Kristen

Balch
Work Lesson Plan: 5E Learning Cycle w/ Success Skills
Lesson Title: Work
Lesson __1_ of _3__

Time Allotted for this Lesson: (Lessons can be completed in different time
frames such as one period over several days) the time allotted for this lesson is
roughly 75 minutes. However, this lesson may end up being split into two parts
depending on how much time is available the day before.

Goals:
HS-PS3-1. Create a computational model to
calculate the change in the energy of one
component in a system when the change in
energy of the other component(s) and energy
flows in and out of the system are known.

Objectives:
Objective 3.1: Identify the concept of work in a
given situation 3 out of 4 times.

Objective 3.2: Correctly calculate the amount of
work done in a given situation 3 out of 4 times.
Success Skills: Note taking discriminating
between important and unnecessary information for
notes.
Success Skills: Procedures following step-by-step
procedures in mathematical formulas.

Pre-Requisite Knowledge and/or Skills:

A. Prior Knowledge. Students need to have a prior understanding of Force; both the concept and its
measurement. Students also need the ability to basic mathematical equations.
B. Pre-Requisite Skills: Students will need to understand how to complete basic mathematical
calculations, read force scales, and distance measurements.
C. Misconceptions: Students may have difficulty conceptualizing when work has and has not been
done. This misconception is targeted by walking through different definitions/examples of work
and following the consequences of changing variables. I will be directly targeting this
misconception by having students perform physical manipulations of objects to examine the
concept of power and test the force applied while doing so.
D. Scientific Vocabulary: Force, SI units
Scientific Vocabulary Introduced: Work, Joule, simple machine, inclined plane
Prep & Setup (beforehand)
Set out weights, meter sticks,
and force scales, print notes and
worksheet

Materials/Equipment/Supplies
How many? Per group or?
! 15 meter sticks
! 15 force scales
! 15 weights
! worksheets
! note pages
! calculators available

Technology
PowerPoint, Smart board

Safety Considerations
Force measurement scales have springs and could cause a hazard if used inappropriately. Students have
been cautioned about use previously and have demonstrated appropriate use.

Procedure: Teacher Does.

Procedure: Students Do..

Kristen Balch
Time
Engage: Motivation/Hook:
What is Work? Work has a regular,
everyday meaning and a scientific
meaning.
Work or not work? - Have pictures or
scenarios depicting a variety of different
situations. Lead group discussion on
whether each picture depicts work or does
not. Have students try and formulate why.
Suggest that students review notes from
previous lessons. Which lecture would
help them understand this one?
Use this time to analyze the reasoning of
student explanations. Try to build on the
logic of each student to help arrive at a
cohesive definition. Diagram arrows
showing direction of distance and
direction of force.

Engage: Motivation/Hook:
Work or not Work? Students will engage in
large class discussion on the various pictures
presented. If students are having trouble with
concept, break students into groups of four with
short discussion times.

Students review notes from previous lecture.

Discuss which notes they need.

Students create definition Work is force applied

to an object over some distance.

Note key questions, procedures,

demonstrations
Explore-facilitate as students conduct
first hand experiences
Testing the boundaries of the definition
Show demonstration of work. Can we
have work without motion? Ask how this
can be demonstrated. Have a student
demonstrate shoving an item against a
wall. Discuss why this does not meet the
definition of work.
Can we have work without force? Discuss
the difference between a person doing
work and the ever-present force of
gravity.
What conditions of force and momentum
result in maximum work done on an
object? Discuss the directions of force and
motion. Partial forces still results in work.
When both force and motion are in the
same direction, maximum work is done.

Explore-students conduct first hand experiences

Students will test the validity of the definition we
have come up with.
Either in small groups of four or with table
partners, figure out how to use the objects to
create an experiment testing the question.
Can we have work without motion?
Can we have work without force?
What conditions of force and momentum result in
maximum work done on an object?
Students will add to the definition they built,
emphasizing that both force and distance must be
present.
Students will write definition of work if they have
not already done so, copying from board.

Explain- read, guided discussions,

definitions/vocabulary

Explain- read, guided discussions, definitions,

learn vocabulary, watch video...

Reiterate definition of work. Explain the

SI unit for work, the Joule (J). Pause and
explain why the key points on slide are
important and how you can tell. Relate
these points back to the objective of the

Students engage in discussion as a class, or in

pairs if class is unresponsive. Discussion focuses
on whether the information presented by teacher
during that slide is important enough to write
down. Students take notes on definition of work,

Kristen Balch
lesson.
Describe who James Joule was. Elicit
class discussion of these facts. Are they
important or merely interesting? Not
important.

the Joule, and mathematical formula.

