Unit 3 Assignment 3A

10/20/2014

Two-Week Unit Plan

Lorand Irinyi

National University

Class: TED632554011410

Instructor: Mark Powell

Learner Characteristics & Differentiation Strategies

Part of the Required Materials for this Assignment

Learner
Characteristics

Learners

Academic
Upper 1/3
Margaret

Learning Challenges

Margaret thrives
towards mastery of
subject and is a high
achiever.

Margaret is actively
involved in her schools
science club and is
strongly supported by
her family in all her
activities.

Possible Modifications

Margaret could finish her

tasks/assignments faster
than others and might
get bored.

Margaret might be
dominated by more
aggressive, but less
capable students.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Lily needs to be in an
academically strong
group to be motivated.

Day 1

Day 2

She learns best when

assigned active physical
roles.

Day 3

Margaret will be grouped

with students who will
need her help/assistance
to keep her challenged.
Margaret will be put in
group leader position to
help her develop
leadership skills and
ensure full group
academic success.

She works well in

groups and is well-liked
by her peers and
teachers.

Academic
Lower 1/3

Lily does much better

in groups than solo.

Lily

Lily gets along well

with others.

Lily needs to be
motivated to do her
work.

Lily has mild ADHD and

is not organized.

Unit
Location

Rationale

Margaret is a high
achiever willing
and able to help
others, but is not
very assertive.
Putting her in
group leadership
position would
benefit the whole
group because
she is a
conscientious
student and
would provide
academic and
group leadership
to every member
of her group,
keeping her
focused on group
activities and
preventing her
from becoming
bored.

Lily has very little

internal
motivation but
can be motivated
externally.

She is willing and

able to take

ELL
Xiao

Her learning style is

kinesthetic.

Xiao speaks only

Chinese at home with
his family.

Xiao wants to do well

at school and works
hard and diligently at
all assigned tasks.

He has some
difficulties with higherlevel academic English.

Xiao will need help with

academic vocabulary
and concepts.
Xiao will have difficulties
reading more complex
academic instructions.

Xiao needs to be in a
group to hear vocabulary
used in context.

Xiao will read the

instructions to the team.

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

direction and will

participate in the
learning process if
assigned roles
involving motion.

She will do
repetitive motiondemanding tasks
in her study/lab
group but needs
guidance/directio
n from stronger
students.

Xiao is not afraid

to ask in the
event he does not
understand a
word or term and
being in a group
his asking will
help the other
teammates to
gain deeper
understanding by
explaining
vocabulary to
him.

Xiao will be
compelled to
think both in
terms of content
and English when
reading
instructions for
his group.

Shaun has difficulty

concentrating.

Shaun has pronounced

case of ADHD.

Learning
Disabilitie
s
Shaun

He needs to be
involved in other
peoples lives and
affairs.
His primary learning
style is kinesthetic.

Shaun will have

difficulties focusing on
task at hand.

Shaun gets distracted

easily.

Shaun must be grouped

with a not-too-strong
group with a strong
leader.

Shaun will need tasks

assigned to him that
need a lot of movements
and motion in general.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 5

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Shaun has
difficulties
concentrating but
will take direction
from a strong
group leader.

He will do the
assigned tasks if
asked because he
wants to please
others.

THE Unit Plan

Introduction:
This two-week unit plan is titled Conservation of Energy. Students will combine Kinetic
Energy and Potential Energy, learned about in the previous unit, into the concept of total energy
for a closed unit. Students will view videos explicating the concept of Conservation of Energy in
authentic, real life context. Students will conduct lab experiments demonstrating and confirming
the validity of Conservation of Energy. Students will take data from experiments and compare
them to theoretically calculated values algebraically and in graphic form. Students will design
and perform experiments demonstrating the concept of Conservation of Energy using
gravitational potential energy and/or spring potential energy.

Rationale:
Students will use their prior knowledge of Motion and Forces, plotting displacement vs. time,
velocity vs. time and force vs. distance as base for introduction to Kinetic Energy and Potential
Energy. Students will calculate objects Kinetic Energy and/or Gravitational Potential Energy.
The concept that each object has a constant total energy that is made up of kinetic and potential
components will be introduced and demonstrated to students. Students will perform experiments
demonstrating and confirming the physical validity of the concept of Conservation of Energy in
small groups, providing students opportunity to discuss and re-examine all new concepts and
experiments among themselves. Students will take and graph data to deepen their graphing and
data interpretation skills from previous units. By listening to lecture, and reading, interpreting
and following written instructions in academic English, students will practice and deepen their

English listening and reading language skills. After different lab experiments, conducted in small
groups, students will design and write up experiments of their own demonstrating mastery of
content, their Algebra skills, as well as their written English language skills.

Standards:
Science Content Standards for California Public Schools Grades Nine through Twelve,
Physics, Conservation of Energy and Momentum
2. The laws of conservation of energy and momentum provide a way to predict and describe the
movement of objects. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know how to calculate kinetic energy using the formula E=(1/2)mv2 .
b. Students know how to calculate changes in gravitational potential energy near Earth by
using the formula (change in potential energy)=mgh (h is the change in elevation).
c. Students know how to solve problems involving conservation of energy in simple
systems, such as falling objects.
h. Student know how to solve problems involving conservation of energy in simple systems
with various sources of potential energy, such as capacitors and springs.

California State Common Core Standards Covered in the Unit:

English Language Arts & Literacy History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects
RST 3. Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking
measurements, or performing technical tasks; analyze the specific results based on
explanation in the text.
WHST 1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms
and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
Mathematics
M1. N-Q. Reason quantitatively and use units to solve problems.
1. Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step
problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the
scale and origin in graphs and data displays.
2. Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling.
3. Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations of measurement when reporting
quantities.

Major Content Areas:

MCA 1

Kinetic Energy

MCA 2

Potential Energy

MCA 3

Conservation of Energy

Rationale:
Science Content Standards for California Public Schools Grades Nine through Twelve,
Physics, Conservation of Energy and Momentum follow, and build on, the previous unit, namely,
Motion and Forces. This Conservation of Energy unit prepares students for the following
segment of the larger unit, namely Conservation of Momentum. The California State Common
Core standards that are being addressed and utilized in this unit, both the Language Arts and
Mathematics, are integral and indispensable to the content presentation and comprehension. The

Language Arts part addresses the reading and writing needed for the presentation of content,
while the Mathematics part is indispensible to solving the mathematical problems characteristic
to the physics content. Both sets of Common Core standards prepare students for the next
sequence of standards that will be required for the successful presentation of the subsequent
physics content material.

Final Learning Objectives/Outcomes:

At the end of the unit Student Will Be Able To:
1. Explain the concept and significance of Conservation of Energy in writing and/or orally
in one minute without prompt from teacher.
2. Solve problems involving conservation of energy in simple systems in two minutes with
80% accuracy.
3. In small groups design and document experiments demonstrating the concept of
Conservation of Energy in twenty minutes scoring no less than 4 out of 5 on student
created rubric.
4. Identify authentic applications of Conservation of Energy in real life context and
recognize the applications importance to their lives.

Resources and Materials:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Head-up projector with computer and Internet connection.

Physics videos (PhET and other educational sites).
Appropriate existing lab equipment (balls, marbles, inclined planes, stop watches, etc.).
Lab handouts.
Vocabulary handouts
Day 1
MCA1

Learner Outcome:
Students will have accessed prior knowledge of Newtons Laws, velocity and momentum by the
end of the first class period.
Pre-Assessment Activity:
Students will observe teacher rolling a ball on the floor with different speeds and bouncing off
the wall. Students will observe lab collision cars collide with different speeds.
Procedure/Activities:
After having observed teacher rolling the ball on the floor and the collision of the lab cars
students will be assigned into groups of four and perform the same activities. Students will roll a
hard rubber ball against a book standing on its edge, and try to knock it over by slowly
increasing the velocity with which the rubber ball is rolled. Every group will have two collision
cars on tracks and will roll the cars against each other till one of the cars gets knocked off the
track. Students will be asked to roll both cars, and then only one car to have the same effect.
Rationale: Students need to see that colliding the two cars can have the same effect whether both
cars were moving or one was stationary and only one was moving.
Assessment: Students will discuss their findings among their group mates and write their
findings into their lab books. Teacher will ask students using name cards to read and explain their
lab book entries.

Day 2
MCA 1
Learner Outcome:
Student will be able to define and explain the concept of kinetic energy.

