Science Practicum Lesson Plan Template

Lead teacher: Paige Kelly The two dates in which lesson will be taught:5/1 and 5/3
Supporting teachers: Alice Cao and Nicole Lowen
Cooperating teacher and grade level: Ms. Colby, 2nd grade
Curriculum title: Pebbles, Sand and Silt Lesson title: Sand and Silt

Part One of the lesson plan is the BIG-PICTURE info.

CURRICULUM CONTEXT/LONG-TERM GOALS

How does this two-day lesson contribute to the NGSS to be reached at the end of the quarter?

Next Generation Science Standards & Connection of Lesson:

1) What are the NGSS of the curriculum? In addition, write two short narratives (a paragraph of 6-10 sentences)
about what the storyline is for this curriculum. This section will remain the same for each of the lessons.
Science Content:
NGSS
Different properties are suited to different purposes. (2-PS1-2),(2-PS1-3)
Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the
shape of the land. (2-ESS2-1.)
Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects
of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation. (4-ESS2-1.)

Narrative
Pebbles, sand, and silt are some of the most common earth materials. These earth materials are different in
their properties; such as in shape, size, texture, color, and function, and can be sorted by these properties.
We use earth materials in a variety of ways, including human constructions and creating other objects.
These concepts are important to understanding the natural world and how they affect our lives.

Science and Engineering Practices:

NGSS
Practice 4 – Grades K-2 - Record information (observations, thoughts, and ideas); Compare predictions
(based on prior experiences) to what occurred (observable events).

Practice 7: Engaging in Argument from Evidence: Distinguish between opinions and evidence
in one’s own explanations.

Narrative
Scientists collect observations using labels, pictures, and/or written reports. Scientists record their thoughts
and ideas systematically in their notebooks along with their observations. These data are to be analyzed
and interpreted by other scientist within the scientific community before they become available to the
public. Scientists develop and agree on explanations of a natural phenomenon through argumentation
based on evidence based observation and investigations.

2) How does this particular lesson fit with one of the NGSS of the curriculum? How does this particular lesson help
students make those connections?
Science Content:
This lesson is allowing students to observe the same earth material in two different settings, dry and
immersed in water. This will allow students to see that the same earth material can serve different
purposes when it is in different environments.
Science and Engineering Practices:
This lesson allows students to observe and record their observations of different earth materials, which is a
big idea of our curriculum. This practice will allow students to understand the different purposes earth
materials have and also to observe the different properties earth materials have in different settings.

3) Are there any specific lessons that need to have preceded this lesson? Are there specific areas of knowledge,
skills, or background experience that are necessary for the students to be able to successfully engage in this
lesson (content or practices)?
Science Content:
Students will need to know that rocks come in varying sizes, colors, and forms. They will need to know
this information because they will be learning that sand is made up of tiny rock particles.

Science and Engineering Practices:

They will also need to be familiar with recording observations since they will be recording their
observations in detail on a handout.

Learning Targets for This Lesson:

1) Content learning targets:
a. Write a learning target for content stated as an age-appropriate science concept/idea.
Sand is made up of small particles of rock and silt is created when sand is in water. Silt is smaller than
sand.

b. NGSS for this outcome.

Different properties are suited to different purposes. (2-PS1-2),(2-PS1-3)

c. Content learning target assessment statement.

Students will correctly explain the difference between sand and silt using evidence from their class
observations.

2) Science and Engineering practices learning targets (or nature-of-science learning targets):
a. Write a learning target for one science process or nature-of-science idea that is the focus in your lesson.
What will the students learn about this skill or idea as an outcome? It should be stated as an age-appropriate
concept. As process it should be a skill employed by scientists to create knowledge, such as: “Scientists
develop explanations using recorded observations and evidence.”
Scientists take detailed notes during their observations and compare them to their predictions.

b. NGSS for this outcome.

Practice 4 – Grades K-2 - Record information (observations, thoughts, and ideas); Compare predictions
(based on prior experiences) to what occurred (observable events).

c. Science and Engineering practices learning target assessment statement. (A short statement of how the
learning target will be assessed with further elaboration in summative assessment section below.) For
example: “Students will correctly differentiate between observation and inference upon examining a written
report of findings”
Students will record detailed observations during class and compare those notes to their initial predictions
by filling out a worksheet that will help them determine similarities and differences between the two.

