LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

TEACHER Rebekah Britton

Subject/Class/Course Science Gr 3 (You and Your World Exploration Gr 2)
Topic Static Electricity Exploration
Grade Level Grades 2 & 3 Duration 45 mins
Date November 22nd, 2021

Objectives/Outcomes (Indicate GCO and SCO) (Indicate SCO in student friendly language)

GCO: 1 Students will develop the skills required for scientific and technological inquiries, for
solving problems, for communicating scientific ideas and results, for working collaboratively,
and for making informed decisions (scientific literacy).

SCO: 1.2 Students will collect data by observing and measuring, using tools and methods
appropriate for the task
SFL: I can see and write down information about something I have seen and measured using the
right measuring tool.

SCO: 1.3 Students will analyze and interpret patterns in data to construct explanations based on
evidence from investigations.
SFL: I can study our experiment findings to form conclusions or answers based on what I
observed

SCO: 1.4 Students will communicate using writing, drawing pictures, and oral language to
express valid conclusions supported by data.
SFL: I can share the information I have found through speaking to my class, and writing it down
and drawing pictures.

Students Learn more effectively when they know what they are supposed to be learning and why.
The first step is to determine what you want students to learn and be able to do at the end of the
class. This should be expressed in student friendly language and shared with the students.
Include Outcome #’s.

Introduction
APK – Teacher’s opening question to get the students thinking:
Has anyone here ever gotten a shock before after dragging their feet cross a carpet? What did
you notice about this?
What are some other objects that you have noticed causes an electric charge? (balloons, brush,
mittens, carpets, sweaters, blankets, clothes fresh out of the dryer, etc)

So your hair sticking up or the mini shock happened because of something called static
electricity, and when you rub your feet along a carpet or a balloon on your head, static electricity

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 is charging up and when you reach to touch something, ZAP, you get a small shock!!

I have a small video here that further explains the basics of static electricity, and how it affects a
balloon!

Anticipatory Set: Video about static electricity: https://www.youtube-

nocookie.com/embed/5TAIUCYMlIQ?
playlist=5TAIUCYMlIQ&autoplay=1&iv_load_policy=3&loop=1&modestbranding=1&start=

Assessment
Begin with the end in mind. Indicate what assessment strategies you will use to measure learning
… during and at the end of instruction … diagnostic, formative, and summative? Regular
ongoing Checking for Understanding will inform your teaching and for students to ‘see’ what
they are learning. Describe specific questions and ways and means to assess whether the
learning outcomes/objectives have been achieved.

Assessment for:
To assess: GCO:1 SCO: 1.2 Students will collect data by observing and measuring, using tools
and methods appropriate for the task and SCO: 1.3 Students will analyze and interpret patterns in
data to construct explanations based on evidence from investigations, I will be assessing if the
students are accurately following directions, using their balloon appropriately as a scientific tool,
and if they are able to accurately analyze and record their findings.

Assessment questions to ask myself as I observe:

-Did they charge their balloon by rubbing it against their head / sweater prior to trying to pick up
the various materials?
-Did they correctly record if the balloon picked up or did not pick up the various materials?
-Were they just playing with their balloon or did they use is responsibly as a tool to move
through the static energy experiment?
-Could they analyze their recorded findings and write them out at the bottom of the page in the
conclusion section?

To assess: SCO: 1.4 Students will communicate using writing, drawing pictures, and oral
language to express valid conclusions supported by data, I will be assessing if the students are
able to accurately communicate and share their experiment findings with their small group, and
with their class at the closing discussion.

Develop the Instruction

How will instruction be organized for learning? This is the step by step series of specific
activities to get students to understand and apply the objectives/outcomes of the lesson times.
Include procedures and transitions etc. The new knowledge, process or skill must be presented
to the students in the most effective manner keeping in mind differentiation of content, processes

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 and product. This could be through discovery, discussion, reading, listening, observing etc. You
should estimate and indicate how much time you will spend on each activity. Make sure you
include options for scaffolding student learning.
Individual learning styles? Differentiating the learning? MIs addressed?
Checking for Understanding?

PREP:
Before class:
-Prepare the small plates of each material so that you are ready to roll for each round, and you
can just give each table the two plates needed and not have to be pouring between each round.
-Blow up balloons, enough for each student to have one
-Fill a water jug with water and have a bucket nearby for teacher demo (if time).

