Grade Level: 12 grade physics Date: 12/15/2014
Unit: Electricity & Magnetism Lesson 1: The Structure of Atoms
Big Idea:
The original big idea of an atom came from Democrats and John Dalton: Every substance, be it solid, liquid, or gas is made up of atoms, which is so small that you can’t cut it anymore. With the advent of mathematics, this big idea came to be regarded as the providence of big thinkers such as Thomson, Rutherford, Bohr, Plank, Einstein, Heisenberg, and Schrodinger. These scientists contributed valuable insights to unlock the mystery resides inside the atom: positive and negative charges. The study of charge begins with atoms because (two equal in magnitude but opposite in direction) charges reside inside it. The subatomic particles (electron, proton and neutron) that make up an atom are held together by charge.
Hypothesis:
H0: µ0: There are always two types of charges—positive & negative
Ha: µa: There are more than two types of charges.
Standard:
Beyond the use of reasoning and consensus, scientific inquiry involves the testing of proposed
explanations involving the use of conventional techniques and procedures and usually
requiring considerable ingenuity
Objective:
After this lesson, students will have clear idea about one thing: charges reside inside the atom. They will be able to understand that electrons can be transferred between objects giving an overall net charge to the object. Objects with like electrical charges repel each other while objects with different electrical charges attract each other. Students will also be able to identify the major contributions of the five scientists: Democritus, John Dalton, J.J. Thompson, Ernest Rutherford and Neil’s Bohr to the development of the Atomic Model.
Instructional Strategy (Backwards Design & Alignment)
I will use Backwards Design strategy to enrich my lesson plan. One of the good aspects of Backward Design is that it will enable me to apply useful tools such as Alignment to incorporate the best-fit modalities for my respective lesson plan. There are 20 ways to teach and 20 ways to learn. Hence, I will use Alignment tool to pick the best one and incorporate it into my lesson plan. I will also use every single modality (visual, auditory, kin-esthetic and tactile) because I believe in the prophecy of Howard Gardner: one size does not fit all. That is, multiple modalities stand a better chance of being remembered by students—especially students A, B and C— even long after the lesson is over.
Regarding lesson grouping: I usually try to categorize my students by using normal distribution: that is, 50% of my students are on the right side of the normal curve and 50% on the left. I try to use empirical rule (68-95-99)—to identify students that are near three standard divisions to the right and use them to help their counterpart by keeping Lev Vygotsky‘s theory, zone of proximal development, in mind, “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers”. Let’s say the topic of the lesson is “Structure of Atom”, and let’s say Student A, who is near two standard divisions to the left, understands only 30% of my demonstration and let’s say Isaac Einstein (fictional name), a student who is near three standard divisions to the right, understand 80% of it. Neither Student A nor Isaac Einstein can solve the problem alone because none of them have 100% understanding of the topic. However, when I combine them, they will be able to solve quickly.
Assessments:
Type of assessment / Weight / Percent
Do now / Will be graded / 5%
Class participation/good behavior / Will be graded / 5%
Group lab demonstration on building #D atomic Model / Will be graded / 15%
Exit Slip / Will be graded / 5%
Home-work / Will be graded / 20%
Exam / Will be graded / 50%
Total / 100%
How to differentiate (stretching it)
Since I’m a new teacher, I would apply different one every day until I find the best one. Today, for lesson #3, I will apply pedagogical technique—stretching it because, as Lemov explain, sequence of learning does not end with right answer. In fact, stretching it should be an integral part of learning process. According to Lemov, there are six effective ways to stretch it: 1) Explain how and why; 2) paraphrasing the answer; 3) Answer it using examples; 4) provide evidence; 5) Relate with experience; 6) Apply it in a new setting. There are many ways I’ll achieve this goal—including asking a follow-up question like this:
Question: Where is charge located?
Answer: Inside the atom
Follow-up-question: There are how many form of charges?
Answer: Two
This shows us a path of hope amid low expectation by many teachers in our classroom.
Grouping (Experimental):
Grouping sounds so easy. What we don't see in the above example is how the teacher has organized students in the groups in order to achieve the best results. Some educators firmly believe that a teacher must mix the groups so that students of all levels are represented in each group (heterogeneous grouping of students
Materials
8 Styrofoam craft balls (about 1 inch in circumference) Sheet of Styrofoam
Paint
Toothpicks
Wooden skewers
Hot glue gun or regular glue and patience
Lesson agenda
Agenda / Time
Do now / 5 minutes
Mini lesson / 10 minutes
Activities (Building 3d Atomic Model) / 15 minutes
One group will presenting it for class / 10 minutes
Exit slip / 5 minutes
Agenda / TIME
Do now / 5 min
Draw atomic model on a sheet of paper and labeled the particles
How would you describe the charges?
