Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Name of Teacher Candidate: Alyssa Wyatt Date: March 25, 2020

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Lesson Title: Is It Alive?

Curriculum Areas Addressed: Language Arts and Science

Time Required: 45 minutes Instructional Groupings: Are you using whole group, small
group, partners, quads, homogeneous, heterogeneous?
Whole group, small group, individual
Standards: List the GPS/CCGPS that are the target of student learning and are key to this lesson. Include the number and the text of each of
the GPS/CCGPS that is being addressed. If only a portion of a standard is addressed, include only the part or parts that are relevant.

SKL1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how organisms (alive and not alive) and non-living
objects are grouped.
a. Construct an explanation based on observations to recognize the differences between organisms and nonliving
objects.
b. Develop a model to represent how a set of organisms and nonliving objects are sorted into groups based on
their attributes.

ELAGSEKW2. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in
which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

As a result of this lesson students will…

Essential Question: (Essential questions should be used to guide instruction.)
How do we know if an object is alive or not?
Learning Objectives: (Objectives are stated in measurable/observable terms. These should reflect the thinking skills, skills of the discipline.
These represent the skills that will be assessed.)
By the end of my lesson my students will be able to explain why an object is living or nonliving.
By the end of my lesson my students will be able to sort a set of objects into two groups: living or nonliving.
Support for Academic Language
Vocabulary: (What Academic Language will be taught or developed? Identify the key vocabulary and/or symbols specific to the content area.
These may be derived from the standards.)
Living
Non-living
Organism
Sort
Compare
Contrast
T-chart
Characteristics/attributes
Model
Informative/explanatory text
Language Demands: (Language demands are defined as the specific ways that academic language (vocabulary, functions, discourse,
syntax) is used by students to participate in learning tasks through reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their disciplinary
understanding. Identify the following way/ways that students will participate in learning tasks to demonstrate disciplinary understanding:
reading, writing, listening, or oral language.)
My students will use the lesson vocabulary through listening to my opening presentation and video, group
discussions when completing the sorting activity, presentations of their group work, and writing in their journal.
Syntax: (Syntax is defined as the set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together into structures, such as sentences,
tables, or graphs. Identify the supports that will be provided for students to organize the information – charts, graphs, diagrams. These must
relate to the Language Function.)
● Sorting worksheet
Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

● T-chart
Assessment (Each learning objective must be assessed. How will students demonstrate their understanding or the lesson’s objectives? How
will you provide feedback for the students? What type of assessment will be used? What evidence will be collected to demonstrate students’
understanding/mastery of the lesson’s objective? What constitutes success for the students?)
Assessment Strategy: (Identify the assessment strategy/strategies to be used for assessment of the learning objectives listed above. Each
learning objective should be assessed. DO NOT restate the learning objective.)
The students will complete a journal entry with two parts: an explanation (about the characteristics of living vs.
non-living things) and a t-chart (examples of living and non-living things)

Evaluation Criteria: (Indicate the qualities by which levels of performance can be differentiated and that anchor judgments about the
learner’s degree of success on an assessment.)
Individually-
Success: 2 complete sentences (one sentence about characteristics of living things and one sentence about the
characteristics of things that are non-living) and a T-chart with three examples of living objects and three that are
non-living on the correct side of the chart

Misconceptions: 1 complete sentence about characteristics of living or non-living objects and a T-chart with one or
two examples of living and non-living things on the correct side of the chart.

Failure: Attempts at completing sentences about the characteristics of living/non-living things however, sentences
do not make sense or express any knowledge on the different characteristics. Also, the T-chart either has no
examples of living/non-living things or the objects are on the incorrect side of the chart.

Class average-
Success: 16-20/20 students were successful
Misconceptions: 14-15/20 students were successful
Failure: 13 or less/20 were successful

Steps in the Lesson (Include the attention getter or the hook for the lesson; the introduction; the lesson procedures including
strategies/planned supports for whole‐class, small group, and individual instructions; and differentiated activities.)
Attention Getter or Hook: (State how the attention of the students will be piqued at the start of the lesson.)
I will bring in a plant and hold the plant up next to me. I will then ask the students to raise their hand if they think
that the plant and I have anything in common or anything that is the same. If a student raises his/her hand, I will
ask them to tell me what they think is the same between the plant and I. Once each of the students who raised
their hand has a chance to answer, I will tell the class that the plant and I actually have a lot of characteristics (go
over the vocabulary word with the students) that are the same and we will become undercover agents to find out
what is the same between the plant and I.
Introduction: (State how the lesson will be introduced. This should communicate the purpose of the lesson, be directly related to the goals
and objectives of the lesson, tap into prior knowledge/experiences, and develop student interest.)
I will show the students a video that covers the basic characteristics of living and non-living objects (Living Things
and Nonliving Things | Living | Nonliving | Kid's Science). This video also provides students with some basic
examples of living and nonliving objects that they will be very familiar with and can activate their prior experiences
with these objects. Being able to relate to the lesson in that many of them will have some type of experience with
the examples given will also further their interest.