Procedure/Activity:
Prior knowledge from yesterdays lab car collisions will be activated. Students will be asked if
they know anyone who was in a car accident; or any of them ever ran into something/one; or
something/one ran into them. A short video will be shown with real life collisions with different
velocities and their effects. The term kinetic energy will be introduced, defined and the formula
E=(1/2)mv2 elucidated. A second short educational video will be shown with real life examples
and illustrations of kinetic energy with the new vocabulary and formula voiced and displayed
prominently throughout the video. Vocabulary handouts will be distributed with definitions.
Rationale: Students need to have the demonstrated/observed phenomenon defined verbally and
mathematically.
Assessment:
Each group will be given the mass of different objects/vehicles and the velocity with which they
travel and will calculate the kinetic energy of each object. Students will discuss and explain why
a smaller/lighter object can have a larger kinetic energy than a much larger one.

Day 3
MCA 2
Learner Outcome:
Student will be able to identify the difference between kinetic and potential energy.
Procedure/Activity:
Teacher will drop different objects from different heights on table and floor. Then teacher will
drop objects from the same height on table and floor. Teacher will drop hard rubber ball from

same height on table and floor. Students working in groups of four will discuss what they
observed. Teacher will call on random students using calling cards to explain what was observed.
Teacher will call attention to the fact that no object was pushed or otherwise given speed by him,
yet they started to move. Students write their explanations individually in their lab books. Video
will be shown with various falling objects. Students attention will be directed to stationary
objects that will start moving without any observable push from anyone/thing. Prior knowledge
will be activated about kinetic energy. New non-kinetic energy will be named potential energy.
Rationale: Students must be able to differentiate between kinetic energy and potential energy.
Assessment:
Students will elucidate examples of kinetic energy and potential energy from real life.

Day 4
MCA 2
Learner Outcome:
SWBAT calculate changes in gravitational potential energy near Earth by using the formula
(change in potential energy)=mgh (h is the change in elevation).
Procedure/Activity:
Students will activate prior knowledge about motion and forces. Students will know that there is
gravitational force acting on every object on the surface of the Earth (F=mg). This force acts
along the distance the falling objects travel. The gravitational force times the distance is the
potential energy. Teacher will demonstrate the increase of potential energy by dropping a
textbook onto the table from increasing heights. Lab groups will conduct small experiments of
their own demonstrating the direct relationship between height and potential energy. Potential

energy will be defined as the factor of the gravitational force acting on every object at the surface
of the Earth and the distance from the surface of the Earth.
Rationale: Students will get clear definition, oral and mathematical, of potential energy.
Assessment:
Students will describe and explain potential energy and will calculate various objects potential
energy.

Day 5
MCA 3
Learner Outcome:
Individually, SWAT orally define kinetic energy, potential energy and the concept of
conservation of energy within 2 minutes with no more than one prompt from teacher.
Procedure/Activity:
Students will activate prior knowledge about motion and forces. Teacher will drop objects from
different heights and will ask students to calculate the velocity of objects at the point of impact.
Teacher will solve guided problems to solve for velocity applying prior knowledge of motion
and forces. Students will work in small groups and will help each other to solve the problems, or
teacher will help as needed. Having found the velocity of objects at impact, teacher will ask to
solve for the kinetic energy of objects. Prior knowledge about kinetic energy will be activated.
Teacher will distribute handouts to students with sufficient data and students will calculate
kinetic energy of objects on handouts. Teacher will hold same objects at measured heights and
ask students the potential energy of objects. Prior knowledge of potential energy will be activated
and students will calculate potential energy of objects. Teacher will distribute another handout

with sufficient initial conditions to calculate objects kinetic and potential energy. Students will
be asked if they noticed anything regarding the objects kinetic and potential energy. Students
will note that the two values are the same (almost impossible to miss). Teacher will ask students
in small groups to provide an explanation for this. Students will discuss this among themselves.
Teacher will ask students from different groups to give their explanations to the class without
teacher making any comment. A short video will be shown about the concept of conservation of
energy with all vocabulary prominently displayed during the video and clearly enunciated by the
narrator. Teacher will drop objects again and redefines the concept of conservation of energy
while dropping objects to illustrate the concept in action.
Rationale: Students calculated objects kinetic and potential energy at maximum points (release
and impact) to see that the values were equal. It was demonstrated that energy was not created
or destroyed, but merely transformed/conserved.
Assessment:
Teacher walked among groups and observed work done by students. Where needed, teacher
activated prior knowledge and clarified concepts. Teacher was observing ease/difficulty
encountered by groups; and provided assistance/clarification as needed. Before the end of class
period students were asked individually to explain to class the concepts of kinetic energy,
potential energy and conservation of energy.