Students work on discriminating between
important facts and interesting, but minor details

Explain how to calculate work. Work

done = Force applied x distance moved
(w=Fd). Or, Joules of work = Newtons of
force x meters of distance.
Explain the steps necessary to complete
the formula.
Model how to complete a problem by
going through the steps, identifying the
different components and thinking aloud.
Complete another problem as a class.

Elaborate- facilitate student participation

in experiences and investigations that
expand, extend, solve problems, apply
their knowledge and skills.
Have students use weight, scale, and
meter stick to find the values for forces
and distance, then calculate. Students will
enter these values into the calculation
table provided, which has labeled spaces
for the information and multiplication and
equals signs in correct spot. Provide
alternate numbers for variables and
calculate again. Discuss answers with
class and address possible/actual errors.

Students write down formula and steps to

complete

Students will complete another problem as a class.

One student will come to the front to complete
each step, such as circling the force and distance
in the problem, writing out the formula, or
substituting unknown with known values.
Elaborate- participate in experiences that expand,
extend, allow problem solving, apply their
knowledge and skills
Students will use metal square, meter stick and
Newton scale to practice calculating work. Have
students measure the same distance in height and
in horizontal distance and compare. If time is
short, have one table do each calculation.

Ask if it is possible to reduce the amount

Discussion on work reduction
of work needed for a job. Poll tables.
Discuss in small groups how to prove this.
Take suggestions and try to steer toward
the use of an inclined plane.
Students conduct experiment using inclined plane
or without. Students will recalculate for the
Introduce the concept of machines. Run
changing force/distance ratio on their own.
experiment, or have it done in small
Students will record the information, then go
groups, with some groups using the
through calculation steps.
machine and some not.
Ask class what they notice about the force
applied? What about distance?
Evaluate - determine student progress or

Evaluate such as assess their own learning,

Kristen Balch
learning (occurs throughout the 5E lesson
and at the end as well)

quick write, exit ticket, muddiest point, turn in

assignment or lab ...

Can students explain what Work is in

their own words? How does the use of a
simple machine affect work?

Students will turn in definition discussion and

calculations worksheet.

Discuss note taking for this lecture. How

did students figure out what was
important and what was not? How can
they apply this to other areas?

Students will discuss their notes with a partner

and look at the similarities/differences of what
they wrote.

Pick one of the original pictures from

introduction and ask students to explain
Students will answer a short question set using
why it is work or not. Ask what happens if their notes. Successful completion indicates good
something in scenario changes. Give
note taking.
values for the scenario and have students
calculate the work done.
Closure: Wrap up discussion.
Have students complete an exit ticket.

Each student will write what they think is a good

review question for this section and provide the
answer. This also serves to check quality of notes.
Students will also ask a question if they are unsure
about topic or fill out sliding scale of confidence

Meeting Varying Needs of Students:

Language - Vocabulary is discussed and developed into an understanding for those unfamiliar with the
academic vocabulary in this area. Additionally, students will be reinforcing use of technical language
during proposed ways to test definition of work.
Reading Reading load of this lesson is minimal. Most learning will take place through class discussion,
visuals, and physical manipulations.
Building on background Students will be building on the concept of force that they have learned
previously. We will also be utilizing real-world scenarios in building our vocabulary, and physical
manipulatives to help reinforce content.
Assessment
Evidence of learning collected during this lesson:
Students will be turning in a worksheet containing proposed tests of definition of work and
calculations. Students will also complete an exit ticket with an original review question and answer.
They will also rate their confidence on this subject. Informal observations will be made on individual
student progress throughout the lesson. Note taking abilities will be assessed by final question set
using notes and small group discussion on how to determine important facts.
What does evidence tell you about what was learned or not learned?
The review question and answer will help me assess whether students understand the concept of
work. Calculations and test proposals will asses their understanding of the definition and their ability
to correctly calculate work.
What does the evidence indicate about science misconceptions?
A misconception can arise in student understanding about both force and direction needing to be in

Kristen Balch
the same direction and applied to the same thing.

