●      Explanation:

○      Kid’s Explanation: Moving things have energy. For example, if something is moving really fast, there is more
energy seen than if something was moving really slow.

○      Teacher’s Explanation: Everything has energy. Think about the highest or tallest point of a surface and then
think about the buildup of speed. [SA7] 

Provide the explanation of your phenomenon.

Provide a specific, teacher-level explanation for the phenomenon (not just the general principles that children
should understand. What content knowledge is helpful for you to understand/be reminded of when teaching
these lessons?).
  

Focus for Your 3-Lesson Sequence: Performance expectations are large and are intended to encompass many days of instruction
(i.e., a unit). Your sequence of three lessons will address a narrow “slice” of this performance expectation. Describe the smaller
“slice” of the explanation that your lessons will support children to develop.

3-dimensional Learning Goal: Children will be able to construct explanations and design solutions in order to articulate that the
faster a given object is moving, the more energy it processes, highlighting that energy and matter can be transferred in a variety of
ways between objects.

Write an observable and measurable lesson learning goal that states how children will engage with the three dimensions of
(disciplinary core idea, science/engineering practice, and crosscutting concept).

Hint: Your learning goal should align with the “slice” of the explanation you have listed above.

Hint: The verb in your learning goal should be an NGSS practice, and the learning goal should include parts of the disciplinary
core idea and crosscutting concept that you unpacked above.

Hint: Refer to the clarification statement and evidence statement associated with your performance expectation for guidance as
to what children should be able to do, as well as language to use in your learning goal. (You may delete this paragraph once
you’ve completed constructing the 3-D learning goal.)

●  Children will [Science/Engineering Practice] in order to [verb clause with element of Disciplinary Core Idea]
highlighting [Crosscutting Concept].

Your series of lessons may engage children in a practice other than the one in your performance expectation. Supporting
children in mastering a given performance expectation typically requires that they engage in practices in addition to the one in the
performance expectation. Therefore, your lessons—as part of a larger set of experiences that will support children’s mastery of
the performance expectation—may address one of these other practices. (You may delete this paragraph once you’ve completed
constructing the 3-D learning goal.)

 
Part 2: Sequence of Three Lessons

Use the table below to describe how you will engage children with the “slice” of the explanation and support their mastery of your 3-
dimensional learning goal.

Science and Aspect of Science

Engineering & Engineering Evidence of
Lesson Format Lesson Focus Practice Practice Science Talk Children’s Learning

1 Indicate the format of Briefly List the science List the aspect of If you will be If you will be
the lesson (e.g., describe or engineering the science or conducting a collecting
whole class face-to- what practice that engineering science talk in the evidence of
face, small group children will will be the practice (text lesson, provide a children’s learning
online) be doing in focus of the from the brief description of in the lesson,
the lesson lesson  corresponding its purpose (e.g., provide a brief
and how table in Appendix eliciting children’s description. If you
Whole group: this Constructing F of the NGSS) initial will be collecting
Conversation about supports explanations, that will be the sensemaking and this evidence after
roller coasters your 3-D this will help focus of the resources). If you your 3-lesson
(extension of the learning students lesson. will be doing this sequence, add a
science talk) 10 goal. generate before or after row to the table.
minutes.  questions that Practice 1: Asking your 3-lesson
The focus of will then be questions and sequence, add a
Small groups: this lesson will explored and defining problems row to the table. At the end of the
Turn and talk be to get possibly lesson, after the
question:  students answered Purpose: Relate to science talk and
“How do rollercoaster interested in tomorrow.  students' real lives, exploring roller
cars move, if they the topic, and spark curiosity. coasters for a little
don't have an relate it to Eliciting children's bit, students will
engine?”  their own life, initial sensemaking write on a sticky
and spark and resources.  note, “What I know
“Where does a roller questions/ about roller
coaster have the most curiosity they This will be done coasters” and “What
energy? Think about may have. before the three day I want to know about
where you have the lesson sequence. I roller coasters” 
most energy on the am going to be
sledding hill”  opening up the unit
by having this talk
**Today is a lot of set- about the sledding
up and directing hill, and then relating
students to start it to roller coasters at
thinking and asking some point within
questions, generating lesson 1. This science
curiosity for the talk will also be
activity tomorrow and referenced
providing them with a throughout lessons 2
bit of background on and 3.
important
vocabulary**

Independent: On
sticky notes, posted to
the whiteboard. 
 What do you
already know
about roller
coasters? 
 What do I
want to learn
about roller
coasters? 

Words that I want to

work into this lesson,
as an introduction: 
 Energy 
Motion 
Kinetic energy 
Potential energy
Begin to define these
throughout the lesson.

2 Whole group: Review Building models Practice 2: N/A Review of the models
Constructing
of the vocab Developing and they built. 
explanations,
Explanation of hands- using models Whole group:
this will help
on-activity.  unpacking
students
Practice 3: Planning observations
generate
Small groups:  questions that and Carrying Out
Building models, 3 kids will then be Investigations
per group. explored and
possibly
Whole group: answered
Unpacking tomorrow. 
observations.

3 Whole group: Unpacking Practice 6: N/A At the end of the

Constructing
Unpacking observations Constructing three-day lesson
explanations,
observations, referring explanations and sequence, students
this will help
back to sticky notes designing solutions will help our class
students
and reflecting on the wonder board and
generate
questions we had at write on a sticky note,
questions that
the beginning of the “What I have learned
will then be
lesson sequence. about roller coasters”
explored and
and post it to the
possibly
Independent: Sticky board. They will also
answered
notes, “What have I take an end of “unit”
 learned about roller assessment, it will
tomorrow. 
coasters”  just be a few
“Unit” assessment. questions that will
explicitly show us
what they learned. 
 
