UICS COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

BA IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATIONEDTPA LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

Teacher Candidate:

Jessica Garcia

Date Taught:

March 26, 2014

Cooperating Teacher:

Ms. Anderson

School / District:

John Hay Academy

Grade:

5th

Field Supervisor:

Unit / Subject:

Science: Levers and Pulleys

Lesson Title / Focus:

Launch that Load!!

I. Lesson Rationale (Why?)

Learning Goals and Focus (What students will be able to do):
-Students will be able to use the example of a catapult as a class 2 and 3 lever and describe where the load, effort and fulcrum, are located.
-Students will be able to work in groups to build a class 3 lever, (catapult) using everyday materials.
-Students will be able to describe how the materials they had in their group enabled them to build a catapult.
-Students will be able to verbally explain to their classmates their catapult design and how they used their materials.
Common Core State Standards:
ETS1.C:Optimizing the design solution
-Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and constraints. (3-5-ETS1-3)
3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of balanced and unbalanced forces of motion of an object.
Targeted Academic Language Function (e.g. identifying main idea, recording multiple ways to solve problems):
-Describe Solutions
-Identify parts of levers
-Engineer the design/
-Trial and Error

Targeted Academic Language Demands (Vocabulary- every day, general subject specific words, and subject specific word meanings/ Syntax- organizing words and phrases
into structures- graphs, sentences, formulae).
-Levers(class 1, 2, and 3 )
-Effort: the force you use to push on the lever
-Load: the force you are trying to overcome
-Fulcrum: the point where the lever pivots
-Design
-Catapult
-Engineer

II. Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks (How?)

Time

Learning Activities- What learning activities do you have planned

for the students? Describe what may transpire during the
scaffolding of the lesson. How will you hook the students into
the lesson? How will you model, and provide opportunities for
guided, shared, and independent practice?

Questions Posed: What questions do you want to ask of the

students, and what do you anticipate they will ask /raise as
their own questions and answers?

Engage

5-10
Min

-To begin to present the ideas Lever Throughout History I want students to
first look at how structures are built now that we have the advanced technology
and the way the workload is made easier, as well as less time.
DIFFERENTIATION: FOR THE POWERPOINT SLIDES ENSURE THAT
STUDENTS CAN ALL SEE, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT MIGHT HAVE
TROUBLE WITH VISION. ALSO PROVIDE GROUP HANDOUTS THAT
INLCUDE THE PICTURES.
-Using PowerPoint slides I will have a pictures of The Willis Tower, the Empire
State Building, Shanghai World Financial Center, Burj Khalifa Skyscraper.
SAY: These building or structures you see here were all

-What types of machinery do you see being used in

construction sites?
-How does the workload become easier?

constructed using lots of complicated machinery that only

professionals can handle. And if we think about it sometimes
these building only take a short amount of time to build
because we have the advanced equipment to construct them.
By these machinery cutting our work in half, it also means that
the amount of people needed becomes less. We rely on the
machines to do most of the work because they are made to
handle the extremely heavy loads

-Without this advance machinery would it be possible to have

built large structures in the past?
Ex. If students answer no further epand on their
reasoning. If students answer yes, have them expand on why
they believed it would be possible and with what.

-From here we will begin to look at how structures were built

during a time when advance technology did not exist and the
only thing available were simple machines (levers).
-The same way the first four modern structures were presented
will be the same way the structures from the past will be
presented. These will be The Pyramids of Giza, The Leaning
Tower, The Coliseum, and Mayan Temples.
SAY: Now lets look at these structures right here. These
structures were all built thousands and thousands of years ago.
The technology that we have today, as we all know did not
exist during these times. This means that people back then had
to rely on simple machines to construct these detailed and
thought-out structures. (Wait on responses of students based
on the question presented).
-Once students have made the connection that levers(simple
machines) were used explain:
SAY: No one is really aware of when levers were invented but
maybe someone somewhere needed to move a huge giant rock
and they did not the amount of effort needed to move it so they
had a brilliant idea using sticks and rocks to move their object (
Slide 3).

-So what type of machinery was used instead? And how?

-Give examples and what their purpose might have been for

-What type of lever is this?

-Where are the load effort and fulcrum located?

-Using the pyramid as an example:

SAY: To build the pyramids, levers made it easier to lift large
rocks that needed to be moved to the top. Although levers and
simple machines did help with the workload, instead of simply
using people, it has been estimated that the pyramids took 30
years to build. Imagine if levers were not used? How much
longer would that have taken?

SAY: Egyptians also used levers to transport water from rivers

(Slide 4).
-When showing the picture have students point out
what type of lever it is and where the load, fulcrum, and effort
are located.