Reflection:
1. How did the students do re: the objectives, and how do you know?
For the most part, students appear to have met the objective for this lesson. By the end of the lesson,
students should have been able to correctly define and identify the concept of work as well as
correctly calculate the amount of work done in a given situation. I collected a worksheet from all
students that gave evidence of their understanding of the definition of work. Students were asked
to define work and explain why it was or was not present when certain variable were changed.
Students also completed a hands-on activity, which allowed for informal observation as well as
later follow-up on the worksheet. The activity focused on figuring out how the concept of work was
calculated and understanding that simple machines allow for the manipulation of the proportion of
force and distance, but the amount of work will stay the same. Additionally, students were asked to
describe how comfortable they felt with the material covered after the lecture and activity. Most
students commented that they felt comfortable with the material or felt as though they simply
needed additional time. Unfortunately, the results of the third period class are uneven due to a lack
of time in completing this part of the worksheet.
Reflection:
2. Describe any changes you made as you were teaching the lesson.
I made several changes as I was teaching this lesson. As I got more comfortable with timing, the initial
part of the lesson became much faster. I felt more comfortable on which aspects to emphasize and was
able to steer students in the right direction more easily. Conversation with my mentor teacher also helped
in my explanation of one aspect of work and I think students responded well to the change with less
resulting confusion. I also replaced one example of work that was confusing and unnecessary. I originally
passed out two sheets of paper to each student, one for notes and a worksheet. The lesson plan originally
had students going back and forth between the two pieces of paper and students would get confused as to
which sheet they were supposed to be working on. During the last class, I finally found a way to have
students complete both sections in one chunk of time. Students ended up writing notes, completing the
worksheet, then going back to the notes. This seemed to work much better in terms of keeping students n
track and maintaining the flow of the lesson. During two of the lessons, I ended up deemphasizing the
role of simple machines to affect work, but this was mostly due to time constraints. In one class, I cut a
portion of the activity and focused o the lecture. The other class did the entire activity, but things felt
rushed during the explanation of it and describing its broader applications.
Reflection:
3. What would you change about this lesson plan? Pay attention to situations where students
either did not learn or already knew.
By the time I was done teaching the three classes, I felt that the introductory part of the lesson went pretty
well. I did change or shorten it each class though, so it is a bit shorter and more concise than originally. In
requesting student suggestions, I would like to try to find a way to pass out one item at a time. I had
students use a separate worksheet so that they could turn it in, but I might simply have them do all
calculations on their notes, turn the single sheet in, and then take the time to pass their notes back. This
would take a bit more time on my part, but I think it would eliminate quite a lot of confusion on the part
of students. In future, I would deemphasize the questions of whether motion or force is required and

Kristen Balch
simply assert that it is. This seemed to cause students more confusion than opportunity for learning.
Instead, I would use that time to practice calculating work with structured use of manipulative. When
students were doing the activity, it was clear who understood what needed to be done and who did not. It
was easy to help the students who needed it and the availability of an actual, physical object really
seemed to help some students. I would also like to figure out how to enable students to write their own
notes, yet keep a steady pace in the lesson. For quicker students, I got the sense that they started to tune
out in the time gaps provided for note taking. I really want to stick with having complete their own
sentences because I feel that they will retain the information better, but I need to figure out either how to
support slow writers or provide something for eh others to do or think about.
Reflection:
4. How did the results of this lesson influence the way that you will teach in the future?
One of the things that I really came away with is the fact that I need to be more aware of breaking
concepts down. Many students are approaching these concepts for the first time and I need to make sure
they understand the basic concepts before addressing the more complicated exceptions or applications. I
have trouble not presenting this information simultaneously and I will work on this. I really liked the
response I was able to get from students when I gave them an opportunity to discuss with classmates. I
found this particularly useful during whole-class discussions. Students were much more likely to
volunteer their thought if they had an opportunity to discuss it with a partner first. This is something that I
will try to keep in mind moving forward. The lesson also reminded me that I need to work on my sense of
timing or pacing. I felt that I rushed parts of the lesson. I dont know if this is due to the fact that I tried to
do too much, or if I had trouble with pacing throughout which left the end rushed. I feel that this is
something that will improve with experience as I figure out how much time different activities require.
Reflection
5. What did you learn?
I learned that I get flustered when I know that things are not going the way I would like them too and I
am unsure of how to change. I will work on analyzing my lessons more carefully for sticking points and
planning alternate activities or discussions so that I can adjust to time constraints. I learned that I have a
bias toward helping students that are obviously struggling. I think part of this sis due to the more visible
nature of this problem. I will try to be more aware of the need to check-in with students that seem to be
getting it as well. They are not always done because they were highly knowledgeable. It is possible that a
student completed an activity quickly because they did not understand the directions, incorrectly
answered the questions, or simply gave up and did not actually do the assignment. I found myself doing a
better job of this as the classes progressed, but this is something I will try and monitor in myself. I
learned more about my students. I know that they are willing to engage in discussion, but that many of
them find it easier and less stressful not to. I will work on finding ways to draw out these students
through engaging conversations, activities and creating a supportive environment.