TCNJ Lesson Plan

Unit Lesson 1
Thinking about Balance
Building Structures that Balance
Student Name: Lindsay Gottfried

School Name: Lawrenceville Elementary

Grade Level: Second

Host Teachers Name: Mrs. McIndoe

Guiding Questions:
How can we build a structure that balances objects?
How can we balance objects?
Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Student Prior Knowledge (ex. background
knowledge, possible misconceptions, prior lesson content)
Background knowledge: Most students have had experience with balancing. Examples
may include: roller skating, riding a skateboard, riding a bike and playing on a seesaw.
Students may know that the distribution of weight affects balance.
Possible misconceptions: Students may not know that balancing and weighing can be
seen as a give and take relationship. Students may not understand that these two concepts
share similar features.
Prior lesson content: Many students are aware of what it means to balance but this is the
first time the students will be formally introduced to the topic. In addition, this unit will
be the first time the students are introduced to a variety of scales used to balance and
weigh. Students were given a pre-assessment prior to the beginning of the balancing and
weighing unit.
Standards:
Next Generation Science Standards: Use outcomes of investigations to build and refine
questions, models, and explanations.
Learning Objectives and Assessments:
Learning Objectives

Assessment

Students will be able to balance a

symmetrical object on a pencil,
even after weight is added to the
object.

Students will be assessed on their ability to balance

a symmetrical object on a pencil individually, and
later add weight to the object and observe its effect
on the objects balance.

Students will be able to discuss

balancing and weighing in the
world around them.

Students will be assessed on answers they share

with the class.

Students will be able build and

Teachers will assess student-built structures for
write about structures that balance. balance, and student entries in their science journals
for how their structures are able to balance.

Materials: (List all, include any online or book references)

Balancing and Weighing Teachers Manual
Part I:
20 Science Journals
20 Pairs of scissors
20 Unsharpened Pencils
20 Copies of butterfly figure
1 Box of jumbo paper clips
Large poster paper
Part II:
For every two students:
1 beam
1 fulcrum
20 Unifix Cubes
Plan for distribution/cleanup of materials:
Supplies will be at a distribution center at the back table. 1 student from each group that
will be selected by the teacher will come to the back and get 1 tray per group. The tray
will have the supplies pre-sorted and counted. The student will also collect materials for
the building/balancing structures. The other student will be responsible for cleaning up
the materials and returning everything to the back table before the day ends. Students will
place finished journals in the finished workbasket at the conclusion of the lesson.
Step by Step plan (numbered):
1. Lesson Beginning: Teacher will gather students to the rug. Teacher will ask
students what is science? Teacher will probe questions asking if students have
ever had/done science in school? If they like science etc.
2. Teacher will tell students that for the next nine classes they will be scientists.
Teacher will emphasize that you do not need need to wear a lab coat or safety
goggles or even work with chemicals to be a scientists.
3. Teacher will explain that scientists are both girls and boys and they explore and
experiment every day! Whenever you ask questions and want to discover new
answers, you are being a scientist!
4. Teacher will ask students if they are ready to be scientists and discover a new
world!
5. Teacher will show students the figure of the butterfly that is pre-cut. Teacher will
ask students different ways that they could balance it on a pencil.
6. Teacher will then tell students that they will have an opportunity to balance their
own butterfly. Teacher will dismiss students from the rug area by giving students
a pre-cut butterfly.
7. Teacher will select 1 student from each table group to come to the back table and
get the tray with their table number on it. Materials will be pre-distributed for
student convenience.

8. Teachers will instruct students to use the pre-cut butterfly to explore balancing the
butterfly on the pencil. Teacher will encourage students to try as many ways as
possible.
9. After 3 minutes of exploring the butterfly, teachers will ask a few students to
share how they balanced the butterfly. Teacher will encourage student to describe
why it balances.
10. Next, teachers will distribute 1 jumbo paper clip to each student. Teacher will
challenge students to attach the paper clip to various places on the butterfly and to
find new ways to balance it. Using the paperclip, try attaching the paper clip to
different parts of the butterfly to see what happens.
11. Teacher will ask students to share their observations of how the butterfly balanced
this time. Teacher will encourage students to describe why the paper clip
changed how the butterfly balanced.
12. Teacher will distribute science journals to each student. Teacher will ask each
student to write his or her ideas in response to the statement What I know about
balancing. Teacher will also write this statement on the board for students to
refer to.
13. After a few minutes of working time, teacher will then ask students to write down
questions they have about balancing in their journals. Again, the question will be
posted on the board for students to refer to.
14. Teacher will then display a chart titled What We Know About Balancing.
Teacher will call on each student to share their ideas and what they wrote in their
journals. Teacher will record answers on the chart.
15. Next, teacher will ask students to share their questions that they have about
balancing. Again, the teacher will record questions the students have about
balancing. Teacher will inform students that at the end of the curriculum, they
will have all of these questions answered.
16. Teacher will explain that starting today, and over the next two weeks, we will be
exploring balancing and weighing.
17. Part II: Teacher will point out the materials in the distribution center. Teacher will
let students know that they will use the materials to build structures that balance.
18. Teacher will divide students into pairs. Teacher will have 1 student in each pair
collect the materials (a fulcrum, a beam, and 20 unifix cubes) from the
distribution center.
19. Teacher will ask students to build their structures.
20. When students have completed their structures, students will be asked by the
teacher to leave them on their desks.
21. Students may walk around the classroom to look at their friends structures.
Teacher will remind students to keep their hands to themselves.
22. Closing: Teacher will have students dismantle their structures and return the
materials to the appropriate area.
23. Teacher will display another chart Ways We Balance and Weigh. As students
brainstorm ideas, teacher will record them on the chart.
24. Teacher will explain to the students that today was our first day of this exciting
new unit on balancing and weighing! Teacher will encourage students to add
items to the chart during the next few weeks.

