Elizabeth Fried
EDTEP 587
8th grade Science Unit Plan
March 14, 2003
SUBJECT AREA DESCRIPTION
We are studying the earth, the moon, and the oceans so that some basic science concepts can be understood in the context of everyday experiences. I am teaching 8th grade science at CollegePlaceMiddle School in Edmonds. The year is divided up, so that the first trimester is earth science, the second trimester is physical science, and the last trimester is a life science class on plants and genetics. I am working at a middle school that is primarily middle to upper-class Caucasian students. I have only a few minority students in my classroom, which are Asian American or African American. Quite a few of my students are on IEPs or 504s, so there seems to be a need for special learning style accommodations. My classroom setup has heterogeneous ability grouping.
Students will have completed two other earth science units before this unit, in which they have learning how to work with inquiry. They have learned how to develop scientifically testable questions and how to design and conduct experiments. Before this unit on celestial phenomena, the students will have covered some material on the different planets of our solar system and our sun. They will have completed a big project on the different planets, where they research a planet and make a visitor’s guide brochure (as in interplanetary tourism). They will have conducted an inquiry centered around the electromagnetic spectrum, where they have experimented with different kinds of radiation on its effect on biological systems. After this unit on celestial phenomena, we will work on earth science topics that include the tides, plate tectonics, weather, and ocean water currents.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
1. Does Jupiter have a summertime or winter?
To answer this EQ, students must master the inquiry skills related to tilt and the seasons from completing the lab activity. They will also have to understand the general context of the mechanics of our solar system (revolutions, rotations, tilt). By having these skills, students will be able to research this EQ and be able to reason whether or not Jupiter has seasons based on using evidence to think critically.
2. How do the phases of Jupiter’s moons change?
In order to answer this EQ, students must first understand why our moon has phases that change in a regular and predictable fashion. After constructing a model for our moon, they will be able to begin to look at the moons of other planets to answer this EQ. This EQ is answered through the culminating project where students design a model for the moons of Jupiter and then revise the model based on their research and the computer based simulation in the Starry Night software. By answering this EQ, students will reveal that they can transfer their knowledge of a known system to apply it to a new situation or challenge (which is an EALR objective).
LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
1) Social-Presentational- Students will present and defend their reasons why there are seasons to the class. They will also present their ideas about why the moon has phases as seen from Earth.
Objectives:
1.1. The students will defend their ideas in front of a panel of fellow students.
1.2. The students will communicate scientific explanations orally and in writing ( EALR 3.3 Expressing science ideas)
1.3. The students will use evidence to think critically to describe and explain phenomena. (EALR 2.2 Applying science knowledge)
1.4. The students will learn to work individually as well as in groups.
2) Content Based-Students will be able to explain why the seasons change on Earth.
Objectives:
2.1. The students will be able to explain why the seasons are impacted by the Earth’s tilt on its axis (EALR Benchmark 2-Interations in the Solar System).
2.2. The students will design and conduct a science inquiry project that will test for variations on earth’s tilt and its impact on the seasons. (EALR 3.1 Scientific inquiry)
2.3.The students will provide multiple explanations for the phenomenon, and then defend or refute the explanations through using evidence. (EALR 2.1 Developing abilities to do inquiry)
3) Procedural-Students will design a model of the phases of the moon.
Objectives:
3.1. The students will design a model for various scientific phenomena (EALR 3.3 Skills to organize and express science ideas).
3.2. The students will work in groups to create a model of the phases of Jupiter’s moons as seen from the surface of Jupiter (EALR 2.2 Applying knowledge to meet challenges).
3.3.The students will describe the relationship of the earth to the moon and other planets and their moons. (EALR 1.3 on system interactions, Atlas on Solar System (6-8th grade))
4) Conceptual/ Thinking Skills- The students will create a model of the earth without a tilted axis and they will explain how the seasons would be radically different with no tilt.
Objectives:
4.1.The students will hypothesize what the will be like without rotation of the Earth or a tilt of the Earth’s axis (EALR 2.1 Developing inquiry skills).
