Science Lesson Template

1. Fellow’s Name, Lesson Title, Date of Preparation

2. Middle School, Grade Level

3. Unit Title/Presentation Date: Find the best fit for your research area (fall semester) or your environmental science module (spring semester) in the El Paso ISD Science Scope and Sequence for grade 7.  Discuss your choice with your cooperating teacher and the program manager, and involve them in the development of your lesson.  Identify the three week unit title here and the approximate date of your lesson.

4. TEKS Objective: Your lesson will be one class period in length.  State the objective for your lesson, which can be found within the El Paso ISD Science Scope and Sequence or on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website for Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, Middle School Science at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter112/index.html.

5. Background Information:  Provide the appropriate context for both teachers and students.

6. References: List references that were used to prepare your lesson plan.  If you modify an existing lesson plan, cite that source.  Verify ALL scientific information – you are the science expert in the classroom.

7. Lesson Vocabulary: Choose an effective way to introduce science terms and the definitions necessary for successful participation in your lesson.

8. Materials Required:  List all materials required to complete the lesson.  Check with your co-teacher early to determine whether the materials are available on your campus.  If not, provide the name of the supplier and the cost of those materials.

9. Preparation: Describe the preparation that is needed before the lesson and during the class period.  How much time will you need to set up equipment at lab stations?  Will materials need to be replenished between classes? 

10. Safety Information: Review safety information with students prior to conducting the lab.  Refer to Texas Safety Standards K-12, produced by the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, to determine how to prepare your students for the lab activity.  Reference copies are located in the Program Manager’s office.  Your co-teacher can help you with this procedure.

11. Engagement Technique: Generate interest in your topic by offering a problem to solve or a question to answer that relates to students’ prior experiences.  This is where you want to anticipate and/or determine student preconceptions about your topic, if you can.

Remember to begin with the end in mind.  Our textbook entitled Understanding by Design will be an excellent resource for creating lessons with deeper content understanding and for gathering more convincing evidence of understanding by students.  What scientific concept do you want the students to learn?  This concept should relate directly to the TEKS objective.

For help in structuring your lesson using the 5E strategy, refer to the following websites:

http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/science/instr/teaching5Es.htm  This excellent website was created by Montgomery County Public Schools in Rockville, Maryland.  Check out 5E’s Activities and 5E’s Strategies for Teaching Science.

http://www.miamisci.org/ph/lpintro5e.html  Review the Miami Museum of Science version of constructivism and the 5E’s and wrap your mind around the 7E’s concept: Excite, Explore, Explain, Expand, Extend, Exchange and Examine.

12. Exploration: Place your lab activity here.  Will students do an investigation, or solve a problem, or construct a model?  Could students make a prediction and test it?  Build in an opportunity for them to record data that they collect during the lab.

13. Explanation: Next, your students analyze and explain their data using appropriate scientific vocabulary and tables, charts or graphs.  Students prepare to explain their evidence and to listen to others do so. 

14. Elaboration, Extension: Here students can solve a problem; make a decision; compare, classify or apply knowledge.  A class discussion is one way to have students compare data and ideas, and to critique conclusions.

15. Evaluation: Choose how you will determine if individual students have acquired the concept you will teach.  Evaluation can be either formal or informal teacher assessment or student self-assessment using a rubric.  Students can produce a product or a portfolio.  They can write a journal entry describing their understanding of the topic.

16. Peer Review: When your lesson is prepared, review it with your co-teacher and make recommended modifications.  Then ask another GK-12 fellow and/or your advisor to review it with you.  And finally, schedule an appointment with the program manager to review the plan a minimum of one week before you present it to your students.

17.  Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol: This document provides a way for you to self-evaluate the effectiveness of your lesson, or for an outside evaluator to do so.  It is a three-page document; page numbers are 27, 29 and 31 (of 41).  When preparing your lesson plan, refer to the 5 desired outcomes in Section III. Lesson Design and Implementation on page 29.