By Amanda Best

Part I
Concept: Energy
Grade Level: Fourth Grade
Summary/Rationale: I chose to focus on the concept of Energy because many of the Fourth
Grade Next Generation Science Standards are about energy or could relate to energy. I read
that NYS is in the process of adopting the NGSS with some adjustments. Therefore, if I stay in
New York, I will already have part of a unit planned that covers the standards! The three lessons
I planned taught three standards from the energy section of the NGSS. I believe I could create a
lesson for the other standard in the energy section. Additionally, I found that some of the
waves standards could be incorporated into the energy unit.
I also decided on the concept of energy because it is the first time students are really
expected to know what energy is and what it does. Before fourth grade, very few standards
relate to energy and the ones that do expect students to understand small parts of energy, like
sunlight, but dont even label it as energy. In fourth grade, students are expect to be able to
develop an understanding of what energy is and what it can do. This introduction to energy is
essential so that it can be built upon with further complexity in later grades.
Additionally, I did a little research and found that energy or electricity is a common topic
in fourth grade. The teachers at my school and in my district teach it. Lots of fourth grade
teachers all over the country teach it as well, therefore it seems to be developmentally
appropriate for fourth grade.

Part II

Activity 1: Speed and Energy of an Object in Sports Videos.

Common Core Standards Connection: 4-PS3-1. Use evidence to construct an explanation
relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.
Student Learning Objective: When given two videos and a facts sheet, write an explanation on
how the speed of an object relates to the energy of that object using three or more pieces of
evidence gathered from the videos and fact sheet.
Academic Language: Kinetic energy, speed, mph (miles per hour)
Essential Questions: How does the speed of an object relate to the energy of the object?
Learning Tasks/Instructional Strategies: I start the lesson by telling the class we are going
outside for just the beginning of the lesson. I bring out some tennis balls and have them partner
up. I tell them to sit down 15 feet apart with their legs out straight in a V. I tell them to roll the
ball slowly to their partner and then back. Then I tell them to roll the ball fast to their partner
and back. I tell them to bring their balls over and collect them. As we walk back inside I say to
the students that I want them to think about the energy the ball had when they were rolling it
slow and fast.
We walk inside and the students sit at their desk. I ask the same question and call on
some students to answer. I am looking for an answer relating to Kinetic Energy, but not
expecting the students to know it. (The students will have watched this video
(https://youtu.be/8qGyD9Y7SJA) introducing them to energy in an earlier and have been
exposed to the idea of kinetic energy.) So I write on the board kinetic energy and ask if anyone
knows what it is or remember from the video. It is the energy of movement. Today we are
going to investigate how the energy of an object in motion relates to the speed of an object.
The faster the speed of the object the more energy it has. So I ask the students, if an object is
moving slowly how much energy does it have? You are going to writing an explanation relating
the speed and energy of an object in some short sports videos.
There will be four groups, two groups are going to watch videos about baseball and two
groups will watch them about lacrosse. The videos will be a fast shot or pitch and a slow shot or
pitch. The baseball pitches are at https://youtu.be/CXirBh28LNk and
https://youtu.be/f2X5AxXM_z0. The lacrosse shots are at https://youtu.be/6Tf74fp0GQ0 and
https://youtu.be/vVel3L1PV4c. They will watch two videos and have a fact sheet, see
Appendix A. Using these resources they will have to construct a written explanation relating the
speed of an object to the energy of that object using three or more pieces of evidence. They
will take notes in their science notebook during the video about the speed of the objects in the

video and about the information I gave them. They will have a few minutes to talk about each
video with their group after they watch it.
I will then break them into four groups, have them get
their science notebook and get together. I hand out
Ipads/computers with the videos already loaded and the
information sheet located in Appendix A. They are given a few
minutes to watch the video and discuss with their group. Then
they switch to the other video of the same sport, again they
have a few minutes to watch the video and discuss.
I inform the class that the video they just finished, is the video they will have to write an
explanation for relating the speed of the ball to the energy of the ball. I give them another few
minutes to discuss with their group what evidence they will use and then have them share out
with the class. The students may offer suggestions or ask questions. Then I will pick up the
Ipads/computers and send them to their desk to write their explanation in their science
notebook. After they have written their explanation they turn in the notebook. I close out the
lesson by now asking them to compare the energy of the balls they threw earlier.
Assessment: The assessment will be the written explanation for how speed of an object relates
to energy. An explanation with three or more pieces of evidence gathered from the videos and
fact sheet will show complete understanding of the lesson but using less evidence only shows
partial understanding.
Other: If the students bring up that they were putting more effort into rolling the tennis ball
faster I may teach them about force. Force is when you push or pull something. And when
moving any object you apply a force. The bigger the force, the more energy the object has.
However, I plan to introduce this in the next lesson.

