Monday, April 4, 2011
Overview of lesson plan
This unit is designed to present students with some basic concepts of solar energy (what is it and how we use it – what materials store solar energy – how the sun affects the earth and where we live – using sunlight to produce electricity – how sunlight can cause objects to change color: ultraviolet light). In addition to teacher led presentations and visual aids, students will participate daily in hands-on activities led by the teacher. Students will be guided in class discussions of the subject matter. All lessons provide modifications to include exceptional learners.
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Would you do a quick review on how to read a thermometer?
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, lesson, plan and video. The students will learn a lot for sure. I love all the details you gave! How would you modify this lesson for younger grades?
ReplyDeleteI liked your lesson plan. It went very in depth. How would you assess the students?
ReplyDeleteI really liked your lesson. How much did the solar cell cost? How would you explain the color change? I really liked your bead actvities! Very engaging!
ReplyDeleteVery organized and the concept map was superb. Question: How would you modify for an older group?
ReplyDeleteGood activities! How would you assess your students?
ReplyDeleteI think the students will really enjoy the activities in your video! Very creative...especially the solar beads. How long exactly did you leave the beads in the sun before they changed colors?
ReplyDeleteI really liked the activities, especially the solar beads. I like how the solar beads activity can be linked to safety. How would you introduce these concepts as far as discussing vocabulary and pulling in prior knowledge?
ReplyDeleteI really like your activities and the video was great! I really like the beads with the sunscreen, that was interesting. Where did you get the solar cell?
ReplyDeleteCute activities! Great unit. Are any of these activities inexpensive enough so the whole class could have a hands on experience?
ReplyDeleteVery creative lesson plan and blog. It is so detailed. My question is how can you adapt this for lower level learners?
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone for your nice comments. Since everyone seems to be asking similar questions I will address them together.
ReplyDeleteThe solar cell came from Radio Shack. The cost was $20. It contains 4 different activities - motor with fan blade attachment and pinwheels, light bulb, and music box. It also gives suggestions on other objects that can be used to demonstrate solar energy. The solar beads came from Hobby Lobby. A box of about 25 beads costs only $3 and change. You can expose the beads to UV light 50,000 times before they stop reacting. The beads are imbeded with a chemical that reacts to the UV light.
Tiffany: Reviewing how to read a thermometer will be part of the instruction for the first day.
Laura: To modify for younger students, I would demonstrate the hook-up for the solar cell and let them do a hands-on with the solar beads and the sunscreen and sunglasses.
Jordy and Jessica: I will use the daily activity record sheets and class participation as part of their assessment.
Jannie: Part of that days instruction is the chemical reaction that occurs between the beads and the UV light.
Elizabeth: For an older class, I would go further into the different uses and practical applications of solar cells. An assignment could be to ask students to develop an idea for an alternative to using electricity for a common appliance/electronic device.
Derika: I left the beads in the sun for 2-3 minutes. The ones with the SPF4 began to change color almost immediately when I exposed them.
Cindy: In each days lesson we will discuss vocabulary words that are pertinent for that day. Several vocabulary words will be used daily which will reinforce them in the student's (hopefully) long term memory.
Stephanie: You could definitely use the solar beads as a whole class activity. Each student could be given 4-5 beads for an experiment. An entire class can participate for less than $20.