NAME OF STUDENT Chelsea Whitbeck CHILD STUDY COURSE CS 424

DATE OF LESSON 10/10/17 GRADE 4 GROUP SIZE 23

SPECIFIC LESSON Stir Crazy CURRICULUM AREA Science

Central Focus: Using the Scientific Method

Learning Objective: Students will be able to use the scientific method to conduct their
experiment, and explain the effect of water on the packing peanut and relate it to pollution today.

Learning Standard(s): NextGen Science Standards: 4-ESS2-1. Make observations and/or

measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering and erosion by water.

Rationale: Students have just started working on the scientific method. In ELA, they have
recently been talking about pollution. To combine these two subjects into one lesson, we can use
starch packing peanuts to replace the harmful Styrofoam and decrease pollution.

Materials: Packing peanuts, water, measuring cups, stirrers, paper towels, worksheet, pencil

Development/Procedures:
Introduction/Motivation
Show a clip from Wall-E. Many students have seen this movie, but it is okay whether
they have or have not. After the short clip is over, ask students what planet they think or
know Wall-E is living on. It is the Earth in the future if humans do not stop polluting.
Inform students that our experiment today is to help us stop polluting the environment.
https://youtu.be/nLx_7wEmwms
Instructional Strategies
1. When coming back from a special, call students into the classroom two at a time,
choosing their partners carefully for them.
2. Have students join you on the carpet with a pencil and a clipboard, sitting next to
their partner. Have two students pass out the Stir Crazy worksheet.
3. Go over the question being asked: How many packing peanuts can be dissolved in
5ml of water? Go over the fact that 5ml is a very small amount of water.
4. Have students turn and talk to their partner to come up with a hypothesis, or an
educated guess. Ask students their guesses, most will guess a small amount since it is
such a small amount of water.
5. Go over the materials by showing them at the front table. Each group of 2 will need
packing peanuts, a medicine cup with 5ml of water, toothpicks, a pencil, and the Stir
Crazy worksheet which will all be waiting for them at their experiment stations.
6. Go over the procedures: the step by step directions that students need to follow. Step
1: make sure you and your partners have all the materials. Step 2: note any
observations before starting experimentation. Step 3: place one packing peanut into
the medicine cup. As one partner stirs, one partner marks a tally. Step 4: Continue
taking observations as you continue to add packing peanuts. Continue adding until the
packing peanuts stop dissolving in the water.
7. Go over results: what happened in your investigation? Use details.
 8. Go over the conclusion: Was their original hypothesis correct or incorrect? What did
they learn from their experiment?
9. Have students return to their experiment stations with their partner. Remind them to
take “before” observations. Just a few minutes in, remind students that it is okay to
change their hypothesis once they have started the experimentation process, and that
they should be taking observations the entire time.
10. When their experiment is over, they may work on the Stir Crazy Reflection sheet.

Academic Language: scientific method, hypothesis, procedure, analyze, data, result, conclusion,
biodegradable, pollution.

Differentiation: Some students tend to have a difficult time following directions or remembering
the next step. The scientific method will be posted in the front of the room with each step and its
corresponding meaning. Rather than just being “clipboard cruised” by me, they may need me to
pause at their experiment station to assist them, whereas other students will not need my direct
help. For students who finish early, the reflections sheet is available to them until I call the whole
class to the carpet for discussion.

Technology Component: Students will watch a clip from Wall-E in the introduction/motivation
to grasp their attention, bring it back to something they have seen before, and relate it to real life.

Closure: Even if students are not done with the reflection sheet yet, bring the whole class back to
the carpet. Have a discussion about pollution and how harmful Styrofoam is to the environment.
Ask students why these packing peanuts are more beneficial for the environment. Be sure to go
over the meaning of the word biodegradable.

Assessment: Students will be formatively assessed by clipboard cruising: I will be walking

around the classroom to ensure that all students are following directions and understanding the
lesson. As a summative assessment, the “Stir Crazy” packets will be collected at the end of the
lesson to evaluate what the student learned from the experiment.

Re-engagement: For students who did not understand this lesson the first time, they may need to
do this experiment in a small group with me at a later time. Students may come in for extra help
and sit at the half round table with me. We will, as a group, go over what the hypothesis,
procedures, and observations are. I will have students take turns stirring so they could see that
the more packing peanuts are added, the more “milky” the water becomes. Nevertheless, they
still break down many packing peanuts with such a small amount of water.
Name ________________________________________ Date_________________

“Stir Crazy”
Question: How many packing bits can be dissolved in 5ml. of water?

Hypothesis: _______________________________________________________
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Materials: packing peanuts toothpicks medicine cup

paper towels 5ml water pencil

Procedure: ________________________________________________________
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Observations: _______________________________________
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Results: ____________________________________________
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Conclusions: ______________________________________________________
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 “Stir Crazy” Reflection

1. What surprised you when you did this experiment? ______________________

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2. Do you think these packing peanuts are better than Styrofoam? Explain. ______
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3. What is pollution? What does “biodegradable” mean? ____________________

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4. Did you like this experiment? Why or why not? _________________________

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