Lesson Plan Format ITE 323

Name: Markiesha Gervacio Title/Grade: Exploring Gravity/5

th
Grade

Duration: 90 minutes
Materials: Paper for web map, Gravity handout, rubber mat, paper, golf balls, paperclips,
whiffle balls, inch tiles, and wooden block.
Integration with other content areas (if any): N/A

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will explore what gravity is through using everyday objects. Students will
explore, predict, and make generalizations about gravity. Essential question is, What is gravity?
How does gravity affect our everyday lives?

Enduring Understanding/Essential Question

Enduring Understanding: Gravity is a force that tries to pull two objects together
Essential Question: What is gravity and how does it affect our everyday lives?

Standard/Benchmark:

-SC.5.1.2. Formulate and defend conclusions based on evidence.

Assessment Task/Criteria:

First, students will fill out a web map containing what they already know about gravity. Students
will be given a gravity worksheet and predict which items will hit the ground first when dropped
at the same time. Students will provide explanations to their predictions. Students will participate
in a class discussion at the end of the experiment to share their findings about gravity. At the end
of class, students will fill out the same web map from the beginning of the lesson. They will add
other things they learned about gravity in a different color marker.

I will assess students learning through their web map at the end of the lesson describing what
they learned about gravity through their experiments.

Differentiation Plan:

Group all of the struggling learners together and spend more time modeling for them. Model the
experiments more for those students. Model where the items should be dropped from and that
they need to be dropped at the same time, from the same location. Have pictures and diagrams
ready for the struggling learner to look back at.



Active Learning Strategies (detailed, step by step, key questions in bold print)
Gervacio- 2

1. Instruct students to take out a colored marker.
2. Pass out blank sheet of paper to each student and instruct students to create a web map
containing things they already know about gravity. What is gravity?
3. Model how to draw the web map; Write gravity in the middle of the paper and draw
lines connecting to each idea they have about gravity. Let students know that they will
be given only 5 minutes to fill out their web maps. Remind students that this web map is
not graded.
4. Hold a class discussion about what students wrote on their web maps.
5. Instruct students to place web maps on the side for now.
6. Show BrainPop video on Gravity.
7. Share, When we jump, we get pulled back to the ground. Did you know thats gravity
pulling us back towards the center of the Earth? If there was no gravity, when we
jumped, we would never come back down. Who watched that movie Gravity?
8. Share, Remember last semester we talked about the difference between density and
mass?
9. Explain the difference of density and mass if students need refreshing. Explain that mass
is how much stuff an object has and density is how much it weighs.
10. Explain that when gravity pulls us down, the move density we have, the heavier we are
because gravity has more weight to pull. Share, The moon is about of the size of the
Earth. That means that it does not have a very strong gravitational pull because its so
small. That means, you would weigh less on the moon. I actually went to this website
where it calculates your weight on the moon. So, I weigh 120 lbs. here on Earth. Can
anyone guess how much I would weigh on the moon?
11. Remind students to raise their hand before they answer.
12. Share, I would weigh only 19.9 lbs. on the moon!
13. Share, So, if I throw a pen, throw pen up and watch it drop, what happened to the
pen? Why do you think it happened?
14. Share, Today we are going to explore gravity through everyday objects. We are going
to use several different objects to help us explore gravity.
15. Explain that each table has a box of items and each item is labeled either A, B, C, D, or
E.
16. Pass out experiment data table. One to each student.
17. Share, You will first make predictions about each object. For example, on your
worksheet there is a column called Object 1 and another called Object 2. If it says A as
object 1 and B as object 2, you are comparing those two items. Then, in the prediction
column, you will make predictions about the two items. Question that will be presented
in prediction column:

-Will one object hit the ground faster? Which object and why?

