Differentiated Lesson Plan

Name: Madelayne Perez

Grade/Subject Area: 3rd Grade/ Science

Topic: Identify and describe the states and properties of matter.

Type of Setting: This lesson is design for a general education class with inclusion students
mainstreamed in an urban public school.
1. COMMON CORE LEARNING STANDARD
RL 3.1 Standard Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text,
referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
RI 3.3 Standard Describe the relationship between a series of historical events,
scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that
pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
Writing Standard 3.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in
which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
SL 3.1 Standard Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-onone, in groups, and teach-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building
on others ideas and expressing their own clearly.
STANDARD 6 Patterns of Change
Key Idea 5 - Identifying patterns of change is necessary for making predictions about
future behavior and conditions.
S6.5a Use simple instruments to measure such quantities as distance, size, and
weight and look for patterns in the data
S6.5b Analyze data by making tables and graphs and looking for patterns of
change
STANDARD 1 Analysis, Inquiry, and Design
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
Key Idea 1- The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of
natural phenomena in a continuing, creative process.
S1.1 Ask "why" questions in attempts to seek greater understanding concerning objects
and events they have observed and heard about.
S1.1a Observe and discuss objects and events and record observations
S1.1b Articulate appropriate questions based on observations

S1.2 Question the explanations they hear from others and read about, seeking
clarification and comparing them with their own observations and understandings.
S1.2a Identify similarities and differences between explanations received from
others or in print and personal observations or understandings
S1.3 Develop relationships among observations to construct descriptions of objects and
events and to form their own tentative explanations of what they have observed.
S1.3a Clearly express a tentative explanation or description which can be tested
2. PURPOSE - The purpose of this lesson is to help students identify that everything
around them is matter, as well as being able to describe the states of matter (solid, liquid,
gas) and how they changes.
3. Essential Questions:
a. What is matter?
b. What are the properties of matter?
c. How can we identify the three states of matter?
4. OBJECTIVES
a. Students will be able to describe what is matter.
b. Students will be to identify objects that have matter.
c. Students will be able to identify the three states of matter which are solid, liquid,
and gas.
d. Students will be able to use specific vocabulary to describe the three states of
matter.
e. Students will be able to categorize objects according to their properties.
5. Vocabulary The teacher will instruct vocabulary by using a table to encourage
organization and memorization through modeled thinking and representation.
State

Definition

Example

Solid

Has its own shape and take

up space.

Desk, chairs, other objects

around the classroom

Liquid

Takes up space but doesnt

have its own shape

Water inside a water bottle,

water in a bowl

Gas

Takes up space but usually

cant see it doesnt have
certain shape.

Take a deep breath, blow air

on hand.

Matter

Refers to that of which

physical body.

Apple, Table, Person,

Computer, Water

Shape

The characteristics surface

configuration of a thing.

Round, Square, Flat

Quantity of three

Soda in a can

Volume

dimensional space enclosed

by some closed boundary.
Atoms

A basic unit of matter that

consists of a dense central
nucleus surrounded by a
cloud of negatively charged
electrons.

Oxygen, Carbon Monoxide

Mass

Property of physical body.

Car, refrigerator, chalkboard

Periodic Table of
Elements

A tabular arrangement of
the chemical elements,
organized on the basis of
their atomic numbers,
electron configurations.

Oxygen, Carbon Monoxide

Materials

Why does matter matter? Learning Activities

Periodic table of elements
Baking soda
Vinegar
Balloon
Picture of an atom

PRE-ASSESSMENT Raise your hand if you like pizza? Who can tell me what is pizza made
of? Can it be broken down? (Dough, cheese, sauce, toppings)What are the toppings made of?
(Flour is made of eggs, water, and milk) Can the pieces be broken? Whats the smallest part of
pizza? Whats that smallest part made of?
All things in the universe are made of smaller parts, which when you add together become
matter. Today we will be talking about matter.
Procedure:
Whole Group
The teacher will read, Why does matter matter? by Kelly Hashway with the
students and will discuss the properties of matter.
The teacher will explain to the students that matter has shape, mass and volume
and will provide examples of each. (i.e. Volume is the amount of space matter
takes up)
The teacher will discuss that matter is made up of small particles called atoms.
Atoms are too small to see with the naked eye, but they are all around us.
The teacher will explain to the students that there are only about 100 types of
atoms called elements.

The teacher will show students the periodic Table of Elements. Explain that all the
known atoms in the world are on this chart. Similar to making a pizza, when you
put the eggs, milk and flour to make the dough. When the atoms are put together
they form matter.
The teacher will read some of the elements to show students what they make. (i.e.
oxygen-02)
Finish reading Why does matter matter?
The teacher will explain that in order to better understand matter the class will do
an experiment.
The experiment will consist on using the three states of matter and students will
act like scientist by making predictions as to what will happen to the balloon.
Students will discuss that when using baking powder and vinegar something
occurs. They will then write down what they think will happen to the balloon.

Questions to encourage student talking during whole group.

Using what we learned from the story, how can we identify matter around the
classroom?
What similarities can we identify in the table of elements?
What is happening to the balloon when mixing baking soda with vinegar?
Monitoring and guided practice
While students write down their predictions, the teacher will conference with
students to assess and provide support.
Teacher will facilitate discussion of students predictions.
Once students have written down and discussed their predictions the teacher will
start the experiment by pouring the vinegar in a bottle and will explain to students
that the vinegar is a liquid.
Then, the teacher will pour one table spoon of the baking soda into the balloon.
The teacher will review with students that the baking soda is a solid.
Carefully put the lip of the balloon up, allowing the solid (baking soda) to fall into
the liquid (vinegar)
The teacher will discuss what happens. (The mixture of the solid and the liquid
caused a gas to form, blowing up the balloon.)
The teacher will then encourage students to compare each others predictions to
the results of the experiment.
The teacher will then review, what is matter? What are the three states of matter?
Students that are performing above level will receive a higher level text on the
same topic.
Questions to encourage student thinking during guided instruction
Identify whether the objects are solid, liquid, or gas?
What are the basic properties of matter?
What kind of matter is the baking soda?
What is matter?

What are the three states of matter?

Independent Practice
Students will complete differentiated matter worksheets. Students will practice
what they have learned about matter.
One to one practice
The teacher will pull out students of diverse learning levels to receive guided
practice through small groups and through one-to-one instruction by completing
learning activities.
Post lesson writing task
If students are finished with the learning activities they will answer the following
writing prompt task: Do you think the balloon would have blown faster if more
baking soda was added?
Note: Cut and paste sheets were added in case of difficulty or need of further instruction.
Differentiation: The following activities were differentiated:
1. Revisiting the same text. Higher performing students will receive higherlevel text.
2. Multiple levels of learning throughout lesson.
3. Differentiated Exit Tickets
4. Differentiated homework based on performance and understanding level
as during class instruction,
Exit ticket: Students will complete the following differentiated exit tickets:
1. What is matter?
2. What are the three states of matter?
3. Both questions. What is matter? What are the three states of matter?
Homework: Students will complete the following learning activities based on levels of
understanding.
Level 1 A learning activity showing pictures of different states of matter.
Students have to identify what state of matter each picture represents.
Level 2 A learning activity, which only has the states of matter labeled.
Students have to draw a picture representing each state of matter printed on each box.
Level 3 A learning activity showing different examples of the states of matter
and its related definitions. Students have to match each definition with the correct state
of matter. Students will have to evaluate whether the examples given are solid, liquid, or
gas.