Day 6
MCA 3
Learner Outcome:

Individually, SWAT solve 5 problems on a worksheet involving conservation of energy,

differentiating between the falling objects kinetic and potential energy, in 7 minutes, while
scoring at least 4 out 5.
Procedure/Activity:
Students will be asked if they have ever seen a rockslide; or an earthquake; or an avalanche.
Students will write individually their explanations where the destructive energy of rockslides,
earthquakes or avalanches came from. Students will be called upon randomly, using name cards,
for their explanations to whole class. Students will be asked to provide other similar examples.
Teacher will solve guided problems of using concept conservation of energy. Falling objects
kinetic and potential energy components will be calculated, calling attention to, and emphasizing
importance of the v2 (exponential) factor of the kinetic energy component. A falling object will
have half of each energy component at the half-way point, but its velocity is not going to be half
of the final velocity. Teacher will ask for explanations why that is. Teacher will repeat this till the
subtle point is clear. Teacher will solve guide problems this time finding positions of falling
objects where the objects velocity is half of the final one.
Rationale: Students must be careful not to make the common mistake of assuming that half of the
kinetic energy corresponds to half of the falling objects velocity. Students must be guided
through problems of this nature repeatedly.
Assessment:
Teacher assesses general comprehension of presented concept by asking questions while solving
guided problems and listening to students answers and explanations. Teacher does not progress
with problems until 80% of answers are correct.

Day 7
MCA 3
Learner Outcome:
In groups of four SWABT graphically represent and compare data taken in lab with theoretical
data with no more than 7% deviation between the two in 25 minutes.
Procedure/Activity:
Teacher will roll different marbles and steel balls off an inclined plane and let them roll on the
table and onto the floor. After three different rolls he will ask what was the velocity of the
balls/marbles rolling on the horizontal table surface. He will pause and then roll three different
balls/marbles down the inclined plane and onto the table and let them fall off the table. He will
ask students leading questions using the recently presented content of conservation of energy
randomly using name cards. Teacher will proceed when 4 out of 5 students answer correctly. Lab
handouts will be distributed on which there will be a vocabulary section. On lab handouts will be
written instructions for the lab experiment to be conducted in groups of four. Teacher will read
aloud the instructions for the class, then asks groups to read it again among themselves. Teacher
will ask if instructions are clear and understood. Explanation/clarification will be given to
individual groups as needed. Experiment will involve rolling balls/marbles down an inclined
plane onto a horizontal surface. One meter from the point where the marble/ball starts rolling
horizontally there will be a mark. Time will be measured between the two horizontal points. This
time will be compared with the theoretical value of time calculated using conservation of energy.
The experiment will be repeated three times and the three measured values will be plotted
against the theoretical one.

Rationale: Students will use prior knowledge to calculate time from given distance and velocity,
where velocity will be found using conservation of energy. Reading the lab instructions will
fulfill CCSS RST 3. The mathematical calculations fulfill CCSS M1 N-Q 1., 2., and 3.
Assessment:
Teacher asks questions at every step before handing out lab procedures. Teacher proceeds only
after no less than 4 out 5 questions were answered correctly. Teacher will circulate among groups
and listen for signs of cooperation and understanding and will provide help as needed. The
completed lab handouts will be collected at the end of the class period for correction and
evaluation.

Day 8
MCA 3
Learner Outcome:
Working in groups of 4, SWAT design on a worksheet a simple roller coaster with given criteria
using the concept of conservation of energy, and explain his design in writing, in 20 minutes,
while scoring at least 8 out of 10 on the designated rubric.
Procedure/Activity:
Teacher will ask students who had ever ridden on a rollercoaster and how did they like it. An
educational video will be shown about conservation of energy using various roller coasters as
demonstration of principles. Vocabulary and relevant formulae will be displayed prominently all
throughout the video indicating the total energy of the system, as well as the kinetic and
potential energy components and their continuous transformation from one component to the
other as the rollercoasters complete their rides. Handouts will be distributed with vocabulary,

data and criteria for designing rollercoasters. Students will read the instructions among their
groups. Teacher will ask whether instructions were clear and understood. Procedures continue
only when at least 3 out of 4 in each group answers in the affirmative. Students complete design
and submit it for evaluation. Teacher will evaluate/assess each design and presents them to the
class to decide by ovation which rollercoaster had the most innovative design and will display it
on the class bulletin board.
Rationale: Students combine all new content and skills and display their mastery of concept in
their own creative way following written and oral multi-step instructions and mathematical
operations. Higher-level thinking is activated and creativity is encouraged.