Attention getter: Teacher says: “one-two-three, all eyes on me”. Students reply: “one-two, all eyes on you!” Wait
until all eyes are watching you.

5 minutes - APK and Anticipatory Set: See above

35 minutes total - Instruction:

TO PREP: Tape up the two balloon posters, putting the thief one onto the board first, and then
posting the neutrally charged, happy balloon on top, hiding the thief one underneath.

10 minutes – Intro & Explanation:

Teaching notes / guide:
Balloons, the wall, and everything else in the world is made up of tiny particles called atoms…
some of these particles are positive and others are negative.
Positive and negative particles attract meaning they pull on one another and try to get close…
just like magnets pull on and stick to one another!

What is static electricity?

Static electricity is the build-up of an electrical charge on the surface of an object.

So when you rub a balloon on your shirt or hair… it steals some of the negative particles from
you and this ‘charges up’ the balloon with static electricity… and when you put the balloon next
to different items that have a lot of POSITIVE particles… those negative particles are attracted
and want to stick to positive ones.

This is why we can rub it against fabric or our hair and then make it stick to some things like a
wall.

In other words, when we run a balloon against our heads or sweaters, the balloon is saying
“Oh boy, I’m going to steal some of your negative particles…” And builds up static energy
which we know can be released through a shock when you reach for a door knob. Once a
balloon has stolen some of our negative charges it no longer feels balanced, it no longer has
equal pairs of positive and negative particles… now it has more negative particles than
positive….so it’s going to look around for objects with positive particles it can attach to or
steal so it feels balanced out again!

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 So this is why I’m calling our charged up balloon, a thief! (Unveil poster of the “thief
balloon”)

Today, we are going to be scientific detectives and explore different things that will stick to the
thieving charged balloon. To find out which items are at risk of being stolen by our charged
balloon, we are going to use the scientific method to test whether different objects will stick to
the balloon or not!
When we are doing our experiments, we will be seeing if the different materials we test are
oppositely charged than our balloon…meaning things will stick to the negatively charged
balloon… OR if the items we test are also negatively charged, which means they WON’T stick to
the balloon.

Before we get started I am going to tell you the balloon rules:

BALLOON RULES: If your balloons are caught breaking these rules it will be put in jail for 5
minutes, and you will have to watch others do the experiments and record your answers based
on their findings during this jail time. If your balloon is taken a second time to jail it will stay
there for the remainder of the lesson.

1) No throwing or hitting things or people with your balloon

2) No putting the balloon in your mouth
3) Be responsible with your balloon – it’s a scientific tool, not a toy.

20 minutes – Experiment with 8 different materials

Teacher notes on the method:

-Students will be sitting in 4 groups of 2 and 3 students.
-Each student will have a balloon with a 3 ft string attached to it.
-For each group, place 3 sticky notes (numbered 1, 2, and 3) so that each person in the group has
a number. This will clarify who from the group is to come get the plate for that round and who
has which clean up job at the end.

To begin each round, you will have the students look at you while holding their balloon with two
hands in front of them. You will tell them, “ONE, TWO, THREE, MAKE STATIC” and give
them 10-20 seconds to rub the balloon on their clothes or hair to charge it up.
Once the 20 second charge is up have the students hold their balloon in front of them again until
you tell them to go ahead with checking the materials of that round.

Overall Question we are looking to answer: Will a statically charged balloon be able to pick up
or move any of the materials listed below?

Hypothesis (predictions) and Experiment (results)

Round 1: STICKY NOTE #1 HELPER come get the plate with salt and pepper on it
Once all are seated, do attention getter:

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 Attention getter: Teacher says: “Class”. Students reply: “Yes?” and look at me. Wait until all
eyes are watching you.

PREDICT: When all eyes are on you, have them read what the two items to be tested are and
then have them predict and record on their sheet what they think will happen. (Circle YES for
materials that are moved or picked up by the balloon – circle NO for items that don’t move or get
picked up)

EXPERIMENT: Once the predictions have been completed, say charging prompt:
“ONE, TWO, THREE, MAKE STATIC” and give them 10-20 seconds
When the time it up, you say ‘go ahead’ and they test if their balloon thief would be able to steal
the salt and the pepper.

(Essentially repeat this process 3 more times with the new materials each time)

Attention getter: Teacher says: “Little scientists look at me and freeezzzeee!” Students look at
me and freeze. Wait until all eyes are watching you.

