Title of Sample Lesson Plan: Scientific Investigation
Topic: Conducting Controlled Experiment
Grade Level: Grade Level 6
Virginia Standard of Learning: BIO.1
Differentiating by Readiness
Background
Proposed Background: This lesson plan, which will be provided at the start of every academic calendar, will help students learn how to conduct scientific investigations. Students use the scientific process and experimental design on a daily basis without realizing it. Students will be taught the process of conducting controlled experiments. This will enable the students to apply it throughout the rest of their academic life. Besides learning the importance of each step of conducting a scientific investigation, students will learn a wide range of vocabulary.
Strategies
Content Strategies: Various content strategies can be used in student lessons. In this plan, two content strategies will be used, namely, presenting background knowledge and the KWL strategy. The former involves presenting the background knowledge of different scientific investigations or experiments that students have learned previously. Each step and keyword used in the experiments will be written on the board to enable them to take notes (Orlich et al., 2018).
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The second content strategy that will be helpful is the KWL strategy. KWL stands for "What I Know," "What I Want to Know," and "What I Learned." As the name suggests, students will be allowed to write down the information they already have regarding conducting scientific experiments and what they want to know. At the end of the lesson plan, the students will write down what they have gained from it. Based on the KWL strategy, the students will develop a KWL chart that will guide them in the future (Sears, 2018). Besides, the chart will guide the instructor to determine what a student already knows and the areas that need more attention.
Process Strategies: Using their computers, students will complete their KWL charts and save the file in their Biology section. This way, the instructor will be able to locate, grade, and provide feedback. Technology will help students gather their thoughts throughout their lesson plans (Orich et al., 2018). The students and the instructor will also be able to share their ideas and research with other students.
The second process strategy that will be helpful is putting together a list of the things the students already know and want to know. They will work in groups, and each group will come up with a list and share it with the rest of the class. The lists will then be used to create a collaborative list. As a result, the students will be able to seek the questions and seek answers as the lesson progresses (Sears, 2018).
Product Strategies: Students will outline the vocabularies they have previously learned and use throughout the lesson plan. Outlining all the vocabulary terms will help the students understand the content terms before the start of the lesson (Graves et al., 2014). During the lesson, illustrations will be provided to help students understand the vocabulary.
Another product strategy that will be employed is the KWL strategy. The KWL chart developed previously will be used to tailor the lessons. Differentiation based on students' background knowledge is essential when designing lessons (Orlich et al., 2018). As such, this lesson will be tailored in such a way to address all the students' needs and wants.
Differentiating by Interest
Background
Proposed Background: The teacher will explore each student's interests. The classroom is often comprised of students from diverse backgrounds. This factor ought to be considered when developing a lesson. Students will be allowed to do what interests them most to make the lesson more enjoyable for them during the lesson.
Strategies
Content Strategies: Different content strategies can be employed. Among them is letting the students choose the experiment they want to conduct. This will allow the students to create their own differentiation based on their interests (Anderson, 2016). Students will be highly interested in this lesson since they will be doing things they are interested in. Each student will create a list of experiments they want to conduct. A collaborative list will then be created, and students asked to vote for which experiment they are more interested in. The entire class will conduct the experiment with the most votes.
Another content strategy that will be employed is peers tutoring; the students will discuss the outcomes of the experiment through group works. The experiment chosen will be conducted in small groups. Each group will then discuss each step of the scientific process and their findings with the rest of the class. Peer tutoring engages students in the class, thus helping them learn more (Gills et al., 2016). Through peer tutoring, the students will help each other understand the basic concepts learned from the experiment, including the scientific process and vocabulary.
Process Strategies: At the end of the experiment, students will return to their computers and note down the following: what they learned from the experiment, their thoughts on the experiment, and the questions they still have. They will also be allowed to note down the things they enjoyed and/or not enjoyed. In the meantime, the students will reflect on what they learned from the experiment. Teachers will be able to locate what the students have written down and provide their feedback (Sears, 2018).
The second process strategy that will be used is to help students who receive English Language Learner services or who special needs students to understand the vocabulary used in the scientific process. One great resource that the students will use is the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials. According to Orlich et al. (2018), this educational resource provides a wide range of instructional guidance and materials, such as Braille, large text, audio, and digital text ideas. This educational resource will help the students understand the experiment.
Product Strategies: The experiment will be conducted in groups. After completing the experiment, each group will present each step of the scientific process and the results obtained to the rest of the class. Each member of the group will be assigned a task to present. This will help the students become engaged in the class (Gills et al., 2016).
