Unit 4.4 Unit synthesis and lesson plan

By the end of this unit, students should be able to:

• Apply knowledge of motion and forces to analyze obstacle course runs
• Synthesize knowledge of NGSS principles with motion and force concepts and apply these motion and force concepts to real world phenomena
• Communicate motion and force concept(s) at an audience-appropriate level

This is the culminating piece for this unit and should be used to assess the students' comprehension of concepts related to forces and motion. This is the third and final lesson plan for the course, and with each lesson plan students have had a secondary focus. In Unit 2 the secondary focus was on writing appropriate learning goals, in Unit 3 it was assessment, and in this final lesson plan students will focus on writing engaging and relevant introductions.

Plan for these materials to take between 1.5-4+ hours of class time depending on how much of the Lesson Plan preparation you want to leave for out of class and whether you want students to present in class. This is the summative assignment for a month-long unit and a typical class would have an exam at this point.

This type of summative assignment works well in just about any format (large/small, in-person/remote, synchronous/asynchronous). Lesson plans are a great way to allow your students to demonstrate their learning without testing, and you don't need to be an education major to benefit from them.

Teaching Materials:

All Slides: Unit 4.4 All Slides v2 (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 10.4MB Aug30 24)

Lesson Plan Template and Grading Rubric: Tides_lesson_plan_template v5 (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 242kB Aug30 24)

Lesson Plan Scaffolding document (instructor notes on how all 3 lesson plans fit together) tides_lesson_plan_scaffolding.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 1MB Aug30 24)

Sample Student Lesson Plans from Pilot: Forces Lesson Plans Redacted.pdf (Acrobat (PDF) 5.3MB Jul12 24)

Scientist Spotlight Full Resource (In this unit, student complete the assignment on slide 23: Final Scientist Spotlight: YOU!): Scientist Spotlight Slides (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 4.6MB Jul8 24)

Final Reflection on course Learning Objectives: Unit 4.4 Reflection - Learning Objectives v2 (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 71kB Aug30 24)

Unit 4.4 Reflection summarizing Rube Goldberg and Lesson Plan experiences: U4.4 Reflection Assignment and Rubric.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 69kB Aug30 24)

Sample Student Reflections (Unit 4.4 Reflection is Reflection 14): Reflection Examples Redacted.pdf (Acrobat (PDF) 1.8MB Jul8 24)

Other Materials: Computer and projector, white board or chalk board with markers/chalk.

Pre-Class Assignment(s):

• Students choose a forces/motion activity for their lesson plan

In Class: Lesson Plan Assignment (120 min to 240+ min)

These instructions are written assuming 4-5 hours of time in class. If that is not feasible, then assign lesson plan work time as homework.

Introduction: How to write an engaging and relevant lesson plan introduction (~30 min)

• Introduce "Anchoring Phenomenon" as a real-world way to connect content within a unit; for example, the Hunga Tonga eruption for Unit 2. Explain the scope of phenomena from unit-level to lesson-level and use of CCC and SEP to build understanding of concepts that ultimately lead to a more complete understanding of the unit anchoring phenomenon.
• Explain how an introductory paragraph for a lesson plan can (should?) describe the overview of the lesson as well as tie the lesson in with the broader curriculum and the real world (i.e. anchoring phenomenon).
  • Consider how children tend to ask "But, why?"
  • Answering this question for lesson activities can tie in with the anchoring phenomenon
• Think-pair-share: "But, why?" - students brainstorm the big picture application for very short and non-descriptive introductions from existing lesson plans.
• The introduction as an opportunity for story-telling. A strategy for writing a strong introduction is to think holistically about the lesson plan: How does the content, the deliverable(s), the practice of learning, etc., relate to a real-world example that your audience is at least somewhat familiar with? How should the narrative be written to both provide the necessary overview and make it engaging enough that a teacher wants to use it for their class?
• Small groups: taking a cue from journalists and catchy headlines, students will workshop the same brief introductions from the think-pair-share earlier and try to connect them to the real world and make them sound more engaging.

Work time: Lesson plan Part 1 (60 min)

• Working time for their lesson plans - Part 1 - emphasis on the introduction
• Show an example from a student-written lesson plan that demonstrates expectations.
• Students should use the time allotted to choose natural phenomena, CCC, and SEP that fit best for their chosen activity and workshop their introductions, peer review, and collaborate.

Full Class Check-In: Obstacle course run analysis and discussion as module synthesis (slides & videos from ANW & Wipeout) (20 min)

• Examine footage, identify forces, and propose how participants should have approached the obstacle to have a greater chance of success.
• Return to the lesson plan allotted work time.

Work time: Lesson plan Part 2 (60 min to 120+ min)

• Students should use this time to complete and refine their lesson plans. They may also wish to have another round of peer review and collaboration.

Unit 4 and Course Wrap-Up (30-60 min):

• Optional: Students give 5-minute presentations of their lesson plan. Because time is short, they should focus on communicating the following:
  • Introduction
  • CCC & SEP
  • Activity
• Whole class final discussion and sharing:
  • What did you learn from the exercise of writing the introduction and reviewing CCC and SEP for this lesson plan?
  • What did you learn from your peers through workshopping and critiquing as you wrote your lesson plans?
• We have completed many Scientist Spotlights throughout this course, and the goal of these is to showcase an array of scientists in fields relevant to the topics of the day, some from long ago and others young and active today, together representing a diversity of people who have all overcome some challenge in pursuit of their scientific passion. As a final assignment, the students complete their final Scientist Spotlight on themselves. Students also return to the very first day of the course, when they made a set of course-wide goals.

Students should use allotted class time to peer-review and ask instructor questions to help them polish their lesson plans, not to "research" activities - the research should be done as homework.

The Lesson Plan in this unit is a summative assignment. Lesson plans are assigned as summative assignments at the time when a midterm would typically be given (at the end of Units 2, 3, and 4).

In the final Scientist Spotlight End-of-course Assignment, students revisit their beginning-of-course goals from the first day of class and complete a Scientist Spotlight on themselves. Reflection Prompt:

• Watch one or both of Mark Rober's squirrel obstacle courses (1) (2)
• Discuss the applications of forces and motion that Mark and the squirrels use in these obstacle courses. What is your favorite part? Why?
• How did creating a lesson plan impact your confidence and/or level of understanding on the subject of forces?

There are two additional reflections - instructors can assign one or both depending on their end-of-course schedule and plans:

1. Final Reflection on course Learning Objectives: Reflection Prompt: The learning objectives for this course as listed on our syllabus are as follows: [Insert your course's learning objectives here]. For this final reflection, address each of the following items, providing evidence for each:
   1. Did you achieve the learning outcomes?
   2. Evaluate your learning process: Is your work satisfactory? Are you content with your learning and progress in the course? How have you assessed your learning and progress?
   3. What grade have you earned? Use the assessment table to guide your self-evaluation. Be honest with yourself, but try not to be hard on yourself!
2. Unit 4.4 Reflection summarizing Rube Goldberg and Lesson Plan experiences: Reflection Prompt: Watch one or both of Mark Rober's squirrel obstacle courses
   1. Discuss the applications of forces and motion that Mark and the squirrels use in these obstacle courses. What is your favorite part? Why?
   2. How did creating a lesson plan impact your confidence and/or level of understanding on the subject of forces?

Youtube pages for individual runs of ANW and Wipeout:

• American Ninja Warrior youtube
• Wipeout youtube

These Mark Rober squirrel obstacle course 1 and squirrel obstacle course 2 videos are both hilarious and relevant examples of this project. They serve as material for this module's reflection prompt.