Lesson plan - Session: 1

Name and Surname: Bethany Decunto, Liana Decunto

Section 1
Science overarching idea: Matter and Energy

Year Level: 3/4

Liana Decunto

Learning outcomes:
Students will learn, understand, and be able to identify matter and its
three forms solids, liquids and gases.
Students will gain a basic understanding of what greenhouses gases are
and why their increased level is having a negative effect on our
environment.
Students will predict, experiment and discuss their findings of a
greenhouse gas experiment they partake in.
Students will gain an understanding of how certain activities have an
effect on greenhouse gas emissions and how they can implement more
sustainable practices in their everyday lives.
Rationale:
The students we will be educating come from a culturally diverse community
and have different life experiences. Our lesson takes this into consideration as
we aim to use objects/examples and concrete materials that most of these
students have experience with and use images and visual cues for the ESL
students and those requiring it. The lesson is focused around helping to
educate the students about the three states of matter and the greenhouse gas
effect while also trying to encourage them to engage in, and educate others
about how to engage in sustainable practices.
The lesson begins with the students being presented with objects that are from
the 3 states of matter solids, liquids and gases. The objects that we will be
presented to the students are things that they have seen before and had past
experience with no matter what SES or backgrounds they come from eg:

Session: 1

Teaching approach:
Education for Sustainability
(EFS)

Liana Decunto
How does this lesson plan connect and is consistent with
the unit of work?
This lesson is the first of three and introduces some of the ideas
that will be explored in the other two lessons. By introducing the
students to the states of matter and the greenhouse gas effect it
provides a foundation for the second lesson with a focus on
renewable energy, which can be used to reduce the greenhouse
gas effect. The third lesson will tie these two lessons together
and talk about how the effects of greenhouse gases (climate
change) is effecting matter by melting the icecaps (transforming
matter into a different state) and changing the planet.
How does the sequence of activities in this lesson plan
reflects a learning process rather than a series of tasks?
Before learning about climate change, greenhouse gases and
how to live a more sustainable life, it is important that students
understand what a gas is and understand the three states of
matter. This is why we began by introducing the students to
matter with concrete materials so that all students are able to
grasp a sound understanding. The lesson then progresses into
teaching the students about greenhouse gases where we also
include a hands on activity where they are able to see the effect
that greenhouse gases have to the temperature of our
environment. We felt it was then important to give the students
real life examples in which they partake in on a daily basis that
have an effect on green house gas emissions, so they could
take the knowledge they had just learnt and relate it to

water, pencil ect. This ensures that they know what the objects are and can something they are familiar with eg: using a heater.
grasp a good understanding of the states of matter.
How are the activities appropriate for the age group and
Teaching the students about greenhouse gases also has relevance to their diversity of learners?
lives and their community as it is affecting the planet on which they live. By We felt that the ideas of Matter and Energy and Climate
providing them with the knowledge and a concrete example of what is Change through Education for sustainability were all very big
happening to our environment from the actions of humans, the students may and would be difficult for the students to grasp a sound
take what they have learnt and educate others to engage in more sustainable understanding in only 60 minutes. We assumed that the
practices to reduce the impact they have on greenhouse gases.
students had not been introduced to these ideas, as they are not
present in the curriculum before year 3. Although we decided to
The activity where the students need to distinguish between if a certain action introduce all of these ideas, we feel as though we have done it in
has an effect or not on greenhouse gases is very important in educating the a way that is not complicated and will not overwhelm the
students on what they, their school, their families and the people of their students. We thought about talking about the different gases that
community can do to reduce the greenhouse gas effect on a small scale, but make up the greenhouse gases and the actions that cause these
also have a large impact and make a difference.
on a larger scale eg: burning coal, however came to the
conclusion that this would be inappropriate for the year level and
The teaching approach Education for Sustainability is reflected in the lesson confuse the students. We believe that having tangible objects
plan as we are aiming to equip the students we are teaching with the skills to that the students can touch to distinguish if they are solids,
become informed, caring and effective citizens. We are doing this by educating liquids or gases and having a hands on activity to show the
them about the greenhouse gas effect and then discussing ways in which they effect of greenhouse gases would be beneficial to the students
can reduce their effect on the environment by implementing more sustainable and help them develop an adequate understanding of the
practices in their everyday lives. The skills that we are aiming to teach the concepts being taught/explored. By having the students partake
students will extend beyond the classroom and hopefully help them to engage in an activity where they are given actions in which they engage
in, and also encourage others to engage in a more sustainable life in order to in and giving them the opportunity to distinguish between if these
reduce the carbon footprint in their environment/neighborhood. By having have an effect on greenhouse gases or not, while also
discussions about how we can make an action more sustainable, we are developing ideas of how they could improve actions that do have
allowing the students to generate their own ideas instead of forcing out own an effect is also appropriate to the learners, as they can help
upon them.
each other to come to a conclusion and develop ideas from their
peers about substituting actions that they are familiar with.

