Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Nina Collins Date: 2/19/23

Group Size: Whole group Allotted Time: 30 minutes Grade Level: 2nd grade
Subject or Topic: Science (Earth)

Common Core/PA Standard(s)

3.3.2.A- Use information from several sources to provide evidence that Earth events can occur
quickly.

Learning Targets/Objectives
● Students will be able to use playdough to represent the Earth's rotation around the sun.
● The students will be able to explain what causes day and night.

Formative Assessment Approaches Evidence observation or method of collection

1. question and answer 1. observational
2. direct questioning
Assessment Scale for any of the assessments above if needed

Summative if applicable
n/a
Subject Matter/Content to be taught in the lesson

Prerequisites
● An understanding that Earth is a planet
● An understanding that we have to keep our Earth clean and safe
● An understanding that there are other planets in our solar system
● A basic understanding that Earth is made up of water and land
● An understanding that we have a sun and moon

New Key Vocabulary

● Rotation
○ the turning or spinning of a planet
● Axis
○ line that starts at the top of the Earth at the North Pole, goes completely through
Earth’s center, and ends at the South Pole
● Revolution
○ When a planet or moon travels around the body it is orbiting one time.
● Orbit
○ a regular, repeating path that one object in space takes around another one.
 ● Simulation
○ the action of pretending
Content/Facts
● Rotation
○ the turning of a planet
● Earth rotates on its axis
● Axis
○ line that starts at the top of the Earth at the North Pole, goes completely through
Earth’s center, and ends at the South Pole
○ The axis is on a tilt
○ That's why some places are hotter than others.
○ The tilt is what creates the seasons
● Takes Earth 24 hours to do a complete spin on its Axis
● When the Earth spins or rotates, the part of the Earth facing the sun has light which
causes daytime there.
● The other side that's facing away from the sun causes darkness and is night time.
● The Earth is also orbiting (revolves) around the sun
○ The movement is called a revolution
○ One full orbit all the way around the sun is one revolution
○ The Earth takes 365 days or 1 year to make a complete revolution

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies
● Start off by spinning in front of the class
● Ask them what vocab word I am demonstrating that we learned about the first day of
our Earth unit.
○ should answer with rotation
○ If there are blank stares, give a hint that it starts with an “R”
● Play powerpoint to introduce what they will be learning about rotation
○ https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/
1reMl6GPkqgpvmPOfxb9T8W3ccfZfNRp0F2F3eUvhBVE/edit?usp=sharing
● Show them a basketball
○ ask them what the object is.
● Spin the basketball and tell them that the basketball represents the Earth
○ Ask them what the Earth is doing?
■ Should answer with “rotating”
● Ask “Did you know it takes 24 hours for the sun to rotate one full circle?”
○ Explain that is why there is 24 hours in a day
● Bring a student up to the front of the class
○ Tell the class that the student represents the Sun.
● Teacher will rotate the basketball (Earth) around the student (sun).
● Ask the students “What is the Earth doing around the sun?”
○ should answer with rotating
● The Earth is rotating around the sun.
● Ask “Did you know it takes 365 days for the Earth to rotate around the sun?”
○ Ask “How many years is 365 days?”
■ One year
 ● Today we are going to be making a simulation (to make pretend) of what the Earth
looks like in the Solar System using playdough.
● Play video to do a recap of what was just taught.
○ EARTH'S ROTATION & REVOLUTION | Why Do We Have Seasons? | The
Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz
Development/Teaching Approaches
● As you saw in the video, the Earth’s rotation causes day and night.
● Take Australia for example
○ Australia is on the opposite side of the Earth. If it's daytime here, would it be
daytime or nighttime there?
■ night time.
● “As I said earlier, you will get to make the Earth out of playdough. You are going to
replicate what it would look like during the day and night.”
● Hand out green and blue playdough to the students
● Hand out one pencil to each student.
● Hand out 2 index cards to each student.
○ Remind the students not to touch it until I give directions.
● First have students take out a blue and yellow crayon.
● They are going to color one index card yellow and the other blue to represent day and
night.
○ Give students 3 minutes to do this
● Next show students what they are going to create with the playdough.
○ Have “Earth” pre-made.
● Explain that they will be using blue and green to make the Earth. Shape the blue
playdough into a ball.
● They will be given orange and red playdough as well. They will put a small ball of
orange on one end of “Earth” to represent where we live.
● Once everyone is finished, demonstrate what they will be doing with the pencil.
○ The students will stick the pencil into the playdough
○ The pencil will represent the axis
■ Explain how the axis is the imaginary line that passes through the center
of our Earth.
● Then have them face the day and night drawings across from each other.
● Place the “Earth” in the center between the index cards.
● When demonstrating this, “mess up” and hold the pencil upright. Ask the class as a
whole why this is wrong.
○ They should know that the earth is on a tilt, so when they do it themselves, they
have to hold the pencil on a tilt.
● Have students do these steps and tell them to rotate their Earth.
● Give them a couple minutes to play around.

Closure/Summarizing Strategies
● In order to see what they know, ask the following questions.
○ Rotate your Earth so that it's daytime on the red ball.
○ Rotate your earth so that it’s nighttime on the red ball
● Go around and observe student responses.
 ● Tell them to notice when we are closest to the sun and when we are furthest away from
the sun.
○ Explain when we're closest to the sun, it's summertime. When we are further
away from the sun, it's winter.
● Do a recap of the lesson..
● Ask what they learned.
○ turn and talk
● Guiding questions to ask…
○ How many hours does it take the earth to make one full rotation?
■ 24 hours in one day
○ How many days does it take for the Earth to make one full revolution around
the sun?
■ 365 days which is 1 year
○ What's the difference between a rotation and revolution?
■ rotation controls day and night
■ revolution controls the seasons
● To end, tell the students they can keep the playdough. Have them put it back in the
container and put it in their backpack.
● Transition to their specials.

Accommodations/Differentiation
● use of powerpoint
● walking around the classroom
● extra time is necessary
● turn and talks
● video
● different visuals

Materials and Resources:

● Earth powerpoint
○ https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/
1reMl6GPkqgpvmPOfxb9T8W3ccfZfNRp0F2F3eUvhBVE/edit?usp=sharing
● Basketball (1)
● Mini playdough (21)
● Pencils (21)
● Index Cards (2 per group) (48)
● Rotation video
○ EARTH'S ROTATION & REVOLUTION | Why Do We Have Seasons? | The
Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz
Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels

Remediation Plan (if applicable)

Personal Reflection Questions

Additional reflection/thoughts