6/12/2013

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan
Name: Mary Fahey
Lesson Title: Changing States of Matter Solid to Liquid
Date: April 12th, 2016
Grade Level: Pre-K
Circle one:
ECE
PKSN
Standard(s)/Guideline(s): Domain: Cognition and General Knowledge, Strand: Cognitive Skills, Topic: Reasoning and Problem Solving, Standard: Explain
reasoning for the solution selected.
Pre-assessment of current knowledge: My partner and I have assessed the students knowledge with a previous lesson we taught. We read the students a book
about the changing states of matter and discussed some examples of them. Such as an ice cream cone melting in the sun. We explained that when the solid (the
ice cream cone) is exposed to heat it ultimately will melt and change states to a liquid. We also talked about putting a cup of water outside on a snowy day in
winter. We asked them what they thought would happen if the cup was left outside for a few hours and explained how it would change from a liquid to a solid. We
then had the students give a few more examples of both of these changing states.
Instructional Objectives (1-2)
One/Two Assessed Instructional
Objective(s): The student will be
able to...
The student will be able to
make a prediction and
verbalize it to the teacher
and his or her peers.
One Assessed Developmental
Skill:
The student will be able to
explain their reasoning
behind their prediction.
Safety Considerations:
When the bowl of ice
cubes is passed around to
the students, they will be
told that they may touch
the ice cubes but they
must put them immediately
back into the bowl. In
addition the students will
be told that they cannot
throw the ice cubes at one
another at any objects
within the classroom.

Assessment of Student Learning

Identify Evidence: (What will you collect or record as data
to demonstrate students have met your objective(s) and
skill?)
For this lesson, the teacher will write down each
students prediction as evidence that they have met
the learning objectives. If each student is able to
make a prediction and explain their reasoning
behind it, they will have met the learning objectives.
Program Monitoring: (How will you aggregate or compile
your evidence into a class or group view?)
I will use the ACCESS checklist to record whether or
not the students have met the learning objectives.
The standard for this lesson will be written in the left
hand column of the checklist and each students
name on the top row. If the evidence shows that the
student has met the objective, they will receive a
checkmark for that specific standard.
From here, the teacher will then be able to
determine which students understand the concept of
changing states of matter and which students need
more practice with it.

Learning Experience
Academic Language:
Melt: Make or become liquefied by heat.
Procedural steps:
Last week, my partner completed a lesson with the
students and changed a liquid to a solid. She filled
ice cube trays with colored water and then asked the
students to predict what would happen when she put
them in the freezer. This week, my partner took the
trays out of the freezer and explained to the students
that they had changed states from a liquid to a solid.
From here, I will then take those ice cubes and ask
the students to predict what they think will happen if I
put a blow dryer on the ice cubes. While asking the
students this question, I will put the ice cubes in a
bowl and pass the bowl around to the students.
The teacher will hand the bowl to the first student so
that they can feel and experience the ice cubes in
order to make a prediction. Once they have made
this prediction and the teacher has wrote it down, the
bowl will be passed to the next student.
After discussing their predictions, I will then apply the
blow dryer to the ice cubes. The students will observe
what happens.
Once the ice cubes have melted, I will show them the
bowl of water and ask the students what happened.
We will then discuss if the students predictions were
correct and explain that when a solid, such as ice
cubes, has heat applied to it it will melt and change

6/12/2013

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan

states to a liquid.
To finish the lesson, the students will be asked if they
can think of any more examples of matter changing
from a solid to a liquid.

Authentic Materials: (Describe authentic real life, hands-on

materials.)
The authentic materials used in this lesson will be the
ice cubes and the blow dry. Before the teacher melts
the ice cubes, they will be passed around and the
students can use their senses to examine them. In
addition, the students will be able to watch as the
blow dryer is applied to the ice cubes.
Adult Roles:
As the teacher, I will be the one leading this lesson. I
will ask the students to make predictions and to
observe what is happening to the ice cubes. I will
also be the one applying the blow dryer to the ice
cubes.

Resources & References:

I though of this lesson on my own.
Reflection: (What have you learned about your students? How will this inform future instruction?)

From this lesson I taught I have learned a great deal about my students. First of all, it was great to see that the students continue
to use their knowledge from previous lessons and apply it to current lessons. For example, in my lesson they remembered the
difference between a solid and liquid even though they may had not even discussed either of these concepts since my partner did her
lesson the week before. In addition, from both my lesson and my partners lesson I have learned that this group of students thoroughly
enjoys hands on experiences. They love being able to be truly involved in a lesson and holding and observing the materials that are
being used. Therefore, for future instruction my partner and I must plan learning experiences that allow the students to preform tasks on
their own and feel the different materials being used. For example, I believe that an outside leaning experience would be appropriate for

6/12/2013

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan

students as well as for the topic of our science investigation. We could go outside onto their playground and look for different solids and
liquids throughout the area and have the students share their findings with the class.
I have also learned that this group of students seeks the attention of the teacher. Therefore, when one student is talking the other
students sometimes have difficulty holding in their thoughts and end up interrupting their classmate. Because of this, I think it would be
beneficial to implement some type of speaking mechanism within our next lessons. For example, only the student holding a specified
object that was given to them by the teacher is allowed to speak at that time. Or, this problem could be fixed by using smaller groups of
2 or 3 students so that the attention of one teacher can be evenly distributed at all times.