Part III
Activity 2: Marbles Collisions and Changes in Energy.
Common Core Standards Connection: 4-PS3-3. Ask questions and
predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects
collide.
Student Learning Objective: When given marbles to collide, correctly predict the change in
energy as the result of a collision in four out of six trials.
Academic Language: Kinetic energy, transfer of energy, force, (friction)
Essential Questions: What happens to the kinetic energy when objects collide? What factors
should be considered when predicting the transfer of energy between objects?
Learning Tasks/Instructional Strategies: I start by reviewing kinetic energy, it is the energy of
movement. We know that objects in motion have energy and that the speed of the objects tells
us about how much energy the object has. I ask the students what happens to that energy
when two things collide? What happens to the energy? Where does it go? To answer these
questions they will be experimenting with marbles to predict and tell about what happens
when objects collide. They will be flicking one marble at a stationary marble.
I tell them in their science notebook, they must make 10 predictions during their
experiments. The first five are just warm up predictions. The second five predictions must also
include, how far the marbles were apart before the collision, how hard they hit the first marble
where the energy transferred, how far the other marble traveled after the collision and if they
used a bigger marble. I show the student the material they will use, marbles and a yardstick and
give a quick demonstration. In the demonstration, I write my prediction on the board, including
how far the marbles were apart before the collision, how hard they hit the first marble and the
result from the collision, how far the other marble traveled after the collision. I leave this on the
board as an example for the class. They need to use the yardstick to make sure the marbles hit
each other and to help measure. I tell them to grab their science notebook, get into their
science triplet and find a spot for their experiment. I will hand out the marbles and yardstick
when groups are ready.
I give them 15-20 minutes to experiment, they may move the distance of the marbles,
how many marbles, different size marble, anything they can think of. I walk around observing
the groups, getting a sense of their predictions, thoughts and
understanding of the energy transfer process. After that I bring
the class back together and have each group explain one thing
they have found. After all the groups share I ask if there was
anything else the groups found that we hadnt said yet.

Then we discuss what their results meant in terms of energy transferring. If a moving
marble hits a stationary marble, the stationary marble begins to move. Kinetic energy is
transferred from one marble to the other. Most energy is transferred but a little energy may
remain with the original marble. If more than one marble was hit, some energy transferred to
all the marbles. One part of the prediction that I told them to record was how hard you hit the
marble, this is called force. Force is when you push or pull something. And when moving any
object you apply a force. The bigger the force, the more energy. We already know a faster
object has more energy, so more energy transfers. Another part of the prediction had to do
with distance, when objects were farther apart the first marble had less energy to transfer. If
they were close then the marble had lots of energy to transfer. (I will tell them about friction
slowing the marble down, if they ask. But I would rather not introduce another factor in the
lesson.)
Then I would ask if anyone noticed any other type of energy that was produced by the
collision. (I am looking for sound.) If not I give a demonstration and tell them to focus on their
other senses, not sight. Someone hears the collision and I tell them that sound is a form of
energy produced during a collision. Then I ask them, if I collided the marbles together with a lot
of energy, what would you predict the sound to be like? (loud) What if the collision only had a
little energy? (soft/quieter).
To end the lesson I will do one final demonstration, I tell them the marbles will be a
certain distance away and I will be putting a medium amount of force when I flick the first
marble. Before doing the demonstration, they will have to make a prediction and explain their
reasoning. They hand in their notebooks and may get a good view of the demonstration. I do
the demonstration and then have the students clean up all the materials.
Assessment: The assessment will be the final 6 predictions, the second set of five from working
in their groups and one from my demonstration. The predictions take into account the distance
between marbles, the force applied, the type of marble and the transfer of energy. The final
predication should have a sound reasoning as well. I should be able to compare the predictions
and results to see if the students learned what I was trying to teach.
Other: Bringing up the point about sound transferring energy can lead to a lesson transfer of
energy through sound, 4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be
transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents. That can lead to a
lesson about sound waves, wavelength and amplitude. Part of another fourth grade standard,
4-PS4-1. Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength
and that waves can cause objects to move.