25. Teacher will tell students tomorrow they will be exploring the beam balance.
Key Questions (that you will ask):
Part 1:
1. What is science?
2. How do we use science in our everyday life?
3. What does it mean to be a scientist?
4. What are some different ways that you could balance this butterfly on a pencil?
5. Where have you seen something or somebody balancing?
6. Why does the butterfly balance on the pencil?
7. How does the paperclip change how the butterfly balanced?
8. What do you know about balancing?
9. What questions do you have about balancing?
Part 2:
1. What could you remove from your structure and still have it balance?
2. Why could your structure fall over if I removed this piece?
3. Where could you add Unifix Cubes to your structure without making it become
unbalanced?
4. If you wanted to make the structure fall over, where would you add Unifix
Cubes?
Logistics:
Timing: Opening: 2 minutes
Exploring balance with the butterfly: 3 minutes
Discussion about balancing the butterfly: 2 minutes
Exploring balance with the butterfly and paperclip: 2 minutes
Discussion about how the paperclip changed how the butterfly balanced: 2
minutes
Writing in Journals & making a class chart: 5-7 minutes
Discussing student questions and transitioning: 3-5 minutes
Explaining directions, students gathering materials: 3 minutes
Building of structures and looking at their classmates: 5-10 minutes
Making the Ways we Balance and Weigh chart: 3-5 minutes
Closing Part II: 2-3 minutes
Transitions:
Students will be called over to the rug area to be introduced to the balancing and
weighing unit. Once students receive a butterfly at the rug, they will be instructed to
return to their seats. One student from each table will be asked to collect materials. The
same students will be in charge of bringing materials back to the distribution center at the
end of the lesson.
Classroom Management:
Mrs. McIndoe uses three types of reward systems in her class, whole class, individual and
team. When the class is off task and/or disruptive, marbles are taken away. Additionally,
the same rules apply to students individually. When a particular student is off task and/or

disruptive Mrs. McIndoe tells the student to flip their card. Individual tables also compete
for points; when it is time to clean up, students are efficient and are sure to sit back down
at their tables and put the silent sign in the air so that their table gets points on the board.
Mrs. McIndoe has a rewards system; the purpose of the marble method is that at the end
of the day, however many marbles are left on the board are put into a large jar. When the
jar gets full, the class gets to have a party! Throughout the day, Mrs. McIndoe keeps track
of individual behavior based on a card system. All students start with their cards on green
and flip their cards from green to blue to yellow to red as their behavior fluctuates
throughout the day. After 20 days of ending on a green card, students are then allowed to
pick out of the surprise box. Furthermore, the table with the most points on the board at
the end of the week gets pencil erasers. Teachers will manage classroom volume by using
a bell. Additionally, if the bell needs to be rang more than one, the teacher will take
marbles away from the class reward system. The teacher will use a timer to keep track of
the students working time. Students will be given a two-minute warning when it is time
to start finishing up. Teachers will have directions written on the board for early finishers
and different options they may chose from for that specific day.
Differentiation
Students who are faster paced workers will be paired with students who take a longer
time working so that there is a balance between the two. Either Lindsay or Hannah will
sit with Dylan and Sophia at the back table as students are writing in their journals. These
two students will dictate what they think about where theyve seen balancing and
weighing, as one of us write it for them on a piece of paper so that they can copy their
responses into their journals. Students who finish early will be instructed to put their
materials away and get a book to read from the Balancing and Weighing classroom
library. Students will be working in pairs for the first the lessons which will change every
three lessons. The pairs have been assigned based on student needs and abilities. The
pairs for the first three lessons are as follows:
1. Dan & Will
2. Charan & Akshat
3. Jaeila & Aparna
4. Maako & Ivette
5. Berjis & Krish
6. Reedee & Charley
7. Dylan & Dayne
8. Brianna & Emma
9. Kyle & Grace
10. Sienna & Sofia