Students are to write their answers to the “Do Now” on slips of paper handed to them as they enter the classroom. Three students will be selected randomly to put their answers on the board while the remainder of the class finishes. The slips of paper will be collected, and the answers will be reviewed.
Handouts # 1
Vocabulary on the front page
- Object
- Matter
- Elements
- Atom
- Molecules
- Atomic model
- Electricity
- Positive and negative charge
- Insulator and conductor
Focus question on the back page
- What is atom?
- Why atom is not the end of the story?
- Demonstrate the atomic model.
- Why the history of modern era begins with the story of atom?
- What is the relationship between atom and electricity?
- Why does nylon shirt tend to cling to your body?
- How is it that you can pick up tiny bits of paper with a comb after you’ve used it on your hair.
- What happen if you bring the comb near the ball, which is hanging on a string?
- Is this a force of gravity or something else?
Story-line/mini lesson / 10 min
Suppose you cut an apple into billions of pieces—each piece is composed of many billions of smaller particles called atoms, the building blocks of matter. Everything you see, hear, touch, taste, feel, and smell in the world is made of atoms. But atoms are not the ends of the story—they have little particles, called electrons, protons, and neutrons. It is very important to understand that protons and neutrons are sits in a place in the middle of atom—we call it nucleus. It is always positively charged. Scientists now think that proton and neutron made out of even smaller sub-atomic particle. That means if you keep cutting the proton and neutron, you will see quarks. And if you magnify the quarks, you will see filaments of energy that vibrate like strings of a violin that our ears sense as different musical notes. In the way different strings of a violin create different musical notes; little strings inside an apple vibrate in different patterns, producing different particles. Every particle in the universe arises from different vibrations in the way Beethoven used different violin strings to produce different symphonies.
The third subatomic particle, electron, moves around the nucleus much the same way Earth moves around the sun. Electrons exist at different energy level call shells—around the nucleus. Each shell can have up to a certain number of electrons and when it is full a new shell is started.
Student activities / 15 min
The thought that the world is built with tiny little building blocks—called ATOM—that we can not see is something that fascinates students. And being able to build such an atomic model—especially 3D Model— helps them see that atom is not the end of the story.
- In fact, 3D models give students a better understanding of how various scientific elements work and look. A 3D atom model is simple to make and requires only a few supplies. The main components of atoms are protons, neutrons and electrons. The nucleus is made up of the protons and neutrons. Color-coding the components of the atoms in the model helps easily identify them for a better understanding of the atom's construction.
Group presentation (1 group only) / 10 min
Any group can be candidate to make a classroom presentation. This group will receive extra point based on the following rubric:
Skills / E / G / O
Delivery (Presenter doesn’t rush, shows
enthusiasm, avoids likes, ums, kind ofs, you
knows, etc. Uses complete sentences.) / 3 / 2 / 1
Eye Contact (Presenter keeps head up,
does not read, and speaks to whole audience.) / 3 / 2 / 1
Posture (Presenter stands up straight, faces
audience, and doesn’t fidget.) / 3 / 2 / 1
Volume (Presenter can be easily heard by
all. No gum, etc. / 3 / 2 / 1
Content (Presentation shows full grasp and
understanding of the lab) / 3 / 2 / 1
Exit slip / 5 min
Exit slip: Exit slip is to be completed on a loose-leaf.
- What is atom?
- What holds atom together?
- Can you create charge?
- What is one thing about electricity you learned most?
- What is one thing about electricity you learned least?
(There’re two) Handouts # II / 1 min
Home-work (The Structure of Atom)
Name:
Class:
Period:
Date:
Directions: Under the “Sample Sentence or Illustration” box, draw a picture that represents the vocabulary word or write a complete sentence that shows understanding of the term. (I will make a separate homework (easier) for my Student A because he is IEP.
Term / Definition / Draw picture
Atom
Proton
Neutron
Electron
Charge
Readings for tomorrow
The Beautiful Mathematical Laws of Physics
Link:
Final remarks / 1 min
How many of you accept the null hypothesis—raise your hands.