William Paterson University

College of Education
LESSON PLANNING TEMPLATE
Teacher Candidate Name: Katelyn Sheridan
Grade: 2

School:

Topic: Science
Concept: Parachutes, Air and Weather
How does air affect the way a parachute falls or descends?

Florence M Burd

Essential Question:
Date of Lesson: 10-27-2015

Standard/s):

Learning objective(s):

CCSS 5.8.B

SWBAT
explore
how
air Building and releasing of parachutes
resistance affects how things
Air and weather journal page 4. Have the students write about why the
move.

NJCCSS 5.1.4.A.3 Use

outcomes of investigations
to build and refine
questions, models and
explanations.

Assessment(s): ( attach assessment tools & rubrics)

parachutes move slowly to the floor.

SWBAT construct a parachute

out of napkins, string and a
paper clip

Planning:

Teacher Resources (Internet Sites, Technology / Visuals): Foss Kit teacher manual Exploring air investigation unit, materials for
parachute.
Academic Vocabulary: air resistance, parachute
Materials (e.g. Props/Manipulatives/Picture Book or Information Text): 4 pieces of string, adhesive dots, paper napkins, jumbo paper
clips, scissors, tape
Groupings: 2 groups of 3, and 2 groups of 6. The LLD students will be seated together in the smaller groups allowing for the ICS
teacher to assist and direct them. They are placed in the smaller groups so they have more of an opportunity to participate and speak
within the groups.
Family Engagement: Students will bring parachutes home and may discuss air resistance with their families
Cite Sources (e.g. textbook page # or pinterest website) FOSS Air and Weather Teacher manual pages 19 and 20.
Student prior knowledge needed: Knowledge on air and where we find air. They have done one experiment with air underwater and
now we will continue exploring air.
Co-Teaching Strategy: One teach, One assist. Mrs. Anello and I agreed upon this strategy for this lesson because we wanted the
directions told once and we didnt think it would be ideal to have the students hear the directions from multiple adults in the room.

Teaching and Learning

Process:

ENGAGE

Teacher
What questions will you ask?
What will you do, say, and/or
write? What tools will you use?
Ask the students: What is a

Students
What will students do? What tools will students use? Where in the classroom
are the students? How will students be grouped?
Students will be seated in their assigned seats. With a clear desk (besides

parachute? Where have you

seen one?
Listen to students answer and
encourage responses that
include something about air
and the way air will influence
the release of the parachute
(pushing against or holding the
parachute up)
EXPLORE

EXPLAIN

EXTEND

Teach: Demonstrate parachute

making.
Tell the students that each of
them are going to be making a
parachute. Show them the
parachute that I already have
prepared and demonstrate how
I made it.
Explain to the students that the
paper clip will act as a
passenger on the parachute.
Now you will build your own
parachutes. I will move about
to assist any student that is
having difficulty creating their
parachute.

Students will release their

parachutes. Let the students
experiment with releasing
before showing them how you
would do it. You may find that
some will drop from the napkin
and others will drop from the
paper clip.
Eventually show the students

their yellow science folders). Students will raise their hands to answer the
questions.
LLD students: With the support of an ICS teacher the students will discuss
the influence of air on the parachute. They will work in groups of 3 and can
ask each other for assistance in answering the questions.
Communication Impaired students will sit together. The ICS teacher is also in
the room to assist these students. They should be able to raise their hand
and verbally answer questions without assistance but if they need to read
anything they may ask for assistance.
Students are sitting in their assigned seats (2 groups of 3 and 2 groups of 6).
Desks will be cleared and materials will be handed out for each student.
Students will be listening to directions:
1. Use adhesive dots to secure a piece of string at each corner of a
napkin.
2. Bring the other ends of the strings together and run them through a
jumbo paper clip. (For this instruction many of the students will need
teacher assistance).
3. Fold up the strings to form a loop. The paper clip should hang from the
loop.
4. Wrap a dot around the strings to secure the loop.
Materials are pre-cut (strings) they will just need to be handed out.
The students will remain seated in their groups and will begin creating their
parachute. I will have a checklist printed for each student so they can check
off what they have already done while building their parachute.
Differentiation: Students will receive written instructions on how to build the
parachute in addition to the verbal instructions told using my model.
Students grouped in a way that is most beneficial to their learning and
participation in the lesson.
Students will stand next to their desk and begin experimenting with the
release of the parachutes. After a couple tries I will demonstrate how to lift
the parachute as high as I can and release it from the napkin.

how to hold the parachute from

the napkin and lift it as high as
they can to release it.
Later suggest that students try
one and two passengers
(paper clips) and guide them to
answer the question What does
air have to do with how the
parachute works?
During this portion of the
lesson I will have to
troubleshoot problems such as
tangled or loose strings and
torn napkins.

