Lesson Plan 2

Teacher: Miss Cooper

Grade: 10-11
Content Area: Honors Physics

1. Content and Standards:

- Modeling Workshop Program Curriculum for Physics (No classroom text)
o S3.2.10.B1 - Analyze the relationships among the net forces acting on a body, the
mass of the body, and the resulting acceleration using Newton's Second Law of
Motion
o S11.C.3.1.3 - Describe the motion of an object using variables

2. Prerequisites: Prior to this lesson, students should have a deep understanding of forces
and know how to create interaction diagrams and force diagrams. Up to this point,
students have learned how to model and solve for variables in problems of straight-line
motion.

3. Essential Questions:

- What is the relationship v and m? v and r? velocity and Fc? Fc and ac?
- How do we write the sum of forces when dealing with centripetal acceleration?
- How can we solve for normal force, gravity, an applied force, or friction in a given
situation?

4. Materials and Equipment:

Teacher:

Moodle – The LMS used in the physics department.

Handwritten copy of solutions to previous assignments such as worksheets, previously
completed class problems, and homework assignments– Solutions available to the teacher; they
can determine what level of work needs to be shown to students live in class based on inspection
and discussion.
Projector access – Allows students to see problems up on the board.
iPad – Used to project pre-made problems onto the board for students to view, available
to refer to for teacher explanation, and in the review of problems to reference back to.
Additionally, the teacher can create additional problems if time allows.
Pencil – Used to make notes on the board when students need clarification during our
discussion.

Students:
Whiteboards and Markers – Students will work on problems at their table groups.
Students will create a solution to share with their peers.
Worksheet and Pencil – For if students would also like to copy down their processes for
later review and to complete the worksheet
 5. Instructional Objective:

Students will be able to solve the first type of circular motion problem (car going through a
loop, 1 of 4) utilizing the new form of Newton’s Second Law by completing in-class
problems with 100% participation and 85% accuracy.

6. Instructional Procedures:

Before: 10 - 15 min.
Before the central portion of class begins, the teacher will take time to review the lab from last
week, NOTES 11 – 14, and HW1 – WS1 as necessary. The laboratory was completed on
Thursday of last week, NOTES 11 – 14 was HW assigned on Friday, and HW1- WS1 was
distributed on Monday. Students are continuing to be in and out of the classroom for Keystones
and COVID, so this review will depend on if there are any students in the room who were absent
for any of the above materials.

During: 45-50 min

The teacher will direct student attention to the board for introductory problem-solving practice.
Students will work in their groups on whiteboards to complete the assigned tasks. Each group is
expected to work together to come up with a solution. After each question, the teacher will call
on volunteers to provide answers or explain their work. This process will repeat with:

Introductory/Warm-up problem
Extension problem/discussion
Board Problem Solving (1,2,3,4)

The teacher will introduce concepts required for problem-solving as necessary, focusing on skill
development. The teacher will check in with groups and circle the room for all problems while
answering questions. Each situation will be reviewed for technique, clarity, understanding, and
errors. For problem 3 in board problem solving, students will complete this individually to allow
for individual check-ins.

After: 5-10 min

The teacher will wrap up the remaining problem and assign homework to students. If any
problems are left uncompleted, the teacher will post them and an answer key for students to
review. Homework will be WS2, along with a short video to assist students in solving one of the
practice problems.

7. Assessment:

Informal – While answering questions in the classroom, notes will be made as necessary. Notes
may include information on student questions, difficulties, or any other relevant information. In
observation, the teacher will make notes of student progress and, through conversation, gauge
student understanding. The teacher will also note students' ability to make connections between
circular motion and force diagrams in our previous unit Balanced Forces.

Formal – As the teacher floats in the classroom, all student groups will receive a check – in to
gauge progress with the material. The teacher has selected a variable problem that students will
complete individually; each student will show their board work to the teacher to check individual
progress, whether the student follows all concepts or needs additional assistance, to adjust further
problem-solving introduction for the upcoming lessons. The following three classes include a
derivation and variable problem, so gauging student success with the first one not only
determines understanding, but also helps the teacher know how to change the instruction as the
process repeats.

Students will continue to practice these concepts throughout the rest of the week, increasing the
difficulty of problems each day. There are four main problem types (car going around a curve, a
cart in a loop/going over a hill, gravitron, and banked curve); these will be discussed over the
coming days.

Participation will be evaluated through completion of class tasks and interaction observed with
peers and between the teacher.

This objective will be evaluated repeatedly throughout the week for each lesson in the unit. This
process comes from the Modeling Workshop Program Curriculum for Physics that is followed in
this course for sequencing.

8. Differentiated Instruction:

This lesson further deepens students' problem-solving skills in our final unit. Previously, students
have been working with Newton’s Second Law problems where no forces act centripetally.
Now, students will be completing problems where circular motion occurs.

