Inquiry Lesson Plan Template (with Four Ways of Thinking connection)

Teacher:
Content & Title:
Grade Level:
Amanda Catalina Calderon
Solar Energy:
6th Grade
Make Way for a
Sustainable Future
Standards:
(PO. 1) Identify various ways in which electrical energy is generated using renewable and
nonrenewable resources
(6.W.2) Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and
information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content
Objectives:
SWBAT identify why using solar energy would be a sustainable soultion for the Earth by using
futures thinking
Evidence of Mastery:
(Formative) Question sheet accompaning the explore portion of the lesson
(Summative) Two paragraphs that explain why solar energy is a sustinable solution for the Earth,
worth 20 points
Sub-objectives:
SWBAT define sustainability in a self made definition
SWBAT summarize what makes a solution sustainable
Lesson Summary and Justification:
The students will be learning about sustainability and how solar energy is a sustainable solution. They will
be completing two short activities, one where they will be superficially using fossil fuels and another where
they will be illiminating fossil fuel use by substituting it for solar energy. Both experiments will be simulated
and not use real energy sources. The students will be learning this in order to tie all of the information they
obtained in the previous four days. What they previously learned will help them come to the conclusion that
solar energy is a sustainable soultion and why.
Background Knowledge:
Prior to the lesson student should have a firm knowledge of what solar energy is. The students should also be
able to identify that solar energy is an alternative energy source.They should be able to know what
environments are the most sutiable for solar energy and how it is harnessed and stored. Students should also
have a working knowledge of what fossil fuels and that they release carbon dioxide when released into the
air. They may also need a reminder of the proper way to act with the materials since they will be blowing up
and popping ballons. Lastly, they will need to be instructed that the two paragraph summative assessment
should be written with proper spelling, punctuation and with 4-5 sentences per paragraph.
Misconception:
Several misconceptions could arise in this lesson.
- Students might think that a sustainable solution means a perfect solution
- Students may also also think that solar energy is the only alternative to fossil fuels
In order to correct these misconceptions, address them immediately. State that a sustainable means the best
solution avaiable but that does not mean that it may not have flaws. Also remind students of day one where
they learned about alternative energy sources and then includes other sources such as wind, biomass and
ocean tides.
Process Skills:
- Inferring: Students will be inferring what type of effect so many carbon dioxide molecules (ballons)
have on the Earth
- Classifying: Students will be classifying what sustainablity is and what a sustainable solution is
- Predicting: Students will be predicting the effect that solar energy would have on the Earth
Four Ways of Thinking connection:
The way of thinking that I choose to implement in this lesson plan was futures thinking. Futures thinking is
considering how the decisions of today will affect the world we live in tomorrow and for years to come. In
the lesson plan the students learn about what sustainablity means and are able to connect how solar energy is

a sustainable solution. By recalling the information from the previous four days and incorporating the new
information they learn on day five, the students will be able to write a two paragraph essay that displays
mastery of the day five objective. The essay will include futures thinking because the students will have to
explain how using solar energy is more sustainable than fossil fuels because it would create a better
environment, less pollution and less carbon dioxide emissions. In simpler terms, the students will state how
using solar energy would make a better future.
Safety:
The class with be doing two acitivies that involve ballons. One activity will be the students blowing up the
ballons and the second activity will involve the students popping the ballons. Students will have to reminded
that they will only be blowing ballons up to match the example ballon already blown by the teacher. This
will prevent ballons exploding in front of students faces. The students will have to pop the ballons with a
sharp pencil. They need to instructed that the ballon needs to held firmly down and then pricked quickly with
the pencil. The pencil is only to be used to write and pop the ballons, not to stab or poke classmates. Make
sure to get non-latex ballons to avoid any allergic reactions. Instruct students to notify teacher immediately if
they feel they are receiving an allergic reaction to the non-latex ballons.
Inquiry Questions:
1. Is it good or bad for the environment when you use fossil fuels?
2. What would happen if we switched from using fossil fuels to solar energy?
Key vocabulary: (list and define)
Materials: (list item and possible quantity)
1. Sustainabilty: maintaining the planet; acting
1. Ballons
responsibly so that the resources on the planet
2. Spinners for activity 1
will be able to support many generations to
3. Spinners for activity 2
come
4. Question sheet
2. Sustainable Solution: solutions or actions that 5. Sharp pencils
lead to decreased use of limited resoucres
3. Solar Energy: harnessing light and heat from
the sun for electricity
4. Fossil Fuels: limited resources from the Earth
including oil, coal and natural gas
5. Carbon Dioxide: a molecule that contains one
carbon atom and two oxygen atoms
Engage
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Instruct students to write a definition for fossil fuels
Write self-made definition for the term fossil fuels
and identify the three main types of fossil fuels: coal,
and identify the three types of fossil fuels
oil and natural gas
Share definition and assumed three types of fossil
Have several students share out their definitions and
fuels
the three types of fossil fuels and elaborate by giving
another definition
Hook: In the U.S., each person on average emits 27
tons of carbon dioxide every year from the fossil fuels
that we we use (The Nature Conservancy, 2016). You
are all sixth graders and around eleven years old. That
means that on average, you each have contributed 297
tons of carbon dioxide already.
Pose the first inquiry question: Is it good or bad for the
environment when you use fossil fuels?
Instruct students to come up with an answer to this
question while doing the activity in the explore stage,

Listen actively to fact about carbon dioxide

emissions and start thinking about the answer to
the first inquiry question

while also keeping in mind the fact about the U.S.