Instructional Strategies: (Use a bulleted or numbered format to communicate the procedures for the lesson – what the teacher will do as
well as what the student will do. Describe the strategies which will be used to support students’ learning. Knowledge of students’ cognitive,
social, emotional, and physical development along with their cultural backgrounds should be evident.)
1. The students will gather on the front carpet for the video.
2. Once the video is complete I will ask the students if they now think that the plant and I have more in
common than they originally thought and what they now know is common between the plant and I.
3. Before moving on I will review the vocabulary for today’s lesson with the students by simply examplinging
them aloud (Living, non-living, organism, sort, compare, contrast, characteristics). When I say each
vocabulary word I will write it out on the board before going over the definition.
Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

4. I will then call on students to tell me the characteristics that living organisms have and non-living objects
have. As the students provide me with their answers I will write their answers on the board in T-chart
form with living on one side and non-living on the other.
a. After I draw the chart I will be sure to explain the name of this type of chart and that it is used to
compare/contrast different groups of things.
5. Next, the students will complete a sorting activity with their table members (according to their table
color) but I will explain the instructions while they are still sitting on the carpet. Once the instructions are
explained, I will call each table by color to go back to their seats and I will pass out the materials once they
are all seated. I want to make sure that once the materials are passed out that they have a chance to ask
questions. Interacting with their classmates is a great advancement in my classes’s cognitive development
as I have found that they learn best from each other.
a. **The pictures for the groups to use will be printed out one column at a time to make the
pictures bigger in the attachment below**
6. The instructions for the sorting activity are as follows:
a. Each group will be given a worksheet that has a t-chart on it. One side is labeled as living and the
other as non-living.
b. Each group will also be given a ziploc bag with cut out pictures of living and non-living objects.
You must work as a group to place the objects in the correct category.
c. **As the students work on sorting their objects, I will walk around the classroom to ensure that
everyone is working together and there is not a dominating person in the group. I will remind the
students that each person in the group must contribute and that they will have to present their
worksheets to the class to which each member of the group will have to contribute. As I am
walking around, if there are objects that are placed on the wrong side of the chart, I will ask the
students questions about the object such as the characteristics they know the object holds. This
should help them to correct their answers.**
d. Once each group has finished sorting their objects, I will call on tables one at a time to show the
class their t-chart by using the camera that connects to the smartboard in order to further
support their learning. One part of development that I find my class to be very advanced in is
their social development. Presenting to the class will help advance them even further as they are
used to only interacting with those around them and their closer friends. Presenting to the whole
class will broaden their social interactions.
e. While showing the class their t-chart the group will take turns to describe each object to the class
and why they chose to place the object under the living or non-living category (summative
assessment). In order to keep the whole class engaged, I will ask the class after each object is
explained if they agree or disagree by holding a thumb up for agree and a thumb down for
disagree (formative assessment). If there are children who agree when they should not, I will ask
those who disagree to explain their reasoning to the class to lead them to understand the correct
answer. If there are children who disagree when they should not, I will also ask them to explain
why they disagree. Once they explain their reasoning I will ask them guiding questions such as,
“What living characteristics/nonliving characteristics have we talked about that this object
represents?” “What do you think the answer is now?”
f. **When the purple table presents I will be sure to go over the fact that the picture of the rock
has both a nonliving and a living object in it. The rock is nonliving and the moss growing on the
rock is living.
7. Once each group has presented and I have collected all of the materials, the students will take out their
writing journals so that I can assess them individually. The students will need to turn to the first clean
page that they can find in their journal. I will instruct the students to write a sentence about how they
know if something is living and another sentence about how they know if something is non-living. All
together they should have two complete sentences (I will be sure to quickly review what makes a
complete sentence). When they are finished the students should lay their pencil down so that I know they
are ready to move on.
a. **This addresses and introduces the students to the ELA standard**