Round 2: STICKY NOTE #2 HELPER come get the plate with paper and tissue paper on it.
Once all are seated, do attention getter:

PREDICT: When all eyes are on you, have them read what the two items to be tested are and
then have them predict and record on their sheet what they think will happen. (Circle YES for
materials that are moved or picked up by the balloon – circle NO for items that don’t move or get
picked up)

EXPERIMENT: Once the predictions have been completed, say charging prompt:
“ONE, TWO, THREE, MAKE STATIC” and give them 10-20 seconds
When the time it up, you say ‘go ahead’ and they test if their balloon thief would be able to steal
the paper and tissue paper.

Attention Getter- If you can see me hold up _#__ many fingers, etc. until ALL eyes are looking.

Round 3: STICKY NOTE #3 HELPER come get the plate with Jell-O mix and Rice Krispies on
it.

PREDICT: When all eyes are on you, have them read what the two items to be tested are and
then have them predict and record on their sheet what they think will happen. (Circle YES for
materials that are moved or picked up by the balloon – circle NO for items that don’t move or get
picked up)

EXPERIMENT: Once the predictions have been completed, say charging prompt:
“ONE, TWO, THREE, MAKE STATIC” and give them 10-20 seconds
When the time it up, you say ‘go ahead’ and they test if their balloon thief would be able to steal
the Jell-O mix and Rice Krispies.

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 Round 4: Last round! They will test this round using a second balloon from their partner, and
also a paperclip (at the group desks)

PREDICT: When all eyes are on you, have them read what the two items to be tested are and
then have them predict and record on their sheet what they think will happen. (Circle YES for
materials that are moved or picked up by the balloon – circle NO for items that don’t move or get
picked up)

EXPERIMENT: Once the predictions have been completed, say charging prompt:
“ONE, TWO, THREE, MAKE STATIC” and give them 10-20 seconds
When the time it up, you say ‘go ahead’ and they test if their balloon thief would be able to steal
their partners balloon and the paper clip.

Now that you’ve finished the last round, give the students a few minutes to write their final
conclusions of the ones they answered YES to in their results. (They record these items in the
writing space at the bottom)

Conclusion:
Recording the items that were moved or picked up by the charged balloon (and therefore which
ones were not picked up)

Teacher says: Okay class, I am going to give you a minute to make sure you’ve circled all of
your results YES or NO, and then, for any RESULTS that you answered YES… write them in the
box at the bottom, so you can see which items are at risk for being stolen by our balloon thief!!

Then, go to closure discussion: Seen below

LAST 5 minutes – Have the students clean up their stations.

Ticket 1- put all balloons in the blue garbage bag

Ticket 2- neatly stack the paper plates of materials and put them into the garbage
Ticket 3- help person number 2 clean up and throw out the paper plates (for groups with 3
people)

Closure
Every lesson should include a closure … a closure which should connect to your outcome. This
could take many forms. Essentially it should provide opportunities for assessment, for
consolidation, for reflection and for preview of an upcoming lesson.

5 minutes – Closure Discussion

To close:
Share prediction and result findings.
What surprised you about this experiment?

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 What are some other things you think would be attracted to a charged balloon?

Materials, Technologies, Safety or Special Considerations

What do I need to prepare before I begin instruction?

For the lesson:

Balloon posters – happy balloon- neutrally charged & thief balloon – statically charged negative.
Assessment checklist for today’s outcomes

Experiment:
Balloon for each student
Handout record sheet for each student
20 plates (some materials need to be put on a plate to contain the mess)
4 small samples of each (one for each table group):
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper and cinnamon
- Paper (4 inches by 4 inches)
- Tissue paper (4 inches by 4 inches)
- Jell-o Mix (1/2 package poured for each group)
- Rice Krispies (1/4 cup per group)
- Water in a jug JUST ONE FOR TEACHER TO TRY IT and students watch
- Basin (water is poured into this while seeing if the statically charged balloon can pull the
water)
- Paper clip

Reflection
1. Were the instructional outcomes met? How do I know students learned what was intended?
2. Were the students productively engaged? How do I know?
3. Would I need to alter my instructional plan as I taught the lesson? Why?
4. Have I addressed each aspect as noted in the lesson plan format?
4. What additional assistance, support, and/or resources would have further enhanced this
lesson?
5. If I had the opportunity to teach the lesson again to the same group of students, would I do
anything differently? What? Why?

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