4.2.The students will describe how the regular and predictable motions of the objects in the solar system account for our everyday phenomena: days, years, phases of the moon, and seasons. (EALR 1.3 on system interactions, Atlas on Solar System (6-8th grade))
4.3.The students will test models by predicting and observing actual processes. (EALR 2.1 Testing models)
5)Values- The students will understand that the process of science is a dynamic one, where new ideas and insight change how we view the way the world works. Students will know that science has a process of revision and has an ever changing evolution of theories and inventions.( EALR 3.1 Evolution of scientific ideas)
Day/Date
Special notes
Topic
Warm-up
1. What will students do?
2. What are the student learning objectives for this class period?
3. Why is this idea introduced at this time?
4. Why was this instructional strategy chosen?
5. What evidence of student understanding, knowledge or skill will be collected?
6. What special resources will be needed for this lesson?
Day 1: Monday
First day of the new unit
Introduction to Celestial Phenomena
What are some cool things that you’ve seen in the night sky?
Students will write some questions about the night time sky that they have. Students will then take some notes on what celestial phenomena are. Students will work in groups to create a list of astronomical events. They will also work in groups to determine how astronomical events impact their lives.
1. Students will know what celestial phenomena are, and will understand that moon phase changes and the seasons are two kinds of celestial phenomena.
2. Students will create a list of astronomical events and occurrences.
Students must first understand why it is important to study astronomical events before they can begin the unit on seasons and phases of the moon. By working in small groups, student misconceptions about the night time sky and astronomical events will surface, aiding me as an informal pre-assessment.
Group work is a good way to begin this topic, as it allows for student-oriented activity. In this activity, I will also get to interact will the students in a small group format, which will help me more accurately pre-assess their background knowledge and misconceptions.
I will collect the lists that groups create of astronomical events and occurrences, which will provide me with evidence that students understand the concept of celestial phenomena. I will also have students write their ideas of how astronomical events impact their lives in their notebooks, which I would check later during notebook grading time.
Worksheets on kinds of celestial events and occurrences, student notebooks, and overhead transparency on celestial phenomena with examples.
Day/Date
Special notes
Topic
Warm-up
1. What will students do?
2. What are the student learning objectives for this class period?
3. Why is this idea introduced at this time?
4. Why was this instructional strategy chosen?
5. What evidence of student understanding, knowledge or skill will be collected?
6. What special resources will be needed for this lesson?
Day 2: Tuesday
N/A
Seasons: Regular and Predictable Occurrences
Review: What are some examples of astronomical events?
Students will work on these questions in groups : Why is it that the moon only faces us on one side? How long does it take the moon to go around the Earth? Etc.
1. Students will understand that the moon phases are regular and predictable events.
2. Students will know that the moon orbit the Earth, and the Earth rotates around the sun. INQUIRY STAGE 1
A context of the seasons and the phases of the moon must be established for students. This will help review for most students some planetary geology, and will provide some basic information for students that are learning this material for the first time.
Students will serve to help each other out in answering these questions. Some students feel more comfortable talking to other students than answering these questions in a large group discussion. I will summarize the main ideas in the form of a direct instruction towards the end of class to make sure everyone has a foundation of knowledge.
Evidence will be collected informally by observing small groups work on the worksheet on the questions about the mechanics of orbit, etc.
Student group worksheets with some questions for students to answer on the mechanics of orbit, etc. An overhead on the solar system, and a Styrofoam model of the moon, Earth, and the sun will be needed.
Day/Date
Special notes
Topic
Warm-up
1. What will students do?
2. What are the student learning objectives for this class period?
3. Why is this idea introduced at this time?
4. Why was this instructional strategy chosen?
5. What evidence of student understanding, knowledge or skill will be collected?
6. What special resources will be needed for this lesson?
Day 3: Wednesday
N/A
Reasons for the Seasons
What are some possible ideas about what causes the seasons?
Students will brainstorm for ideas on what causes the seasons. They will take some notes on the tilt of the Earth’s axis in their notebooks. They will also learn about direct and indirect light through direct instruction. Students will then work independently to create a convincing argument on how indirect/direct light can be related to the seasons and the tilt.
1. Students will know that the seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis. INQUIRY STAGE 1
2. Students will support the tilt effect on seasons by using direct and indirect light examples. INQUIRY STAGE 1
Students need to learn about the cause of the seasons at this point (after celestial occurrences and orbits have been discussed.) Students will work independently on a one page written argument relating indirect and direct light to the tilt and the seasons to really help them work out a solid foundation on this topic.