3) Academic vocabulary:
a. What are the key vocabulary items (content-specific terms) necessary to understand this lesson and how will
you teach students that vocabulary? Provide the definition for each vocabulary item.
Vial – a container used for holding liquids or solids.
Silt – sand, soil, or mud that is carried by flowing water and that sinks to the bottom of the body of water
Sand – very tiny, loose pieces of rock that are commonly found at beaches or in the desert
Layer – a covering piece of material that lies over or under another
Particle – a very small piece of something
Mixture – something that is made by combining two or more ingredients

I will create a poster that will have each vocabulary word and a picture of that word on it. We will review
the vocabulary words as we go throughout the lesson. At the end of the lesson students will receive guided
notes with each word and definition that we will fill out together, they will store this in the science
notebook for future reference.

Materials:
1) List all materials necessary to complete this lesson, including quantities. If the quantities do not match the
number of students or the number of groups, describe how they are going to be apportioned.
It is STRONGLY recommended that you practice this lesson before teaching it to your class.

Sand
Water
10 plastic vials
21 hand lenses
10 paper plates
21 vocabulary handouts
21 pre-assessment handouts
21 Sand and Clay Drawing handouts

Number of students: 21 Number of groups: 9 groups of 2, 1 group of 3.

 ASSESSMENT PLAN

Pre-Assessment (content and practices): [day one]

1) How will you find out what/how ALL students think about the targeted content and process ideas addressed in
this lesson?
Science Content:
Students will receive a concept cartoon of three different responses to the question: “What is silt?” I will
have students choose the answer they think is correct and write 2-3 sentences backing up their claim. This
will allow me to see what students’ initial ideas of silt are.
*In the previous lesson taught by Nicole, they learned how sand was made. This is the first time they will
be learning about silt so I want to get a good understanding of their initial ideas.

Science and Engineering Practices:

Students will look at two different scientist’s notes that have initial predictions before their actual
observations. Students will chose which one is better (has more detail) and write one or two sentences
explaining why they chose the one they did.
*I’m choosing to focus on predictions in their pre-assessment because in the previous two lessons I have
been able to walk around and observe and talk to students about their notes during actual observations
and they seem to have a good understanding. They haven’t had a lot of exposure to making predictions
before they start observing so I want to get a better idea of where they stand with that concept.

2) What are the known misconception(s)? Cite your source at the end of the misconception (if it is a guess you make
just say so and indicate what evidence forms the basis for your assumption).
Science Content:
According to the book Making Sense of Secondary Science, children may not associate minerals with
rocks. This may be a misconception in this lesson since sand is made up of tiny pieces of rocks and rocks
are made up of minerals. Another misconception children have about sand is that it can only be found at
beaches or deserts.

Science and Engineering Practices:

Students may think that science notes only include words, when they can include pictures, diagrams, and
labels. (This is a guess, and it is based off what I have seen from the students’ science notes so far)
They may think that their prediction has to be correct, which is why I want to emphasize with them that it
is just a guess and that if it doesn’t match their actual observations and recordings that is okay!

Assessment for Learning (content and practices):

1) How will you monitor the emerging understandings of the students?

Content:
The teacher will go around to each pair/table and ask guided questions throughout the lesson to gain an
understanding of the students’ thinking throughout. The teacher will record answers from students while
they are walking around. Possible questions are listed below.

Practice:
Students will be making detailed recordings of their observations on the “Sand and Clay Drawings”
handout while they observe dry and wet sand in vials.

2) What questions do you plan to ask about content? About practices/nature of science?
Science Content:
What is sand made of?
What is silt?
What happens when you put dry sand in water?
Is sand still made of the same materials even if it is under water?

Science and Engineering Practices:

What do you see in the vial?
Do you see anything different in the dry sand vial? The wet sand vial?
What do you feel when you touch the dry sand? The wet sand?
What colors do you see when the sand is dry? When the sand is wet?
What kind of words can you use in your notes from previous lessons vocabulary sheets?

3) What should student answers look like if their learning is on target?

Science Content:
Students should be able to explain that sand is made up of tiny pieces of rock and that silt is a product of
sand being under water and is smaller than sand.
Students should be able to recognize that sand is still made up of the same materials even if it looks
different under water.

Science and Engineering Practices:

Students should be able to recognize and record differences they see in the two vials, the dry sand is a
lighter color and the wet sand is a darker color. The dry sand feels lighter and can sift through your hands
while the wet sand is harder and you can mold it.

Summative Assessment (content and practices): [day two]

1) How will students demonstrate that they have met the content and process learning targets?
Science Content:
Students will fill out a sand vs. silt worksheet that is asking them specific questions about sand and silt.
Students will fill this out individually.

Science and Engineering Practices:

Students will receive a prediction vs. observations checklist that they will fill out as they look back over
their prediction notes and observation notes.

Was more an assessment than a checklist. I decided to take this route because I felt this would give me a
better understanding of their knowledge of the importance of predictions and it gave them a chance to tell
me if their prediction was correct and ways that it was different than their actual notes.

2) Are the students asked to compare their ideas to their initial ideas? How?
Science Content:
Yes, there will be a question about silt that asks the students if their answer on the pre-assessment
matches what they know now.

Science and Engineering Practices:

Yes, they are comparing their initial predictions to their actual ideas and observations.

3) Is your assessment quantifiable? (Can you mathematically estimate the student learning?) Why? Why not?
Science Content:
Yes, I can determine a quantifiable score for this assessment, as there are correct and incorrect answers.

Science and Engineering Practices:

No, I will just look over them and see where students are at with comparing their predictions and actual
observations. It will have some questions that don’t have a right or wrong answer so I can’t get a
quantifiable score.

4) What should student answers look like if their learning at the end of the lesson is on target?
Science Content:
Students will correctly identify that sand and silt are two different earth materials
Students will be able to correctly label sand and silt as different layers
Students will correctly identify that sand is larger than silt and that silt is the smallest type of rock material
Students will be able to explain that silt is the product of sand in water

Science and Engineering Practices:

Students will identify if their predictions include drawings and detailed vocabulary words.
Students will identify if their observation notes include drawings and detailed vocabulary words.
Students will compare their predictions and observations and identify similarities and differences.
 Part Two of the lesson plan is your plan sequence - a scripted teaching plan.

INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE
The total estimated time should not exceed the class time. Class time for the two days (min):50 minutes both
days.

Please indicate in bold font where EACH of the six following assessments will start within the sequence:
Content Pre-Assessment Practices Pre-Assessment
Content Assessment for Learning Practices Assessment for Learning
Content Summative Assessment Practices Summative Assessment

Please indicate in bold font where EACH of the two teaching days will start within the sequence:
Day One Day Two

Communicating Behavioral Expectations and Learning Targets:

-How will you begin the lesson? Describe how the behavioral expectations will be reviewed.
-How will you communicate the learning targets? DO NOT state the learning target you developed for the lesson.
Rather, state the general expectations or the challenge question for the lesson. For example, “How does electricity
flow?” or “Why are plankton important to the ocean ecosystem?”
-How will you help children understand the purpose/relevance of the learning targets?

Time (min) What are the teachers going to do? What are the students going to do?
10 min. Day One

Behavior expectations:
We will go over our three behavior Students are listening.
expectations: raise your hand, listen to
others and the teacher, have fun and
participate.

I will introduce the student/teacher game.

This game identifies a target behavior I
want the class to work on; in this case it is
listening to directions. Every time I observe
an individual student or the class as whole
reaching the target behavior they get a class
point. If I observe them not reaching the
target behavior I get a point. At the end of
the lesson we will see who has more points,
if the students have more points than me
they get to look in the mystery box (which
will have a cool rock in it).

Learning target:
I will ask students to share what they
remember about sand.
“Today we are going to go back to our seats
and observe sand and silt. We are going to
observe sand when it is dry and observe it
when it is wet. By the end of our lesson you
will all be able to tell me what sand is and
what silt is. You will also be able to
compare your actual observation notes with
your prediction notes and see if your
prediction was correct.”
 “It is important for us to understand that
sand can serve different purposes when it is
in different environments such as on land or
in the water. It is also important for us to
take good notes and reflect on our previous
ideas and thoughts. Can anyone remind the
class what good notes look like? What type
of things do you put in science notes?”
*allow students to respond

I will then dismiss them to their seats where

we will take the pre-assessment.