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

b. To make the instructions visual, I will write on the board “I know something is living because…” “I
know something is non-living because…”
8. When everyone has finished with their sentences, they will create a t-chart at the bottom of the page or
on the next page. I will show them step-by-step as to how to create a t-chart with the correct labels at the
top (living and non-living).
9. I will instruct them to come up with three living objects and write them in the correct column and come
up with three non-living objects and write them in the other column. If they finish early, they are allowed
to draw the objects they wrote in the chart on the back on the paper.
10. When everyone is finished they will gather back together on the front carpet for the closure video. This
video will help further my students physical development as it includes a lot of movement all throughout
with balancing skills as well. Balancing is one skill that my students struggle with in their physical
development.
Closure/Wrap up: (Describe how the CONTENT of the lesson will be summarized.)
To summarize what we have learned, the students will watch Living Things | Science Song for Kids | Elementary
Life Science | Jack Hartmann. They will stand up and follow along with the video to complete the movements of
each object as instructed by the video.
Instructional Supports
Resources and Materials Used to Engage Students in Learning (Provide citations for all resources that you did not create.
Attach key instructional material needed to understand what you and the students will be doing. Examples: class handouts, assignments, slides,
and interactive white board images.)
● Worksheet Works. https://www.worksheetworks.com/miscellanea/graphic-organizers/tchart.html
● Living Time Fun. “Living Things and Nonliving Things | Living | Nonliving | Kid's Science | 1st Grade
Learning.” Youtube, 17 May 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEz7RPvQCAI.
● Hartmann, Jack. “Living Things | Science Song for Kids | Elementary Life Science | Jack Hartmann.”
Youtube, 13 Feb. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzN299RpJHA.
Additional Resources and Materials Used to Increase Teacher’s Background Knowledge of the Content: (List any
websites and sources of materials and background information that you will need or use as the teacher to engage the students.)
N/A

Other Relevant Information

Clear Links to Learning Theories, Educational Research, and Principles of Development:
● Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory is one theory that I incorporated into this lesson. The major
theme of Vygotsky’s theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the
development of cognition. In my lesson I not only ensure that I have plenty of social interaction between
my students and I as the topic is first introduced, but I also ensure that there is plenty of social
interactions between the students as well. The students are given time to work as a team in their table
groups to complete the sorting worksheet given to them as well as present their assignment to the rest of
the class together.
● Jean Piaget’s theory on cognitive development suggests that children move through four different stages
of mental development (Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete operational, Formal operational). Piaget
believed that children take an active role in the learning process which is the center of my lesson.
Throughout my lesson my students are constantly making active engagements starting from the moment I
ask them questions during the hook, to the very end when they participate in the Jack Hartmann song and
pretend to be different animals. Pretending to be different animals is also another portion of Piaget’s
theory in that during the kindergarten years, children tend to engage in a lot of symbolic play according to
the Preoperational stage of Piaget's theory.
Connections to Technology and/or the Arts:
● Video: Living Things and Nonliving Things | Living | Nonliving | Kid's Science
○ In order to introduce the topic and gain interest from my students, I will show them this video
that completes an overview of the characteristics of living and nonliving objects, as well as
providing examples.
● Video: Living Things | Science Song for Kids | Elementary Life Science | Jack Hartmann

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

○To complete the lesson I will allow my students to participate in this Jack Hartmann video. My
students participate in a Jack Hartmann song/dance video everyday in order to practice counting
to 100 and they love it. They love to have a chance to act silly and move around which is what
this video about living things allows them to do as well. This video will be a great
summary/ending to the lesson and will allow time for movement.
● Use of camera that connects to smart board for presentations
○ Once the students finish their group work, I will have each group present their work to the class.
Presentations are fairly uncommon in a kindergarten classroom from what I have observed,
however, I think it is very important to practice early on. By allowing the students to use the
camera, it will be much more fun/engaging for the students to present as it is something they
never get to use themselves. It also gives them a chance to feel like they get to be the teacher
and show the class what they know.
● The students will be able to draw during their journal entry in addition to their writing.
Description of Collaboration with Others: (These might include the inclusion teacher, media specialist, counselor, guest speaker,
grade level coordinator, community experts, families, etc.)
I collaborated with my partner teacher as she helped me to find resources to use for the advancement of this
lesson. She provided me with ideas of resources and strategies that she has used in the past to teach her
kindergarten class the same topic.

Yellow Table Blue Table Green Table Purple Table Red Table

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College