*and/or (if time
permits) 
 
Students will
complete a Google
forms assessment.
This assessment will
have a few questions
in relation to the
overall experiment
and the  data
students have
collected. These
questions should
show the students
understanding and
concepts of height,
speed, and collision. 
Part 3: Lesson Plans 
Lesson 1 
Anticipated Teaching Date: April 3, 2023 (Monday) 
 
Time Estimate: 40 minutes 
 
Materials:  
 I will need my computer, projector, photographs of the sledding hills or the ability to write on the whiteboard.  
 Science talk plan: STA_Almcrantz_Karen.docx  
 Youtube video for ST:  Sledding down the hill!   
  Sticky notes (2 per child, 54 total) 
 Vocabulary cards:  Vocabulary Cards 
Safety Considerations: N/A 
 
3D Learning Goal: Children will be able to construct explanations and design solutions in order to articulate that the faster a given
object is moving, the more energy it processes, highlighting that energy and matter can be transferred in a variety of ways between
objects. 
 
 
Introduction: 5 minutes 
To introduce this lesson, I will have all students come back in from recess and take a seat at their desks. There will be directions on
the projector that ask students to sit down with only a pencil. I will explain to students that today we are starting our first science unit
about roller coasters. We will have a discussion, where I ask them some of the following questions, “What are roller coasters? Where
might we see them? How do we feel about them?” I will then ask students, “A lot of science is involved when we ride a rollercoaster,
what science do you think may be involved?” We will discuss these ideas for a brief moment. I will then transition them into our main
teaching activity, where the science talk will take place. “Now, not all of us love rollercoasters or have been on a rollercoaster
recently, so I want to talk about our sledding hill for a little bit. I'm going to get you guys thinking about how our sledding hill may
relate to a huge rollercoaster.”  
 
Introduction Checklist:  
 Does this introduction get the class off to a well-managed start? 
o Making instructions clear, allowing them to use their resources to make decisions on what is expected of them/what they
need to do 
 Does this introduction help children orient themselves to what will be happening?  
o Explanation of rollercoaster, quick talk about roller coasters (what they are, where we might see them, how we feel about
them, etc) 
 Does this introduction support children in thinking about how this lesson connects to the previous lesson in the
instructional sequence? 
o This is the first lesson in the lesson sequence 
 Does this introduction explain what the children AND the teacher will be doing? 
o Explicitly says what we will be doing for the next 30 minutes or so 
 Did I include statements I plan to say to or ask the children in italics? 
o “What are roller coasters? Where might we see them? How do we feel about them?”  “A lot of science is involved when we
ride a rollercoaster, what science do you think may be involved?”  “Now, not all of us love rollercoasters or have been on a
rollercoaster recently, so I want to talk about our sledding hill for a little bit." 
 
Main Teaching Activities: 30 minutes (talk, vocabulary words, and sticky notes)  
*My class needs to be in constant motion, so I will be transitioning them back and forth between our carpet and the desks. I will do
this swiftly by using some of our classroom “rules'' like only moving after I have said “Take action.” and given all directions, using
student/teacher points for good transitions and putting up a two minute timer when there are larger transitions where students
need to clean up or put materials away.*  
 
(10-15) First, I will lead students through the science talk (science talk plan: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JeFEYv7Tlv--
o3iN0OPWjRW8K_luCmXkYdV8cysATTk/edit?usp=sharing ). “You guys are going to help me make sense of our sledding hill
because you guys are the expert on it. Im going to help you organize your thoughts and think of some things we wonder about
our sledding hill, so whenever I hear a word that really stands out to us” During the science talk, I will write down common words
that show up within our talk that students may need clarification on (energy, speed, motion, potential energy, kinetic energy will
be common ones that I will guide students to think about and question). After science talk, I will say “So, over here we wrote
down a variety of words that came up quite often, but we need to figure out what these words mean. Do we have any ideas?
When we say ____ what do we mean?” 
 
This portion of the lesson  
 
(10 minutes) I will then officially go over the definition of each of these words, using vocab cards. When seeing the vocab cards, we
will share ideas of what we think the words mean, as well as, come up with examples using the vocabulary word. (This will be
similar to the way we learn vocabualry for Language Arts). These vocab cards will be projected over the projector and then we
will talk about them. They will then be hung around the room for students to refer back to during the lesson sequence.  
 
(5 minutes): Relate this conversation back to roller coasters. “So, when we think about our sledding hill, how are they related to
those big roller coasters?” Have a discussion, encouraging students to use new vocabulary words to make sense of what is
happening.  
 