Eliciting Initial Ideas:

How will you structure the lesson so that students:
• become aware of their initial ideas and/or predictions
• explain or justify their initial ideas and/or predictions
• record in writing their initial ideas and/or predictions
• share their initial ideas and/or predictions in a small group and/or whole class?
(This is not a review of previous lessons or past experiences but what they know about the target of THIS LESSON)

Time (min) What are the teachers going to do? What are the students going to do?
15 min.
Content Pre-assessment:
I will handout the concept cartoon and Students are listening to directions
explain the instructions to students. “I
am going to give you 5 minutes to look
at this cartoon, the question at the top
says “What is silt?” I want you to read
each of the responses and pick the one
you think is right. At the bottom you are
going to write 1 or 2 sentences
explaining to me why you chose that
answer. You are going to work on this
by yourself.”

*allow 5 minutes for students to work Students are reading and writing on the concept
independently on the task cartoon

After students are finished I will have

them show me with a number on their Students will show which number they chose and share
chest which answer they chose. I will with the class if they want to.
then ask if anyone wants to share what
answer they chose and why.

Practices pre-assessment:
“Now we are going to look at two
different scientists’ notes. These notes Students are listening to the directions
have the scientists’ predictions on them.
Who can remind the class what a
prediction is?” *allow response.
“You are going to circle which scientist’s
notes you think are the best and write 1
or 2 sentences telling me why you
 chose the one you did. I am going to
give you five minutes to complete this
by yourself”

*Give students 5 minutes to work Students are picking out notes and explaining their
reasoning.
After the 5 minutes I will ask a few
students to share which one they picked Students share.
and why.
Engaging in Meaningful Experiences:
Students should gather evidence and record observations
Students should record how they gathered the evidence and discuss why they are gathering the evidence
The investigation should provide evidence about the content target idea
The investigation should provide evidence about the practices target idea

Time (min) What are the teachers going to do? What are the students going to do?
Students will be seated at their desks
and instructed to work with their elbow Students are observing dry sand
partner. They will receive a plate with
sand on it and instructed to write down
some observations about the sand (how
does it feel, what does it look like, etc.)
After about 5 minutes of observing I will
instruct the students to take a pinch of
sand and put in the vial, they will then
use their hand lens to observe it. (this
will allow them to see some very small
particles of rock that make up sand).
Then we will pour all of the sand into
the vial and add water.

Practices Assessment for Learning:

The students will spend time observing with Students fill out handout
their partner what the sand looks like in the
vial and draw their observations on the
“Sand and Clay Handout”.

I will then instruct the students to shake

their vial and we will discuss as a class Students shake the vial of water and sand
some of the observations we can make.

*I modeled how to shake the vial for

students and went over how important it
was to be careful when shaking it so that we
don’t make a mess. Students make predictions
We will have a class discussion at their
seats. I will tell the students that we need to
let the sand settle overnight and that we will
observe it on Wednesday. I will instruct
students to write a prediction of what they
think will happen to the sand. I will ask
some students to share their predictions Students will observe settled vial and make
with the class. observations and record them on their handout
 Day 2
Students will each receive their vials back.
And record their observations on the “Sand
and Clay Handout”. They will notice that
there are now three layers in the vial. The
bottom layer is sand, the middle layer is silt,
and the top layer is water. Students will
label their drawing on the “Sand and Clay Students will observe wet sand
Handout”. We will discuss what silt is and
how it is formed.

Then students will pour the wet sand onto a

paper plate and make observations in their Students fill out vocabulary list
notebook based on what it looks like and
how it feels now that is wet.

After our observations we will fill out our

guided notes vocabulary sheet as a class.

Then we will move on to our final

discussion and formative assessments.

Using Evidence to Draw Conclusions and Support Claims:

The lesson should allow students to:
 Discuss and interpret the data generated for content and for practices
 Use evidence to support their own claims
 Critique claims of other students
 Draw conclusions

Time (min) What are the teachers going to do? What are the students going to do?

