Brooke Howerton Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)

Lesson Idea Name: States of Matter!

Content Area: Physical Science
Grade Level(s): Second grade

Content Standard Addressed: S2P1a- Students will identify the three common states of matter as solid,
liquid, or gas.

Technology Standard Addressed: Communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a
variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models, or simulations.

Selected Technology Tool: Inspiration 9 concept mapping

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmm1J2yI9tk
States of Matter sorting worksheet:
file:///Users/brooke/Downloads/StatesofMatterFREEBIEMatchingMatterSortingPrintable.pdf

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☐ Remembering ☐ Understanding ☐ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4: Integration
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

With this lesson, the teacher provided alternatives to auditory information by using visuals and having words
projected along with those visuals. The teacher provides alternatives to visual information by saying all
instructions out loud. The teacher provided options for collaboration and communication by having the students
work in groups on their worksheet.

Lesson idea implementation:

The teacher will start by asking the students if they know what matter is. The class will then discuss that
everything you ever see is made up of matter. The teacher will then ask, “How is that possible?” The teacher
will then project a fun YouTube video explaining what matter is and what the three different stages are. Once
the video has concluded, the teacher will review the differences between the three stages in terms of molecules
(Solids are particles very close together, liquids are close together but farther apart than solids, and gasses have
molecules that are very far away from each other). This all will take about 5 minutes.
Once this review has concluded, the students will work in groups of three of four to cut out pictures, then
use glue sticks to sort the pictures onto another worksheet that has three columns saying solid, liquid, or gas.
The students will get 10 minutes to complete this group activity. The teacher will then call attention to the front
and the teacher will ask the class some examples of a solid, liquid, and then a gas based on what they sorted
onto their worksheets. This is a way of formatively assessing the students’ knowledge on the content they have
just been introduced to.
Once this activity has concluded, the teacher will introduce a small project that each student will be working
on individually over the rest of the current class and also the next day’s class. The teacher will have each
student grab their laptop from the laptop station (or go to the computer lab if laptops are not provided), and
then instruct the students on how to log into Inspiraton 9 on their computers. The teacher will give a short
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Brooke Howerton Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)
tutorial on how to make concept maps with this application. Then, the teacher will instruct the students that
they will need to make a concept map of the three states of matter, and then include three examples of each
state with pictures. This project will be assessed for a grade. This project will give the teacher a really good
visual of not only how well the students learned the material and retained the content, but also how well they
were paying attention to how to use Inspiration 9. The teacher will also give the option to give four examples of
each state if students would like to do so. The students will receive feedback on their project once they are all
graded. The teacher will leave a small note written at the top of each grading sheet for the students.

Reflective Practice:

I feel that this lesson can have a great impact on students’ learning as it differentiates instruction, and also
lets the students make something to show their mastery of the content. The lesson is scaffolded throughout as
well. If there needed to be an extension of this lesson, the teacher should reteach all the concepts using a
PowerPoint that has visuals, and also let the students ask questions all throughout the review. The teacher could
also give each student a sheet of paper with the information that they can keep.

Spring 2018_SJB