Science Unit Plan: Instructional StrategiesThe second step in planning a unit plan is to prepare the instructional strategies that can make connections across multiple areas of science content.Part 1:

Week 1

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Lesson Title, Brief Summary, and Rationale

(fill in during Topic 1)

Lesson title: Earth Day

Summary: This lesson will emphasize on the environmental wellbeing of our planet. Some of the areas which will be covered include garbage, natural resources, reduction of waste, and the 3 R’s of reducing, reusing, and recycling. The rationale behind this lesson is the fact that children are the future and they need to be thought about the earth and ways to save it in future.

Lesson title: The earth’s layers

Summary: This lesson is focused on demonstrating the layers of the earth to the students using play dough.

Rationale: This lesson will make students understand that the earth is made up of various layers and not only one as many would think.

Lesson title: Natural resources.

Summary: This lesson is focused on helping the learners understand the various resources naturally found on the earth.

Rationale: There is need for children to understand that the earth is endowed with various important natural resources such as plants, water, animals, soil, among others.

Lesson title: Where does the garbage go?

Summary: This lesson is designed to help learners understand where garbage ends up after leaving our homes.

Rationale: This lesson contributes to the students’ understanding of waste management and how it can negatively affect the environment if not handled properly.

Lesson title: Recycling

Summary: This lesson is designed to help children understand what recycling is, what can be recycled, how they can help others appreciate the concept of recycling, and how the earth can be saved through recycling.

Rationale: Children need to understand recycling, its benefits, and how it can help save the planet.

State-Specific Standards

(fill in during Topic 1)

Tennessee Science State Standard 2.2.4. Recognize that the environment and the organisms that live in it can be affected by pollution. 362

TN.9.0. Earth and Space Science: Earth Features: The student will understand that the earth has many geological features that are constantly changing.

TN.10.0. Earth and Space Science: Earth Resources: The student will investigate the properties, uses, and conservation of earth's resources.

2.2.4. Recognize that the environment and the organisms that live in it can be affected by pollution. 362

2.10.2. Realize that earth materials can be recycled or conserved. 39

Learning Objectives

(fill in during Topic 1)

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to tell the history and significance of Earth Day as well as figure out how they can protect the earth.

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to name the earth’s layers

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to describe a natural resource and identify the various natural resources found on planet earth

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to understand what happens to trash after it leaves their homes and the potential environmental and health hazard associated with it.

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to figure out recycling solutions to safe their communities.

Vocabulary

(fill in during Topic 1)

Earth day, protect, compost, trash, pollution, water, clean, volunteer, recycle, reuse, reduce, environment.

Mantle, crust, core

Natural resource, air, sunlight, water, soil.

Garbage/trash, pollution, plastic, recycling, environment, living organisms

Recycling, compost, plastic, glass, paper, clothes, waste, emissions.

Instructional Strategy

(fill in during Topic 2)

Summary of Instruction and Activities for the Lesson

(fill in during Topic 2)

Differentiation and Accommodations

(fill in during Topic 3)

Materials, Resources, and Technology

(fill in during Topic 4)

Formative Assessment

(fill in during Topic 5)

Summative Assessment

(fill in during Topic 5)

Reflection Topic 1: The process of beginning the unit plan and including multiple content areas of science in one lesson needs one to think in a wider spectrum. This is as opposed to the thinking one has to do and the considerations to make when preparing a lesson focusing on only a single content area. While preparing the lesson, one important thing that I had to bear in mind that the key concepts of the lesson must be interrelated. This was achieved by first identifying a broad area in science that can be taught or examined in different ways. For instance, the environment is quite an expansive area that can be taught under many different subtopics.

The most important key components of the unit plan so far include topics/titles, summary and rationale, state standards, learning objectives, and vocabulary. The lesson titles are important because they help learners have a rough idea of what will be learned during the lesson. The summary and rationale helps the teacher to briefly state how the lesson covers different areas of science. State standards component is key in the sense that stating them ensures that the lesson is meeting the students’ learning needs at this grade level. Objectives are vital for the reason that they give students a clear purpose on where they should focus their learning efforts, and guide the teacher’s selection of teaching activities and assessment methods. Vocabulary helps learners understand various terms used in science and how they can be applied in daily lives. Further, they also help learners develop language skills.

This process can be used in my future practice to help me prepare lesson plans with concepts which overlap from one lesson to another. Through the process, I will be able to arrange related lessons chronologically so that learners can build on related concepts.

Reflection Topic 2:

Reflection Topic 3:

Reflection Topic 4:

Reflection Topic 5: