Developmental Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Lindsay Applebach Date: 10/17

Group Size: 25 Allotted Time: 50 min. Grade Level: 4

Subject or Topic: The Sun

Common Core/PA Standard(s):

Standard - 3.3.4.B1 - Identify planets in our solar system and their basic characteristics.
Identify planets in our solar system and their basic characteristics. Describe the earth’s place
in the solar system that includes the sun (a star), planets, and many moons.

Learning Targets/Objectives:
Students will understand how solar eclipses occur by creating their own solar eclipse in small
groups.

Assessment Approaches: Evidence:

1. Inquiry sheet 1. Students will complete an inquiry
2. Socrative assessment sheet that they filled out creating
…. their solar eclipse
2. Students will fill out a Socrative
assessment online
…
Assessment Scale:
1. N/A
2. The Socrative assessment will be scored based upon the number of questions correct.
a. 6-7 questions correct - proficient
b. 3-5 - basic
c. 0-2 - below basic

Subject Matter/Content:
Prerequisites:
● Basic understanding of the Earth
● Basic understanding of the Moon
● Basic understanding of the Sun and its functions
● How to use a flashlight
Key Vocabulary:
● Total eclipse - The sun is fully covered by the moon. (Ducksters)
● Partial eclipse - When the sun can be seen around the edges of the moon. (Ducksters)
● Annular eclipse - When only a portion of the sun is blocked by the moon. (Ducksters)
 ● Solar eclipse - “An eclipse occurs when one object in space blocks an observer from
seeing another object in space. From Earth there are two main types of eclipses: solar
eclipses and lunar eclipses.” (The Duckster)
● Umbra - The fully dark portion of the eclipse. (Kiddie Co.)
● Penumbra - The shadow around the darkest portion of the eclipse. (Kiddie Co.)
Content/Facts:
● The sun has many benefits:
○ Giving us light
○ Giving us heat
○ The sun is made out of gasses
○ The sun itself is extremely hot
● Solar eclipses
○ What a solar eclipse is
○ What a total, annular, and partial solar eclipse is
○ What the umbra is in an eclipse
○ What the penumbra is in an eclipse
○ The moon is the object in the way causing the eclipse
○ Eclipses occur because of revolution and the Earth, moon, and sun aligning

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies:
● Invite the students onto the carpet to discuss their new scientific discovery.
● To introduce the new topic, ask the students if they remember what they thought the
center of the solar system was.
● After students answer, tell them that the correct answer was the sun!
● Pull out a big sheet of paper and a marker.
● Write, “what do we know about the sun?” at the top.
○ This will become an anchor chart that will be hung up in the classroom
● Ask the students to name every single thing that they know about the sun.
● After the students share their thoughts, tell them that it’s time to find out what else
they need to learn about the sun watching an awesome Crash Course video.
Development/Teaching Approaches
● Turn on the projector and hit the link for the Crash Course video.
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FB0rDsR_rc
● After the video, instruct the students to begin a turn and talk. In the turn and talk, the
students will discuss something new that they learned from the video.
● Cold call a few students to share what they learned from the video that was different,
and add it to the anchor chart.
● After the video, ask the students to go back to their seats.
● Ask the students to raise their hands if they’ve ever heard of or seen a solar eclipse.
● While students think and raise their hands, give each group a premade bag with: two
small foam balls and a flashlight.
● Define what a solar eclipse is
○ “An eclipse occurs when one object in space blocks an observer from seeing
another object in space. From Earth there are two main types of eclipses: solar
 eclipses and lunar eclipses.” (The Duckster)
● Introduce the inquiry for the day:
○ Making a solar eclipse.
● Show the premade bag materials and explain what each material is.
● The smallest ball is the moon, the bigger ball is the Earth, and the flashlight is the sun.
○ Do not tell students which goes where to create a solar eclipse.
● Tell the students that they must attempt to create a solar eclipse on their own.
Remind them that an eclipse occurs when an object in space blocks another object. In
this case, the object will be the sun.
● Allow students to get with their table groups. Groups of four are ideal because of how
many things that need to be held.
● Give the students about 20 minutes to attempt to create a solar eclipse and fill out
the inquiry sheet.
● If a group is struggling, talk to the group about what object is blocking what.
○ It can’t be the Earth because we watch it from the Earth, and it’s blocking the
sunlight, so what is the only object left?
● Once students have finished their inquiry, ask them to turn in the inquiry sheet in the
science bin.
● Click the link to show the students a video of what a solar eclipse looks like.
○ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM5w7Aq8buw
● Once the students have watched the video, click this link to show students how
eclipses occur:
○ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6OtLfszaVI
● Then, pull up the powerpoint regarding more information on solar eclipses.
● Have the students get out a pencil and pass out a guided notes sheet.
● Go through the powerpoint and read the notes on the bottom as well.
● After the powerpoint, ask the students if they have any extra questions before the
exit ticket is given out.
● If there are no questions, ask the students to get out or grab one of the laptops to
take a Socrative quiz.
● Click the link to open up the Socrative quiz. https://b.socrative.com/teacher/#import-
quiz/52955297
● To launch the quiz, go to the launch tab and hit “quizzes.” Select “Solar Eclipse Quiz.”
The room name for the students is “APPLEBACH.”
● When students enter the room, ask them to only use their first name. If there are
double names in the class, ask those students to use their last initials.
● Once students are finished, they may close their laptops.
● Once all of the results are in, talk about the answers that most students got wrong.
○ For example, if most students mixed up the total eclipse and the annular
eclipse, discuss why which is which.

Closure/Summarizing Strategies:
● To close, congratulate all of the scientists for doing such a beautiful job doing the
inquiry and being scientists today.
 ● Before finishing science, introduce tomorrow’s topic.
● Bring up how the moon was brought into the subject of solar eclipses today.
● Talk about how the moon is incredibly important for the Earth, and that it does lots of
things for us that are beneficial.
● Then, say that the moon will be the topic for tomorrow.

Accommodations/Differentiation:
● For students that have a hearing impairment, the teacher would either wear a
microphone if there was partial hearing and the student would wear an earpiece, or
the teacher would put the impaired student closer to them. If there was total loss,
then an interpreter would be brought in to help with ASL.
● Follow all IEPs

Materials/Resources:
Materials:
● Small foam ball
● Medium sized foam ball
● Flashlight
● Inquiry sheet
● Guided notes sheet
● Solar eclipse powerpoint
● Projector
● Pencil
● Laptops
● Crash Course video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FB0rDsR_rc
● Solar eclipse video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM5w7Aq8buw
● Solar eclipse explanation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6OtLfszaVI
● Socrative: https://b.socrative.com/teacher/#import-quiz/52955297
Resources:

● Ducksters: Education Site. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2020, from

https://www.ducksters.com/
● Eclipse facts for kids. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2020, from
https://kids.kiddle.co/Eclipse
● Loomis, I., & Cowan, A. (2019). Eclipse chaser: Science in the Moon's shadow. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
● Here Comes the Sun: Crash Course Kids #5.1 [Video file]. (2015, April 7). Retrieved
November 20, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FB0rDsR_rc
● Total Solar Eclipse - Time Lapse - Casper, WY [Video file]. (2017, September 26).
Retrieved November 20, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=HM5w7Aq8buw
● Nag, S. (Writer), & Barjatya, R. A. (Producer). (2015, May 27). Solar Eclipse | The Dr.
Binocs Show | Educational Videos For Kids [Video file]. Retrieved November 20, 2020,
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6OtLfszaVI
Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels

Remediation Plan (if applicable)

Personal Reflection Questions

Additional reflection/thoughts
Powerpoint linked