Main Teaching Activities Checklist:  
 Does this description explain what the children AND the teacher will be doing? 
o “You guys are going to help me make sense of our sledding hill because you guys are the expert on it. I'm going to help
you organize your thoughts and think of some things we wonder about our sledding hill.” 
 Does this description include references to my teaching materials and when/how they will be used during the
lesson? 
o Vocabulary cards, discussion and hung around the room. Science talk video referred to during the ST. 
 Does this description clearly indicate how I will manage transitions (e.g., moving from small-group work with
hands-on materials to a whole class discussion)?  
 o "My class needs to be in constant motion, so I will be transitioning them back and forth between our carpet and the desks.
I will do this swiftly by using some of our classroom “rules'' like only moving after I have said “Take action.” and given all
directions, using student/teacher points for good transitions and putting up a two minute timer when there are larger
transitions where students need to clean up or put materials away." This is written below the "main teaching activity"
portion. 
 Did I include specific statements I plan to say to or ask the children in italics?  
o “You guys are going to help me make sense of our sledding hill because you guys are the expert on it. Im going to help you
organize your thoughts and think of some things we wonder about our sledding hill, so whenever I hear a word that really
stands out to us” 
o “So, over here we wrote down a variety of words that came up quite often, but we need to figure out what these words
mean. Do we have any ideas? When we say __ what do we mean?” 
o “So, when we think about our sledding hill, how are they related to those big roller coasters?” 
 Did I indicate how my plans are responsive to the specific needs, abilities, and/or interests of the specific
children in my classroom?  
o Science talk addresses a specific interest that a lot of my students have 
 Does this lesson address my 3-D learning goal? 
o Students will be given the background knowledge (vocabulary and discussion) and resources to begin to construct
explanations. This lesson helps them generate questions 
[NOTE: This does not mean that children leave with full mastery of your learning objective – just that this lesson is
aligned with—and will help children to make progress towards—your learning objective.] 
 
 
 
Science Talk Checklist (in addition to the above & in case you plan to conduct your science talk in this lesson):   
 
Note: Go to D2L and review “Science Talk Analysis” assignment description. Specifically focus on “Science Talk Plan” (on p.2) for
more information. The following checklist items are basically coming from that plan template.  
 
 Does this description clearly identify a scientific phenomenon as the focus of my science talk? 
 Does this description (along with the materials list above) clearly indicate how I will use props or artifacts to launch the
science talk?  
 Does this description clearly indicate a driving question I will use to frame the science talk?  
 Does this description include 3-5 questions that I will ask to elicit children’s lived experiences (including outside-of school)
and family and community knowledge?  
  Does this description include 3-5 questions that I will ask to engage children in sense-making around my driving
question? 
 Does this description identify specific talk moves that I will use to support children in sense-making and in expressing their
ideas and reasoning? (Remember, there is a list of talk moves, along with the goals for productive talk each can support,
on page 11 of the Talk Science Primer.) 
 
Conclusion: 10 minutes (read through sticky notes) 
I will then instruct students to put away all materials besides a pencil and pack of sticky notes. They can borrow from a friend if they
cannot find their own sticky notes.  
 
To conclude the first day, students will be asked to get their sticky notes from their desks (at the beginning of the year we asked all
students to come with a pack of sticky notes, so they should have these). We will first have students brainstorm what they already
know about roller coasters. “Think back to our sledding hill discussion that we just had, I now want to hear about everything that you
guys know about roller coasters. Is there a relationship between the sledding hill and roller coasters? We are going to take 3 minutes
and you are going to write something you already know about roller coasters, it can be science related, or it can be related to your
own experiences and what you see from rollercoasters. Once you have written one, stick it on the whiteboard and write another, until
our 3 minutes are up.”  
Repeat with, “What I want to know about roller coasters”: “Next, I want to hear about everything that you guys wonder or want to
know about roller coasters. We are going to take 3 minutes and you are going to write something you wonder about roller coasters, it
can be science related, or it can be related to your own experiences and what you see from rollercoasters. Once you have written
one, stick it on the whiteboard and write another, until our 3 minutes are up. 
 
On the back of the whiteboard, I will write in big letters, “What I already know about roller coasters” and “What I want to know about
roller coasters.” They will post their sticky notes around these blurbs on the whiteboard and they will stay up for our lesson sequence.
If time allows, I will gather some interesting ones and we will discuss them.  
 
“Nice job guys! Tomorrow, we are going to put some of these wonderings to the test and build a rollercoaster of our own.”  
 
Conclusion Checklist:  
 Does this conclusion make sure children and materials are in order before the end of the lesson? 
o "I will then instruct students to put away all materials besides a pencil and pack of sticky notes. They can borrow from a
friend if they cannot find their own sticky notes." 
 Does this conclusion help children review or summarize what they have done in this lesson?  
o Yes, they get their questions and prior knowledge down in writing, they can utilize vocabulary words if they are at that level
of understanding 
 [NOTE: This does not mean that children leave with full mastery of your learning objective – just that they have had a
chance to consolidate their thinking about this lesson.]  
 Does this conclusion help children think about what is coming next in the instructional sequence?  
o “Nice job guys! Tomorrow, we are going to put some of these wonderings to the test and build a rollercoaster of our own.” 
 Did I include statements I plan to say to or ask the children in italics? 
o "I want to hear about everything that you guys know about roller coasters. We are going to take 3 minutes and you are
going to write something you already know about roller coasters, it can be science related, or it can be related to your own
experiences and what you see from rollercoasters. Once you have written one, stick it on the whiteboard and write
another, until our 3 minutes are up.” 
o “Next, I want to hear about everything that you guys wonder or want to know about roller coasters. We are going to take 3
minutes and you are going to write something you wonder about roller coasters, it can be science related, or it can be
related to your own experiences and what you see from rollercoasters. Once you have written one, stick it on the
whiteboard and write another, until our 3 minutes are up" 
 Does this conclusion help children think about my 3-D learning goal? 
o Beginning to construct explanations by getting their wondering and questions written down, also writing down and sharing
prior knowledge 
 
