Anna Holcomb – Mrs.

Long, Pre-K, Elon Rhodes Spring 2019

To be presented: 03/19 ECED372

LESSON PLAN
JMU Elementary Education Program

To be completed by the practicum teacher:

__ I have reviewed this initial plan and approve it as written.
__ I have reviewed this initial plan and approve it with the recommendations noted. I expect to have a revised plan
that reflects these recommendations on the day the activity is presented.

__ I received the initial plan a week in advance.

__ I received the revised plan on the day of implementation.

______________________________________ ___________________________
Signature of Practicum Teacher Date Received

TITLE OF LESSON – Coffee Filter Planets

CONTEXT OF LESSON

The students are working on developing their fine motor skills by using markers, like they will in this
activity. Not only this, but they will be using different materials to develop this, possibly ones they haven’t
used before, to experiment with making a creative product.
Students have shown skill in artistic projects in the past, and have enjoyed it, with many students choosing
to play at the drawing and painting stations during centers. Students at this age learn well through play like
this, so this would be a developmentally appropriate lesson plan.
According to my CT’s pacing guide, this is the week that the students will be learning about space. I think
that making this both reinforces the foundation blocks for artistic skills, as well as for interrelationships
between earth/space systems.

OBJECTIVES AND ASSESSMENT

Know/Do (Learning
Assessment Plan
objectives)
The students will describe the way the I will listen for spontaneous language that relates to this understanding (such as “The colors are
ink changes once water is sprayed on changing!”). If the child is not expressive, I will say, “Tell me what is happening with the colors on
the coffee filter. the paper” and/or “What do you think made the colors change on the paper?” I will record this
information on the attached data collection instrument.
The students will use the markers and I will observe how the child holds the writing instruments. If the child is not holding the instrument
crayons correctly. correctly, I will prompt them to attempt to hold it a different way. I will say “Try holding your tool
like a pencil.” If after prompted, they still don’t hold the tool in a correct manner, I will record the
way in which they grip the tool on the attached data collection instrument.

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Anna Holcomb – Mrs. Long, Pre-K, Elon Rhodes Spring 2019
To be presented: 03/19 ECED372

COLLECTION OF ASSESSMENT DATA

(R= Red, O= Orange, G= Green, B= Blue, P=Purple)

Names The students will The students will Behavioral Indicators/ Notes
describe the way use the markers
the ink changes and crayons
once water is correctly.
sprayed on the
coffee filter.
R1

R2

R3

R4

O1

O2

O3

O4

G1

G2

G3

G4

B1

B2

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Anna Holcomb – Mrs. Long, Pre-K, Elon Rhodes Spring 2019
To be presented: 03/19 ECED372

B3

B4

P1

P2

P3

P4

RELATED VIRGINIA FOUNDATION BLOCKS

1. Virginia Science Foundation Block 6: Interrelationships in Earth/Space Systems - The child will be able
to observe and explore major features of the natural world around him/her, both on Earth and in the sky.
2. Virginia Visual Arts Foundation Block 1: Visual Communication and Production - The child will
develop an awareness of the mechanics of the visual arts and produce various forms on a regular basis.

MATERIALS NEEDED

1. Coffee Filters – Myself

2. Instruction Cards – Myself
3. Black Construction Paper – In the classroom
4. Spray Bottle with Water – In the classroom
5. White Crayons – In the classroom
6. Colored Markers – In the classroom
7. Glue – In the classroom
8. Tables/ Chairs – In the classroom
9. Wet Wipes (for clean-up) – In the classroom

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Anna Holcomb – Mrs. Long, Pre-K, Elon Rhodes Spring 2019
To be presented: 03/19 ECED372

Setup for the activity.

PROCEDURE

 Preparation of learning environment-

 I will set up the activity by laying out one piece of paper, and one coffee filter per seat
at their tables outside of the rooms. Each table will have lots of different colored
markers, as well as white crayons, so the students have materials ready. The glue, and
the spray bottle with be monitored by the teacher so that they students don’t misuse or
over-use these tools.
 Engagement and introduction of the lesson
 The activity will be introduced through a small group activity outside of the
classroom. Small groups will allow me to focus more individually on each particular
student needs. Since the students are familiar with the materials, I will only show what
materials they should use on what mediums and will advise them to tell me when they
are ready to mix the colors together to finish the planets.
 Implementation of the lesson
 Firstly, I will pull out a small group of students (4-5) from the classroom to bring to
one of the outside tables to work. Once the students are outside, I will ask them what
they know about planets, and if they have a favorite planet. I will let the students
know that “Today we will be making our own planets in space.” I will ask the students
“what do planets look like? Are they all one color? Or are they colorful?” Based on
their responses I will prompt them to tell me what they would make their planet look
like if they could make a planet (what colors etc.) I will then demonstrate how to draw
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Anna Holcomb – Mrs. Long, Pre-K, Elon Rhodes Spring 2019
To be presented: 03/19 ECED372

on the coffee filters. I will ask the students “when we lay down the coffee filters, they
make a circle. Planets are also circles, so we will use these to make our planets.” I will
demonstrate to the students what happens when we use a marker to draw on the coffee
filters, and then spray it with water. Then I will encourage them to draw their shapes
and spray them with water. Students who finish quickly can draw stars with their
white crayons on their black paper. Once the students are done with their planets, they
will leave them to dry on the drying rack. The following day, once the coffee filters
are dry, we will paste them on the black sheets.
 Closure
 I will ask students what they learned about planets. Students will be encouraged to
talk about what they have learned this week, and identify what stars look like, and the
difference between stars and planets. Since students will have prior knowledge on
Earth, they will be encouraged to describe what colors Earth would be made out of.
 Clean-up
 Students will be asked to clean up after themselves, and their table. Wet wipes will be
given to students who are at the tables, and they will be asked to clean up any marker
spots or other messes on the table. Once the students are done, I will help them write
their names on the back of their projects, and set them to dry on the drying rack.

DIFFERENTIATION

Many of the students in my class speak Spanish or some other language at home, and English in the classroom.
They all seem to speak English fluently, but with substances they aren’t used to, they may not fully understand the
instructions. Since coffee filters are so inexpensive, there really isn’t any need to try and save them. If a student is
confused on what to do, the instructor could demonstrate on a piece of coffee filter why the student doesn’t need to fill
in the whole filter if they want, as color will spread. No students in my class have any physical limitations that would
deter them from being able to work on this project, but in a classroom that does, it could be equally informative for
students to ask for certain shapes or colors to be drawn on the filter, and still observe the way the water changes the
colors. If students need an additional challenge, I will encourage them to use different art tools on the coffee filter and
see what happens when they are sprayed with water. (Do they also change?) If children are struggling with my
objectives, I will encourage them to keep trying other ways to hold their tools, and if they struggle with understanding
how the colors change and why, I will encourage them to hold the spray bottle and watch how what they do changes
the picture.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?

Students frequently will get off topic and start making messes when they lose interest. Because of this I will
ensure that I am going around from table to table, and if a student seems off topic, I will encourage them to move onto
another part of the assignment (such as drawing stars) and they can come back to the other part when they are ready.

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