STEM 434/534 Lesson Planning Template Spring 2021
(Complete answers in Purple font)
Name: Cassy Hixson Grade: 2nd Topic: Matter
Brief Lesson Description: Students will interact with different forms of matter and show their understanding of solid, liquid, and gases
through sorting objects, interactive activities with water, and worksheets.
Specific Learning Outcomes:
Students will describe the characteristics of a solid, liquid, and gas.
Students will classify and compare materials as liquids, solids, or gases.
Students will identify the phases of water and the uses of water in its various phases in the home and at school.
How did this lesson develop as a result of your examination of research and data about employing culturally sustaining pedagogical
strategies? (Think equal opportunity, student interests, race, gender, disabilities etc.)
This lesson will give students the chance to collaborate with one another and be interactive through learning. Students will be able to
share personal details about their home during the lessons. All students will be given the same materials and have an equal opportunity
at their education.
Narrative / Background Information
Prior Student Knowledge: Students should use their understanding of physical properties of matter and water.
Science VA SOL Health VA SOL NGSS (You may have to look to a different
2.3 The student will investigate and Physical Health: grade level for the connection)
understand that matter can exist in 2.4 c) Demonstrate cooperative 2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an
different phases. Key ideas include skills, including taking turns and investigation to
sharing equipment. describe and classify
b) solids, liquids, and gases have
different kinds of
different characteristics; and materials by their
observable properties.
Science & Engineering Practice:
Developing and using models
Analyzing and interpreting data
Possible Preconceptions/Misconceptions:
Different states are different kinds of matter. Ice, water, water gas are all different substances.
Only water can melt, boil, freeze.
Gases are not matter because they are invisible.
LESSON PLAN – 5-E Model
ENGAGE: Opening Activity – Access Prior Learning / Stimulate Interest / Generate Questions:
Day 1: 45 mins
Materials:
What Is the World Made Of? All About Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Anchor Chart
Video on matter: [Link]
Expo Marker
Pencil
Sticky notes
Ice cube
Plastic cup
Intro Question: Does anyone know what matter is or the three forms of matter?
1. Gather students at the rug and show them a ice cube inside a plastic cup. Sit the ice cube on a sunny
window. Tell students not to mess with the cup and we will come back to it at a later time.
2. While students are gathered at the rug, ask them the intro question, and hear a few responses from the
students.
3. Tell the students you’ll be learning about matter today and start with reading the book What Is the World
Made Of? All About Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld.
a. What are the three types of matter?
4. Write the three types of matter on the white board as three columns as students give the answer.
5. Watch the video listed above so students become more familiar with the three types of matter.
6. After the video, pass out three sticky notes to each student have them write an example of each type of
matter that they can find in their own home.
7. Have students take turns coming up to the board and placing their sticky note in the right column.
8. Once finished, read all the examples from the students, and make sure they are right as a whole class.
EXPLORE: Lesson Description – Materials Needed / Probing or Clarifying Questions:
Day 2: 45 minutes
*Safety precaution: a letter will go to parents warning them of the products that will be used in class this day and ask parents
to notify me if there are any allergies or sensitivities.
Materials
6 boxes (not clear) with a cut out for a hand
Objects of different types of matter (water, blocks and syrup, lotion, (air), and marbles)
Baby wipes
Pencils
Observation worksheet
Clipboards
1. Set up 6 stations: each station should have a mystery box (inside one of 6 items listed above) and a pack of baby
wipes.
2. Put students in groups of 6 and have them all start at their own station.
3. Each student needs to share the mystery box and take turns putting their hand inside to feel what is there. *The
wipes are there for students to clean up after touching what is inside*
4. Students will be at each station for only 6 minutes. Each student in the group must touch the object and write its
characteristics on their observation worksheet and put a guess on what type of matter it is. Students can guess what
the item is for an extra point.
5. The teacher will ring a bell when there is 1 minute left and students are to clean up and write their last notes. A
second bell is rung when it’s time to rotate.
6. After all the 6 rotations, the teacher will have students return to their seat and have a discussion on what they felt
and thought of each object.
7. The teacher will then reveal each object to the students.
Probing Questions:
What are you feeling right now?
What makes you think this object was a [liquid or solid or gas]?
Was there a certain characteristic of all the [liquids]?
Observation worksheet
EXPLAIN: Concepts Explained and Vocabulary Defined:
Day 3: 30 Minutes
Materials
10 index cards per student
Pencil
Colored pencils, markers, or crayons
Vocabulary:
Solid
Liquid
Gas
Melting
Freezing
Boiling
Evaporate
Condensate
Atom
Matter
1. Pass out 10 index cards to all the students.
2. Call out all the vocab words (one at a time) and have the students write them on the front of the index card. *Show
the correct spelling on the board
3. Once students have all 10 vocab words written down, instruct students to flip the cards over and draw and write a
sentence for each word.
