Applying Diversity Research to Educational Lesson Plan

Lesson Title: Forces of Motion

Content Area: Math/Science

Grade Level: 7-8

Overview of Lesson: Prior to lesson I will show a video about race cars on a race track. Students will be grouped in threes, depending on their learning styles/ability.

Learning Objectives: Students will design a racetrack to test push and pull forces on a variety of objects to determine which objects move faster when mass is added. They will use what they learned of potential and kinetic energy.  Students will then have races with other teams to see whose car traveled farthest and what the time was and how much weight they added (using quarters).

Target Student Group: Hispanic students, 7th to 8th grade. The learning preferences of the Hispanic students in my school are kinesthetic and group learning.

Key Content Concepts: By engaging in play students will explore the forces behind different motions. Students will hypothesize time and how what changes they can make to create a more efficient racetrack.

UDL- Supported Remediation and Accommodation Strategies:

1. Teacher provides notes/outlines.
2. Directions for assignment is written on smartboard in big letters, each student is handed out a sheet with assignment directions typed out.
3. Depending on the student, allow for extra time on assignments/shortened assignment length.
4. Provide students with choices on how they want to participate in the racetrack building: they can either choose to build it, or come up with questions/answers about the racetrack.
5.  Grading will be based on work completion. Pass/Fail grading.

Materials/Technology Required for Lesson:

1. Smartboard
2. Youtube Link
3. A large piece of poster board or cardboard for each student or pair of students (clean, empty cereal, or shoe boxes cut open along one edge and trimmed to remove sharp edges, work well).
4. Pencils, markers, rulers, quarters, nickels, dimes, pennies.
5. A group of things to use to form the outside bumper of the racetrack, such as paper towel tubes, egg cartons, tissue paper, stickers, sticks, foam, etc. This will prevent the cars from falling/flying off the track.
6. Adhesives (Elmer’s glue, glue sticks, Scotch tape, masking tape, etc.)
7. Science journals

Instructional Steps for Conducting the Lesson:

1. Show students a video of the project being done by other students.
2. Open up to a new page in the Science journal, write the date and the topic “Building a Racetrack.”
3. I write the same on the smartboard, I divide my page in two sections-Will Work and Won’t Work.
4. I provide the students with initial hypothesis for the track and what effect the mass of the cars will have on the speed and time. Example: Car with quarters attached will go faster and further while car with no initial push will move on its own. I remind them of Newton’s Third Law of Motion, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The law is written on the board for reference.
5. Students will use the poster board/cardboard, to design a road that the cars will travel on. They are working independently in their groups. The more race tracks they create; the more experiences they will have.
6. Students will divide the assignment work amongst themselves, so everyone in the group is participating.
7. One student will write down the data collected, another will collect the materials needed for their track and as a group they will build their racetrack.
8. To design the racetrack, locate a starting place on one side of the cardboard and draw a small square and write ‘start’. This is the starting, where the students will place the cars when they are ready to test the course. Then, they are going to draw a road to the other side of the cardboard. They want it to be an efficient and interesting racetrack, so add plenty of different turns. When their road ends at the other side of the poster board, they will draw another square and write ‘finish’, this will be the finish line. They will use a pencil first to outline the track, then after I check it, they will trace the lines with a marker.
9. Since students work at different speeds, some will work more quickly than others, so once they are finished designing they can spend time decorating their tracks or helping some of their peers. The students who need it, will be provided additional time during study skills to finish and decorate their track.
10. Students will now collect data a total of three times to see when the racetrack/car are the fastest and most efficient. Data will be written down on a data sheet that will then be added to their science journals.

Formative and Summative Assessment Strategies:

1. Formative Assessment strategies for this lesson will be an exit ticket with the question: What helped you learned the material today? I expect a short 2 sentence answer. I will use this information to gauge whether or not the students understood the material. 
2. Summative Assessment strategy for this lesson will be completed data sheet/journal check. The data collection sheet will show what the students learn by analyzing the hypothesis and the conclusion.

1-2 Strategies to Collaborate/Share with Your Professional Learning Community:

1. Enlist some of the teachers to collaborate some ideas when building my own racetrack to give the students a visual. Ask for feedback.
2. Record successes and challenges of the lesson to share and learn from.

1-2 Strategies to Involve Parents/Caretakers, Families and Communities in student learning:

1. Send home a English/Spanish newsletter explaining what the class is working on and how they can help from home. Also include this on the classroom blog so it can be accessible to all.
2. Once the assignment is complete inform the guardians so they can ask the students questions about the lesson. For proper engagement of guardians to take place constant and continuous communication between home life and school life have to be in sync.

Rubric

4

3

2

1

Information of Data

Data collection from 4 or more sources

Data collection from 2 or more sources

Data collection from 1 or more sources

No data collection

Scientific Knowledge

All group members indicate a clear and accurate understanding of scientific principles underlying the construction and modifications.

All group members indicate a relatively accurate understanding of scientific principles underlying the construction and modifications.

Most group members indicate a relatively accurate understanding of scientific principles underlying the construction and modifications.

Several members of the group do not illustrate much understanding of scientific principles underlying the construction and modifications.

Plan

Plan is neat with clear measurements and labeling for all parts.

Plan is neat with clear measurements and labeling for most parts.

Plan provides clear measurements and labeling for most parts.

Plan does not show measurements clearly or is otherwise not properly labeled.

Construction – attention to detail

Attention to detail was taken in the construction process so that the structure is neat, attractive in appearance and follows plans accurately.

Construction was careful and accurate, but 1-2 details could have been refined for a more appearance.

Construction accurately followed the plans, but 3-4 details could have been refined for a more attractive appearance.

Construction appears careless or messy. Many details need to be refined for a strong or attractive appearance.

Journal/Log – Self-reflection

A complete record of planning, construction, testing, modifications, reasons for modifications, and some self-reflection about the strategies used, and the results are written in the journal.

Entry supplies insight and a complete record of planning, construction, testing, modifications, and reasons for the modifications.

Journal entry supplies quite a bit of detail about planning, construction, testing, modifications, and reasons for modifications.

Journal entry supplies very little to no detail about several aspects of the planning, construction, and testing process. No modifications to the track were made.