9  Backward Design Plan Template

Title: How do boats float? Subject/Course: Science Time: 95 min

Level: 2

Lesson Description
In this lesson, students will investigate how solids and liquids interact with one another.

Stage 1: Desired Results

Big Question (link to the real world)
- How and why do boats float?
- How do solids interact with liquids in everyday life?

Ontario Curriculum Overall Expectation with numbers

Science Curriculum
2. investigate the properties of and interactions among liquids and solids.
3. demonstrate an understanding of the properties of liquids and solids.
Math
Measurement
Ontario Curriculum Specific Expectation with numbers
Science
2.1 follow established safety procedures during science and technology investigations.
2.4 use scientific inquiry/experimentation skills (see page 12) to investigate liquids and solids in terms of their capacity for buoyancy
(e.g., wood floats, coins sink) and/or absorption (e.g., paper towel absorbs liquid, plastic wrap repels liquid).
2.5 use technological problem-solving skills (see page 16), and knowledge acquired from previous investigations, to design, build,
and test a structure that involves interactions between liquids and solids (e.g., an object that floats.
2.7 use a variety of forms (e.g., oral, written, graphic, multimedia) to communicate with different audiences and for a variety of
purposes (e.g., use a simple drawing program to write a booklet for the school library describing class experiments in investigating
liquids and solids).

Math
– estimate, measure, and describe the capacity and/or mass of an object, through investigation using non-standard units (e.g.,“My
journal has the same mass as 13 pencils.” “The juice has the same capacity as 4 pop cans.”).
Key Concepts and/or skills to be learned/applied: Prior Knowledge Activation:
- Students will continue to learn about safety - Students will already be familiar with the concepts of
procedures during science experiments. liquids, solids and gases.
- Students will learn about the concepts of buoyancy - With their knowledge of hypotheses, students should be
and absorption. able to form hypotheses with increasing confidence.
- Students will investigate a solid’s capacity for
buoyancy.
- Students will apply their knowledge of solids and
their capacity for buoyancy in order to construct a
boat.
Stage 2: Planning learning experience and instruction
Learning Goals: “clearly identify what students are Instructional Strategies: See Chapter 6 Gregory and Chapman,
expected to know and be able to do, in language that Beyond Monet PDF, Wees “56 different examples of formative
students can readily understand.” assessment”.
Success criteria: “describe in specific terms what
successful attainment of the learning goals looks like”
(Growing Success p. 33).
1 – Learning Goal: Today, we will learn how shape, Choose instructional strategies purposefully and based on the
material, size and weight can impact an object’s learning goal.
buoyancy. - Group instruction for a read-aloud
2 – Why: So that students can apply their understanding - Discussion
of buoyancy and problem-solving skills to design, build - Group project
and test a structure that floats. - Group testing
3 – Success Criteria for this Lesson: - Individual recording of data
- Students will be successful if they can apply their - Group discussion for debriefing
knowledge of buoyancy to help them successfully
build their boats.
Materials/Student Groupings Differentiation
- Popsicle sticks - ESL students will receive a worksheet with
- Recyclable materials pictures and/or limited word choices.
- Cardboard - ESL students also received pre-teaching of the
vocabulary prior to the lesson.
- Plastic
- There will be visual prompts for important
- Glue vocabulary words.
- Decorative materials
- Foam
- Tape
- What Floats in a Moat?
- Buoyancy worksheet

Assessment For Learning, Checking for Understanding & Feedback

- Checklist
Stage 3: Learning Activity
Motivational Hook (MINS 40-45 mins):
- Students will be read a story about buoyancy: What Floats in a Moat?
- As I read, I’ll prompt the students with questions:
- Why did the S.S Buttermilk sink? Refer to a diagram to unpack some of the physics: When a boat enters the water, it
displaces (pushes water out of the way). The water also pushes back but the amount that the barrel displaces or pushes
away is greater than the amount that pushes back, so SS Buttermilk sinks.
- The S.S. Empty did float. But, it doesn’t seem like the best boat. Why do you think that is? (The boat was too light. It barely
pushed any water away, so it makes the boat very unstable and shaky.
- The S.S. Ballast seemed to be the most stable. Why do you think that is? The third barrel pushed just the right amount of
water out of the way to get the ship to float.
- Students will be told about their upcoming experiment, the goal for this lesson, and their objective which is to answer a
question: What materials, shapes and sizes will build the most buoyant and strongest boat?
- Students will be sent back to their desks to work on a design. Each group will be given some time to test the materials
while they make their design.

Open- (40-50 MINS):

- Students will be given some time to finish designing their boats if needed.
- Students will begin to build their boats using the design materials.

Body (modeling, collaborative work, individual = gradual release of responsibility, synthesis) (35-40 MINS):
- Students will test their boats and record the results of each boat.
- Students will estimate the number of non-standard units each boat can hold and record the actual amount.
- Students will draw a picture of their boat and write a sentence about what happened.

Close (success criteria visited) (10 MINS):

- Students will have a group reflection about the experiment.
- What boat was the most buoyant?
- What factors do you think helped the boats be more buoyant?
Stage 4: Reflection
Student Reflection of Learning (metacognition)

Teacher Reflection (WWW/EBI)

L. Radford & T. Hollweck, adapted from "Understanding by Design", Wiggins

and McTighe (2005).