Science K-2 Moon Drop

							                        Florida Math and Science Day 2009
                               Lesson Plan Template

                      Theme: Space Exploration

Lesson Title                Moon Drop
Grade Span                  Kindergarten
Content Emphasis            Science
Targeted Benchmark(s)       SC.1.P.8.1
Author(s)                   Laurie Ann Fike
School                      Melrose Park Elementary
District                    Columbia
Email address               fike_laurieann@firn.edu
Phone number                386 752-8462
                               Lesson Preparation
Learning goals: What will students be able to do as the result of this lesson?

The students will develop an understanding of craters on the moon.
The students will be able to better understand how craters are formed on the
moons surface.
The students will discover how objects of different weights form different size
craters.
The students will discover how objects dropped from different heights cause
craters to vary in size and depth of the crater.
The students will discover that the weight and size of the crater affects the moon
dust as it hits the moons surface.



Estimated time: Please indicate whether this is a stand-alone lesson or a series of
lessons.
This lesson is a series of lessons. This lesson would be the cumulative lesson
studying day and night sky with the focus on the moon.



Materials/Resources: Please list any materials or resources related to this lesson.
Book: “Moonwalkers: by David Getz
Sandbox Sand, Baby Powder or Flour, Large Plastic Tub, Balls of different sizes
and weights (golf ball, ping pong ball, pool ball, marble), Rocks, Yardstick, paper
and pencil for recording information (data)


Teacher Preparation: What do you need to do to prepare for this lesson?
You will need to gather materials.
The students will need to have background knowledge of the moon and its
surface.
                        Lesson Procedure and Evaluation
Introduction: Describe how you will make connections to prior knowledge and
experiences and how you will uncover misconceptions.

Prior to the lesson the students will contribute information to be placed on a
T- Chart about what they know about the moon. The chart will have “What we
Know” and “What We Have Learned”.
Reading books about the moon, fiction and non-fiction will lead to classroom
discussions about myths as well as facts about the moon.


Exploration: Describe in detail the activity or investigation the students will be
engaged in and how you will facilitate the inquiry process to lead to student-
developed conclusions.
   1. The students will sort the balls by weight and size. The students will
       discover that a golf ball and a ping pong ball may be about the same size
       but their weight is not the same. Explain that the balls represent rocks and
       other materials that are in space and sometimes crash into other planets.
   2. Sand will be placed into the large plastic container (fill about 1/3 full)
   3. Pour flour on top of the sand so that the container is about ¾ full
   4. Students will smooth the surface of the flour with a ruler (this represents
       the moons surface.
   5. The students will take the yardstick and measure 12 inches
   6. The students will take turns dropping the balls into different parts of the
       flour observing how much “Moon Dust” was created with each crater
   7. The balls will carefully be lifted out of the flour one at a time so discovery
       will be made on the size of the crater, the imprint left, how deep the crater
       went.
   8. Students will collect data on each crater and record the data on post it
       notes
   9. The students will smooth the moons surface and repeat this process as
       they drop the balls from 24 inches.
   10. Compare the data collected from each activity and lead to the discovery
       that the size and weight of the objects determines the size and depth of the
       crater as well as the amount of moon dust released


Application: Describe how students will be able to apply what they have learned
to other situations.
Students will understand what might happen when objects hit the surface of earth
or other planets.
Students will be better able to understand why certain coverings are placed on
playgrounds surfaces.
Assessment: Describe how student knowledge is being assessed at the
appropriate cognitive level for the targeted benchmarks.
The students will revisit the T-Chart and through a class discussion complete the
“What I Have Learned” section
   1. Student will fold drawing paper into ½ and draw a line from top to bottom
   2. Students will draw a picture of the object that made the largest crater on
       the right side of the paper
   3. Students will draw a picture of the object that made the smallest crater


Teacher Self-Reflection: Record your thoughts on the lesson and describe any
modifications you would recommend based on the outcomes.
The lesson was successful the students love to learn through exploration and
discovery. I would like to have three of the large containers and have the students
divided into groups to participate in this activity. The only problem would be the
expense of the flour or powdered sugar.
                     Grade Span 6-8

              Grade 6
              Body of Knowledge: Algebra
Mathematics
              Benchmark: MA.6.A.3.1
              Write and evaluate mathematical expressions that
              correspond to given situations.


              Grade 6
              Body of Knowledge: Physical Science
              Standard: Forces and Changes in Motion
                  A. It takes energy to change the motion of objects.
                  B. Energy change is understood in terms of forces—
                      pushes or pulls
                  C. Some forces act through physical contact, while
                      others act at a distance.
              Lessons should align with one or more of the
              following benchmarks in this standard:
              SC.6.P.13.1
  Science
              Investigate and describe types of forces including contact
              forces and forces acting at a distance, such as electrical,
              magnetic, and gravitational.
              SC.6.P.13.2
              Explore the Law of Gravity by recognizing that every
              object exerts gravitational force on every other object and
              that the force depends on how much mass the objects
              have and how far apart they are.
              SC.6.P.13.3
              Investigate and describe that an unbalanced force acting
              on an object changes its speed, or direction of motion, or
              both.
                     Grade Span 9-12

              Body of Knowledge: Algebra
Mathematics
              Benchmark MA.912.A.2.2
              Interpret a graph representing a real-world situation.


              Body of Knowledge: Physical Science
              Standard: Motion
                  A. Motion can be measured and described
                      qualitatively and quantitatively. Net forces create a
                      change in motion.
                  B. Momentum is conserved under well-defined
                      conditions.
                  C. The Law of Universal Gravitation states that
                      gravitational forces act on all objects irrespective of
                      their size and position
              Lessons should align with one or more of the
  Science
              following benchmarks in this standard:
              SC.912.P.12.2
              Analyze the motion of an object in terms of its position,
              velocity, and acceleration (with respect to a frame of
              reference) as functions of time.
              SC.912.P.12.3
              Interpret and apply Newton's three laws of motion.
              SC.912.P.12.4
              Describe how the gravitational force between two objects
              depends on their masses and the distance between them.
              SC.912.P.12.6
              Qualitatively apply the concept of angular momentum.