-To introduce students to our main lesson (catapults) we will then move to
discussing how levers (catapults) were used for fighting and transporting
SAY: The first simple catapult was invented in ancient Greece. Their initial
purpose was to throw large rocks to their enemies in order to defeat and destroy
them. Romans had to make sure that they built their catapults to their best
potential in order to make sure that they were able to defeat their enemies
(slide 5).

-What other purposes did levers have to help improve human

society?
Ex.(besides building) transporting, lifting, fighting

-What is another example we mentioned that levers where

used for?

-What class lever is a catapult?

*Once students have begun to answer ask: Why they
think it is that class? ( have students use the correct terms
load, effort, and fulcrum to describe their reasoning).

-Once students have given their reason as to why they think a catapult is the
class lever they think it is, discuss catapults and where the fulcrum, effort, load
are located. Explain that a catapult can be a class 2 and 3 lever depending on
where the effort is located (Use slide 6).
SAY: We have been discussing how levers where used in the past, today I want
us all to focus on catapults. We have discussed what type of class they are
depending on the location of the load, effort, and fulcrum. We have also
discussed the purposes of a catapult. Today in groups we will be building our
own catapults using materials that we can find around our house.
*Before beginning give students directions on how to handle the materials.
-The glass cups are to be treated carefully. The same way we you
all want your things to respected, please respect mine
-The rubber bands are to be used in the design. I do not want them
to be flung around or pointed at each other
-You can only use the materials given to you but you do not have to
use all of them.

30
Min

DIFFERENTIATION: DUE TO SOME STUDENTS NOT GETTING ALONG,

MOVE STUDENTS AROUND SO THAT GROUPS CAN WORK BETTER
TOGETHER WITHOUT ANY ARGUMENTS OR BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS.

EXPLORE:
-Each group will be given a different set of materials and build a catapult based
on the materials they receive. As a group students will arrange the materials

based on what they believe might give them the best advantage in making sure
their load goes the farthest distance.
-Since some groups will have the same materials, groups with the same
materials will be farther apart.
Group 1and 6:Coffee Cup Design
Group 2 and 5: Bear Clamp Base Design

15
min

Group 3 and 4: Basic Design

*For materials of each design see material section
EXPALIN:
DIFFERENTIATION: FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE TROUBLE SEEING
HAVE THEM SIT TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE PRESENTATION
AREA AND HAVE THE REST OF THE STUDENTS SPREAD OUT SO
THAT EVERYONE IS ABLE TO SEE.
-Each group will report out
1. how they came up with their design
2. any difficulties they had as they were building it
3. changes they made as they were building it and why
4.locate their fulcrum, load, and effort and how it work

(Students will be aware of these requirements before beginning their

exploration)
-Once each group has had an opportunity to report out, each group will be able
to launch their load and see which groups load is able to go the furthest.
SAY: Today we were not only building catapults but we were working as
engineers. For some of the groups their first design did not launch the load very
far so they had to change it. As engineers we create designs and test them out to
see how well they might work. Sometimes they do not always work so we have
to rearrange our design. Being engineers means that we constantly go back and
try to make our designs better so they can give us the best performance. Today
you all were engineers and did a great job presenting your catapults.
- To end our lesson, each student will be given a note card in which on one side
they will explain the load, effort, and fulcrum of their particular catapult and
how their catapult worked overall as well as the changes they made and why.
Their explanation should be written as if they were explaining levers to
someone that knew nothing about lever. On the other side they will write
something new they learned and a question they have in mind about levers.
(Summative Assessment/EXIT SLIP)

III. Assessment (How do you know?)

Formative Assessment:

As part of the formative assessment I will use teacher observations, students explanations, and group work. With the teacher observations, general
observations will be made as I walk around and sit with different groups to listen in on the conversations they are having as they build their catapult.

These observations will also focus on how well students are engaged in the activity and their understanding of how load and effort correlate when
working with levers. With students who struggle on a daily basis (based on previous observations) possibly conduct more small one-on-one
conversations that can give me a better insight on what the student is struggling with. When students present their design in groups of their catapult,
their explanations will also be part of the formative assesement.
Summative Assessment:

EXIT SLIP
GRADING:
1-Includes only the terms used to describe a lever
2. Includes the terms and only an explanation of what they did
3- Includes the terms, an explanation of their process, and the changes their catapult design went through and why they changed it.

IV. Instructional Materials, Resources, and Technology (What)

What materials will you need in order to teach this lesson?

What materials will students need?

Group 1 and 6:
-Coffee cup with handle(must be cylinder)
-Pencil
-Spoon
-Rubber bands
-Tape

Group 2 and 5:
-Tape dispenser roll
-Masking tape
-Rubber bands
-Book
-Spoon

Group 3 and 4:
-Newspaper
-Spoon
-Rubber bands
-Masking tape