 
Lesson 2 
Anticipated Teaching Date: April 4th, 2023 (Tuesday) 
 
Time Estimate: 40 minutes (possibly be done over two days)  
 
3-dimensional Learning Goal: Children will be able to construct explanations and design solutions in order to articulate that the
faster a given object is moving, the more energy it processes, highlighting that energy and matter can be transferred in a variety of
ways between objects. 
Materials: Write a detailed list of the materials or handouts you will use/prepare for the lesson(s). Include how many of each item
you will need. Please attach materials that you have in electronic form (e.g., handouts, powerpoint presentations) and/or
provide links to online materials (e.g., webpages, videos).  
 Vocabulary cards:  Vocabulary Cards 
 Alligator Print Out (7 copies, 1 for each group of 3-4 students) 
 Bumper Coaster Tracks (7 copies, 1 for each group of 3-4 students) 
 Collision Experiment Worksheet (27 copies, 1 for each student)  
 Distance and Height Experiment Worksheet (27 copies, 1 for each student)  
 Teacher Answer Key   
  Boxes that measure about 8 inches high (7, 1 for each group of 3-4 students)  
o Can use things around the room (stack of books, boxes, etc.)  
 Pencil (1 per student)  
 7 Scissors (1 per group of students)  
 7 rulers (1 per group)  
 Tape 
 Paper clips (abundance, used for constructing bumper car track)  
 28 Marbles (Each group gets 4 marbles)  
 
Safety Considerations: N/A 
 
Introduction: Introducing hands on activity (10 minutes)  
 
*This lesson will be mainly setting up expectations, building the tracks needed for the rollercoaster for lesson 3, pre-teaching the
worksheets, and making predictions/generating questions to be answered tomorrow.  
*Before students come in from recess, I will have all supplies divided out per group and in separate brown bags. These brown bags
are also where students will keep any supplies that will need to be used the next day. They can be easily tucked away in the
corner of the room for the duration of this lesson sequence.  
 
 Students will come in from recess. Projected on the whiteboard will be “Scientist! Take a seat at your desk. All you
need is a pencil.” I will then explain to students, “We are going to take all of the wonderings that we thought of
yesterday and put them to the test by building our own roller coasters. Today is going to require a lot of good
listening skills and teamwork.”  
 Have a conversation with students about what it means to be a good teammate.  
 Have a conversation with students about what a responsible scientist does (we have had conversations like this before,
so they are familiar with this idea) 
 Explain to students that they will be working in groups of 4 and each group member will have a nickname and job.  
o “At certain points, I will only tell one nickname to complete a task, everyone else may verbally help, but that
person needs to be the one completing the task. This allows it so everyone has a fair chance and feels like they
have helped construct the rollercoaster.”  
 Explain that today they will be building the track to the roller coaster and making predictions, tomorrow they will be
building and sending carts down the rollercoaster.  
o “Today we are going to be building the tracks for the roller coaster and making our predictions, then tomorrow
we will be able to send our carts down the rollercoaster and analyze our predictions. You guys are awesome
scientists, so I know we can do a great job at this and have fun!”  
 
  Tell students that I will be choosing groups. I will also be helping out groups and guiding the discussion about what we
are noticing and how they relate to the questions they were asking in the previous lesson.  
 
Set expectations (how to handle materials, how to be responsible scientists)  
Introduction Checklist:  
 Does this introduction get the class off to a well-managed start? 
 Does this introduction help children orient themselves to what will be happening?  
 Does this introduction support children in thinking about how this lesson connects to the previous lesson in the
instructional sequence? 
 Does this introduction explain what the children AND the teacher will be doing? 
 Did I include statements I plan to say to or ask the children in italics? 
 
Main Teaching Activities: Building the Roller Coaster (20 minutes) Pre Teach (10 minutes)  
Walk through the activity videos 
 
