Revised July 2013

Venkatesh/Akoury/Malley
1


Name: Margaret Ryan & Catherine Patterson Date: 10/22/13

School: Gardner Pilot Academy Grade: 1st

Starting and Ending Time: 4:15- 5:00

OVERVIEW OF THE LESSON
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the concept of Friction.
Friction is an element of physical science that is all around us and greatly affects the way
we go about our everyday life. From wearing sneakers during gym class, to driving on
icy roads, students need to realize that Friction has a big impact in their life. In this lesson
students will explore the consequences of motion on three different surfaces to begin to
build a foundation of which surfaces have more friction as opposed to those that have
less. In following lessons, students will apply this knowledge as well as explore more in
depth the very real effects of friction.
NGSS Standards:

3-PS2-2: Make observations and/or measurements of an objects motion to provide
evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.


Instructional Objective: By the end of the lesson, (1) what concept, information, skill,
or strategy will the student(s) learn and (2) how will they demonstrate that knowledge?

SWBAT record predictions and results about the movement of a car on three different
surfaces on a BBC online simulation.

SWBAT determine which surface has the most friction and which surface has the least
friction by ranking the three surfaces (ice, wood, and carpet) from least to most friction in
order to realize that rougher surfaces have more friction while smoother surfaces have
less friction.

Assessment: What specific, tangible evidence will show that each student has met this
objective?
Students will complete experiment sheets that correspond to the simulation presented on
the computer. Students will make predictions by coloring in a box that corresponds to the
color of a flag that marks a distance. They will record the result the same way. In
addition, the experiment sheet asks two questions that asks students to rank the surfaces
from least to most friction. By successfully answering this question students will show
they have met this objective and can identify that rougher surfaces have more friction
while smoother surfaces have less friction.

Lesson Template
Revised July 2013
Venkatesh/Akoury/Malley
2
Academic Language Objective: By the end of the lesson, (1) what language, relating to
the lesson and lesson content, will the student(s) know or learn, and (2) how will they
demonstrate that knowledge? Refer to WIDA and Three Tiers of Vocabulary.

SWBAT classify surfaces as having more and less friction by answering verbal
questions with a picture of a card.

Assessment: What specific, tangible evidence will show that each student has met this
objective?
Students will answer questions about surfaces by holding up pictures. The questions ask
students to identify surfaces with more and less friction. By identifying surfaces with
more friction students will demonstrate that more means having more force to slow
down while less friction means having less force to slow down.


Content: What are the specific details of the lessons content knowledge?
The content of the lesson is focused around friction. Because this will be students
introduction to friction, we will teach students that like pushes and pulls are forces,
friction is a force that slows things down but depending on the surface there is more or
less friction. When there is more friction, the object moves slower and travels a shorter
distance. When there is less friction, the object moves faster and travels a farther
distance.




PROCEDURES FOR THE LESSON
In this section, provide specific directions, explanations, rationales, questions, potential
vignettes/scenarios, strategies/methods, as well as step-by-step details that could allow
someone else to effectively teach the lesson and meet the lesson objectives.

Revised July 2013
Venkatesh/Akoury/Malley
3
Opening (15 minutes): How will you introduce the instructional objective to the
students, pre-teach/ preview vocabulary, and prepare them to engage with the lesson
content?

1. Welcome students. Have students sit in circle on rug
2. Tell students that we are going to begin by a little science warm-up. Have
students rub their hands together- first slowly and then speed up- for ten to fifteen
seconds.
3. Ask students What did you observe? What did you hear? What did you feel?
Record student responses on class chart.
4. Give students a squirt of hand lotion and have students rub their hands together
again- for ten to fifteen seconds.
5. Record students observations on class chart.
6. Whole-group instruction- introduce Friction
a. Friction- the force that causes a moving object to slow down when it is
touching another object
b. Friction is everywhere- some surfaces are rough and some surfaces are
smooth like lotioned hands. When there is a lot of friction it is more difficult
for an object to move.


During Lesson (15 minutes): How will you direct, guide, and/or facilitate the learning
process to support the students in working toward meeting the instructional objectives?

