L5+Fritschy+Rachel

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND REHABILITATION LESSON PLAN FORMAT
 * UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMINGTON

Teacher’s Name:** Ms. Fritschy **Date of Lesson:**
 * Grade Level:** 6-8 **Topic:** Science

__**Objectives**__

 * Student will understand that there are many theories about the origin of the solar system.**
 * Student will know key factual information such as the order of the planets and their composition due to their location.**
 * Student will be able to argue why Earth is the only planet in the solar system that is able to harbor life.**

__**Maine Learning Results Alignment**__
Maine Learning Results: Science and Technology D. Physical Setting D1. Universe and Solar System Grades 6-8 Students explain the movements and describe the location, composition, and characteristics of our solar system and universe, including planets, the sun, and galaxies. a. Describe the different kinds of objects in the solar system including planets, sun, moons, asteroids, and comets.


 * Rationale:** In this lesson, students will explore the reasons why Earth is the only planet in the solar system that has the ability to allow life to flourish. While examining this topic, students will learn a lot more about Earth's location, composition, characteristics, and relationship to other objects in the solar system.

__**Assessment**__
Prior to this lesson, students will have learned about the different theories pertaining to the origin of the solar system. They will have previous knowledge that will allow them to understand the material in this lesson better. At the beginning of this lesson, students will return to their Tree Chart Organizer for a resource. They will be receiving a new organizer that is in the shape of an Ice Cream Cone. On the cone, there are many scoops of ice cream which will give the students sufficient space to write down what they know. With this organizer, students will recap what they know about the major theories about the origin of the solar system. Also, students will be required to write down what they know about Earth and why it is the only planet to have life. There are many reasons and the students will have to freedom to write down anything and everything they know. After this, the students will be placed into groups of 4 or 5 where they will discuss the reasons they had written down in their organizer. Any new information that students hear they should write down. Once the students have had time, the teacher will then teach the students about the main reasons why Earth is the only planet that is able to harbor life. Students will be taking notes during this time. After this portion, the students will be paired up to work with their groups on their final assessment.
 * Formative (Assessment for Learning)**

For the final assessment, students will be required to write a rap, song, or poem about the reasons why Earth is the only planet able to have life. Words in the raps, songs, or poems do not necessarily have to rhyme but it is encouraged to be creative with this assignment. Students will be paired up for this project using their planet partner worksheet that they have filled out prior to this lesson. It is important for students to include all of the main reasons in their rap such as location and composition. The students will also be responsible for creating a checklist for this assessment. They will use this checklist at the end to self-assess themselves. Also, groups will get a chance to get some peer feedback about their raps, songs, or poems as well as some guidance if necessary.
 * Summative (Assessment of Learning)**

__**Integration**__
Technology: Students will be working directly with computers and the internet to help them develop the best product they can. It is highly encouraged that students utilize the internet and other reference sources to add information to their product. Some elements will be required but students will be rewarded for going above and beyond the assignment. English: Students will be writing in the graphic organizer as they develop their ideas about the origin of the solar system and why Earth is the only planet that has life on it. They will also be conversing when the are sharing what they wrote down when they are in groups. Music: For the final assessment, students will have to chance to write a song or rap about the reasons why Earth is the only planet able to have life on it. They can be as musical and as creative as they want to be with this assignment, as long as they fulfill the requirements.

__Groupings__
After the students have filled in their Ice Cream Cone organizer with as much information as they can, they will be getting into groups of four or five to share the information they have with their classmates. For this portion, students will be asked to line up chronologically in order of birthdays. Years should be taken into account even though most of the students will have been born in the same year. Once they have claimed to be finished, the teacher will ask for each student's birthday to make sure they are in fact chronological. After a successful line up has been found, the teacher will group the students from this line up counting off four or five students for each group. For the other portion of this class, students will be paired with one of their classmates for the final assessment. To do this, students will be matched up with one of their partners from their "Planet Partners" worksheet. The students will have filled this out at the beginning of the year for future uses, such as this one. The planet partner that will be used will be determined on lesson day.