If students need more structure to solve, the teacher can walk around to individual groups and
provide support. Additionally, the teacher can bring questions to the class's attention as other
students may be coming to the same spot and have a similar question, or it may be an essential
concept worth discussing with all. Time will be offered after school and during Flex (a period of
the day where students can come for help in their classes) throughout the week.

Students have become accustomed to working in groups, but for one problem, they will complete
the work individually for a teacher check-in. Due to COVID procedures, students should stay in
their assigned seats when seated, and teachers should refrain from leaving their desk area when
feasible.

Since this is newer material, there is no need for challenging work at this time; focus will be
placed on developing a deep understanding of the methods followed in these problems, as the
following days will build off this lesson. If time allows, students will be permitted to start WS2,
the nights HW.
 Reflection on Video Recorded Lesson 2

The learning goals for this lesson were for students to be able to solve the first of several types of
circular motion problems utilizing the new form of Newton’s Second Law. In a previous lesson,
students were exposed to a laboratory assignment in which they could make predictions about
the new form of the equation using graphing. Then, we had a lesson that included notes to tie all
concepts together. Graphing and visualization are a big part of the Modeling Physics curriculum
with Honors Physics. With solid background knowledge and interpretation skills, students build
skills as we dive into more challenging materials. This lesson introduced students to setting up
force diagrams in a new situation and allowed them to get a feel for how similar the process will
be, while also noticing the subtle differences in comparison to a previous unit.

During the class, many adjustments were made. There were only a handful of students in the
room, 6 if I recall correctly. This was unexpected; the class flowed slightly differently as a result.
Additionally, these students had been in for all previous lessons, but I was expecting more
students to return and require review of material that they either were out for the lesson on or had
questions about posted material to complete when they were out. Instead, I was able to skip over
this part of the lesson, giving us more time to complete the days' tasks.

All students were engaged in problem-solving, and one interaction really stuck out to me. The
student in the back row, whom I have worked with all year so far, has grown tremendously in
physics. His work ethic and problem-solving skills are excellent. In a more broken-down
problem, to assist students with the new process of a long problem, he was able to solve for the
final answer while I only had the first few parts on the board! I did not tell students where we
were going yet, but he was able to figure it out on his own. I was very proud of him in this
lesson.

I also really liked to see that students had “ah-ha” type moments when they could piece together
the parts into a whole for the final solution. This demonstrated progress in understanding
problem solving and students' ability to bridge connections between new and old material.

The learning goal is a continual learning goal that continued through the rest of the unit, with
more challenging problems as the week went on. Students did very well with this lesson and this
unit. Another critical reflection that I saw after this lesson was that since student skills are very
strong in the end unit, open review for the final exam, students were able to recall previously
tedious or difficult concepts early on as more accessible now.

Feedback
Based on the feedback I received on my lesson plan, I focused on how to best account for student
participation. I wanted to reach for 100% participation around the class, with a stronger focus on
check-ins whiteboard use. Throughout the lesson, students utilized the whiteboards for their
work, held them up to their peers, and allowed for quick access for me to check their work.
Additionally, since we had a small class, I made an effort to call on all students to share out their
answers as we went through, even asking them to share out their work. Adding up all of those
techniques allows students many opportunities to demonstrate their learning. Even though we did
not use worksheets, I created a “worksheet” in my plan for myself with each problem and
calculated an answer for each, so that I can not only follow student explanations/steps but see if
students can follow through accurately to the correct answer.

Classroom Environment

Based on feedback from my mentor teacher, I wanted to further incorporate the whiteboards in
the classroom again as we start the new unit and work out any difficulties. This is a procedure
students are familiar with and provides a flow to the class as students know what is expected of
them, and transitions are more manageable.

Here are two samples of student work from our problem-solving discussions. On the left is a
problem from earlier on in the class period, and on the right is the beginning of another students
work from the problem I scaffolded for students:

Additionally, I used the whiteboards to complete

the check-in with students within our class time. Here is an example of one students’ version of
the derivation. It was wonderful to see students grasping a new concept “on their own” with a
little bit of guidance. A few months ago, it might have been described as pulling teeth to ask
students to solve with only variables, but now they demonstrate that they have made significant
progress.
Based on feedback from my site director, I worked on utilizing new explanation techniques to
demonstrate content knowledge. Since this material was new to students, the teacher-led
problem-solving approach was agreed appropriate in discussion with my mentor teacher. In my
most previous formal observation, I conducted a class to highlight individual conversations and
questioning and was very successful, receiving wonderful feedback from my site director.

Performance

Lesson Planning
My lesson preparation follows the Drexel Lesson Plan format as indicated in its structure and has
a clear and measurable goal written in the lesson objective, “Students will be able to solve the
first type of circular motion problem (car going through a loop, 1 of 4) utilizing the new form of
Newton’s Second Law by completing in-class problems with 100% participation and 85%
accuracy”. Additionally, my lesson plan provides a straightforward and sequenced procedure
through the use of the Before, During, and After sequence.

