Indiana Wesleyan University

Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Science
2007 ACEI Standards

READINESS
I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal(s)Students will know how to determine seasonal weather patterns.

B. Objective(s)(specific terms)
1. After observing the experiment, students will describe where rain comes from by comparing
the water cycle to the mason-jar demonstration.

C. Standard(s):
3.ESS.1 Obtain and combine information to determine seasonal weather patterns across the
different regions of the United States.
NSES: Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry
Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science

II. Materials:
Clear Jar
Hot water
Lid
Ice Cubes
Recording Sheet
Comparison Handout
Space: Start as whole group at student desks. Move to the living room for teacher
demonstration. Return to student desks after discussion.
When students move from one location to another I will gain full class attention and call one
table at a time, since there will be dangerous materials on the back table.
Time: 40 minutes 5 min intro, 25 min. lesson, 10 min. closure
Behaviors: I will implement the class management plan of giving out and taking away star
bucks. This will motivate students to stay engaged throughout the lesson.
Safety: Adults will conduct the experiment since there is hot water and glass. I will place the
jar on a flat surface and will not pick it up. There will be a line in the living room that students
wont be able to cross while I conduct the experiment. When I do ask for students to come
closer to observe the jar, I will make the directions clear (Dont touch the jar, be careful
around the table, be still when you are up-close). I will never move the entire class at one
time, but will send them to a new location in table groups to prevent running into the table and
knocking over the jar.

III. Anticipatory Set

Good afternoon, I am going to need two volunteers. (Choose two students that are raising their
hands) Thank you for volunteering. Who has ever played Jacks? Today our two volunteers are
going to play Jacks to see how many they can pick up in one handful. Once they start to drop
the Jacks or the ball they will be out. Lets see who can pick up more! (Have students play the
game) Thank you volunteers, you may have a seat now. What happened when they had to start
collecting more jacks at a time? (Their hands got full, and it became hard to catch the ball)
What happened when their hands were too full? (They dropped the Jacks and the ball)
Sometimes when our hands become too full, we have to let go of something and drop it.

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 IV. Purpose: Today we are going to learn about the water cycle and how it causes rain. We have
to be prepared for the weather everywhere we go. Knowing the cause of rain will help us
decide when we have to wear a rain jacket, rain boots, and bring an umbrella with us, so we
dont get wet when we play outside.

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

(ACEI 1.0)
V. Adaptation to Diverse Students
BW: Hold him accountable to the management plan. Give him a choice of 2 seating options
during the demonstrations, neither by J or G.
JS: He can take one fidget item with him to the demonstration.
HK: Ask her to answer questions so she remains engaged.
A: If he asks a question, I will be sure to give a response so he doesnt keep asking even if the
question is unrelated to the discussion. He can draw lines to the boxes rather than writing the
word.
(ACEI 3.2)

VI. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

Good morning class. We are going to conduct an experiment to answer the question, what
causes rain to fall? Rain is something that naturally occurs everywhere in the world, but we dont
often think about where it comes from. Before we conduct an experiment, I want you to write
down your best guess as to what you think the answer is. We call this making a hypothesis. Who
wants to share their hypothesis with the class? (Call on a few students) Now we are going to
conduct our experiment to see if anyones hypothesis was correct.
Gather students on the rug and couch in the living room
I will conduct the experiment due to safety reasons, but the students will all be able to see and
make discoveries.
Step 1: Fill the bottom of the clear jar with hot water
Step 2: Put the lid on top of the jar
Step 3: Place several ice cubes in the lid of the jar.
Step 4: Have students do a walk by in small groups to make close-up observations
Step 5: Engage the students in discussion about what is happening
What does somebody see that they want to share? (Have their responses guide discussion)
Why do you think we put hot water in the bottom and ice cubes on top? What does that look like
in real life?
Have students return to their seats and write down their observations on their recording sheet.
Discuss the real-life version of our mason-jar experiment.
In real life when the sun warms up the water in oceans, lakes, and rivers, the water evaporates
into the air. As the water vapor travels upward, the temperature gets cooler and the vapor turns
back in to water droplets. The water droplets bunch up together to form clouds and we call that
condensation. Eventually the water droplets become too heavy for each other so they fall back
down to the ground as rain or snow and we call that precipitation. Just like our volunteers
dropped the jacks when there were too many, clouds release the water droplets when there are
too many.
Now look back at the question and hypothesis. Was your guess correct or do you need to change
what you originally thought based on what you discovered in this experiment?
Draw the conclusion you made after watching the experiment. Use evidence from the
experiment as proof to support your conclusion.
(ACEI 2.2)
(ACEI 3.3)