__**Differentiated Instruction**__

 * Strategies**


 * Verbal:** Students will be presenting their raps to the class verbally.
 * Logical:** Students will realize that the majority of factors that allows Earth to harbor life have to do with Earth's distance from the Sun and its particular location in the solar system.
 * Kinesthetic:** Students will be moving around the class while they get advice and feedback from their peers and the teacher about their raps.
 * Intrapersonal:** In their personal blogs, students will individually reflect on how they evaluated their ice cream organizers and raps.
 * Interpersonal:** Students will be collaborating closely when they share their knowledge of why Earth is the only planet that has life. They will also be working together when they are refining their raps.
 * Musical:** Students will be creating and presenting a rap about the factors that allows Earth to harbor life.

//**I will review student’s IEP, 504 or ELLIDEP and make appropriate modifications and accommodations.**//
 * Modifications/Accommodations**

If a student absolutely must be absent, it is their responsibility to communicate with me or a fellow classmate about the work you missed and complete it before next class. If an assignment was due the day she or he was absent then it is the students responsibility to get the assignment to me first thing the next day that student is in class. Contact me as soon as possible if an issue arises that prevents you from getting an assignment in on time.

Students will be working directly with the Garageband software for their final assessment in this lesson. This software allows students to record their own voices as well as incorporate many beats, sounds, and music. Using this technology will allow the students to make their raps/songs/poems similar to real-life recordings. They also have the ability to add creative aspects with Garageband. Upon completion of the final assessment, students will be asked to write a blog reflecting on the assignment. The teacher will want to know what the students learned from this assignment and what information really interested them. The teacher will ask the students to write about how life is always changing and what they think will arise in the future for life on Earth.
 * Extensions**

__**Materials, Resources and Technology**__

 * Ice Cream Cone Graphic Organizer
 * Paper
 * Pencils/Pens
 * Projector
 * Projector Screen
 * Computers/Laptops
 * Internet Access
 * Textbooks
 * Reference Books
 * Boombox/radio
 * Music

__Source for Lesson Plan and Research__
This lesson was created by Rachel Fritschy. Throughout my experience with astronomy, I have been fascinated by life and how Earth is the only planet that is able to harbor life. I thought it was would interesting for my students to learn about their planet and why they can only live on their planet. There are so many small factors that allow Earth to life and I feel that it is important for individuals to be aware of this. [] Here is a garageband tutorial that students can use to get to know this program [] Reasons why Earth is the only planet with life [] The so called "Recipe for Life" [|http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569459/Earth_(planet).html] Tons of information specifically about Earth [] Podcast and article about why Earth is the only planet with life [] What distinguishes Earth from the rest of the planets [] In depth characteristics of Earth [] Awesome powerpoint about all the factors that allow Earth to harbor life [] Information about planet Earth [] Elements that separate Earth from other planets

__**Maine Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationale**__
Rationale:** In this lesson, students will have more than enough opportunities to get creative. At the beginning of this lesson, students will think back to the lesson about the origin of the solar system. They learned about the major theories pertaining to the origin of the solar system and how the planets came to be what they are today. The location of each planet in the solar system directly determines that planet's composition and characteristics. For instance, Mercury is mostly made of metals and rock because it is so close to the Sun that gases and ice just melt away. Neptune, on the other hand, is so cold that it is mostly made up of ices and gases. The students will be harnessing their previous knowledge to think about Earth's role in the solar system. As we all know, Earth is the only planet in our solar system that is able to harbor life. Students will get a chance to become rap artists/song writers/poets in this lesson. They will be able to use any method of creating their lyrics as long as they are creative. Along with this spontaneity, students will be reminded to be very organized in order to collect their ideas. It is important to be structured as well as imaginative to create the ultimate project. They will know what the expectations for this project are and will be able to ask the teacher any clarifying questions at any time. Through this lesson, students will be discovering so much more about the world outside our world. They will be learning in depth about Earth and what makes it so unique in the solar system. It is crucial for students to cover concepts in their products because there are distinct reasons why Earth is the only planet in the solar system that has life. Students will also be encouraged to ask for help from the teacher and their peers. The environment and is a comfortable working environment that students will be able to utilize for all their needs. There will be flexibility as well as organization.
 * //Standard 3 - Demonstrates a knowledge of the diverse ways in which students learn and develop by providing learning opportunities that support their intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and cultural development.//