1. Form groups (there will be a Klunk, Boom, Crash, and Pow) based on their names, they will do certain jobs. I will form
groups by the table set up within our classroom. They are already in groups of 4, so I will “count” off who is Klunk, Boom,
Crash, and Pow. They will be instructed to keep track of who they are throughout the next two days.  
2. Once groups are sorted out, I will ask Klunk to grab their group's brown paper bag. Students will be instructed not to open
the bag yet or touch materials. Klunk will set the brown paper bag next to their desk.  
a. “Okay, folks. Are you ready for your first direction? Put a thumb up for me if you have your listening ears on.
(Wait). Klunk, when I say take action, may you please go to the cafe table and grab a brown paper bag. In these
brown paper bags, will be all the materials you will need to build your rollercoaster tracks. Take action!”  
b. In each paper bag, there will be:  
i. Alligator Print Out (7 copies, 1 for each group of 3-4 students) 
ii. Paper clips  
iii. Scissors  
iv. Pencils 
v. Bumper Coaster Tracks (7 copies, 1 for each group of 3-4 students) 
vi. Collision Experiment Worksheet (27 copies, 1 for each student)  
vii. Distance and Height Experiment Worksheet (27 copies, 1 for each student)  
3. Next, students will assemble the tracks. There are four pieces of “track” in the brown bag, so each student will be able to
assemble one.  
a. “Nice job, Klunk! I’m looking for groups that are ready for the next direction. (compliment groups that are ready).
Thank you scientists. Boom, when I say take action, may you please take out the “bumper coaster track”
 worksheet. It looks just like this. (hold up worksheet). There should be four of them in total. Each person will get
one. Take action!”  
b. “Next, we are going to watch a video about how to assemble the track. First, we are going to watch the video all
the way through, and then we are going to watch it again while building our track. So, someone remind me, are we
going to have our hands on our materials while we watch the video for the first time? (Choose a student). That is
right, we are going to take our hands off our materials while watching the video.”  
c. Watch the video about how to assemble the track all the way through once.  
d. Watch it through one more time, this time pausing the video and assisting students with creating their tracks.
(Steps 3-10 in the video. Stop at step 10.)  
4. At this point, students will be done building their tracks. They will be instructed to put their tracks back into the brown bags.
Klunk will put their brown bag back on the cafe table.  
5. Next, we will pre-teach the experiment worksheets. I will hand out 1 copy of the Collision Experiment Worksheet to each
student. They will be instructed to put their name and number on the worksheet.  
a. “Okay scientist. Tomorrow, this will be the first experiment we will do about collisions. As you can see in this picture, we will
always release our hill marble from the highest point on our bumper track. Why do you guys think we want to keep this
consistent?” We will have a discussion about this.  
b. “First, we will put two bumper marbles at 44 cm and 32 cm. We will then run 4 trials like this. What do we mean by
running 4 trials?” Discuss what trials are and why we do multiple trials. “Next, we will add one more bumper
marble at 20cm and run four more trials. We will record whether or not our hill marble has been eaten by the
alligator or not. It is okay if our bumper marbles get eaten.”  
c. “Lastly, as a group, you guys are going to answer this question at the bottom of the paper, ‘Adding more bumper
marbles (always/sometimes/never) kept the hill marble from getting eaten. Why do you think this happens?Explain
your answer in terms of energy?’ So, let's talk about some predictions we have. What do you guys predict will
happen when we have two bumper marbles? What about three?” (Listen to students' predictions and write them
down) “How can we think about this in terms of energy?” If students need help, ask these follow-up questions:
“How does the collision impact the energy of the marble?” “Where are there the most collisions?”  
 
Main Teaching Activities Checklist:  
 Does this description explain what the children AND the teacher will be doing? 
 Does this description include references to my teaching materials and when/how they will be used during the lesson? 
 Does this description clearly indicate how I will manage transitions (e.g., moving from small-group work with hands-on
materials to a whole class discussion)?  
 Did I include specific statements I plan to say to or ask the children in italics?  
 Did I indicate how my plans are responsive to the specific needs, abilities, and/or interests of the specific children in my
classroom?  
 Does this lesson address my 3-D learning goal? 
 [NOTE: This does not mean that children leave with full mastery of your learning objective – just that this lesson is aligned
with—and will help children to make progress towards—your learning objective.] 
 
 
 
Conclusion: 5 minutes 
 Explaining what students will be doing tomorrow 
 Reminder of expectations that were talked about during the introduction 
 Putting materials away  
 
Conclusion Checklist:  
 Does this conclusion make sure children and materials are in order before the end of the lesson? 
 Does this conclusion help children review or summarize what they have done in this lesson?  
[NOTE: This does not mean that children leave with full mastery of your learning objective – just that they have had a
chance to consolidate their thinking about this lesson.]  
 Does this conclusion help children think about what is coming next in the instructional sequence?  
 Did I include statements I plan to say to or ask the children in italics? 
 Does this conclusion help children think about my 3-D learning goal? 
Lesson 3 
Anticipated Teaching Date: April 5th, 2023 (Wednesday) 
Time Estimate: 40 minutes (Day 2: Experiment & Data)  
3-dimensional Learning Goal: Children will be able to construct explanations and design solutions in order to articulate that the
faster a given object is moving, the more energy it processes, highlighting that energy and matter can be transferred in a variety of
ways between objects. 
Materials: Write a detailed list of the materials or handouts you will use/prepare for the lesson(s). Include how many of each item
you will need. Please attach materials that you have in electronic form (e.g., handouts, powerpoint presentations) and/or
provide links to online materials (e.g., webpages, videos).  
 Alligator Print Out (7 copies, 1 for each group of 3-4 students) 
 Bumper Coaster Tracks (7 copies, 1 for each group of 3-4 students) 
 Collision Experiment Worksheet (27 copies, 1 for each student)  
 Distance and Height Experiment Worksheet (27 copies, 1 for each student)  
 Teacher Answer Key   
 Boxes that measure about 8 inches high (7, 1 for each group of 3-4 students)  
o Can use things around the room (stack of books, boxes, etc.)  
 Pencil (1 per student)  
 7 Scissors (1 per group of students)  
  7 rulers (1 per group)  
 Tape 
 Paper clips (abundance, used for constructing bumper car track)  
 28 Marbles (Each group gets 4 marbles)  
 Sticky notes (wonder board)  
 Chromebooks: Google Classroom/ Form (Lesson Assessment & Teacher Answer Key)  
 Vocabulary cards:  Vocabulary Cards 

Safety Considerations: N/A 

Introduction: 5 minutes 
“Alright everyone, it’s time for science, before we get started with today’s lesson, let’s think about what we did these past two days.
May I first get a volunteer to read our learning target for today?” (Student reads the learning target). “Great! Now we have an idea of
what our goal is for today! Can I also get a volunteer to read our Driving Question?” (Student reads the DQ). “Did we see a
connection between the last two lessons and our Driving Question? Looking back and reviewing our DQ will help us think about our
learning target and our activities. We want to always be thinking about our DQ as we work!”  
“Great! May I get some volunteers to help remind us about what we’ve done yesterday and Monday?” (Have 2 students share).  
“Excellent! Today we are going to continue where we left off and actually get to experimenting and collecting data. We did an
excellent job the past two days with handling our models and materials nicely but let’s continue to do that today! May I have a group
show me what it looks like to gather your materials” (Call on one group, have them demonstrate how we properly take care of our
supplies and materials).    
“Great job! When I call on your group number, please quietly, quickly, and safely gather your materials and sit down at your tables.”
(Students/ groups will gather their materials and make this transition).  
“Seems like we’re all set and ready to start with our lesson today! Quietly pay attention to the video as we will start assembling and
building out models” (Show students the video and start assembling). I will walk around and help the students assemble as the video
is also playing. 
Introduction Checklist: 
●    Does this introduction get the class off to a well-managed start? 
●    Does this introduction help children orient themselves to what will be happening? 
●    Does this introduction support children in thinking about how this lesson connects to the previous lesson in the
instructional sequence? 
●    Does this introduction explain what the children AND the teacher will be doing? 
●    Did I include statements I plan to say to or ask the children in italics? 
  
Main Teaching Activities: 30 minutes 
*Leaving off where lesson 2 ended yesterday, redistribute materials. Students will now be physically building their tracks. (yesterday
was mainly assembly of tracks)  
 1. Distribute more materials: Marbles, tape, ruler, and worksheets  
2. Measure height of box, needs to be 8 inches from the ground. Attach track to the 8 inch mark.  
3. “Place hill marble at the top of the track, tell students to send the marble down the track and ask if the alligator
ate it.” (Students will write down their initial thoughts and observations after getting a few minutes to become familiar with
the track).  
4. Next, start the “Distance Experiments worksheet”, students will see if the hill marble (always placed at the “high” mark) will be
eaten by the alligator with one bumper marble placed at different distances. For each distance of the bumper marble,
students will record their data 4 times. *12 data data points in total for this experiment. 
i. Important Question: “Does moving the bumper marble far away from the alligator stop the hill marble from being
eaten?” (Students will write down their predictions to this question). 
b. Distance 1: Hill marble released at the “high” mark and bumper marble located at 20cm from the alligator. Repeat
and record data 4 times (4 trials for 20cm). Was the hill marble eaten or safe?  
c. Distance 2:Hill marble released at the “high” mark and bumper marble located at 32cm from the alligator. Repeat
and record data 4 times (4 trials for 32cm). Was the hill marble eaten or safe?  
d. Distance 3:Hill marble released at the “high” mark and bumper marble located at 44cm from the alligator. Repeat
and record data 4 times (4 trials for 44cm). Was the hill marble eaten or safe?  
i. After all data has been collected, complete the “Distance Results”. 
1. **Students will write down their Distance Results in words as well!**  
5. Next, start the “Height Experiments worksheet”, students will see if the hill marble placed at different heights will impact the
bumper marble that will be consistently placed at 32cm. For each height of the hill marble, students will record their data 4
times. 12 data points in total for this experiment.  
i. Important Question: “Do you think changing the height of where the hill marble is first placer will impact the outcome
of the hill marble being eaten after hitting the bumper marble at 32cm?” (Students will write down their predictions to this
question).  
b. Height 1: Hill marble will be released at “High” mark and bumper marble will be located 32cm from the alligator’s
mouth. Record data and repeat 4 times (height at “high” mark). Was the hill marble eaten or safe?  
c. Height 2: Hill marble will be released at “Medium” mark and bumper marble will be located 32cm from the
alligator’s mouth. Record data and repeat 4 times (height at “medium” mark). Was the hill marble eaten or safe?  
d. Height 3: Hill marble will be released at “Low” mark and bumper marble will be located 32cm from the alligator’s
mouth. Record data and repeat 4 times (height at “low”). Was the hill marble eaten or safe?  
i. After all data is collected, students will complete the “Height Results” 
1. **Students will write down their Height Results in words as well!** 
6. Next, start the “ Collision Experiments worksheet”, students will see if adding more bumper marbles will affect the hill marble
from being eaten or safe. 
i. Important Question: “Will adding more collisions (bumper marbles) keep the hill marble from getting eaten?” (Students
will write down their predictions to this question).  
 ii. *Each group needs 4 copies of the collision worksheet and 2 more marbles.  
b. Collision 1: There will be two bumper marbles on the track, one marble at 44cm and the other marble at 32cm.
Record if the hill marble was eaten or safe from the “high” mark. Repeat 3 more times (4 times total). 
c. Collision 2: There will be three bumper marbles on the track, one at 44cm, second at 32cm, and third at 20cm.
Record if the hill marble was eaten or safe from the “high” mark. Repeat 3 more times (4 times total). 
i. After all data is collected, students will complete the “Collision Results”. 
1. **Students will write down their Collision Results in words as well!** 
7. Clean up the tracks/models.  
a. Teacher will dismiss groups to gather their materials and models and ask them to put their things away in an organized and
safe manner. Students will gather their materials and complete this transition, quickly, quietly, and safely.  
8. Write and Discuss: **All written responses should include examples and references from their data results (in
words)** (ex: not just referencing, “I circled eaten or safe.”)  
a. “Why does adding more bumper marbles/ collisions stop the hill marble from going into the alligator’s mouth?”  
b. “What happened to the energy of the hill marble once it hit the bumper marbles?” and “Did the bumper
marbles get all the energy the hill marble has?” 
(Students will write down their response to the question and as a class we will have a whole group discussion).  
 
