Amber Roth

Indiana Wesleyan University

Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template
Science
2007 ACEI Standards

READINESS
I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal(s)Students will investigate and design ziplines.
B. Objective(s)In small groups, students will explore and construct at least two zipline
designs and determine which designs can transport objects efficiently.
C. Standard(s): 3-5.E.2 Construct and compare multiple plausible solutions to a problem based
on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
II. Materials- Time per lesson element, space, behavior, materials
Time: 45 minutes total. Individual times are listed next to each section.
Space: Students will be on the carpet for the lesson presentation. They will be spread across the
room to make the ziplines. Back on the carpet for closure.
Behavior: Use pre-correction and positive reinforcement to encourage appropriate behavior. If
necessary, clip students up/down to manage behavior.
Materials: fishing line/colored string (already measured), paper clips, popsicle sticks, clear tape,
paper, math manipulatives
Grouping: (recorder, line holder, line holder, objects)
1: Chase, Wyatt, Rayshawna, Lily
2: Conner, Jasayah, Cael, Britton
3: Jayda, Juquan, Journey, Landrum
4: Atreyu, Gabriel, Virgil, Devalin, Markus
5: Jamarion, Lakresha, Gracie, KeAndre

III. Anticipatory Set3 min.

Ziplining video
http://www.skibowl.com/summer/mt-hood-activities/zip-line-portland
This is called zip lining. As you saw in the video, the people were getting from one place to another by hanging from a
line. I read somewhere online that some kids in Cambodia have to zip line to get to school, because they have no cars
or buses to get them there.

IV. Purpose: (1 min) Today you will be constructing your own zip lines. The process you will go
through (forming a hypothesis, conducting the experiment, analyzing the results, and
forming a conclusion) is like what many people do in real world situations. For example, if
you want to cook a meal for dinner, you are going to form a hypothesis; if I add this, it will
taste better becauseThen you will taste it, and determine if your hypothesis was correct.
Should you have added anything else? Then, you form your conclusion and explain what
you learned.

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

III. Adaptation to Diverse Students-- Demonstrate your understanding of the development and
approaches to learning unique to the students in this class as you describe the specific
instructional opportunities provided in this lesson.
(ACEI 3.2)
Juquan: Struggles to read. Provide pictures by the words to provide context clues. He will
need to be separated from Wyatt and JaSayah.
Virgil: He has a possible emotional disability, but has not been identified. He will get
frustrated if he does not understand what is going on. Keep him on track, and if he is
struggling, give him some space and time to calm down. His coping skills are okay; he will
not harm others, but he does fidget with his hands a lot. He also struggles with reading, but
can identify the correct word when orally prompted.
 Atreyu: He has an emotional disability and breaks down very easily. However, he is very
bright academically. When he has a breakdown, pull him to the side and try to calm him
down.
Devalin: He struggles with reading, but has a great attitude, and tries really hard.
Lakresha: She is very low academically. She will need to be partnered with a stronger
student who will be willing to help her.
Wyatt: He is on medication now, but still needs some pre-correction. He loves to answer
every question, but will need to be reminded to be quiet every now and then.
Jayda, Chase, Conner, Cael, Jamarion and maybe Gabriel: These students will need to be
challenged. Ask them deeper questions, and split them up among the groups. Gabriel can
excel if he is calm. If he is off the walls and has no self-control, the focus will be more
towards keeping him on task.

IV. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)8 min

Students on carpet.I am going to introduce you to some vocabulary words you will need to know
when building your zipline. Write these words on chart paper. Provide a visual of both words.
The first word is friction. Friction is the resistance that one surface or object encounters when
moving over another. For example, if you take your hands and rub them together, you produce
heat. Another example would be sliding your feet across carpet. There are many types of
friction, but for today you just need to know the basics. When thinking about a zip line, you
know that the goal is to get from one end to the other. How could friction slow you down or
keep you from getting to the other end? The next word is acceleration. Acceleration is the
ability to gain speed in a short amount of time. When you zipline, you want to have good
acceleration so you dont get stuck. However, the friction and gravity can affect your
acceleration. You know that gravity pulls downward, so youll have to think about that when
testing your ziplines. You also need to know what a hypothesis is. A hypothesis is your best
guess, based on what you already know. For example, I am going to make a hypothesis about
cooking. If salt is added to macaroni and cheese, then it will taste better. Then you would test
your hypothesis by conducting experiments. You would taste mac & cheese that has no salt,
and then you would taste some that does have salt. Based on your results, you would
determine whether your hypothesis was correct. Today, as you make your ziplines, you will
form a hypothesis. If the zipline is hanging with a downward slope, then _________. You will talk
about it with your group. What materials will you use, and why do you think they will work?
Then you will test it and see if you were correct. If not, what could you change? Then, you will
form a conclusion; what worked and what did not work?
(ACEI 2.2)
I have split you into small groups. Each group will have the same amount of materials. The
materials you are given can be used however you would like. This is your chance to explore
and come up with the best possible zipline. There will be 4 students in each group. If you
cannot handle this, you will clip down and go back to your seat and fill out a worksheet. Two of
your group members will be in charge of holding the zipline when you are ready to test it. One
person at each end, unless you decide to tape it down to something. One person will be in
charge of recording everything on a sheet of paper that I provide. There will be questions that
you need to answer as you go. The 4th person will be placing the toys on the zipline and picking
them up if they fall or get stuck. Your goal is to transport as many toys across at once. You will
get to pick the toys you use.
I need everyone to pay attention to this part. As soon as I break you into groups, I need you to take your iPads and find
a location in the room, away from the other groups. Before you start, you will have 5 minutes to research ziplines. (use
apple tv to demonstrate this). Watch up here on the screen. I need you to mirror me right now. Go to google chrome.
Tyoe in: how do ziplines work? Click on the first one. You are going to explore this website as a group and discuss it in
5 minutes. Then, you will come get your materials and toys and begin constructing your zipline. Here are your groups
and your jobs. You may switch your job if another person in your group wants to, but you may not force anyone to
switch. Remember, I am not going to tell you how to build your zipline. That is up to you. You can try it as many times
as you can in the next half hour. You only have 30 minutes, so get to work. If you make a successful run on your
zipline, see if you can add more toys or if there is another way to make it better. Here are the rules: 1. You must start at
one end and stop at the other. 2. Your toys cannot fall off at any point or else it is an unsuccessful trip. 3. You cannot let
your toys smash into anything or fly off the end. Do you have any questions?
 (ACEI 3.3)
V. Check for understanding.--30 min for exploration.
The recorders will have a recording sheet. They will write down the materials used, how many toys
were placed on the zipline, and explain what happened.
I will be walking around with a checklist for the summative assessment (explained below). I will be
observing the students as I walk around. This will show me their ability to collaborate, the
amount of engagement, their understanding of a hypothesis, and their processes of exploring
and experimenting.
If students do not understand hypotheses, then I will stop them and explain it again and figure out
what they are confusing.

VII. Review learning outcomes / Closure3 min

Questions:
Did you have fun today?
What was your favorite part about todays lesson?
Raise your hand if your zipline failed a few times.
What caused your zipline to fail, and what changes did you make?
**If we have time, have each group demonstrate their zipline**

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

Informal: Walking around and observing the students as they collaborate and explore. The closure
questions will also give me an idea of what needs to be revisited and what I could do to produce more
of a challenge.

Formal: I have designed a checklist that I will use as I walk around to each group. This will show me
how well students are collaborating and their thinking processes as they experiment with the ziplines.
Students are collaborating (getting along, no fighting, working together).
Students have researched ziplines.
Students have tried at least two versions of a zipline.
Students are on-task and engaged in the activity.
Students are using evidence to analyze data and form conclusions.
Extra: Students understand what a hypothesis is.

Additional comments:
(ACEI 4.0)
REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS
1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
a. Blooms Taxonomy
b. Gardners Multiple Intelligences
7. Was this challenging enough for the advanced students?
8. Was there enough support for the struggling learners?
9. Was the grouping acceptable? Too many? Not enough?
10. How well did students collaborate?

Revision Date: August 25, 20152007 ACEI Standard

Recording Sheet
Test #1

Hypothesis:_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
___

Materials
used:________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_

Results/What should we change?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion (Was your hypothesis correct? Why or why not?):

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Test #2

Hypothesis:_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
___

Materials
used:________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_

Results/What should we change?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion (Was your hypothesis correct? Why or why not?):

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Test #3 (If you have time)

Hypothesis:_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
___

Materials
used:________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_

Results/What should we change?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion (Was your hypothesis correct? Why or why not?):

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Student:
Assessment Checklist

____Students are collaborating (getting along, no

fighting, ____working together).
____Students have researched ziplines.
____Students have tried at least two versions of a
zipline.
____Students are on-task and engaged in the
activity.
____Students are using evidence to analyze data
and form conclusions.
____Extra: Students understand what a hypothesis
is.

Additional comments: