Unit Plan
Group Name: Team Mud
Members Names: Michelle White, Dena Khasawneh, Heather Tobel, Christie Champion
Contact Info: Michelle: 989-737-7509, . Dena: 734-646-1262,
. Heather: 810-923-0740, . Christie: 517-
442-5390, .
Unit Title: THE KITCHEN
Target Grade Level: Fourth Grade
Key Generalization: A lot can be learned from the kitchen. There are many ingredients found in the kitchen that can be utilized to learn about the three main areas of
Science. Children can easily relate to this subject because they see many of these ingredients every day.
Michigan Curriculum Framework References:
Constructing New Scientific Knowledge:
MCF 1. CS. 1. E1generate reasonable questions about the world based on
Observations
MCG 1. CS. 1. E4.Use simple measurement device to make metric measurement-
cups and spoons
MCF 1 CS 1. E 1. Generate reasonable questions based on observations.
(MCF I, CS1, E1) Generate reasonable questions about the world based on observation.
MCF I, CS1, E1 (…questions based on observations about the world.)
MCF 1 C I.1 All students will design and conduct investigations using appropriate
methodology and technology.
MCF I, CS1, E1 Generate questions about the world based on observation.
MCF I, CS1, E5 Develop strategies and skills for information gathering and
problem solving.
MCF 1, CS1, E2Identify and use various scientific sources of information.
MCF I. CS1, e1
Generate questions about the world based on observation.
MCF I. CS, E5
Develop strategies and skills for information gathering and
problem solving
MCF I CS1, E.1All students will design and conduct investigations using
appropriate methodology and technology.
Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge:
MCF 2. CS 1. E 2. Show how science concepts can be interpreted through creative expression.
Using Scientific Knowledge in Life Science:
MCF 3. CS. 2. E 3 Describe life cycles of familiar organisms
MCF 3. CS. 2. E. 4 Describe functions of selected seed plant parts.
MCF 3. CS 1. E 1. Describe cells as living systems, life functions, growth, development, reproduction, response to environment, movement.
MCF 3. CS 5. E 3. Describe basic requirements for all living things to maintain their existence.
MCF 3. CS 2. E 5. Describe functions of selected seed plant parts. -How are plants like humans?
MCF III, CS2, E 1 Compare and classify familiar organisms
MCF III, CS2, E 4 Compare and contrast food, energy, and environmental needs
MCF III, CS5, E3 Describe the basic requirements for all living things to
maintain their existence.
Using Scientific Knowledge in Physical Science:
MCF 4. CS 2. E1 Describe common physical changes in matter- changes in size or shape (the bread will change shape because the yeast makes it rise).
MCF 4. CS. 2. E 1 Describe how water exists on earth in three states, liquid-visible, flowing, melting, dew, stream. Solid-hard, visible, freezing, ice. Gas- invisible, evaporation, water vapor
MCF IV, CS 2, E1 (…common physical and chemical changes in matter – size, shape, etc.)
MCF IV, CSI, E1-classify common objects and observe attributes
MCF IV, CS1, E2-measure weight dimensions and temperature of objects and materials
MCF IV, CS2, E1-Describe common physical changes in matter
MCF IV, CS 4, E2 Explain how sounds and vibrations are made...
MCF IV, CS2, E1 Identify and use common physical changes in matter like size
shape, etc.
Using Scientific Knowledge in Earth Science:
MCF 5, CS 1, E2 Recognize and describe different types of earth materials
MCF 5, CS 2, E2, Trace the path that rain water follows after it falls.
MCF 5, CS 2, E1 Describe how water exists on earth in three states.
Notes on detailed paragraphs for:
1. Any changes to the environment for the unit:
In order for this unit to take place in a classroom, many changes would need to be implemented. First of all the classroom would need all the necessary supplies for the experiments in this unit. Second to introduce the class to the unit, we would take a day to create a kitchen for our classroom. The students would do this by creating a refrigerator, stove, and other appliances out of cardboard boxes. We would use paint and markers to create lovely appliances. We would then clear out a corner of the room and place our “appliances” there. This would be our new reading nook, called the “the reading kitchen.” This will get students interested in the new unit and excited to learn.
2. A fun and interesting introductory activity:
A fun and interesting introductory activity to this unit is creating a kitchen for our classroom. We would set aside one day to create our kitchen. Then the next day we would try out our kitchen, each student would get a chance to read in the “reading kitchen.” Also after trying out the new kitchen students will get to make chef hats out of paper. We would do this activity as a class; each student will be given a large white sheet of paper, as well as markers and glue. Students will each create a chef hat that they personalize to make their own. These hats can be as creative as they like and are used to get them excited about their new upcoming kitchen unit. Students may also where these hats while performing their experiments. In this unit students won’t just be scientists experimenting they will be chefs in the classroom!
3. A closing activity that will stick with the students:
The closing activity for this unit is the students assessment. This assessment checks their knowledge of the entire unit as a whole. The assessment is also a fun closing activity. The students will be creating their own personal cookbooks. These cookbooks will explain each of the lessons they have completed in the unit. The cookbooks will also include three of their favorite recipes.
Ideas about Summative Assessment
Throughout In the Kitchen unit students have been experimenting with many different products that you would find in the kitchen. It is exploring science using life, physical and earth science. The teacher is going to set up the back of the classroom like a kitchen with a stove, refrigerator, fake food and kitchen gadgets. For example have a unit like In the Kitchen is relatable to children so it will cement their knowledge better.
Further assessment will take place after all the lessons have been completed. Each student will be creating a recipe book that will summarize all the lessons that they have completed in the unit. Each lesson that has been completed in the unit will get their own recipe page in the cookbook. Students will have a cover as well as a table of content in their recipe book. After all 12 recipes have been made the students will be able to get creative and put 3 of their own favorite recipes in the book. These will be comprised of real world lessons that can actually be made and are eatable. The classroom will have a cooking day at the end of the unit and students will be able to bake or cook one of their favorite recipes.
List of Resources
1. Science in Elementary Education by Joseph M. Peters and David L. Stout.
2. Red Star: Science of Yeast, www.lesaffreyeastcorp.com
3. If you give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff illustrated by Felicia Bond
4. http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=168
Science Net Links- Water2:Disappearing Water
5. http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/400.html Readers Theatre
6. The Great Plant Escape- University of Illinois extension
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/index.html
7."Commotion in the Ocean" Published by Scholastic Inc. 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
8."The Magic School But Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow" Published by Scholastic Inc. 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
9. Video - "Plant Life for Children: All About Plant Structure and Growth" Published by Scholastic Inc. 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
10. "A Lime, A Mime, a Pool of Slime" by Brian P. Cleary, Brian Gable
11. http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-15481_19268_20778-52395--,00.html
12. Antz; directed by Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson, Foss Prepared Curriculum, Investigation 6: Other Insects (page 15-17)
13. http://www.mighigan.gov/documents/MichiganCurriculumFramework
8172 7.pdf
14. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspz?RecipeID=9976&servings-24&Format=Full
15. http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Earths_layers/Earths_layers1.html
16. http://www.michigan.gov
Lesson Order / Overview of Activity / Science Area and Type of Lesson1 / Plant Growing- Students will learn about plants and what they need to grow. They then get the opportunity to grown their own lettuce. / Life/ Technology
2 / Growing Potato Vines- Students will be discovering effects that water and time has on a potato. They record the results. / Earth/ Centers
3 / Celery/ how do plants drink?- The students will work through learning how water travels through plants, by using water with food coloring it, and
observing how a piece of celery changes colors, after 24 hours because of the water traveling through the plant. / Life/Technology
4 / Cookie Jar- Students will be discovering what the layers of the earth are.
They will also discover how to work together on a service learning project and how to use technology to their benefit. / Earth/ Technology
5 / Yeast- students will learn how yeast reacts with warm water. Students will then get the chance to bake their own bread. / Physical/ Story Book
6 / Baking Soda- Students will classify the difference between chemical and physical changes / Physical/ Centers
7 / Silly Slime- The students will work through being able to mix substances in order to create one substance. They will be
expected to use their skills and prior knowledge to explore the concepts of chemical reactions. / Physical/ Sketchy
8 / Rock Candy- students will make their own rock candy and analyze and conduct their own experiments learning how crystals form. / Physical/ Sketchy
9 / Ants: Students get to discover if ants prefer sugar over artificial sweeteners while researching about the different ants in Michigan. / Life/ Technology
10 / Fish- Students will be discovering how temperature causes a fish’s respiration to change. / Life/ Sketchy
11 / Underwater Sounds/ Commotion in the ocean- The students will be discovering the differences in sound, above and below the water. They will also be exploring
how water affects the travel of sound and sound vibrations. The students will be using a fish tank full of water, and
their senses to experiment with clanging spoons together to discover the differences with and without water involved. / Earth/Children’s book lesson plan
12 / Evaporation- Students will learn how water evaporates from a sitting cup, then they will expand their knowledge by performing their own experiments. / Physical: Sketchy
Name: Dena Khasawneh
Type of Lesson:
Skimpy
Contact Information:
Lesson Title: Let’s Get Silly With Slime! Grade Level: 4th – 5th
Materials: starch, elmer’s glue, bowls, sandwich bags, poster board, markers.