Main Teaching Activities Checklist: 
●    Does this description explain what the children AND the teacher will be doing? 
●    Does this description include references to my teaching materials and when/how they will be used during the lesson? 
●    Does this description clearly indicate how I will manage transitions (e.g., moving from small-group work with hands-on
materials to a whole class discussion)? 
●    Did I include specific statements I plan to say to or ask the children in italics? 
●    Did I indicate how my plans are responsive to the specific needs, abilities, and/or interests of the specific children in
my classroom? 
●    Does this lesson address my 3-D learning goal? 
[NOTE: This does not mean that children leave with full mastery of your learning objective – just that this lesson is aligned
with—and will help children to make progress towards—your learning objective.] 
   
Conclusion: 5-10 minutes (May continue onto 4th day, April 5th, 2023)  
**Time Dependent** Either Wonder Board and/or Google Form Assessment 
 
Conclusion Opener: “Great work everyone! We were able to get a lot done and now we get to compare our initial thoughts to the
data we’ve collected.”  
 
Wonder Board: Sticky notes, “What have I learned about roller coasters?”, “What further questions do you still have?”,
“What are some key takeaways?” Needs to be science specific (using keywords and examples from the data students
collected) 
“At this time, may I get my helper of the day to pick a friend to pass out two sticky notes to everyone?” (2 students will pass out sticky
notes).  
“I am going to make our wonder board again, like we had on our first day of the unit. I want to see how we’ve grown and what further
questions still might we have about this lesson. What are some key takeaways you’ve picked up through our experiments, is it still
realating us back to our driving question? I’d like you to use some of the words we’ve seen within our experiment. May I get a few
friends to help me recall what some key words are so that I can make a word bank for anyone who would like to use some of these
words?” (Call on several students, as I hear a word I will write that word down on the second whiteboard).  
“Great, I’m hearing some key words such as, ‘height, distance, speed, collision/s, hill marble, bumper marble/s, alligator, slope, etc.’
These are all great words! We can also relate this back to our sledding hill too, right?” (Call on some students to share some words
that might relate more towards the sledding hill but can relate to the models we made and the data).  
“These are great words to think about when you’re writing on your sticky notes, I’m hearing, ‘snow, hill, bumps/rocks, height, speed,
distance, etc.’ I love hearing what you have to share! I can tell that we are connecting the sledding hill to roller coasters and our
models because of some of the key words you’ve given me.”  
“Please take this time to write on your sticky notes. Please use some of the words that we have discussed together! Once you are
done, please quietly sit back down at your seats and as we wait for everyone, please grab out a book.” (Students will take a few
minutes to write down their thoughts, observations, findings, and questions down on their two sticky notes.)  
“Excellent work everyone! Now, let’s look through some of our sticky notes and let’s see if we can organize them into similar topics,
ideas, findings, or even questions. Once we have this organized, let’s discuss the sticky notes.” (Students will lead the
discussion/conversation, I will be there to help facilitate the discussion and make sure to ask questions to elicit students' thinking).  
“Wow! What an amazing discussion! Before we wrap this up, I want to take a picture of our wonder board and let’s quickly see the
changes and growth we’ve had from the start of the lesson to where we are now.” I will show the students a picture of the first
wonder board we’ve made and we will compare how we’ve grown as scientists over these few days! (Let students share their
observations between the two and wrap up class discussion).  
 
Closing to Wonder Board: Depending on time (Pick one or the other!)  
“So, after having a great discussion it’s now time to complete one more thing. I want to see what you’ve learned from our experiment
and so, I have a quick Google Form Assessment I’d like you to complete.”  
“Once again, we did amazing! Keep up the hard work and let's continue to grow as scientists!”  
 
Google Form Assessment: Lesson Assessment: Teacher Answer Key  
“At this time, we are going to complete one final assessment about our experiment and the data we’ve gathered. In Google
Classroom, I’ve assigned to you a Google Form, ‘What makes roller coasters go so fast?’ please take this time to complete the form.
This assessment is just like what we’ve done with our own models, you will be taking what we’ve done and thinking about the data
you’ve collected and how it relates to these other scenarios.” (Have students grab their chromebooks. Call on table groups so that
the transition will go smoother).  
“I am going to project the first question of the assessment on the board. We will read through the scenario together but it will be up to
you to answer the questions in the assessment. Again, think about your data and the models you’ve made, this will help when
answering and responding to the questions.” (Have students help read the scenario on the screen).  
“Please take this time to quietly complete the assessment. Think about key words, your models, and your data. Once you have
completed the assessment, quietly put your chromebooks away and grab out a book while we wait for the class to finish.” (Students
will complete the assessment independently and will put away their chromebooks once completed. They will silently read once they
have completed the assessment). 
“It seems like everyone has finished. I don’t want to use the same scenario because I will have time to look at that at my own time. I
want to give you another scenario and we will do this as a class to help us remember what we’ve learned. Here’s a second scenario
(from the same assessment, not given to the students beforehand). May I get a volunteer to read this scenario out loud please?”
(Have a student read the scenario).  
“Okay, there’s a lot here, let's see what the questions are and how we can go about answering them.” (Have students turn and talk
and call on a few to help share their reasonings and answers. This will overall lead into a whole group discussion).  
“I’m hearing some great ways to think about the scenario we were given. Have we compared the scenario to our own findings?”
(Have students share again. Listen for key words and their comparison from our experiment to the second scenario).  
“Great discussion and great answers! Let's see how we did.” (Show students the answers to the second scenario and relate that
back to our data and the sledding hill. Make them aware that science is all around us and even in cases like the roller coaster and
sledding hill, we see similarities in things around us).  
“Once again, we did amazing! Keep up the hard work and let's continue to grow as scientists!”  
 