Lesson plan - Session: 1

Name(s) and Surname(s): Liana Decunto, Bethany Decunto
Section 2
Specific and detailed activities (600 words)

Introduction: 5 minutes
Students will be presented with objects that reflect the three states of matter: Liquid (water, milk), Solid (rocks, pencils, toy car),
Gas (air, helium balloon). Students are given the opportunity to touch, lift, and interact with the objects.
Do you know what all these objects have in common?
Development: 15 minutes
Students will engage in discussion with the teacher:
Matter is something that takes up space: You are probably wondering why they all look so different if they are made of the
same things?
Everything around us is made up of matter, just in different shapes and forms.
Matter is made of tiny particles called atoms (Appendix 1).
Matter can be grouped into three main states: solid, liquid and gas (Appendix 2).
Solids:
A solid is something that doesn't change shape when you move it or put it in a container. This is because the
atoms in solids are packed closely together and do not move around (Appendix 3).
A solid can only change shape if it is forced eg: if it is broken or smashed.
If you look around you can find many examples of solid objects
Liquids:
Another state of matter
Atoms are still close together but they can move around (allows the matter in a liquid to flow). (Appendix 4)
Because they do not have their own shape, they take their shape from their containers.
Can you think of any liquids?
Gases:
Don't have a definite shape.
Will completely spread out to fill the container they're in - can spread infinitely (Appendix 5)
Air is a gas, you cannot really see gases, but they are still there. Examples. Oxygen, carbon dioxide, water
vapour.

Challenge students: What about fire? What type of form of matter is fire?
Some gases in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases.
Outline what a greenhouse is (Appendix 6).
Discuss how If there were no greenhouse gases, the Earth would be too cold. But too much greenhouse gas can make it
too hot. At the moment, we are producing too much greenhouse gas, so the temperature is rising and it is getting too hot,
which is damaging the environment.

Consolidation: 35 minutes
Activity 1: Observe the Greenhouse Effect in a Jar
Prior to taking students outside, the teacher will discuss how to read a thermometer.
The students will be brought outside, and grouped into 3 groups. Each group will be handed, 1 jar and 2
thermometers. Each student will be handed a worksheet (Appendix 7).
Students will predict what will happen
Lay the thermometers in direct sunlight for 3 minutes
After the three minutes have passed, read and record the time and thermometer temperatures in the notebook.
Place one of the thermometers in the jar or container and seal. (Making sure the lid doesn't cast a shadow on either
thermometer)
Record the temperature of the thermometers every minute for ten minutes.
Discuss how the container affected the temperature of thermometers. How did the temperature inside the container
change compared to outside the container? Relate this to Earth.
Modifications/Adjustments: If there is no sun, students will remain in the classroom and heat lamps will be provided.

Activity 2: Affect or No Affect and What can we do?

On one side of the room have affects the greenhouse gas process and on the other side have Doesnt affect the
greenhouse gas process
Give examples and ask the students to go to the side of the room where they think the effect of that activity best fits
eg: driving to school
Allow for debate, if the activity does affect greenhouse gas emissions then have a discussion about the things the
students can do to reduce their effect on the green house gas process.

Conclusion: 5 minutes
Each student in the group is to share one thing they have learnt from today's lesson, or one thing that they are confused about.

Extra Resources:
Water
Milk
x3 Rocks
x1 packet of pencils
x1 Toy car
x1 Helium balloon
x4 Jars
x8 Thermometers
x4 Timers

Attachments:

Appendix 1:

Appendix 2:

Appendix 2:

Appendix 3:

Appendix 4:

Appendix 5:

Appendix 6:

Appendix 7: