KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: Steffani Trivelpiece

Date: February 19th, 2015

Cooperating Teacher:

Coop. Initials

Group Size:

25

Allotted Time 45 minutes

Subject or Topic: The World Around You Unit

Grade Level 3rd grade

Section Water Conservation

STANDARD:
4.5.3.A- Identify resources humans take from the environment for their survival.
4.5.3.C- Identify different types of pollution and their sources
I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):
A. Third grade students will analyze types of pollution by investigating polluted
water in a model.
B. Third grade students will scrutinize the impact of humans by discussing
pollution.
II. Instructional Materials
A. BrainPop Water Pollution video
B. BrainPop Water Pollution video notes
C. Gravel
D. Dirt
E. Coffee filters (75)
F. Large mouth clear cups with holes in the bottom (25)
G. Smaller mouth clear cups
H. Cup or pouring jug
III. Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of
additional content)
A. Prerequisite skills
1 Students have to be able to recognize when the environment is
impacted by humans.
B. Key Vocabulary
1 Pollution- the presence in or introduction into the environment of a
substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects
2 Waste- use or expend carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose
3 Filter- a porous device for removing impurities or solid particles
from a liquid or gas passed through it
4 Purify- remove contaminants from

C. Big Idea
1 Humans can have a negative impact on the environment by polluting
the water around them.
D. Additional content
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction
1 The teacher should ask the students to brainstorm all the ways that
they use water.
2 After the students have had about three minutes to think ask them to
share in groups and combine one group list with no repeats.
3 When the students have group lists ask each group to share their list
to the rest of the class.
a. This will serve as a way to show the students how much they
use water in their daily lives, even if they did not think of them
all.
B. Development
1 The teacher should lead a discussion about why we should save
water and not waste it.
2 The teacher should bring out a globe and ask the students how much
of the water around the world we can drink.
a. The class should reach their top three guesses and put them on
the board.
i. After there are three guesses they should vote and
choose a single class guess.
b. The teacher should explain that we only have access to about
1% of the worlds water to drink.
c. In comparison to the globe this is only a drop.
3 The teacher will hand out the attached worksheet to go along with
the movie.
4 The teacher will instruct the students that they will complete this
worksheet during the movie.
5 The class should watch the BrainPop video Water Pollution that can
be found at the following link:
https://www.brainpop.com/science/ourfragileenvironment/waterpollu
tion/
6 After the video is over the teacher should go over the worksheet with
the students.
a. There is an attached answer key for the worksheet.
7 The worksheet should be collected just to show that the students
completed it and watched the video for the content presented in it.
8 After the video the teacher should hand out the materials for the
water pollution inquiry
a. With all materials in front of them, the teacher should ask the
class how they think that they can make the dirty water clean.

b. The class should discuss a couple of the ideas presented by

their classmates. The teacher should make sure they say that
every idea is a good idea!
c. Before the students begin their set up the teacher should pass
out a worksheet for the students to complete one per group
during the inquiry.
d. After they have discussed a couple ideas the teacher should
allow the students to create their own set ups.
i. The set up that is suggested is:
1. First the larger clear cup with holes on top of the
smaller clear cup.
2. Next, the coffee filters should be placed at the
bottom of the cup with holes.
3. Then, a small amount of dirt should be poured
on top of the coffee filters.
4. The gravel should be placed on top of the sand.
e. The set-up is complete and the students should pour their cup
of polluted water into the filter.
i. As the students are pouring the water into the filter they
should discuss what they see happening and why they
think it is happening.
f. Once they have used all of their water, the students should take
their filter apart and look at all the dirt that has been collected
in the filter.
g. The teacher should lead a class discussion about how they
think this worked to clean the water.
h. The teacher can also lead a class discussion about how each
groups worked based on how they set it up and how many
coffer filters they used.
i. The students should clean up their area and place all supplies
on the assigned table, where they got them.
C. Closure
1 The students should make a connection of this lesson to their own
lives.
a. The teacher should guide the students into talking about where
they have seen pollution.
i. They should also discuss about how they can change
their own habits in order to reduce water waste and
pollution.
ii. A final topic to hit is what the students think the world
would be like if every person used water more wisely
and did not pollute.
D. Accommodations/Differentiation
1 While conducting class discussions, the teacher should ask the
student with Attention Deficit Hyper Activity to sit closest to them so
that they can help them to stay focused.

If the students have difficulty understanding the directions to the

inquiry, the teacher should supply them with step by step directions
written out.
E. Assessment/Evaluation Plan
1 Formative- the students will complete an inquiry on pollution to
ensure they understand the content presented and the teacher will
track their on task behavior, understanding, and participation in the
lesson.
2 Summative- there is no summative assessment with this lesson.
V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Student Performance in Terms of Stated Objectives (Reflection on
student performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who fail to meet acceptable level of achievement)

Remediation Plan
B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective
answers to question recorded after lesson is taught)
1 Did the students connect with the message of the lesson?

Was I able to complete the lesson in the assigned time block?

Were the students able to follow the directions to complete the

inquiry?

VI. Resources (in APA format)

3 Easy Nature Education Activities. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from
http://www.kindergarten-lessons.com/nature_education.html
BrainPOP - Water Pollution - Movie. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2015, from
https://www.brainpop.com/science/ourfragileenvironment/waterpollution/