national average of carbon dioxide emissions.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
- Provide printed definition of fossil fuels, three types of fossil fuels, and fact about carbon emissions
for science notebook. Give to ELL and special needs students that need it.
Explore
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #1)
Give instructions for the first activity.
- The students will get into groups of five
- Each group will be given at least 25 ballons,
more will be passed out as needed
- Each group will also be given a spinner divided
into fourths
- The spinner will be labeled 1) Blow up 1
ballon, you used very little fossil fuels today, 2)
Blow up 2 ballons, you used the average
amount of fossil fuels today, 3) Blow up 3
ballons, you used more fossil fuels than the
average, 4) Blow up 4 ballons, you used a lot of
fossil fuels today!
- Instruct students to keep a tally of how many
ballons each person blows up
- Tell students to simply toss ballons on the
ground after blown
- Tell students to blow ballons as big as the
teachers example
- Instruct the students to each go twice and then
answer the questions on their question sheet
- Also think about an answer to Inquiry Question
#1, written on the board in case they forget

Students Will: (list all steps)

Listen actively to the instructions for the activity.
Ask questions if there is any confusion
Blow up ballons according to number on the
spinner
Keep track of how many ballons each person blew
up
Answer questions on answer sheet, glue into
science notebook when done

Allow students to blow up their ballons and play fairly.

Make sure students are not playing with ballons but
continuing with the exercise.
As students move on to the question sheet ask different
groups about the answers the got
Question sheet questions will include:
1) Who blew up the most ballons?
2) Who blew up the least?
3) How many ballons were blown up in total?
4) Looking around the classroom, was a lot of
carbon dioxide produced?
5) Is an excess amount of carbon dioxide harmful?
6) Inquiry Question #1: Is it good or bad for the
environment when you use fossil fuels?
Call students back together for explain portion
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
- Be careful when stepping around the classroom due to the ballons, still circle class to observe

students and keep them on task

Explain
Teacher Will:
Ask several groups to share their results with the class.
Count total amount of ballons blown up by the class.
Record who blew up the least amount of ballons and
how many.
Ask students to share their answers to the questions
from the question sheet, including the inquiry question.

Students Will:
Share their results about the activity with the class.
Provide verbal responses to questions on the
question sheet
Listen to the definition of sustainable solution and
sustainablity and glue term sheet into science
notebook

Conclude that whoever uses the least amount of

Explain how too many fossil fuels are obviously
fossil fuels and emits low amounts of carbon
harmful to the Earth because it is a strong and harmful dioxide is the most sustainable person.
chemical. It causes global warming and the ozone to
break apart. Also provide definition for sustainablity
and sustainable solution. After providing the definitions
ask students that based off the meaning of those terms,
which person in their group is the most sustainable.
Hand out vocabulary term sheet.
Allow students to come to the conclusion that the
person who blew up the least amount of ballons is the
most sustainable becauase they emitted the least
amount of carbon dioxide.
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
- For ELL students hand out vocabulary sheet in L1 and L2.
- Also make sure to assist students with special needs duringthe explain portion by keeping them on
task and answering additional questions.
Elaborate
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
IQ #2: What would happen if we switched from using
Listen actively to directions for second activity
fossil fuels to solar energy?
Explain that they will be exploring the second IQ in the
next activity.
Instruct students to listen to new directions for second
activity:
- A new spinner is handed out with different
Pop correct amount of ballons accordingly
labels 1) Pop 1 ballon, you installed a
photosynthetic system in your home, 2) Pop 2
Answer IQ #2 in science notebook
ballons, solar panels were installed on top of the
school, 3) Pop 3 ballons, your whole
Be prepared to share answer with class
neighborhood got photosynthtic systems
installed, 4) Pop 4 ballons, solar thermal
electicity was installed in the desert
- Tell students that as they have to pop the

ballons the have to hold the ballon tightly or ask

a group member to and then stab it quickly with
their pencil
After students have gone around twice they
need to anwser the IQ #2 in their science
notebooks

After students have completed the activity and

answered the last IQ in their notebooks call them back
for a discussion
Allow students to share what their answer for IQ #2
was and why they thought that. What did popping all
the ballons tell them? What did it represent?
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
- Collected ballon remnants as they are popped
- Allow speical needs students that are sensitive to sound a pair of silencing headphones so they can
still participate
Evaluate
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Instruct students to write two paragraphs answering
Write two paragraph essay with correct grammer,
the following questions:
punctuation, and spelling. Anwser all three questions
- Is solar energy a sustinable solution? If yes,
with support.
why?
- What makes a solution sustainable?
- Using futures thinking, how would replacing
fossil fuels with solar energy be beneficial for
the Earth for generations to come?
Ask students to hand in essays when completed
Closure:
Lets look up here and read the objective for today, (chorally) SWBAT identify why using solar energy
would be a sustainable soultion for the Earth by using futures thinking. Great now you all just wrote two
paragraphs to show your knowledge about the objective, can I get a couple people to share what they wrote.
(Allow two students to share) Great, now you were all were able to build up your responses by first
answering the inquiry questions, which by listening to your responses were also great. For the past five days
we have learned about solar energy and how it is a better choice for the environment. The main reason we
spent such a long time on this topic is because this is your Earth, you all are the ones who have to take care
of it after all the adults are gone. I wanted you all to understand how important it is to create and implement
sustainable solutions because I wouldnt want for you all to one day look up and see a polluted sky that even
the sun cant shine through. You all are now informed sustainability experts, go out and spread the word so
your children can one day enjoy all that you do.
**Best Practices List the Best Teaching Practices you will use to enhance the learning outcomes. In
each section where prompted, list the best practice, how the practices will be used and the purpose.