Science Process Skills:
o Uses measurement instruments properly.
o Follows directions for an experiment.
o Manipulates materials.
o Formulates valid conclusions.
MCF and Science Topic:
o MCF I, CS1, E1 (…questions based on observations about the world.)
o MCF IV, CS 2, E1 (…common physical changes in matter – size, shape, etc.)
Lesson Objective:
I expect the students to be able to work through mixing substances in order to create one substance. The students will be able to use their skills and prior knowledge to explore the activity.
Key Question:
What type of reaction will be created?
Common Misconceptions:
o When things dissolve they disappear.
o Melting and dissolving are confused.
o Children who have used measuring devices at home already know how to measure.
Set Up Prior to Lesson:
To set up prior to the lesson, I will have measured and put out all the materials, on the students desks. The students will be able to have the right measurements of all materials, in front of them. Therefore they will be able to each take home their chemical reaction to share with their parents and show them what they worked through.
Task / Description / Theories/ MethodsEngage Activity /
I would begin by reading the children a book on slime, called “A Lime, a Mime, a Pool of Slime” by Brian P. Cleary, Brian Gable. After and during the story, I would ask the student’s questions about slime, and chemical reactions. The students and I would talk about how slime is made, where it comes from and if they have worked with mixing items. The students will be able to use background knowledge to inform the other students and myself, what they have learned at home. / Inquiry Method: The students have to look deeper into a given situation and use background knowledge to think about what they really know, using their prior knowledge.
Exploring Activity / The students will be given all the materials at their desks, and work through actually making silly slime. They will combine the materials, in order to create a sticky substance. The students will be asked what is taking place while they are mixing the items and what they are creating. They will use step-by-step instructions to work through the experiment, and then afterwards be able to take it home.
Procedure:
1. Get your materials, 1 zip lock bag, 1 tablespoon of glue, and 2 tablespoons of liquid starch.
2. Put the glue into the zip lock bag, as best as you can.
3. Put the starch into the same zip lock bag.
4. Zip the bag closed. Press and squeeze the bag, until the glue and the starch are mixed together.
5. Open your bag, remove your silly slime and enjoy!!! / Constructivism Method: The students will be looking deeper into the experiment and have to think about and create their own thoughts and ideas about what is actually taking place when they mix the materials together.
Processing Activity / For the students to work through a processing activity, they will have to work with a group (which will be chosen by me) and make a poster or visual of their choice, that shows the differences between physical reactions and chemical reactions. The students will be working through a chemical reaction, with the substances mixing and creating a sticky slime. The students will then be sharing with the class, what their groups came up with and worked through, in order to tell the other students what is taking place.
The students will also be working through other examples of chemical and physical reactions, so they will be able to compare and contrast. The goal is to have the students be able to tell the difference between a physical reaction and a chemical reaction and use their prior knowledge, and what they’ve learned from the experiment, in order to do this. / Constructivism Method: The students need to come up with their own ideas and then work together with the other members of their group, in order to put it together as a whole.
Further Investigation / For the students to further investigate, I will be having them come up with a physical or chemical reaction experiment on their own. This will show if the students know the difference between physical and chemical reactions. The students will be required to make a TPQDAC, for their experiment to follow. The students can use any resources necessary to come up with their experiment. / Inquiry Method: The students will be creating their own experiment and handouts to go with their experiment.
Applications / The students will be required to apply this knowledge into the real world. For their assignment, they will have to come up with five different physical reactions and five different chemical reactions. The students have to observe at their homes and in the outside world. They will have to explain what each experiment is and write why they feel it is a chemical or physical reaction. The students will be required to write this in a paper format. / Constructivism Method: The students will have to construct their own ideas and thoughts, based on the reactions, and come up with conclusions of why they feel the way they do.
Assessment / To assess the students, the TPQDAC will be collected, to see what the students thought and how the reaction worked for them. Along with the students physical/chemical reactions paper, that they formed from their observations at their home or in the outside world. The poster board or visual aid will also be collected and looked at to see if the students have the correct interpretation of the different reactions. The students work will be looked at to see if they can really tell the differences between chemical and physical reactions, because this is the ultimate goal of the experiment.
Handouts and Visual Aids / o Book – “A Lime, a Mime, a Pool of Slime” by Brian P. Cleary, Brian Gable
Let’s Get Silly With Slime!!!