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