Name of Student: Chelsea Whitbeck School: Bellport Middle School

Child Study Course #: 424 Date of Lesson: April 19, 2018

Cooperating Teacher: Jordan Pepe Grade and Age: Grade 6/Ages 11-13
Size of Group: 3 Classifications: OHI
Curriculum Area or Learning Domain: Science/mathematics
Specific Lesson/Skill Taught: Measuring Mass/Creating Bar Graphs

CENTRAL FOCUS: Students will be able to measure mass on a triple beam balance and graph Skittles’
masses using a bar graph.

BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVE: In a small group setting with assistance (condition), students will measure
mass of Skittles and create a bar graph (behavioral verb) and accurately answer 4 out of 5 questions on mass.
(criteria).

CURRICULUM RATIONALE:
 This lesson relates to previous learning because students have learned about matter and volume.
 This lesson relates to current curriculum because students are learning about mass.
 This lesson relates to future learning because students will continue to learn about density and need
information on mass before that.

IEP or IFSP GOAL(S):

 When presented with pictures and/or spoken information, the student will answer higher order
questions (how and why).
 The student will identify key information needed to successfully solve problems.
 The student will successfully transition from one activity to another with only one verbal prompt.

NEW YORK STATE COMMON CORE LEARNING STANDARDS:

 Writing History & Science 6-8.2: Write informative/exploratory texts, including the narration of
scientific procedures. a) Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas,
concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include
formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
 Reading 6-8.7: Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a
version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE: mass, matter, weight, bar graph, diagram, representation, classify, title, scale, x-
axis, y-axis, greater, more, fewer, less, tools, triple beam balance.

MATERIALS:
 Bag of skittles
 Triple beam balance
 Skittles lab worksheet
 Skittles lab PowerPoint
 Nix, K. (2018, April 12). Understand mass and how mass is measured. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from
https://learnzillion.com/lesson_plans/7180-understand-mass-and-how-mass-is-measured/
 Calculator
  Colored pencils

DEVELOPMENT/PROCEDURES:
INTRODUCTION/MOTIVATION: To arouse and sustain the students’ interest in order to draw
students’ attention to the lesson, I will immediately pull out the bag of Skittles. Snacks are often a source of
motivation for the students, and simultaneously a source of behavior management. Moreover, the video
(https://learnzillion.com/lesson_plans/7180-understand-mass-and-how-mass-is-measured/) will serve as a
motivation as well. The students love videos and will likely be interested to watch, and this video gives a
great brief explanation and introduction to mass and how to measure mass.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES:
1. Begin with the PowerPoint. Address the definition of mass, and how we measure mass (grams and
kilograms using a triple beam balance). Students will copy what is written in red into their science
notebooks. Continue on to what a bar graph is and address the four different things a bar graph
needs (title, scale, x-axis, y-axis). Again, have students copy what is written in red.
2. Inform students that today, we will be measuring the mass of Skittles. Directions will be given that
we are working with Skittles first, and if students cooperate during the lesson, they will earn Skittles
to eat after the lesson is over. However, if any student eats a Skittle during the lesson, they will not
receive any afterwards dur to non-compliance and irresponsibility.
3. Call the students over to the small table. We will be working in a small group to complete the
worksheet, but students will be handling Skittles individually. Hand out the Skittles Lab Worksheet
and have students put their name and date on the top of the sheet.
4. Open the bag of Skittles, and place a large paper towel in front of each student. Pour a large handful
of Skittles onto each student’s paper towel. Remind students that they cannot eat Skittles now, but
will be earning them after this lesson.
5. Have the students classify the Skittles and separate them based on color. Once all the skittles are
separated by color, they will place all red skittles on the triple beam balance, and measure its mass.
Mass is measured when the triple beam balance is balanced—almost like the scales we stand on
when we go to the doctor or the nurse.
6. Help students if necessary when trying to take the mass of the Skittles—be sure the balance is level
and they are accurately measuring the mass. Have students record the mass of the red Skittles,
remove it from the triple beam balance, and repeat with the other categories.
7. Once students are finished taking the mass of the Skittles, they will label the bar graph (keep the
example of Types of Music from the PowerPoint on the board—they are allowed to refer to this for
help).
8. After labeling the bar graph, students will shade in the bars in the bar graph.
9. Students will complete the 5 questions on the back of the worksheet. Read all questions one at a
time, with enough time for students to write an answer for each. Repeat all questions as necessary.
Students are allowed scribes if necessary.

CLOSURE: As a closure activity, I will tell the students that we are about to eat the Skittles, but in a
certain order. First, eat one Skittle from the color that had the most mass (colors will differ for every
student). Second, eat one skittle from the color that had the least mass. Next, would you want your favorite
Skittle to have more or less mass? Why? Is there a Skittle you want to have 0 grams of? Why? Finally, the
students are able to enjoy their Skittles.

TECHNOLOGY COMPONENT: A laptop, Microsoft word, and PowerPoint were used to create this lesson.
During the lesson, the SMARTboard will be in use to display the PowerPoint and Microsoft word documents.
Also, the SMARTboard will be how the students view the video in the introduction.
ADAPTIVE PROCEDURES:
 Increased font size for a student with a visual impairment
 One-to-one assistance for writing activities for students with ADHD
 Redirection and refocusing for students with ADHD
 Repeated directions for students with ADHD
 Provided verbal and visual prompts for students with ADHD

ASSESSMENT:
Informal: Throughout the lesson, there will be several opportunities for the student to take the mass of
the Skittles. Since each student will have their own triple beam balance, I will be able to tell
immediately whether they are grasping the concept of measuring mass. A simple thumbs up or thumbs
down can let me know how they are doing.
Formal: At the end of the lesson, students will have to compare masses of Skittles and answer 5
questions on the worksheet. The chart below will give me the opportunity to check for understanding on
how to use the triple beam balance, how to label the bar graph, complete the bar graph, and their
understandings on questions 1-5 on their lab worksheets. While this does give me a formal assessment
from today’s lesson, they will be getting assistance and a one-to-one aide while completing those
questions. However, a quiz will be given at the end of the unit. This unit quiz will focus on students
finding the volume, mass, and density of an object. From this quiz, I will be able to determine whether
the student grasped the concept of today’s lesson more accurately since they will be taking the quiz
independently.

Student Using the Labeling Complete Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

balance bar graph bar graph
Massiah
Christian
Kevin

SELF-EVALUATION: (Completed after lesson is conducted)

RE-ENGAGEMENT: In order to support students and review this topic with a different set of strategies and
to focus their understandings, I will conduct a lesson on how mass compares and contrasts from weight.
Students know what weight is—they have weighed themselves many times and are familiar with the concept.
There is a great video that explains how mass is similar to weight, with the difference being that gravity affects
weight but does not affect mass. So our weights would change if we went to the moon, because gravity is
different there. But our masses would be exactly the same—we still have the same amount of matter or stuff
inside of us.