After the demonstration and the students have taken time to experiment
they will answer the question How does air affect the way a parachute
works?

Students will return to sit in their desks. They will raise their hands to answer
the following questions. All responses will be verbal the only written
response (something the students might need assistance or differentiation
on will be in their journal at the end of the lesson)
Possible student responses:
When we flew the parachute it fell to the ground.
The napkin made our parachute float to the ground without it, it would have
fallen faster.
The air is all around the parachute not just underneath it.

Bring students attention back

together. Ask the students as a
whole questions about their
investigation:
What happened when you flew
your parachute?
What made the parachute float
down so slowly?
With one passenger the parachute____________________. With two passengers
Where is the air?
the parachute____________________________.
Did you notice a difference
between flying one or two
passengers?
EVALUATE
Please open your yellow
Students will write a quick response in their weather journals about the
folders and take out your
investigation they just conducted. They will draw an X where they think
weather journals. Turn to page
there is air and they will write about why the parachute moves slowly to the
4.
floor.
Differentiated Instruction:
How will you differentiate for content, process, and product in the above process areas? List modifications, as per the childs
IEP. (Use initials only).
1. I will provide the students with a written checklist as well as verbal instructions to ensure everyone is on task and
understands what needs to be done.
2. I will demonstrate how to build the parachute with all the materials. This will be beneficial for my students that struggle
with language.
3. The students with language learning disabilities will be seated together in smaller groups so they can be accessed easier
by the ICS teacher and so they can help each other/participate more within the group.

*******Analysis of Student Learning and Reflection To be completed AFTER lesson implementation*******

Students were able to
Evidence
How can I improve upon this lesson and what are the implications for future lessons and my own professional development?

POSSIBLE PROCESS ELEMENTS:

(Any Process Element may be used in more than one of the 5 Es)

ENGAGE: An engaging opening to a lesson that allows for teachers to stimulate students with questions about their prior knowledge and for students to ask
questions and gain clarification about the activity/task, its goals and objectives.

Motivate: The introduction to the lessons topic or concept, where the pre-service teacher sparks interest by asking questions or conducting
an activity which involves students prior knowledge and generates interest in the topic.
Ask Questions based on student prior knowledge

EXPLORE: During this time, the teacher can provide expert knowledge, listen to students ideas, monitor and assess progress, provide support, and offer
meaningful extensions. Students can work in groups, pairs or independently to pursue and develop their own ways of thinking

Teach: The delivery of expert information from the teacher to the students. Often known as a Mini-Lesson, Teach can involve interactive
student participation or teacher-led modeling where the students watch the teacher as s/he presents a strategy.
Ask Questions: Based on Blooms Taxonomy, the Candidate asks, lower and higher order questions, using scaffolding, to stimulate critical
thinking.
Centers: Stations where students are assigned task cards/ instructions based upon specific content, skills, or strategies; or areas where
students engage in intentional play and/or work with manipulative materials.
Image: a visualization where students examine pictures, draw, watch and discuss videos or use guided imagery

EXPLAIN: An opportunity for students to share their ideas with each other and the class, as well as practice skills. Teachers actively listen to ideas, help
students clarify and share their own thoughts, deepen their reasoning and engage with others reasoning (.e.g. ask the students if they agree or disagree with
another students idea and why).

Guided Practice: An opportunity for student to practice a new skill through a worksheet or graphic organizer, based on a Common Core
Benchmark or CPI, either in pairs, independently or in small groups.
Cooperative Learning: Think/Write, Pair, Share
Model a New Skill: A prepared reading by a proficient reader who models fluency, accuracy, and expression.
Differentiated Instruction: 1) plan multiple options for selecting and presenting information (content); 2) plan multiple avenues for
practicing skills (process) e.g., graphic organizers, flash cards, Games, Tiering, Assistive Technology; and 3) plan multiple means of creating
products, e.g., books, letters.

EXTEND: An opportunity to go deeper into the content. The teacher can encourage generalization, summarize main ideas, and assign real world
performance tasks.

Performance Task: a real world task such as writing a letter, a brochure, writing a how to or all about book, writing a play, producing a
video, etc.
Independent Practice: Homework
Differentiated Instruction
Centers

EVALUATE: An opportunity for teachers and students to determine how much learning has taken place. (e.g., Create a rubric to score the Performance
Task in EXTEND)

Formative Assessments: Pre-Post, Observation, questions, worksheets, graphics organizers, exit slips and response cards
Closure/Share: A closing activity where students are able to share their work in small groups or in front of the entire class.