18. Model for students how to fill out worksheet. Do one example using two objects.
19. Drop objects and ask students, What happened? Instruct students to then fill out the
actual column on their sheet with what actually happened when they conducted their
experiment.
Gervacio- 3
20. Instruct students to write in the explain column, if their prediction was correct, why or
why not?
21. Break students up into groups of 4. Each group gets one box containing some paper, golf
balls, paper clips, tennis balls, and rubber balls.
22. Remind students that they should be on task and if they are not, the whole group will be
fined $20 each.
23. Instruct students to begin their experiments.
24. Walk around as students are doing their experiments and pose questions:
a. How would you describe what is happening?
b. Why does it happen?
c. Can you explain what is happening when the objects hit the ground?
d. Can we change the speed of how fast/slow it falls? How? How do you know it
will work?
15. Gather students back together as a whole class when everyone is done with their
experiments. If students finish early, have them experiment with other items of their
choice (pens, erasers, etc).
16. Instruct students to discuss their findings using examples from their experiments in a
whole group discussion.
17. Instruct students to take out their web maps from the beginning of the activity.
18. Instruct students to use a different color marker and fill in what they now know about
gravity using their knowledge from their experiments.
19. Hold a class discussion and ask students to share some things they wrote on their web
map.
20. Explain that we are going to be doing an egg drop experiment tomorrow. Share, You
need to bring any items from your home that might help you and your group create
something to keep your egg from cracking. We are going to drop out eggs from the
second story and whos ever egg does not crack, will be the winner!
21. In the following egg drop lesson, students will be creating their own spaceship for
their astronaut, or the egg. The astronaut will be dropped from the second story and
will simulate a real astronaut in his spaceship being pulled down to Earth by gravity.
22. Students will be graded on their reasoning behind the materials they use to make their
spaceship. NOT if their egg cracks or not. Students will then reflect on why their
materials worked or did not work at the end of the lesson.

Gervacio- 4

Reflection Questions:

What happened during my lesson? Describe in detail the events that took place during
your lesson.
During my lesson, the students were very engaged in my lesson. At the beginning of my
lesson, I had a class discussion about what they already know about gravity. The students had a
lot of answers, including:
I remember watching the movie Gravity! She floated off into space cause there was no
gravity
Its what keeps us on the ground!
Yeah, if we did not have gravity, we would die because our food would be floating
around.
Gravity is in only space, right?
No, theres no gravity in space cause everything floats!

During my BrainPop video, students became more interested in how much we would
weigh on other planets. I told the students how much I would weigh on the moon and
students started a discussion about how much each of them would weigh.

During the experiment part of my lesson, students were very engaged in the experiments.
I noticed that students did experiments more than once if they could not agree on the same
results. I asked questions like, What happens if you drop the paper another way? When I
dropped the paper vertically, it fell at the same time as the golf ball. Students were stunned
because they thought that the heavier object always hits the ground first. Students then
started discussions saying:

Is it different if we crumple up the paper into a ball?
I think the paper falls faster vertically because theres no air catching!
Lets try one crumpled paper and one paper we hold vertical
I think if we timed the drop then we can see for sure which one hits the ground first

The types of conversations that the students were having lead up to them realizing that
gravity pulls all objects at the same rate. However, its the air resistance that changes how fast
or slow an object is pulled towards the Earth.

What did I do in my lesson to promote inquiry?
To promote inquiry in my lesson, I held a lot of group discussions. After experiments #1 and
#2 were done, I brought the class back together and discussed what happened so far. The
students discovered that some of their predictions were wrong and other groups got different
results as they did. Once I sent them back to finish up the rest of their experiments, they really
started engaging in conversations and inquiry. Some student conversations I heard that were a
result of inquiry include:

What happens if we drop it from a higher place?
You have to make sure you hold them at the same starting point
Gervacio- 5
I think I saw a tie, what did you see?
Wow, look how far it bounced when I dropped it from a higher place!

Students were given the opportunity to explore how gravity affects different types of
everyday objects. I also held a group discussion at the end of my lesson. I asked what the
students results were and discussed how different groups got different results.

What did the students learn? How do you know?
The students learned that gravity has the same pull on all objects. I knew they learned this
because they found out through experimentation that even a paperclip and a wooden block hit the
ground at the same time when dropped at the same time. Students asked questions about the
piece of paper and they learned that air resistance was affecting the papers drop. I knew students
learned this because when we started talking about our egg drop, some students said, Oh, we
can make a parachute kind of like how the paper floated to the ground!

Another thing that the students learned was how gravity affects our everyday lives. I
know this because the students asked questions about the gravitational pull on the moon and
other planets. Students also learned how gravity affects our everyday lives by saying that we
need gravity to stick to the ground. Also, the comment that was made earlier proved to me that
students understood how gravity affects our everyday lives, Yeah, if we did not have gravity,
we would die because our food would be floating around.

How did they interact with each other and with me?
The students interacted very well with each other. As I walked around the classroom,
most groups were having engaging conversations and were working together to complete the
experiments. I knew the students were taking turns dropping the items during their experiment
because I had the students fill out who the dropper was for each experiment. I knew that all
students were on task because al of the groups finished at the same time. Students interacted well
with each other during class discussions. They listened to each other and made comments or
asked questions when they had something similar to say.

Students interacted well with me during my lesson. The students were respectful during
class discussions and raised their hands before they talked. If students were off task, I would give
them a warning and they would listen and continue with the tack they were assigned to do.
Students also were very engaging with me. They asked a lot of good questions that promoted
inquiry. This is how I knew the students enjoyed the lesson, because of all the questions that they
asked. Students were also very respectful towards me.

What did I learn about myself as a teacher? How could I improve this lesson?
Through implementing this science lesson, I learned that I am a very animated teacher.
As I held the class discussion, I found myself walking around and being very animated with my
physical gestures. I believe that by being interesting, the students will be more interested in the
lesson itself. I also learned that I enjoy doing hands-on activities with students. It gives me more
time to be fully engaged in their learning. Usually, my mentor teacher lectures them and gives
them tests. I dont get the chance to be a part of the learned process. However, through
Gervacio- 6
implementing my science lesson, I was able to ask questions, promote exploration, and just be
fully engaged in the students activity.

One way I could have improved this lesson was to have more space and materials. The
students were only given a 2 x 2 rubber mat to drop items on because of the lack of space.
Maybe I should have had the students go outside and do their experiment. Another thing I could
improve on are the types of questions that I ask the students during class discussions. I noticed
that I asked more closed-ended questions rather than open-ended questions. I know that to
promote inquiry, teacher should ask more open-ended questions. So, if I were to do this
experiment over again, I would do more research about gravity and come up with some good
open-ended questions.

Moreover, I believe that I could have improved my timing. The students finished about
10 minutes earlier than anticipated. So, I had to be flexible. I had the students come up with
some ideas about their egg drop experiment after I explained it. I should have had an exit note or
journal entry where the students summarized what they learned. I did have the web map.
However, some students only listed one or two things that they learned by the end of the lesson. I
should have had them write in their journal with the prompt: How does gravity affect our
everyday lives?

Gervacio- 7
Gravity Data Recording Sheet

Name: ___________________________________ Date: ________________________

Group members:
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________
Directions: At the start of EACH experiment, fill out who is the dropper and the Prediction
column FIRST. EXPLAIN why you made your prediction! Record what actually happened in the
Results column. In the Explanation column, circle if your predictions were correct or incorrect
and EXPLAIN WHY.

Experiments Prediction Results Explanation

Experiment #1
Golf ball & Paper


Dropper:
_______________________

Correct/Incorrect


Experiment #2
Paper Clip & Wooden
Block

Dropper:
_______________________

Correct/Incorrect

Experiment #2
Square tile & Whiffle Ball


Dropper:
_______________________

Correct/Incorrect
Gervacio- 8

Experiment #4
Paper Clip & Whiffle Ball


Dropper:
_______________________

Correct/Incorrect

Experiment #5
Square tile & Golf Ball


Dropper:
_______________________
Correct/Incorrect

Experiment #6
Paper & Wooden Block


Dropper:
_______________________

Correct/Incorrect



Gervacio- 9
Extension Egg Drop Activity
Name: _______________________________
Date: ________________ ID#: __________

Scientific Process
The scientific process: Scientific Investigation: Discover, invent, and investigate using the skills necessary to engage in the
scientific process.

Devise a plan to construct a space capsule that will prevent the astronaut from dying due to
the impact when the space capsule lands on Earth. You will use an egg to simulate the
astronaut. You will drop the astronaut (egg) from two stories high. If the egg cracks, the
astronaut dies. If the egg is not cracked, your astronaut survives the impact.

What is you goal?


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

List the materials that each group member will bring under each persons name:


_________________________ _______________________ ________________________ ________________________
(Your name) (Group member #1) (Group member #2) (Group member #1)


1. _______________________ 1._____________________ 1._____________________ 1.______________________

2. _______________________ 2._____________________ 2._____________________ 2.______________________

Draw and describe your design idea:
Reasons for this design:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________


Test your design and record results on the back of this paper.

Gervacio- 10



Did your plan work? ________________

If it did work, what part of the design do you think helped? Explain.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you plan did not work, what would you do differently if you had the opportunity to
do this experiment again? Explain.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Results Table:

Group members Did the plan work? Observations




Gervacio- 11