Rationale:** From this lesson, students will be learning about Earth's role in the solar system and what impact it has. Earth is the only planet in our solar system that has life because of it's water, temperatures, air pressure, atmospheric composition, and many other aspects. Students will be able to explain why Earth is the only planet with this remarkable ability and whether or not they believe that there is more life beyond our world. Students will understand what distinguishes Earth from the rest of the planets and what factors are needed to sustain life such as that on Earth. However, life could mean something totally different somewhere else in the solar system but how could we know. Through this lesson, students will be asked questions like this and will put their logical thinking to the test. They will learn more about the origin of the solar system, the interactions between the planets and the sun, and more about Earth itself. It is crucial for students to understand the individuality of the planets as well as how they work together to make the solar system what it is.
 * //Standard 4 - Plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, curriculum goals, and learning and development theory.//

Rationale:**
 * //Standard 5 - Understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies and appropriate technology to meet students’ needs.//
 * Verbal:** Students will be presenting their raps to the class verbally.
 * Logical:** Students will realize that the majority of factors that allows Earth to harbor life have to do with Earth's distance from the Sun and its particular location in the solar system.
 * Kinesthetic:** Students will be moving around the class while they get advice and feedback from their peers and the teacher about their raps.
 * Intrapersonal:** In their personal blogs, students will individually reflect on how they evaluated their ice cream organizers and raps.
 * Interpersonal:** Students will be collaborating closely when they share their knowledge of why Earth is the only planet that has life. They will also be working together when they are refining their raps.
 * Musical:** Students will be creating and presenting a rap about the factors that allows Earth to harbor life.

Rationale:** Prior to this lesson, students will have learned about the different theories pertaining to the origin of the solar system. They will have previous knowledge that will allow them to understand the material in this lesson better. At the beginning of this lesson, students will return to their Tree Chart Organizer for a resource. They will be receiving a new organizer that is in the shape of an Ice Cream Cone. On the cone, there are many scoops of ice cream which will give the students sufficient space to write down what they know. With this organizer, students will recap what they know about the major theories about the origin of the solar system. Also, students will be required to write down what they know about Earth and why it is the only planet to have life. There are many reasons and the students will have to freedom to write down anything and everything they know. After this, the students will be placed into groups of 4 or 5 where they will discuss the reasons they had written down in their organizer. Any new information that students hear they should write down. Once the students have had time, the teacher will then teach the students about the main reasons why Earth is the only planet that is able to harbor life. Students will be taking notes during this time. After this portion, the students will be paired up to work with their groups on their final assessment. For the final assessment, students will be required to write a rap, song, or poem about the reasons why Earth is the only planet able to have life. Words in the raps, songs, or poems do not necessarily have to rhyme but it is encouraged to be creative with this assignment. Students will be paired up for this project using their planet partner worksheet that they have filled out prior to this lesson. It is important for students to include all of the main reasons in their rap such as location and composition. The students will also be responsible for creating a checklist for this assessment. They will use this checklist at the end to self-assess themselves. Also, groups will get a chance to get some peer feedback about their raps, songs, or poems as well as some guidance if necessary.
 * //Standard 8 - Understands and uses a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and support the development of the learner.//

__Teaching and Learning Sequence__
Total Class Time: 120 minutes

8:00-8:10 Solar System Song (Hook) 8:10-8:15 Ice Cream Organizer 8:15-8:30 Compare Information in Organizer 8:30-8:50 Discuss Earth's Ability to Harbor Life 8:50-8:53 Find "Planet Partner" 8:53-9:00 Explain Rap Project 9:00-9:10 Partners Discuss Ideas for Rap/Poem/Song 9:10-10:00 Students Work on Projects

The student's desks will be set up into clusters to accommodate for the grouping that will come later on in the lesson. The teacher's desk will be at the front of the room like usual along with the white/black board for easy access. From this lesson, students will understand that there are many theories about the origin of the solar system. In a previous lesson, students explored in depth the major theories pertaining to the origin of the solar system. The information students learned in that lesson will act as the building blocks to the information in this lesson. Students will learn exactly why Earth is the only planet that is able to harbor life and what elements Earth has that other planets do not. They will learn what humans need, that Earth has, to live. // Students explain the movements and describe the location, composition, and characteristics of our solar system and universe, including planets, the sun, and galaxies //. The planets are individually unique in many different ways but they all play an important role with one another. Each object in the solar system interacts in a way that makes the solar system what it is today. Students will learn about this interaction and the incredible affect it has on Earth because Earth is the only planet in our solar system with the ability to sustain life. In order to hook the students, they will be asked to sing a song at the beginning of class that gives them a little more information about the planets as well as their correct order. Each verse will be sung by a different group and the class will be split up into seven groups. The song is sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle so it won't be too hard to achieve.
 * Where, Why, What, Hook, Tailors: Musical, Logical, Verbal, Interpersonal**