4. Students should then save these cards to study
ELABORATE: Applications and Extensions:
Day 4: 45 mins
Materials
Clear plastic cup
Ice cubes
Pencil
Paper
Colored pencils, markers, or crayons
1. Pass out an ice cube inside a plastic cup have them sit on each student’s desk.
2. Instruct the students not to touch the ice but take a minute to observe the ice. Have students write their
observations down on their work sheet.
3. Once their done writing down their observations the ice should have started to melt. Have your students look back
into the plastic cup and without talking write down their observations.
a. “What is happening to the ice cube?”
4. Take in a few answers from students and then ask, “why is the ice cube melting?”
5. Have the take the ice cube out the cup and squeeze it in their hand.
a. “What is happening to the ice cube?” “Why is it melting faster in our hands?” “The ice cube was a solid,
what is it now?”
6. Have students right their observations about the ice cube now and what it turned into.
7. *Remember back to Day 1, the ice cube on the window seal* Remind your students about your ice cube on the
window seal.
a. “What do you think happened to my ice cube?”
8. Reveal your cup to the students (all the water should be evaporated, and the cup should be empty)
a. “What happened to my ice cube?” “Why is there no water in my cup?”
9. Have your students write their observations down and what happened to the ice.
10. Have the students flip over their paper and draw with color the stages of matter through water.
EVALUATE:
Formative Monitoring (Questioning / Discussion):
Day 3: 15-20 minutes
Materials
Pencil
Worksheet
Colored pencils, markers, or crayons.
1. Pass out the worksheets and have students fill them out.
2. Walk around and observe the students working to see if they are doing the correct work.
3. Ask what students are drawing for their work.
a. What will you draw for freezing?
b. What will you draw for a solid?
Summative Assessment (Quiz / Project / Report) (Include a rubric):
Day 5: 45 minutes
Materials
Magazines
Scissors
Posters
Glue Sticks
Markers
1. Put students in groups of two and give them a poster.
2. Have a back table with a bunch of magazines for students to go through.
3. The student’s project is to work with a peer to make a poster displaying the three types of matter. The students
should cut out images from a magazine to glue on their poster.
4. Students should be able to explain each image and why it belongs under that type of matter.
Plan for differentiation: (Be sure to specifically address the following learners)
Students with high-incidence disabilities Since one of the days we are using touch for our mystery boxes, I will reach out to
parents to ensure no student has sensory triggers. If a student does have a sensory issue, they do not have to touch the mystery
items. Instead, they will listen to their peers about what it feels like and have a sheet with a description of the item. The student
should still write down what characteristics the item has and what type of matter it is.
ELL If I have any ELL in my class, I will play the video with subtitles on (for the language they need) and provide them with the
Spanish spelling for their vocab words. All the worksheets will have translation directions on them too.
Gifted learners: These students tend to finish earlier than others. In assignments they will be accepted to complete more complex
work. For example, the sensor boxes: these students should draw and guess what the item is and write how they know this. For
other work that include drawings, they are expected to have more complex work and describe their work.
Elaborate Further / Reflect: Enrichment:
How will you evaluate your practice?
I will evaluate with how my student’s participant in the lessons, their worksheets, and final project.
Where might/did learners struggle in the lesson?
Students might struggle with evaporation and condensation and their differences. The studying of their vocab and usage of
these words through activities can help.
How can the lesson be strengthened for improved student learning?
To strengthen this lesson, I would have more formative assessments along the way to ensure students are grasping the
information.
Did the lesson reflect culturally sustaining pedagogies? If not, how can this be enhanced?
This lesson does reflect culturally sustaining pedagogies through the book, which has a lot of diversity. Also, students are sharing
types of matter inside their homes. This could lead to students sharing cultural items inside the house.
Materials Required for This Lesson/Activity
Quantity Description Potential Supplier (item #) Estimated Price
1 Book: what is the world made of Amazon $6.47
1 set Anchor chart pad Amazon $15.91
1 pack Expo markers Amazon $4.79
(4pk)
Pencils Pencils Amazon $6.29
(30pk)
1 pack (3 Sticky Notes Amazon $2.39
pads)
1 (50pk) Plastic cups Amazon $8.99
25 Ice Home Free
6 boxes Recycled amazon boxes free
1 Water Class sink Free
container
1 Blocks (pack) Amazon 8.24
1 pack Marbles Amazon 4.99
1 Syrup Amazon 4.72
1 lotion amazon 6.39
1 (6pk) Baby wipes Amazon 11.69
25 Observation worksheet Created by me Free
1 (30pk) Clipboards amazon 29.99
1 (3pk) Index cards amazon 5.09
1 Paper Amazon 8.80
3 Crayons amazon 8.98
10-15 Magazines Home Free
1 (12pk) Scissors Amazon 9.98
1 (30pk) Glue Sticks Amazon 7.82
1 (25pk) Poster boards Amazon 20.02
1 Makers Amazon 17.95
25 Vocab Worksheet Created By me free