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VII. Check for understanding: As students engage in discussion I will assess their knowledge of how
rain is formed. I will have students talk with each other and with me to explain the water cycle
process. If I hear common misconceptions from the students, I will address those to the whole
group.

VIII. Review learning outcomes / Closure: Now that we have answered our question, what causes
rain? you are going to complete a handout to compare the mason-jar demonstration to a real-life
water cycle.

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

Formal Assessment: I will observe student discussion and pay attention to the questions they ask. I will be
detecting how engaged they are during the demonstration in order to draw conclusions.

Summative Assessment: The students will fill out a recording sheet where they will draw a conclusion
based on the evidence they gathered. The students will also complete a handout to compare the mason-jar
activity to the water cycle.
(ACEI 4.0)
REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS
1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
15 of the students achieved the lesson objective. For those who did not, it could have been for multiple
reasons. This was the first time they had been introduced to the water cycle and the vocabulary that went
along with it. The picture they had to fill out could have also been confusing to some of the students.
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
My anticipatory set and experiment demonstration engaged the learners. They were excited about the
lesson and were active participants. My supervisor suggested that I eliminate the word okay after I give
the students directions. I also could have monitored the students more for behavior throughout this lesson.
Most of the students were engaged but I did not redirect the one or two students that were disengaged
because I was focused on monitoring the experiment and the students that were getting too close to the
table.
3. How should I alter this lesson?
I should have had the students bring their recording sheets with them so there could have been a silent
moment where everyone was writing down and drawing what they could see. The lesson was moving
quickly, so I should have slowed down to make sure all of the students had a chance to see the experiment
and record their observations. I also would have introduced the water cycle to the students during the
experiment rather than waiting until afterward to introduce the vocabulary.
4. How would I pace it differently?
I would have taken more time for students to observe during the demonstration, without me giving them
any instruction. I would have also given them more time to work on their recording sheet and filling out
their assessment. I felt rushed toward the end of the lesson to finish, so I did not give them as much time
as I should have to complete their assessment.
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
90% of the students were actively participating. The reason some of the students were not engaged was
because they were sitting on the shelf in the living room, which I should not have allowed. A few of the
girls started engaging in off-task behavior, while the rest of the class was engaged. I will be more aware
of the space I conduct the experiment in next time.
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
a. Blooms Taxonomy

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I asked several different levels of questions throughout the lesson. I asked for students to remember,
understand, apply, and even analyze the activity. They had to think deeply about how the mason jar
experiment connected to rain in the real-world.
b. Gardners Multiple Intelligences
This lesson reached visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learners. They were moving, listening, observing and
writing down information throughout the lesson.
7. Did I use the classroom management plan effectively to keep students on track?
I was more aware of implementing the management plan during this lesson compared to my last lesson.
The students responded well to positive reinforcement, and got quiet when I counted down from 5.
8. Were students able to see the mason-jar demonstration close enough to make observations?
The students were able to see the mason-jar experiment from any choice of seating they were given. Some
students got closer than they should have and I needed to stop them from touching the jar.
9. Were students able to make the connection from the anticipatory set to the lesson?
One of the students kept asking why they were playing jacks at the beginning of the lesson. I told them to
keep waiting to find out. Once I made the connection to jacks, he said, OH! Thats why we played
jacks.
10. Did I have effective communication during the lesson presentation?
The students were able to engage in productive discussion about the water cycle and their observations
during the experiment. I do need to be aware of every word I say to make sure it is meaningful to the
students.
Revision Date: September 12, 2016
2007 ACEI Standards

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