Mrs. Marion’s Third Grade Class

Teacher: Marisa Marion

Unit Topic or Theme: Science

Grade: Third

Lesson Topic or Theme: The Solar System

Lesson Objectives:

• Students will be able to learn specific facts about each planet in the Solar System. They will show this by getting 7 out of 9 answers correct.
• Students will be able to gain information about a certain planet that they are interested in and write two paragraphs about it.
• Students will be able to draw and describe the physical characteristics of the planet of their choosing.

Instructional Techniques:

• Discussion
• Interactive website

Instructional Materials:

• Website
• Information Sheet
• Class Assignment

Theoretical Perspective:

            This lesson is important for students because space is part of our everyday lives but for the most part goes unnoticed. New discoveries are happening rapidly in the science field and scientists are finding new information about the Solar System frequently. It’s important that students know that there is life outside of planet Earth. This lesson is also important because it helps students learn to jot down facts about something specific and research more about it.

Introductory Activity:

            I’ll begin with a class discussion on what we have learned about the Solar System. I will write on the board the names of all the planets; the students will then raise their hands and offer information about what they have learned about each. I will also contribute information that they may have forgotten to include.

Step by Step - Day One:

            1A. As the teacher, I will begin by telling the students we will be working on a two day Space assignment. Next I will use my computer and pull up the website with the quiz on it. I will project the website onto the board so that all the students can see what it looks like.

1B. The students will be sitting in their seats focused and listening to what I am doing.

            2A. Next, I will talk the students through the directions for the quiz. I will let them know that they can hit the astronaut to start the quiz. If they get the answer wrong they can go back and try again. Once they get the answer correct, they should read the facts about the planet. They also should click the website linked to the quiz to read more information about the planet. I will also ask them to write down on a sheet of paper whether or not they got the question correct or not on the first try.

            2B. The students will be following along with my instructions and coming up with any questions they may have.

3A. I will separate the students into pairs and send each group to a computer to take the quiz. While they are completing the quiz I will be walking around and making sure they are doing it correctly. I also will be making sure that they are reading the information about each planet and writing down if they got the question correct or not.

3B. The students will work in pairs to complete the quiz and read the information that is provided about each planet. They also will be writing down whether or not they got the question correct.

4A. Once the quizzes are complete, I will ask the students to pick the planet that they thought was the most interesting. I will then provide them with a sheet of paper and have them go back to the website linked to their favorite planet. I’ll ask the students to write down characteristics about the planet and interesting facts that they have found.

4B. The students will decide as a pair which planet they would like to work with and then go to the website that is linked to the page. They will take notes on the characteristics of the planet and interesting facts that they discovered.

Day Two:

            1A. On the second day I will ask the students to get back into their pairs and take out the information on the planet of their choosing. I’ll then ask the students to read over the information about their planet to refresh their memory.

            1B. The students will look over their notes and talk to their peer about the information they came up with.

            2A. I will then ask the students to grab a large sheet of white paper and take out their coloring materials. I will then write on the board the directions for the assignment. It will say that I want them to draw the planet that they chose. Using what information they took down about the planets characteristics they can illustrate what it looks like. I also want them to write two paragraphs, four sentences each about their planet and what they learned about it.

            2B. The students will work together to draw their planet and its characteristics. They will also write two paragraphs about their planet.

Closure:

            To end this lesson I will ask the students to come up to the front of the class and show their drawing. I will also ask them to present two interesting facts about their planet that they had learned. After, I will review what we had learned about the Solar System with the whole class.

Adaptations:

            For students who struggle with the reading or using the computer, they will be working in a pair so they can get assistance from their peer. Similarly, if the student struggles with the writing aspect of the assignment, their peer will be there to assist them and I also will be walking around helping when there are questions.

Homework:

            There is no homework for this lesson.

Evaluation:

• Students will be able to learn specific facts about each planet in the Solar System. They will show this by getting 7 out of 9 answers correct.

          I am asking the students to write down whether or not they go the answer correct after each question. I will be able to evaluate by counting up the number of questions that they got correct and noticing if they know the material or not.

• Students will be able to gain information about a certain planet that they are interested in and write two paragraphs about it.

          I will be able to evaluate this by reading the paragraphs the students have written about their planet and looking to see if they gathered proper information about it.

• Students will be able to draw and describe the physical characteristics of the planet of their choosing.

      I will be able to observe this objective by looking at the drawings the students created and seeing if it matches up with the characteristics of the planet.

Concerns or Questions?:

      One concern is that the students will lie about whether or not they got the answer correct. Another concern is that one student will do more work than the other student.