Students will know key factual information such as the order of the planets and their composition due to their location. The song at the beginning of class will not only help the students get interested in the lesson but will help students remember the order of the planets. The location of each planet in relation to the sun directly causes the planets the have the characteristics that they have. Earth's distance from the sun causes it to have the ability to have air pressure and therefore water as well as oxygen, methane, and carbon dioxide. The temperature is perfect along with other aspects to allow life to flourish on Earth. These factors and many others are the reason why it is important for students to learn information like this. After the song, students will be working alone to gather any information they may already know about why Earth is the only planet in the solar system to have life. While students work alone and in groups, the teacher will walk around to make sure that the students are on track. The teacher might listen in to some conversations or even participate in some conversations. It is encouraged that students ask clarifying questions to obtained ultimate understanding. After this self learning, the teacher will teach the students about why Earth is so unique.
 * Equip, Tailor: Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Verbal, Musical, Logical**

Using the Ice Cream cone graphic organizer, students will explore the different theories pertaining to the origin of the solar system. It is encouraged that students bring out any organizers or work they have pertaining to the lesson previous to this one that was focused on the origins of the solar system. In that past lesson, students learned the basics and major theories behind the origin of the solar system but now their knowledge will be put to the test. The distinct location of each planet directly determines the characteristics of that planet. The students will be taking an in depth look into this affect on Earth. They will be jotting down why they believe that Earth is the only planet in our solar system that can harbor life. After they work individually gathering as much knowledge as they already know, the students will be getting into groups of four or five where they will collaborate about the different factors that allow life to flourish on Earth. They will take into consideration Earth's distance from the Sun and how that affects surface temperature as well as Earth's composition. It is important for students to gain knowledge on top of the fundamentals they learned from the previous lesson. They should use the information from that lesson to answer questions they may have about why the Earth is so unique. Students will be grouped using their "planet partners" worksheet. The students will have filled this worksheet in before this lesson and probably have used it previous to this lesson. For the final assessment, students will have their rhyming and musical abilities put to the test. With your partner, students will discuss the main factors that allows Earth to harbor life starting from the origin of the solar system. Then, these duos will create a rap/poem/song together outlining the main factors that they discussed. Teams will have a chance to collaborate with other teams and with the teacher to clear up any issues and to get better ideas for their rap. Students will evaluate themselves with a checklist they created for their rap and ice cream cone organizer. Students will be required to cover certain topics pertaining to why Earth is the only planet able to sustain life but they will have the flexibility to get as creative as they want.
 * Explore, Experience, Rethink, Revise, Refine, Reflect, Tailors: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Musical, Naturalist, Verbal, Visual, Logical, Spatial**

In the last lesson, students created their own rubrics that they graded themselves with. Similar to that aspect, students will now be creating checklists for themselves as they go along on their project. Creating a checklist will allow students to keep track of what aspects they have and what aspects they need to work on. It also allows students to evaluate and analyze themselves which will teach them to understand the reasoning behind aspects of the project as well as the importance of self assessment. After this final assessment, students will also be asked to write a blog entry about their experiences with the project. The teacher will want to know what the students' thought about the project and their over all feelings about everything. This is a good way for the teacher to get feedback on the project as well as an idea of how students are doing in his/her classroom. Students are open to ask the teacher questions at any time if they need help or have a question about something. It is encouraged that students seek guidance from their teacher and even their peers because this will give them confidence and teach them to work together. All in all, students will get so much out of this lesson including more knowledge about the planet that they live on. It is important for every human being to understand why we are able to live on Earth.
 * Evaluate, Tailors: Verbal, Logical, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal**


 * Content Notes**


 * Handouts**