Content Assessment for Learning: Students will use evidence from their observations to
This will happen over the two days. answer teachers’ questions and fill out their handout.
While students are making
observations, the teachers will be
walking around the classroom and
asking students questions and
recording them. The students will
answer the questions and show
evidence for their answers.

Questions like:
-What type of observations are you
making when the sand is dry? Wet?
-Can you provide evidence for the claim
“sand is made from very small rock
particles”?
-How does the dry sand feel compared
to the wet sand?

Making Sense of the Lesson:

Students are led to reflect on what they learned and connect it back to the big idea. Teacher organizes this through
questions! Students must be expected to make sense – the teacher cannot do it for them. You MUST LIST specific
questions you plan to ask students in this section.
1) SYNTHESIS
Questions that allow students to use evidence to support and critique claims about the learning targets
Questions that allow students to reflect on the data and the experience
2) CONNECTIONS
Questions that allow students to connect what they did to the targeted idea for content and for practices
Questions that allow students to connect to other ideas that they already know
3) REFLECTION
Questions that allow students to compare their emerging ideas to their initial ideas for content and for practices
Questions that allow students to reflect on what made their ideas change
Questions that allow students to understand the big ideas of the unit
Reflect on meaning of the data/experience

Time (min) What are the teachers going to do? What are the students going to do?
20 min. Students are listening to directions and filling out the
Content Summative Assessment & handouts.
Practice Summative Assessment:

“You have a handout on your desk that says

Sand vs. Silt. I want you to work on this
handout by yourself and answer all the
questions. When you are finished you are
going to work on the next handout that says
predictions and observations checklist. For
this handout you are going to take out your
prediction and observation notes and
compare them. Work on this by yourself
and answer all the questions. We will be
walking around and you can raise your hand
if you have any questions.”
If students finish both worksheets they can
grab a book from the “rock and mineral”
bin in their classroom and silently read at
their table.

Wrap up discussion: (on the rug)

“You all did a great job of investigating
and recording your observations today!
Who can tell me what sand is made of?” Students are listening and responding.
*Call on student to respond
“Yes, sand is made up of tiny pieces of
rock.
“Were you able to see the tiny rock
particles when observing the dry sand?”
*call on students to answer
“Yeah, that’s right you used a hand lens
to take a closer look at the sand and you
could see the tiny pieces of rock. Who
can tell me what happened when I
poured water into the vial, was the water
clear?”
*call on students to answer
“You’re right the water was not very
clear when I shook the vial, but what
happened when the sand finally
settled?”
*call on students to answer
“Yes, the sand settled and there were
 layers. Who can tell me what the three
layers are?”
*call on student to answer
“Yes, the three layers are sand, silt, and
water. And who can tell me what silt
it?”
*call on student to answer
“Yes, silt is even tinier than sand and
you can see it when sand is underwater.”
“Why is it important to use pictures and
details in our predictions notes?”
*call on students to answer
“Yes, its important to use as much detail
so that you understand your notes when
you go back to look at them. Why do we
compare our prediction notes with our
actual observation notes?”
*call on students to answer
“yes, we compare them so that we can
see if our prediction was correct! Raise
your hand if your prediction was correct
today?”
*students respond
“Great! I want you all to remember that
different earth materials serve different
purposes in different environments, just
like sand when it is wet and dry.”

We will do the mystery box from the

student teacher game and wrap up for
the day.
Apply or Extend New Understanding in a New Context:
-How will you help children understand the purpose/relevance of the science content and practices?
-How will the lesson allow students to apply or extend their learning to a slightly different context? This activity can
lead into the next lesson.

Time (min) What are the teachers going to do? What are the students going to do?
I will tell the students that the next Students are listening and responding.
lesson I will teach will be about making
something out of an earth material. I will
ask the students if they think they could
build something out of dry sand? (the
answer should be no because dry sand
separates and is very soft) I will then
ask them if they could build something
with wet sand (the answer should be
yes because wet sand sticks together).
This will help me show the students that
the same earth material can be used for
different purposes, which is a big idea
of our curriculum.
 Part Three of the lesson plan is your reflection after teaching the 2-day lesson.

