Pre-service Teacher: Grade(s): School/Mentor Teacher (if

Erin McAlpin Early Education applicable):

Donald ES/Gail Crossley

Subject area(s): Unit Topic/Theme: Lesson Title:

PPCD Communications Experimenting Sink or Float
Relevant Texas Prekindergarten Relevant VBMAPP: Relevant TX CCRS:
Guidelines: (Verbal Behavior Milestones I. Key Cognitive Skills
VI. Science Domain A. Physical Assessment and Placement
Science Skills VI.A.1. Child Program) A. Intellectual curiosity
observes, investigates, describes, Verbal Operant’s: 1. Engage in scholarly inquiry
and discusses properties and  Listener Response and dialogue
characteristics of common objects.  Manding for specific objects b. Conduct investigations
The child predicts whether  Labeling specific objects and observations
materials will sink or float; Teaching Strategy:
investigates the hypothesis and  Use of verbal behavior
draws conclusions based on prior teaching strategies in the
experiences. Natural Environment (NET)
setting
Lesson Objective(s)/Performance Outcomes
TK will be able to predict whether objects will sink or float using a sink or float worksheet with 70% accuracy.
GG will be able to correctly complete fill in statements for language goals while engaged in the sink or float
activity with 75% accuracy.
RR will be able to correctly mand for objects using unprompted and spontaneous requests while engaged in the
sink or float activity with 75% accuracy.
Assessment (Description/Criteria)
Formative (Formal):
TK will complete “float” and “sink” piles on worksheets using physical objects determining which will float
and which will sink to assess his level of comprehension.
GG will complete fill in statements recorded by the teacher using a checklist for language goals while engaged
in the sink or float activity.
RR will sufficiently mand for objects using unprompted and spontaneous requests as recorded by the teacher
using a manding data recording sheet while engaged in the sink or float activity.
Materials and Resources
 Sink or Float STEM kit
 Paint shirts
 Place mats
 Paper towels
 Musical Instruments
 Sink or Float book
 Sink or Float worksheet
 Manding data recording sheet
 Fill in Statements data sheet
 Sink or Float sort
 SMART board
 Mister Roger’s Water Play interactive game http://pbskids.org/rogers/sink.html
 Playdough
Management of the Instructional Environment
Students will begin at the carpet in cube chairs circled in front of the SMART board. Students and teacher will
begin with hook at the carpet and move on to interactive water play interactive game. At the conclusion of the
interactive game, students will move to the big table in the learning center to begin their sink or float activity.
At all times of the lesson instruction will be small group focused, with specific behavior strategies implemented
when needed to maintain differentiated instructional control.
Assistance of classroom paraprofessional used throughout lesson.
Technology Integration
Teacher and students will use the SMART board for an interactive sink or float game.
Diversity and Equity (Accommodations, Modifications, Adaptations)
Students will be prompted with reinforcements for correct responses in the form of tangible reinforcers and
verbal praise. The first/then positive behavior strategy as well as keeping the demand for escape behavior when
behavioral issues arise. The teacher will use ABC event forms to record data as needed for all students.

Behavioral:
TK will be given limited physical guidance in instruction as needed.
GG will be given modeling of correct behavior to reinforce compliance, as well as BIP (Behavior Intervention
Plan) antecedent/consequence strategies as needed for behavioral issues.
RR will be given specific BIP antecedent/consequence strategies as needed for behavioral issues.

Net Teaching Targets:

TK: What/why questions, labeling, manding, motor imitation, sorting
GG: Fill in questions, labeling, manding, motor imitation
RR: Labeling, manding, motor imitation, listener response
Activities/Procedures

Anticipatory Set
The students will begin by sitting in cube chairs that are in a circle formation around the teacher’s chair on the
carpet. The teacher will pull out various musical instruments and give them to students to experiment with
while singing the hook song Singing Scientists to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. This will serve as an
introduction to the topic of sinking and floating.

Will it sink of will it float,

Like a rock or a like a boat?
Clever scientists, we are wise.
Think and then hypothesize.
Sink or float, which will it be?
Experiment, and we will see!

Input/Modeling
Teacher will instruct students to “clean up” the musical instruments while singing the Clean Up song. Teacher
will read the Sink or Float book with students, using the book to model which objects sink or float. Teacher will
ask guiding questions while reading, such as “why did the shell sink?” “what makes the bottle heavy?” “why
does the feather float?” to engage students into higher order thinking aligned with sinking or floating.
Class will then move on to the Mister Rogers Interactive Water Play Game on the SMART board, which the
teacher will upload via laptop. Students will be instructed to wait at their cube chairs with “quiet hands” until it
is their turn to experiment with different floating or sinking objects. The teacher will begin the segment by
modeling the first object and explaining why it sank or floated. As students continue their turns, the teacher will
ask guiding questions using the listener response verbal operant, focusing on whether objects sank or floated
and why.

Guided Practice
Students will be instructed to put back their cube chairs and come to the learning center table, which will be set
up with place mats, the sink or float STEM kit, and tubs full of water. Students will first work with the teacher
to record predictions of which objects will sink or float on a Sink or Float worksheet, using the objects from the
STEM kit. Students will then put on their paint shirts and experiment with different objects from the sink or
float STEM kit to explore which objects sank or floated. Teacher will ask guiding questions focusing attention
to which objects will sink or float and why. As objects are explored for sinking or floating, teacher will record
what happened on the Sink or Float worksheet after asking prompting questions to the students. Two of the
objects in the kit are a raft and boat, which the teacher will use in particular to ask guiding questions for what
makes the objects float and what makes the objects sink. These questions will guide students into the
independent activity. At the conclusion of the guided practice, students will clean the STEM kit objects to the
Clean Up song. Teacher will keep the tubs of water to the side of the learning table for later use.
Students will begin their Having a Ball activity, which instructs students to create their own boats out of
playdough that will float in water. Students will begin by rolling playdough into a ball, and then release it into
the tub of water. After the ball sinks, students will remove the ball and pat it dry and the teacher will ask
students to create a raft out of the playdough ball by smoothing it flat. Students will attempt to make the raft
float on the water.

Independent Practice
Students will move on to the independent practice portion of the Having a Ball activity by creating their own
creative boats, logs, and rafts out of playdough. Students will attempt to create objects that will float similarly
to the objects that floated in their STEM kit. Teacher will ask students to explain why different shapes will float
or sink to gauge student’s comprehension of float vs sink.

Closure
As a form of assessment, students will sort different objects into sink or float piles corresponding to the sink or
float pieces of paper. This will serve as an assessment for students’ comprehension of which objects can sink or
float. Teacher will also use the Sink or Float worksheet to serve as an informal formative assessment during the
learning process to determine students’ prior knowledge and understanding of the topic.

Reflections and Documentation/Evidence of Lesson Effectiveness

Be sure that this is specific.
What happened during the lesson? (Brief summary --- help the reader know how you were able to follow
your lesson plan.)

What parts of the lesson led to engagement and student learning?

In thinking about your first two responses --- So What does it mean about your planning? So What does
it mean about student learning? So What does it mean about your learning to teach?

Now What did you learn from teaching this lesson that can apply to other lessons? How will you apply
what you learned from teaching this lesson to your teaching of future lessons?

Manding Data Recording Sheet

Checklist Data Recording Sheet