1. Introduce experiment. Move students to nearby table if necessary. Tell students
that like last week the experiment will use a simulation online.
2. Give verbal direction: Students must describe the surface and make a prediction
by coloring in the box with which flag color they believe the car will stop at. This
is also how they will record the result.
3. Conduct experiment. Give students time to record predictions and result between
experiments. Predictions should be recorded in writing. Ask students to give
reasoning for their predictions verbally.
4. After experiment have students answer questions at the bottom of activity
worksheet individually.
5. Discuss responses as a whole group.


Revised July 2013
Venkatesh/Akoury/Malley
4
Closing (15 minutes): How will you bring closure to the lesson and, by doing so, review
and determine what students have learned?

1. Bring students back to rug. Hand out set of index cards, each with a different
surface. Each child should have a set of three- ice, pavement, and gravel.
2. Have students sit at different corners of the rug. When you read a question, the
students should respond by secretly showing a surface. The teacher should keep
track of students responses.
3. If time remains, have students draw a picture of an example of friction in their
lives. Encourage them to think about the different surfaces they have learned
about during the lesson.



































Revised July 2013
Venkatesh/Akoury/Malley
5
SUPPORTING ALL LEARNERS
Learner Factors:

Grouping Factors Content Materials Student Response
Adjust grouping
format
Give additional
examples
Write homework
list

Alternate response
format
Seat student
strategically near
one another
Provide alternate
reading
Use Braille or large
print

Give daily progress
report

Pair students
Provide on-level
reading
Give students copy
of directions

Extend time
Give verbal cues to
emphasize main
ideas
Re-read directions
Use assistive
devices

Increase number of
review activities
Use page markers
Use interpreter
Handout copy of
notes
Give more breaks

Allow use of
computer


Specific Examples: Choose 3 examples of support from the list above and explain in
detail the differentiation.

Support #1: Seat student strategically near one another
In order to create a supportive learning environment for all students we will assign
students seats on the rug with pieces of tape. We will separate students who become
easily distracted so that the other students are not as significantly disrupted by their peers.

Support #2: Give students copy of directions
In addition to reading the directions out loud we will provide a step by step copy of the
directions on the top of the experiment worksheet. This will allow students to re-focus
themselves if they become distracted. Instead of asking, What do I do? we can tell
students that they have the capability of answering their question.

Support #3: Alternate response format
This lesson allows students to respond in a multitude of methods. Students can verbalize
responses during the hand/lotion introduction while they will write/ color responses
throughout the experiment portion of the lesson. Finally students will use cards to answer
questions and can move their body from one side of the rug to the other to classify
surfaces. A number of different formats are utilized during their lessons.

Revised July 2013
Venkatesh/Akoury/Malley
6


FINAL DETAILS OF THE LESSON
Classroom Management: If teaching a small group or whole class, how will you use classroom
routines, support appropriate behavior, and/or handle behavioral issues? Give one example.

Because most of this lesson will be conducted with students seated on the rug it will be important
to have a system that manages the students behavior in this setting. In past weeks we have placed
tape nametags on the rug as a way to assign students seating. This week will use the same routine.
This gives all students an assigned space and minimizes distractions between students because
they know where their bodies should be.

Materials: What are the materials that you will need to organize, prepare, and/or try-out before
teaching the lesson?

- Hand lotion (non-allergenic)
- Hand Friction Observation Chart
- Computer/ Display
- Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/8_9/friction.shtml
- Experiment Worksheet (enough copies for group)
- Orange, Blue, Green crayons (a set for each student)
- Surface Index Cards (a set of three for each student)

Materials Management: Prior to the start of the lesson the teacher should have the computer
connected to the display with the website loaded. The set of surface index cards should be divided
into groups of three so that transition into this activity goes smoothly.

Follow-up: How will you and/or your CT reinforce the learning at a later time so that the students
continue to work toward the lessons overarching goal (i.e., the MA Curriculum Framework)?

Next time we will teach students further about friction. We will bring in the worksheets students
did in this lesson as a spring pad to start our lesson. We will do a hands-on experiment to
reinforce the tangible effects of friction. In addition, we will push students to think further about
how friction affects aspects of their everyday life.


References:
Science Ages 8-9: Friction. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2013, from BBC website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/8_9/friction.shtml





Revised July 2013
Venkatesh/Akoury/Malley
7