Science Lessons for Inquiry-focused Instruction
1. Identify the Scientific Concept: What scientific concept/principle should students learn
from this lesson? Use indicators from the Standards, including both skills and processes.
2. Identify a Real-World or Practical Application Related to the Concept:
It can be
a problem students can solve or
a decision students can make or
a question students can answer
Posing the challenge is the heart of the Engagement. Students become motivated as
activities are described. Students access prior knowledge. Motivational activities
include: a demonstration by the teacher and/or student, a reading from a current media
release, a science journal, literature, analyzing a graphic organizer, etc.
3. Provide Opportunities for Students to Explore, Collect and Record Information:
Students may gather information from: a) lab work, and/or b) books/journals and/or, c)
interviews and/or d) the internet, etc.
The Exploration will be activities designed so students can collect information and build
skills they will use to complete an Extension activity. Students will read for information
and perform an investigation.
4. Students Develop a Series of Questions based on the Exploration Activities: Students
answer these questions through opportunities to design investigations and implement the
set of procedures they write.
5. Students Evaluate Data and Provide Explanations: Help students analyze
data, guide their thinking as they develop meaning and understanding, compare class data
and ideas, and critique conclusions.
Teachers should modify explanations as required, add information to enhance
understanding, or move to a related, more complex concept.
6. Evaluation Occurs Throughout the Lesson: Evaluations provide
opportunities for students to demonstrate and check their understanding of the
concepts. Scoring tools developed by teachers and students target what students must
know and do. Consistent use of scoring tools improves learning. A final evaluation of
important concepts, skills and processes may conclude the lesson.
Unit/Lesson Plan Title: Weather/Density Plan
Primary Subject
Integrated Subjects
Grade Level
Length of Unit/Lesson
Research Sources
Unit/Lesson Summary
Key Vocabulary
Essential Standards/NCSCOS
Essential Questions
Materials/Resources Needed
Exploration/Engagement
Activities
Accommodations for
Differentiated Instruction
Cross Curricular
Integration
Assessments:
•Performance-based
•Formative
•Summative
Extension Activities
Created by
Email
Science
Math; Reading;
5th grade
2 days; 45 minutes each
LabQuest; materials from MSP project; NCSCOS; Essential Standards;
Vernier Lab Manual
Teacher will do density oil and water experiment; Students will come up
with their own hypothesis to show the different air masses
density; air mass; cold front; warm front; occluded front; stationary front;
weather prediction; weather patterns;
5.E.1
NCSCOS- Goal 3
Which air mass is more dense, cold or warm?
Large Aquarium
Hot water
Cold Water
Room Temperature water
red food coloring
blue food coloring
plastic tubs for student use
graduated cylinder
Oil; vinegar; water experiment to introduce density
Give students various materials (hot water; cold water; room
temperature water) and plastic tubs
Students will develop a hypothesis with hot water and cold water and
layers.
Students will create a experiment around their hypothesis
Students will create a science fair type poster to report their findings
Students will be grouped by the teacher to ensure everyone
participates; Assign roles to students
Weather fronts and weather patterns
Ecosystem unit
Math- measurement- convert different units of measurement
Assessment: Project display
post test; pretest; summarize observations; what does warm front and
cold front mean?
Relate to weather and label weather fronts
Sara Kull; Katiearl Etters; Jennifer Walters; Jayna Cerasoli
kullsa@rss.k12.nc.us;etterske@rss.k12.nc.us;waltersjt@rss.k12.nc.us;c
erasolijm@rss.k12.nc.us