Constanze Smith

ELED 3221-- 002

10/3/17

INDIRECT INSTRUCTION (STRUCTURED DISCOVERY) LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Whats the Matter?

Elementary Science
_____________________________________________________________________________

Big Idea: Matter and its properties

Grade Level: 3rd

Rationale:
Matter is an important concept that students need to be able to understand in order to build on as
they learn in science. In their lives students interact with the three different forms of matter on a
daily basis, they need air to breath and water to drink..

NC Essential Standard(s): 3.P.2.1 Recognize that air is a substance that surrounds us,
takes up space and has mass.

Next Generation Science Standard(s):

2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of
materials by their observable properties.[Clarification Statement: Observations
could include color, texture, hardness, and flexibility. Patterns could include the similar
properties that different materials share.]

Instructional Objective: The students will be able to write a definition of matter and an
example of a solid, liquid and gas. Students will earn 4 out of 5 points.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills: Students should already have a background with the idea of
solids, liquids and gases. The teacher needs to know what matter is and how to explain to
students what mass and space (volume) are when explaining what matter is. The teacher will also
need to be able to connect to the students prior knowledge that solids, liquids and gases are the
three forms of matter.
Materials/Resources: glass, water, pencil, Exit ticket worksheet.

Source of your lesson: http://seplessons.ucsf.edu/node/351

Estimated Time: 40 minutes

Accommodation for Special Needs/different learning styles:

ESL: Students can have the items translated into their home language as well as the terms.
Students may work with CT if needed.

For visual learners: For the exit ticket they can draw pictures of the three forms of matter.

Safety considerations: Student will be dealing with the written words or pictures of an object
not the actual object.

Constanze Smith
ELED 3221-- 002
10/3/17
______________________________________________________________________________

Content and Strategies (Procedure)

In your procedure, be sure to include all of the following 5 Es. Your procedure should be
detailed enough for a colleague to follow. Additionally, I expect you to include possible
questions and anticipated student responses to your questions for each section.

Engage:
So class today I need help figuring out why these three items I have up here are called matter.
Teacher has a glass of water, a pencil and the air around them/balloon (make clear to students its
the air inside the balloon that we are talking about). I need you in your table groups to come up
with a definition of what you think matter means based on observing these three items up here.
What are some characteristics of these items? Are these solids, liquids, gases? Do the items take
up space? Teacher gives students time to come up with a definition and then has them put it to
the side for later reference.

Explore:
Today I need your help sorting through some things that I need to pack for a trip Im going on.
On this trip I can only take things that are matter. I want you to use the hints I gave you before
and the definition you came up with to decide what items you think are matter. The teacher gives
each group of students 5 items and the students need to decide what I can take with me (matter)
and what I cant take with me (not matter). Students will put these into two different groups:
matter, not matter.
What are some characteristics of the items I want to pack? Why do you think these items are
Matter? Do they take up space?

Explanation:
Teacher will have each group take turns telling the class where they put their five items and why
they put them there. As the students share the teacher will ask questions. What were
characteristics you noticed about the items? How were they different from each other? How were
they similar? Teacher tells the class the definition of matter: anything that takes up space and has
mass. Matter is made up of small particles. Matter has three forms: solid, liquid, gas. Teacher
will connect this part back to the items the students wrote their own definitions from in the
beginning pointing out how one is a solid, a liquid and a gas (air). Then as a class teacher will go
through the five items and talk about why they are matter or not matter and what state of matter
it is. Students may argue that air isnt matter. Teacher tells the students you may not be able to
see some states of matter like gas. Air is a gas and takes up space. Let's look at this balloon it is
filled with air so air takes up space in the balloon. Heat and light are not matter because both are
energy
If what you observe has mass it is matter, if it doesn't its energy.
Heat and Light are not matter.
Does heat have mass? Does light have mass? No.

Elaborate:
Teacher has the students write down what matter is and then gives an example of a solid, a liquid
and a gas, drawing a picture of the item.

Evaluate: Teacher will collect a formative assessment, Exit Ticket done in the Elaborate stage in
order to assess the students. Throughout the lesson teacher asks the students questions to get
them thinking.

Closure:
Teacher tells the students to look out as they go through their day and everyday to see the three
different forms of matter that they interact with in their lives. Ex. Brushing their teeth with
water, breathing in the air around them to survive, having ice to make their water cold.

To be complete after the lesson is taught as appropriate

Assessment Results of all objectives/skills:
Reflection on lesson:

In my lesson I felt the students seemed really engaged. They were willing to answer my

questions and interact with the activity I had for them in the engage section. I was very surprised
by how many students had an idea about what matter meant. I was also surprised though how

students showed me throughout the lesson that they grasped an understanding of matter and what

it means but then on their exit ticket many of them were not able to lay out a good definition of

matter or they listed the two non-matter items as examples of a solid liquid or gas. This would

show me that for future lesson I would need to reinforce what matter is and the qualities that go

along with it, taking up space and having mass.

I definitely was nervous when delivering the explanation portion of the lesson. I had the

information but I did struggle with how to properly deliver it in a way the students will really

benefit from and understand. For future lesson I will need to work on that part. I also realize that

I should of done a more interactive experiment with the students. They were all super excited to

do an experiment and I felt bad letting them down with the activity I had planned for them. For

future science lesson whenever I am able and the lesson allows I will include an experiment for

the students to participate in.

EXIT TICKET

Name ______________________________________
What is Matter?

Solid:

Liquid:

Gas:

ITEMs FOR EXPLORE:

Light
Juice

Toothbrush

Air

Heat