Inquiry Lesson Plan Template (with Four Ways of Thinking

connection)
Teacher:
Content & Title:
Grade Level:
Brianna Manheim
Science: New
6th Grade
Energy- Solar
Standards:

Strand 5: Physical Science

Concept 3: Transfer of Energy
Understand that energy can be stored and transferred.
PO 1. Identify various ways in which electrical energy is generated using renewable and nonrenewable
resources
(e.g., wind, dams, fossil fuels, nuclear reactions).
Objectives (Explicit & Measurable):
SWBAT identify how solar energy is harnessed and used in Arizona.

Evidence of Mastery (Measurable Assessment: formative and summative):

(formative) Students will fill out post its with facts they find.
(summative) Students will present a pamphlet promoting solar energy to Arizona.
Sub-objectives, SWBAT (steps that lead to completion of objective; sequence from
simple to more complex):
SWBAT research and organize data found from the internet.

Lesson Summary and Justification: (summary gives detailed information about what
students are doing. Justification why is this lesson being taught)
I chose to focus on new energy after I really learned the importance about the concept during the
assigned unit in Arizona's State University's SCN 400 course. The fact is, the word NEEDS to be less
reliant on non-reusable resources and there needs to be more of a focus on discovering new ways to
power our world. I feel that our biggest hope to reach this goal is through future
generations.Additionally, the topic focus of my lesson is innovation. This ties into futures thinking and
striving to teach the importance of changing the future to students.
This subject matters to the students because it has to do with the future state of THEIR world. I will pose
this lesson with great responsibility knowing that one of the students sitting in my class could grow up
and change energy as we know it. This lesson is related to science (how energy is converted) and social
studies (where certain forms of energy are used).
This particular lesson is designed as day 3 of 5.
Background Knowledge: (What do students need to know prior to completing this
lesson)
Students should have knowledge about reuseable and renewable
Misconception: (what possible misleading thoughts might students have?)
Solar energy is too expensive. Solar energy is unreliable.

Process Skills: (what skills are you introducing or reinforcing)

Communication

Four Ways of Thinking connection: (Provide a complete explanation of how your

lesson plan connects to futures, system, strategic, or values thinking. Define the way of
thinking you selected and used in this lesson plan. Remember, this should be included
meaningfully in the lesson plan.)
Futures Thinking/Values Thinking: Futures thinking is shown in this lesson plan through the WHY
component of the summative pamphlet. As per the rubric, students will have to explain why they think
solar energy is important and should be used.
Safety: (what safety rules and items need to be addressed?)
-Using time wisely, Staying on task, Being respectful of ones peers and the ideas of ones peers, Being
respectful of ones own ideas. Use proper internet sites. Practice web citizenship.
Inquiry Questions: (testable in the here and now.)
1. (to explore) How do the suns rays get turned into energy?
2. (to elaborate) How does Arizona use solar energy?
Key vocabulary: (list and define)
Materials: (list item and possible
1.Solar Energy
quantity)
2.Renewable Energy
1. Package of post-its per table
3.Reusable Energy
2. Various coloring utinsils (students will have)

3. White printer paper (one for each student)

4. Computer w/ wifi (One per pair of students or
one each)
5. Science Notebooks (Students will have own)
Website:
http://www.energymatters.com.au/education/sol
ar-kids-teens/

Engage - In this section you should activate prior knowledge, hook student
attention, pose a question (IQ#1) based on your lesson objective that students
will seek to answer in Explore.
Teacher Will: (hook)
Students Will:
IQ#1: How do the suns rays get turned into energy?
Alright class, first things first, I want all of you to
take out your science notebooks and open up to the
next blank page.(Wait time) Now make sure we get
the time and date listed (Share time and date). The
title of our page is Solar Energy Free Write (Wait
Time) I am going to set a timer for thirty seconds. In
that time, I want you guys to power write and draw
everything you remember from yesterdays lesson
that touched on solar power. Remember this is an
independent activity so our voices should be off and
the whels of our brain turnning. Ready, set, go!
(Start Timer) (Give 5 second count down ) And
pencils down! Just looking around I can see all of you
have done a great job. Go ahead and shut your
notebooks for now, but we are going to come back to
this page later.