Our instructional goals align with this lesson; students are analyzing relationships between
variables through forces (Newton’s Second Law and Circular Motion), to describe the motion of
objects.

During this lesson, I utilized a variety of assessment measures for students. The informal
assessment components of this lesson were completed throughout the lesson. This consisted of
taking notes, having conversations, answering questions, and gauging student understanding
through the end-of-class check-ins. The formal assessment components of this lesson appeared in
the derivation check-in students completed individually. I then checked in with each student,
putting a smiley face on the board if correct and providing any assistance as necessary. Both
assisted in highlighting students’ progress towards the end goal of being able to solve the first of
four types of problems.

In my lesson, I included adaptations for special needs and differentiation. I worded this lab so
that students can step themselves through the processes without much assistance; there is a lot of
detail in the instruction. Additionally, if students need extra help, Flex (a period of the day where
students can come for help in their classes) is always available to students, in addition to before
and after school.

Quality of Instruction

Despite this being new material in the unit, students are skilled in physics as we come to the end
of the semester. I provided a step-by-step introduction while still providing students with open-
ended questions and parts for them to ponder. Additionally, scaffolding is added as necessary.

During the instructional delivery parts of the lesson, I put a problem up on the board, varying my
voice, inflection, and walked around the room to answer student questions. I tried not to stay in
one spot for too long and to point and direct when explaining. Once student work time came, I
could engage in more meaningful conversation noted with laughter and exemplary engagement
in the material.

My communication was clear in my expectations for students through continued use of the same
procedures that students are used to now, as we come to the end of the semester. As I answered
student questions, I did my best to clarify any misconceptions. I tried my best to circle to all
tables and spend more time with students who needed further assistance to meet their needs best
when the time was available. Overall, higher-level thinking was achieved in pushing students to
apply new knowledge to a previously learned concept.

This lesson used direct instruction, whole-class discussion (small group in this class), individual
work. Students had opportunities to ask myself and my mentor teacher questions and
troubleshoot with peers. Additionally, this lesson had a visual aspect of the presentation up front
with written work and diagrams, and auditory through my explanations and our group
discussions. Overall, this was a lesson early on in the unit, asking students to apply a previously
learned concept to a new scenario. This continued with several more scenarios throughout the
week.

Throughout this lesson, I checked in with individuals as questions came up and brought up
questions or ideas to the class as necessary. This allowed students to learn from their peers’
experiences and provided opportunities to help each other if going at different paces.

Classroom Management
A and C block Honors Physics students are well-behaved and do not need much behavioral
management. Students were on task and asked various questions in various practice scenarios we
worked through. Few reminders were required to stay on task. I felt that I could manage side
conversations well and get student attention quickly by using a louder voice when necessary.

As students engaged with me upfront, I made sure to check in with them and ask for their input. I
also made sure to get affirmation from all students in the room, which was easier with few
students, on the new materials. Additionally, in working with students, I visibly show my
positive emotions for physics and our classwork.

In this lesson, each student had their own table, this is a rare occurrence! I was glad to see all
students on task despite not having peers directly with them to work with as a usual class would.
Additionally, students would turn around and talk with the person closest to check in on answers
before we reviewed as a class. I really enjoy the dynamic and work ethic I have formed with
these students.

I also feel that breaking the class up into sections, telling students what time they are required to
pay attention up front, and what time is independent or group work time assists in classroom
management. The students know what is expected and for how long, minimizing interruptions.

Professionalism
Each day I come to school dressed professionally and wearing my ID badge at all times. I used
level-appropriate language for students during the entire block and spoke respectfully.
Teaching Goals

Goal 1
My first personal teaching goal is focused on demonstrations. I want to be able to include more
physical visual pieces in discussions, which has been hard due to covid restrictions. More
recently, the school I am placed at was discussing opening up on procedures but pulled back on
that idea as many students were out of school (as clearly shown in this lesson as well). I would
like to be able to pass tools around and allow students to give them a try as well, not just watch
me, the teacher, demonstrate. We completed the whirley bob demonstration and lab in another
lesson, but revisited in this one. I would hope that by allowing students to have their own try,
they can better connect with the material. It is a difficult demonstration to do; it takes practice!

Goal 2
My second personal teaching goal is focused on incorporating the idea of cross-cutting concepts
in lessons. Recently, many students in the second semester have already taken chemistry before
physics, which was not the case last semester. There are a few references areas where concepts
can be tied together and revisited from both perspectives.

Goal 3
My third personal teaching goal is technology management. One of the most important things I
can take away from my mentor teacher this year is utilizing LMS and planning ahead. During
covid, my mentor created a variety of videos to allow students to asynchronously complete
assignments during the asynchronous time. Many of those included laboratory assignments to
complete at home, in addition to problem-solving walkthrough videos. Students have found this
very useful when missing school as they will not be behind or feel lost upon their return. I would
definitely like to make videos like these for my own classroom for if students miss class or need
extra assistance if looking at answer keys or need another explanation of a topic when working
on homework.