Students are first asked to give out some of their own ideas to get them thinking. Then, I give some direct instruction to clarify the reason why the seasons occur. Using some visuals, I will explain the different between direct and indirect light. Lastly, students will be asked to synthesize an argument in writing relating the tilt to the evidence of direct and indirect light. This is to help them better understand the system on their own.
I will be collecting student essays on the seasons, tilt, and direct/indirect light. This will help me pinpoint students that are having difficulty with the topic before we continue as a class.
A light bulb, a globe- for the demo of tilt and indirect and direct light. Overhead transparency on direct and indirect light, and tilt. Student notebooks.
Day/Date
Special notes
Topic
Warm-up
1. What will students do?
2. What are the student learning objectives for this class period?
3. Why is this idea introduced at this time?
4. Why was this instructional strategy chosen?
5. What evidence of student understanding, knowledge or skill will be collected?
6. What special resources will be needed for this lesson?
Day 4: Thursday
Seasons and geography, Day/Night
Will someone in Antarctica experience the seasons that same way that we do here in the Pacific Northwest? How about a person in Hawaii?
Students will participate in a large group discussion about the impact of geography on how the seasons are experienced. Students will work on an activity that has questions about people on different parts of the globe, and the corresponding seasons that they are experiencing.
1. Students will analyze images of locations on the globe in relation to the sun to determine which season will be occurring at different locations.
2. Students will know that geography plays a big part in the experience of seasons. INQUIRY STAGE 1
3. Students will understand how day and night is affected by the seasons.
Students will relate the seasons to their lives, and will relate the geography of a person to the seasons that the person experiences. Students will also be able to tie in how day and night are related to seasonal changes. This builds on their knowledge from the previous days.
A large group discussion was used to allow us to quickly go over ideas before launching into the activity. I will be providing some background information on the overhead before having students begin the geography and seasons worksheet. The worksheets will help students realize the connection between location on the globe and the seasons we experience due to tilt.
I will collect the worksheets on the geography and day and night changes as homework for the week. This will be the main piece of evidence of student understanding and reasoning.
Homeworks on the geography and tilt, overhead transparency on day and night, equinoxes, and solstices.
Day/Date
Special notes
Topic
Warm-up
1. What will students do?
2. What are the student learning objectives for this class period?
3. Why is this idea introduced at this time?
4. Why was this instructional strategy chosen?
5. What evidence of student understanding, knowledge or skill will be collected?
6. What special resources will be needed for this lesson?
Day 5: Friday
First day of inquiry project
Inquiry on Seasons: Guided Exploration
Ask if students have questions on homework.
Students will work on an inquiry project that tests for either heat or light that acts to investigate a hypothesis about tilt. Students will first create a working hypothesis and design an experiment to test it that can collect data in the lab.
1. Students will create a hypothesis that relates tilt to a testable variable (heat, light). INQUIRY STAGE 2
2. Students will design an experiment to test their hypotheses in class using the materials provided. INQUIRY STAGE 3
Students have enough background knowledge on this topic to be successful at this inquiry lab. This will also help to answer some of the questions they have about how tilt could effect the seasons.
This guided inquiry was chosen because it allows students to work in pairs to create their own experiment. It also scales down a celestial phenomenon into a model size that they can actually see and work with.
I will be looking at their inquiry journals that they write in their lab notebooks to see that they have successfully gone through these two first steps of inquiry.
Styrofoam balls, light bulbs, heat lamps, reptile terrarium/ fish aquarium peel and stick thermometers, light sensitive paper or photosensors, stopwatches, meter sticks, protractors. Lab notebooks, handouts on lab activity of inquiry.
Day/Date
Special notes
Topic
Warm-up
1. What will students do?
2. What are the student learning objectives for this class period?
3. Why is this idea introduced at this time?
4. Why was this instructional strategy chosen?
5. What evidence of student understanding, knowledge or skill will be collected?
6. What special resources will be needed for this lesson?
Day 6: Monday
2nd day of inquiry project
Inquiry on Seasons: Guided Exploration
What is a dependent variable? What is an independent variable?
Students will collect data from their inquiry projects. Students will then analyze their data to come up with a relationship between their dependent and independent variables. Students will write up some conclusions on the lab that include whether or not their original hypothesis was supported by their data.
1. Students will analyze data collected from the inquiry to come up with some relationships between tilt and their testable variable. INQUIRY STAGE 4