Conclusion Checklist: 
●    Does this conclusion make sure children and materials are in order before the end of the lesson? 
●    Does this conclusion help children review or summarize what they have done in this lesson? 
[NOTE: This does not mean that children leave with full mastery of your learning objective – just that they have had a
chance to consolidate their thinking about this lesson.] 
●    Does this conclusion help children think about what is coming next in the instructional sequence? 
●    Did I include statements I plan to say to or ask the children in italics? 
●    Does this conclusion help children think about my 3-D learning goal? 
  
Part 4: Evidence of Children’s Learning 
Task: Explain how you will elicit the evidence of children’s learning that you plan to collect. Include copies of any materials needed to
complete the task. (For example, if children will be completing a worksheet, include a copy of the worksheet. If you will be providing
instructions via powerpoint slides, include those—or indicate which slides in a larger presentation correspond to your task). 
 ●    Hint: Your task should match the 3-D learning goal for your series of lessons (i.e., provide an opportunity for children
to do what is stated in your learning goal) and engage children in meaningful and thoughtful work that requires an elaborate
response, not just a small answer. They should be applying a big idea from your lessons and carrying out practices, not just
recalling or listing information and ideas. 
●    Hint: All children should be able to, and have an opportunity to, respond to your task. (If some children cannot
respond at all, you miss the opportunity to find out what they do understand.) 
●    Hint: Your task can be something that children will be doing during or after your third lesson—not necessarily
something that they will complete at the end of series of lessons. For example, you could collect models that children draw to
explain your phenomenon. 
 
-Sticky notes, “What have I learned about roller coasters?” Needs to be science specific (using keywords and examples from the
data students collected) 
-Lesson Assessment: Teacher Answer Key  
Task 1: Wonder Board  
 Materials  
o Whiteboard and marker. (I will write out on the board with a line down the middle) 
 What do you know about roller coasters? 
 What do you want to learn about roller coasters?  
o Sticky notes and writing materials (pencil/ pens) 
o Camera - to capture students initial thoughts about the subject (day 1) and for the concluding thoughts of the unit
(day 3).  
 
Task 2: Google Form Assessment  

o  Materials
o ○  Chromebook & Google Classroom
o ■  Questions 1-3
o ■  Open-ended questions
o ●  How does the speed of an object relate to its energy? (DQ)
o ●  How does height impact speed and energy?
o ●  Why do collisions change the speed of the objects? 

Exemplary Response to the Task: How will children show mastery of the lesson-level learning goal? Provide a completed example
of your task here. 
Task 1: Wonder Board
Task 2: Google Form Assessment

1. a. Mateo always went faster than Katy and Robb. 

b. Katy always went faster than Mateo and Robb. 

c. Robb always went faster than Mateo and Katy.

2. LESS sophisticated response: Mateo starts on the tallest part of the hill and a tall hill will make the sled go faster.
That is why he always wins. 

MORE sophisticated response: Mateo starts on the tallest part of the hill. Height gives things energy. The higher up
you place the sled, the more energy it will have. Mateo’s sled will have the most energy, and so it will go faster
compared to Katy and Robb and he will always win.

3. LESS sophisticated response: Robb should change where he starts on the hill. If he starts at a taller height, then he
will win

MORE sophisticated response: Robb should change where he starts on the hill. If he starts at a taller height on the
hill, this will give him more energy. He will then go faster and win the race. 

4. How does the speed of an object relate to its energy? 

a. LESS sophisticated answer: The faster an object is moving, the more energy it has. 
b. MORE sophisticated answer: The faster an object is moving, the more kinetic energy it has. When an object is
at the top of a hill, it has the most potential energy possible. When the object is sent down the hill, the
potential energy turns into kinetic energy. 

5. How does height impact speed and energy?

 a. LESS sophisticated answer: The bigger/larger the height is, the object will move faster. If the object is moving
faster, it has more energy. 
b. MORE sophisticated answer: The taller/steeper the angle is will impact the energy and speed of the object.
The steeper the angle is, the faster the object will move. This causes the object to have more kinetic energy. 

6. Why do collisions change the speed of the objects? 

a. LESS sophisticated answer: If you hit an object, it will lose energy. 
b. MORE sophisticated answer: If you hit an object, it will lose energy. The object that has the most energy will
transfer some of its energy to the next object. Some of the energy that is transferred is turned into sound.  

Criteria for Analyzing Children’s Responses to the Task: Provide your list of criteria here. These are specific details/features you
would look for in a child’s response that will let you know what aspects they know and can do well, what aspects they struggled with,
and how they reasoned about your task. Refer to the clarification statement and evidence statement associated with your
performance expectation for help with some of this language. Be sure to consider how children who do not have full mastery of your
lesson-level learning goal might respond to your task.