Reflection on Student Learning

(the lead teacher should reflect using the Stoplight Model for Reflection)

STOP!
-Did students understand the targeted ideas?
-How do you know (what is your evidence?)?

SLOW DOWN!
-What do you think helped/hindered students’
understanding of the targeted ideas?
-Of the factors you identified, which are the most salient?
-How do you feel about your performance as a teacher?

GO!
-What are the next steps to support student learning?
-How do you feel about moving on or (or not moving on)?

STOP!
Include quantitative data (for example, numbers of students who met the content learning target numbers of students
who met the practice learning target, average post-assessment scores) and qualitative data (for example, a description
of the observations and conversations with children that led you to conclude that they reached the target goals) from
the post-assessment.
My content learning target for this lesson was for students to be able to explain what sand and silt are and
be able to identify differences between the two materials. One of the questions on the summative
assessment asked students to identify the size of sand and silt when compared. Out of the 20 students
who took the assessment, 19 of them correctly identified that silt is smaller than sand. There were also
two questions asking students to explain what sand is and what silt is, 18/20 students correctly explained
that sand is made up of little pieces of rock. When asked about silt, 18/20 students correctly explained
that silt was formed when bodies of water carry sand or that silt is made up of very, very small pieces of
rock.
For practice, they also filled out a similar assessment that focused on predictions versus their actual
notes. 20 students wrote predictions on Monday (1 student was absent) and they all identified if their
prediction matched up with their observations. They also were all able to correctly explain what a
prediction is. Only 10/20 students could identify two ways that their prediction was different from their
actual observations. This was the last question on my assessment and many of those students struggle
with writing and reading and I had to take their assessment before they were finished due to time. In the
future I would probably just get an answer to that question from them verbally and write their response
down for my records.
During the observation portion of the lesson I observed most students using descriptive wording when
recording their observations. A lot of them had their vocabulary lists from previous lessons out so that they
could use words from their.

SLOW DOWN!
I think something that helped the students reach the content learning target was the activity of observing
the sand in the vial and seeing the three layers: sand, silt, and water. Being able to observe the layers and
see silt really helped the students understand what sand and silt are and see the differences between the
two earth materials.
I also made the students guided notes for each observation activity. This helped them focus on the
important things I wanted them to observe when I was planning the lesson. Having these guided notes,
helped make the observations easier because they were more structured and it took away some of the
stress of writing, which a lot of the students struggle with in this class. I wanted to make sure that the
students were able to really focus on the science content and not have to worry so much about what was
important to write down, which I saw a lot of them struggle with when they were asked to write notes on a
blank piece of paper in a previous lesson.
They seemed to all really understand what a prediction was and I think that’s because we had gone over it
in the last lesson and then I reviewed it with them during this lesson and I actually had them write one on
Monday. Something that I think hindered their learning for this particular practice skill was that we had
never gone over why we write predictions or why its important to write predictions, so when I presented
them with those questions they were a little confused and a lot of them couldn’t come up with an answer.

In the future I want to make sure that I discuss with students and make the importance of our activities or
practices really clear so that they understand why they are being asked to participate.

Overall, I thought I did well. I think I had good classroom management and the students seemed to be on
task most of the time. They also seemed really engaged and were communicating with their shoulder
partners during the activities. I also was really prepared and tried to think of things I could do before hand
to make transitions or activities go smoother, like having teachers pour sand and water into the vials
instead of the students. Something I need to work on is making my directions more clear, I would briefly
explain the activity and then students would raise their hand and ask clarifying questions after I had sent
them to work on the activity. I also need to make sure I am consistent with my behavior expectations, like
only allowing students to share if they raise their hands.

GO!
I feel really good about moving on from this lesson and preparing for my next lesson. I think I will definitely
use some form of guided notes to provided structure for my students. I think in the future, I will limit the
number of questions I have on the summative assessment to about 3-4, just because of time and also it
seemed that the number of questions I had this time was a little overwhelming for my second graders. I’m
really enjoying teaching science content and I think I have a good handle of presenting the science
content and teaching the practice as well.