Silently and respectfully free write.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

Write Time & Date &Title on the board. Practice appropriate wait time. Work the room.
Explore - In this section students should take the lead and actively use materials
to discover information that will help them answer the question posed in
Engage. Teachers may choose to give steps to follow, especially for younger students,
but the goal is for students to discover some or all of the sub-objectives of the lesson.
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #1) How do the suns
Students Will: (list all steps)
rays get turned into energy?
Lead discussion in what questions we have about
solar power. Using student imput, lead class to IQ#1.
Class , class.. [yes, yes], what are some ways we
can find out an answer to How do the suns rays get
turned into energy?........(guide discussion to:
Research) Right! We can research it! I am going to
pair you up with computers and you and your
partner will explore the site. When you find possible
answers or fun facts, write them on a post it note
and stick it to your desk. (Pair off students. )

Follow instructions and safety guidelines to

explore the provided website. Students will write
any cool facts or answers to IQ#1 on a post it
note.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

Teacher-student call outs. Pre-designated partners. Website linked to home page.
Explain In this section students share what they discovered, teacher connects
student discoveries to correct content terms/explanations, students
articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the lesson sub-objectives
by answering the question from Engage before moving on.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Call for a way reasearch checkpoint. Ask for
volunteers to read off some of their sticky notes. If
the class agrees that one fits, stick it on the
whiteboard next to IQ#1.

Raise hands and volunteer to share/participate.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

Give certan students and ELLs a heads up that there will be a discussion to
give them time to prepare.
Elaborate In this section students take the basic learning gained from Explore and
clarified in Explain and apply it to a new circumstance or explore a particular aspect of
this learning at a deeper level. Students should be using higher order thinking in this
stage. A common practice in this section is to ask a What If? question. IQ #2
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #2)
Students Will:
IQ#2 How does Arizona use solar energy?
DIRECT LEAD IN FROM EXPLAIN
Teacher will lead off of previous discussion.
Wow you guys are such great investigators! Now
are their any other questions about solar energy?
What about right here in ou state? Have any of you
ever seen solar energy in action? Raise of hands who
is interested to find out? With your partner explore
other websites to see what you find about how
Arizona uses solar energy!
After a bit, have students come back for a discussion
of what they learned.

Participate in discussion.
Investigate IQ #2 on the computer in partners.
Writing down new and interesting facts on post it
notes again.

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

Work the room. If short on time, introduce the EVALUATE section earlier and
students can add their findings into the pamphlet or onto the flyer instead of
completing the post it note steps.
Evaluate In this section every student demonstrates mastery of the lesson
objective (though perhaps not mastery of the elaborate content). Because this also
serves as a closing, students should also have a chance to summarize the big
concepts they learned outside of the assessment.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Ontroduce the pamphlet project.
First off, let me say WOW guys! youve all been
working so hard! Who wants to color? Perfect! Me
too! I am going to pass out papers and each of you
are going to take what you learned today and
make me a pamphlet or flyer. There are only 4
things you abosolutly have to include okay (write
these on the board or show rubric on document
camera) First, tell me what solar energy is, next
how does it work, why do we use it, and then what
does it look like in Arizona.
-pass out paper- (If needed, pre fold pamphlets or
guide students in folding)
Collect at end of lesson.

Make a pamphlet or flyer showing their learning.

Turn in when completed.
Rubric: 1: No information 2:Some information 3:
most information is shared-deeloping
understanding 4: Full of information, facts and
pictures-Full understanding of topic
1 2 3 4
What is it?

Why do we use it?

How does it work?
What does it look like in
AZ?

1
4
1
4
1
4

Closure: (revisit objective, IQs and make real world connections)

Okay, go ahead and pull out your science notebooks and open back up to our page from earlier. In a
different color, for 30 seconds I want you to add new things you learned, fun facts or answer the
following solar energy is used for.. and in Arizona Solar Energy looks like (Set timer for thirty
seconds) If time allows, have students share their answers with a partner.

**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.
Work the room.
Question
Practice appropriate wait times