Part IV
Activity 3: Transferring Energy from Place to Place: Building a Circuit
Common Core Standards Connection: 4-PS3-2. Make observations to
provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by
sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
Student Learning Objective: When given the components of a circuit
(battery, wire, light), diagram a circuit that shows the transfer of energy
through electrical currents using all the necessary components in the
correct placement.
Academic Language: Electrical energy, circuit, electrical current, transfer
of energy
Essential Questions: How is electrical energy transferred from place to place? What are the
parts of a circuit? How does a circuit transfer electrical energy? What is electrical current?
Learning Tasks/Instructional Strategies: First, I start the lesson by reviewing how energy is
transferred through contact. Then I explain that today we will be experimenting with electrical
energy. I ask if anyone knows how we use electrical energy? How we get electrical energy? How
electrical energy is transferred? I tell the students they will work in their science triplet. I tell
the students they will be experimenting and trying to move electrical energy from a source, a
battery, in order to light up a bulb.
I show them the materials they will be given as Im explaining them. The materials
include some wires, a battery, a bulb, and some electrical tape. I tell them for each attempt,
they will have to diagraph it in their science notebook and write if it works or not. I tell them to
get with their group and I will pass out the materials. I give them very little directions and
instructions to allow them to explore and work through their problems. I walk around getting a
sense of the students thoughts on transferring energy and connecting the battery and bulb. I
give them about 20 minutes or when most groups have lit their bulb, and drawn their diagrams.
I have everyone put down their materials and focus on the board. I introduce the word
circuit, and explain that they just built a circuit. I explain that electrical energy moves in a
circuit. I draw a circuit on the board. I explain the different
parts of a circuit, how they work and how they have to be
attached. Electrons are what create electricity, they leave
from the negative side of the battery and flow through wires
into a lightbulb and then back through a wire into the
positive side of the battery. In order for the lightbulb to light,
the path must be connected and complete. If so, then there
is an electrical current, the electrical current is the flow of

electricity through wires, it is what lights the bulb. We discuss for a few minutes and I answer
any remaining questions.
Then I give the students a few minutes to adjust their circuits and draw a final diagram. I
tell the students that to close out our lesson, each group will present their circuit to the whole
class. After the presentations, they clean up their circuit and I have them hand in their science
notebook with the diagrams. I collect the materials again.
Assessment: My assessment will be the final diagram. It will have to be drawn with all the
correct components including a battery, lightbulb and wire in the correct placement. Any
mistake in placement or missing component will show incomplete understanding.

Part V
Reflection:
I really liked this process, I found it to be challenging but crucial to my learning process.
At first, I thought the standards were a little hard but as I created activities for them I
understood the standards better. Developing a unit is tough but very doable. Its time
consuming and takes lots of revisions as you think about the lessons but can come together
very nicely. As I believe mine did. As I gain experience, I think it will become easier, especially
when I have a sense for the ability of students. It was hard for me to anticipate how much a
fourth grader know, how they thinks and do things. I am very used to kindergarten, first and
second grade because those are the students I am a TA for but in fourth grade they are much
older and capable of more. If I had more experience there I think I would have been more
confident in my ability to develop a unit.
However, I found I could easily build an even larger unit once I started. Teaching about
energy being transferred though sound easily leads to learning about the different parts of
sound waves which is part of another fourth grade standard, 4-PS4-1. Develop a model of
waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength. Additionally, I found that
integration with English, math and social studies would be easy. In my first activity using
evidence to construct an explanation, is very relatable to using facts to support your writing in
English. In my second activity the students were measuring, which is math. Teaching about
clean energy as opposed to gas and oil could allow for some social studies integration as well;
teaching about where gas comes from, the other nations, trading agreements.
I know a lot more about energy from this process. Most was a refresher of knowledge I
had learned but couldnt remember and some was brand new. I had forgotten about kinetic
and potential energy, and that electrons came from the negative side of the battery. I had
wanted to contrast solar energy with a regular battery but I learned solar energy is usually
stored in battery which then power the light or object. I thought trying to teach that might
confuse students who are just learning about energy to begin with.
Overall, I had some fun doing this and learning more about energy. It was challenging
but rewarding. I think the standards are going to help make our future students very
knowledgeable, as long as we follow them and teach them well.

Appendix A

The average pitching speed for a 10 year old is 47 mph.

The average pitching speed for MLB pitcher is 91 mph.
The fastest pitch ever recorded is 108.1 mph.

The average speed of a power shot for an 11 year old is about 60 mph.
The average speed of a power shot for an MLL player is about 98 mph.
The fastest lacrosse shot ever recorded is 116 mph.

Info from: http://www.efastball.com/baseball/pitching/grips/average-pitching-speed-by-age-group/

http://www.efastball.com/baseball/stats/fastest-pitch-speed-in-major-leagues/
http://www.majorleaguelacrosse.com/news/10124/fan-wins-fastest-shot-competition-at-allstar