If a group finishes their experiment earlier than the other groups, the group may repeat the experiment to see if they are similar or different results. The students will follow the same steps as they did the first time. After completing the experiment, the group will compare the results for the two experiments. At the end of the experiment, each student will journalize what they learned as well as reflect on similarities and differences between the first and the second experiment (Orlich et al., 2018).
Differentiating by Student Profile
Background
Proposed Background: Students have different learning abilities. As such, one lesson may not suit every student. In this respect, the instructor will modify his or her lessons to ensure the plan meets each student's educational needs. If possible, the teacher will provide an individualized learning experience and educational resources to struggling students. Learning styles impact how students learn in school (Orlich et al., 2018). For this reason, it is important to have different learning strategies in the classroom environment.
Strategies
Content Strategies: In the classroom environment, some students are fast learners while others are slow learners (Orlich et al., 2018). One content strategy that can be used is to have the class create the experiment. Each student will be allowed to contribute to the class. This way, each student will have the opportunity to in what they feel interested in.
The second content strategy that will be used is to tailor the instruction to suit students' learning needs and wants. Another strategy is to provide two different types of experiments. The first experiment is recommended to be a hands-on experiment, and the other be conducted virtually or using a computer. The experiment can be the same but conducted in different formats. The students will be allowed to choose the format they want.
Process Strategies: Students will be allowed to explore a wide range of resources, including journal articles and YouTube tutorials, about the scientific process and how it was created. The students will be allowed to choose the resources they prefer. Students process information differently (Sear, 2018). Some students learn through YouTube tutorials, while others learn better by reading the materials themselves.
Another content strategy that will be used is to allow each group to share their knowledge with other groups. This will enhance cooperative learning in the classroom environment. Through cooperative learning, students can each other expand what they have learned. For example, the students who conducted a hands-on experiment can share their experience with those who experimented virtually and vice versa.
Product Strategies: Students will be allowed to design their own experiments using the scientific process. However, the students will not conduct the experiment physically but through writing or visual representations. This will help enhance students' creativity and increase their interest in the lesson. According to Gills et al. (2016), students should be allowed to choose how they want to present information to engage them in class.
Another product strategy that will be helpful is to allow the students to carry out a task that adheres to their strengths. The students will work in groups and help each other completely with all the steps of the experiment. Group work helps students work together and use their strengths (Orlich et al., 2018). Prior to conducting the experiment, the students will be assigned different tasks to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Assessment Response
After completing the experiment, the students will be assessed through group discussions and KWL charts. The latter will provide the students' reflections regarding the experiment (Sears, 2018). Using their computers, the students will journalize the significance of a scientific process and how it is applied. The students will turn in their journals 1 or 2 weeks after completing the experiment.
The journals will be graded based on how the students provide their reflections on the scientific process and their experiments. This includes the structure of the journal. Students can use graphic organizers to create and arrange their ideas before putting them in the journal (Gills et al., 2016). While grammar and writing style is important, these two grading criteria will not be included in the requirements.
The students will also be assessed using quizzes. Knowledge and vocabulary quizzes will be provided to the students. The students will be asked to provide responses to open-ended questions. Students will be provided with different quizzes. A sample quiz that will be provided to the students is shown in Appendix A. Based on the students' responses, the teacher will tell if the students learned the vocabulary and the scientific process.
References
Anderson, M. (2016). Learning to choose, choosing to learn: The key to student motivation and achievement . ASCD.
Gillis, V. R., Boggs, G., & Alvermann, D. E. (2016). Content area reading and literacy: Succeeding in today's diverse classrooms . Pearson.
Graves, M. F., Baumann, J. F., Blachowicz, C. L., Manyak, P., Bates, A., Cieply, C., ... & Von Gunten, H. (2014). Words, words everywhere, but which ones do we teach? The Reading Teacher , 67 (5), 333-346.
Orlich, D. C., Harder, R. J., Callahan, R. C., Trevisan, M. S., & Brown, A. H. (2012). Teaching strategies: A guide to effective instruction . Cengage Learning.
Sears, A. (2018). Teaching history, teaching complexity. Agora , 53 (3), 36-39.
Appendix
Appendix A: Differentiating Assessment
What is a scientific experiment?
Why is scientific experiment significant and how is it applied?
Outline the steps of the scientific process?
Discuss each of the scientific process steps identified in question 2.
Outline at least 5 vocabularies learned in the scientific process.
Define each of the vocabulary identified in question 4.
Reflect on the scientific process/experiment.
