Developmental Lesson Plan 2

Teacher Candidate: Jessica Godshall Date: September 21

Group Size: 18 students Allotted Time: 50 min. Grade Level: 3rd

Subject or Topic: Shadows, Day and Night

Common Core/PA Standard(s):

3.2.3.B5. Recognize that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object or travels from
one material to another.

3.3.3.B1. Relate the rotation of the earth and day/night, to the apparent movement of the sun,
moon, and stars across the sky.

Learning Targets/Objectives:
● The third-grade students will describe how shadows are made and how the earth’s
rotation relates to day and night by completing the inquiry and inquiry sheet.

Assessment Approaches: Evidence:

Assessment Scale:
Proficient - Student completes the graphic organizer. The models drawn mostly represent how
light travels. The descriptions are mostly accurate.

Basic - Student completes most of the graphic organizer. The models drawn somewhat
represent how light travels. The descriptions are mostly accurate.

Below basic - Student completes less than half of the graphic organizer. The models drawn do
not represent how light travels. The descriptions are not accurate.

Subject Matter/Content:
Prerequisites:
● How to make observations
● Energy is able to cause motion or create change
● Light is a source of energy
● Absorb - to soak up

Key Vocabulary:
● Source - place, people, or thing from which something originates or can be obtained.
● Shadow - a dark shape that appears on a surface when someone or something moves
between the surface and a source of light
 ● Opaque - not letting light through : not transparent
● Transparent - able to be seen through
● Translucent - not completely clear or transparent but clear enough to allow light to pass
through

Content/Facts:
● A light source, an object to block the light, and a surface to cast the shadow onto are all
needed to create a shadow
● Light doesn’t travel through opaque objects
● Shadows can move, get smaller, or get bigger depending on the position of the light
source.

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies:
● 9:00am (First thing in the morning) Ask students, “What makes a shadow?” Give
students 10 min to experiment with flashlights, wooden blocks, wax paper, plastic
wrap, and small action figures.
○ Ask students what is required to make a shadow. After listening to students’
answers, explain that a shadow is made with a light source, an object, and a
surface. The object blocks the light source and casts a shadow onto the surface.
○ Ask students what happened when they held the wax paper or plastic wrap up to
the light source. Explain that light is blocked by opaque objects, passes through
transparent objects, and partially passes through translucent objects.
○ Ask students if they can see their shadow in the dark. Remind them that like we
learned yesterday, there must be a light source for there to be a shadow.

Development/Teaching Approaches
● Ask students, “Do shadows change? What makes them longer or shorter?” Listen to
student responses. Tell students we are going to observe our shadows throughout the
day and observe how they change. Place students with partners. Take students outside.
Have one student stand while the other student marks where they are standing and
traces their shadow with chalk. Tell students to note where the sun is at in the sky, but
make sure to not look directly at the sun.
● At 10:30am, have students stand in the same place as before and trace their shadows
again.
● At 12:00pm, have students stand in the same place as before and trace their shadows
again.
● At 1:30pm, have students stand in the same place as before and trace their shadows
again. Bring notebooks and shadow inquiry sheets.
● Ask students, “How did we make shadows?” (Students answer: We blocked the light
from the sun). “Does the sun appear to stay in the same place all day?” (The sun
appears to move across the sky). “Does the sun really move across the sky?” (It appears
to, but it is the earth that rotates)
● Have students model the earth and sun with their partners. One student is the sun and
one is the earth. The student who is the earth slowly spins around, and says “day”
whenever they are facing the “sun” and they say “night” when they are facing away.
Explain that night is like a giant shadow and the earth blocks the sunlight.
 ● Have students measure their shadows with rulers and record their measurements.
● Go inside to discuss data with students. Ask the following questions and listen for
student response.
○ How did they change?
○ Did the length change?
○ Did the shape change?
○ Where was the sun when the shadow was the longest? Shortest?
● Teach with a book, ​What Makes a Shadow?​ Make connections to observations and the
things we learned today.
○ On page 6, demonstrate that the shadow’s shape is similar to the shape of the
object that blocks the light.
○ On page 16 ask, “Do the clouds block the sunlight? Are clouds opaque?”
Prompt students to answer that clouds are translucent.
○ On page 18, ask “What type of object is the paper? What type is the book?”
Prompt students to answer that the paper is translucent and the book is
transparent.
○ On page 25, ask “How do you make your shadow bigger or smaller?”
○ On page 28, ask if any students know how to make any other shadow animals.

Closure/Summarizing Strategies:
● Have students stand up and form an Inside Outside Circle. Students on the inside circle
pair up with students on the outside circle. Each student shares something that they
learned today. Outside circle rotates once so that students can share their answers with
one other student.
● Say, “Well done, scientists. We made many observations about shadows and drew
some conclusions about how they move and change. Tomorrow we will be learning
about how light refracts.”

Accommodations/Differentiation:
● For a student with a mild intellectual disability, I would intentionally group and pair
her with students who will support her and work through each section at a slower pace.
● To help her complete the inquiry sheet, I would describe more thoroughly what she
should draw. I would have her respond verbally instead of giving a written answer.

Materials/Resources:
● Flashlights
● Wooden blocks
● Wax paper
● Plastic wrap
● Small action figures
● Inquiry sheets
● Pencils
● Chalk
 Barrow, L. H. (2007). Bringing Light onto Shadows. ​Science & Children,​ 44(9),

43–45.

Bulla, C. R., & Otani, J. (1994). What Makes a Shadow? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out

Science 1) (Revised ed.). HarperCollins.

Lambert, K. Tools for Formative Assessment, Techniques to Check for Understanding,

Processing Activities. ​OCPS Curriculum Services,​ 4/20

Learner’s Dictionary, https://learnersdictionary.com/

Shadows. (2012). ​Science & Children​, 49(5), 62–63.

Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels

Remediation Plan (if applicable)

Personal Reflection Questions

Additional reflection/thoughts