Assessment:
Teacher ascertains that instructions were understood by at least 4 out of 5 students before actual
student activities commence. Teacher circulates among groups and listens for understanding and
provides help as needed to individual groups. Designs are evaluated on rubric printed on
handouts. Students partake in final/aesthetic evaluation/assessment/judging of individual designs.

Day 9 - 10
MCA 3
Learner Outcome:
Working in groups of 4 SWABT predict the distance of a metal ball/marble will travel after being
launched by a compressed spring on an inclined plane with 7% accuracy after completing
lab/experiment and document all calculations and measured data in a written report. Documented
results will be checked experimentally in class.

Procedure/Activity:
Teacher will start class by shooting balls out of spring-loaded toy cannons. Teacher will vary
elevation of cannon barrel to vary distance travelled by balls. A short physics video will be
shown demonstrating potential energy stored in springs. Prior knowledge will be activated
regarding projectile motions. The connection between mgh (gravitational potential energy) and
Fd (where F=force and d=distance force traveled) will be made. Another short video will be
shown demonstrating/illustrating projectile motions to activate prior knowledge of calculations
involving projectile motions. Teacher will solve one guided problem. Students will solve a
projectile problem with given data. Class will proceed after 80% of students solved problem
correctly. Lab handouts with instructions and vocabulary will be distributed among students.
Students will read handout individually and discuss it among their lab partners/group mates.
Teacher will read lab instructions to class. Teacher will ask each group if instructions were
understood and will proceed only after at least 3 out 4 in each group understood lab instructions.
Safety instructions will be given and asked to repeat back. Lab equipment and safety goggles
will be distributed to students. Students take all necessary measurements/data for initiating lab
experiment. Students will calculate the trajectory of balls launched by springs using activated
prior knowledge. Students will measure and record the actual distance travelled by the
projectiles, and compare the two values. Students repeat experiment as needed to have the two
values within 7% of each other. Two different launch elevations will be calculated and measured.
Students will complete the lab experiment and write-up no later than the middle of Day 10 class
period. Each groups lab will be reproduced by same group in front of the whole class, one after
the other. Group members will indicate where they predicted the balls would land, and whole
class will observe the actual landing of the projectiles visually determining the accuracy of each

prediction. After each group finished demonstrating its predicted accuracy versus the observed
ones. Lab reports will be collected for assessment. A short video will be shown to illustrate the
many forms of potential energy from chemical to elastic used and observed in real life. The
remaining few minutes will be whole class discussion of conservation of energy and how it
manifests itself in everyday life, and how it is used in our industrialized modern society for
everyones benefit.
Rationale: This activity tied it all together with activated prior knowledge and incorporating all
standards named at the beginning of the unit, while expanding on the concept of potential energy
further in its many forms in real life. Whole class evaluation of groups results is a strong
motivation for doing high quality work for each group, and source of pride in work done.
Assessment:
Teacher ascertains that instructions were understood by at least 3 out of 4 students in each group
before actual student activities commence. Teacher circulates among groups and listens for
understanding and provides help as needed to individual groups. Validity of predicted values is
evaluated in front of whole class providing opportunity and chance for self-evaluation.

Lessons Learned
Part of the Required Materials for this Assignment (DO TURN THIS IN WITH YOUR UNIT)

1.What aspects of planning the unit were most beneficial?

Defining the unit, and identifying all the relevant standards State and CCSS - that
subsumed the goals of the unit was what I found the most beneficial aspect of planning. All other
goals, plans, learner outcomes and procedures were less troublesome to deal with and plan, once
the target, the larger goal, had been clearly identified and understood. Once I knew where I
wanted my students to end up, it was easier to plan the how I wanted them to get there; and how
I would know that they were on the right path to reach the final goal; and when they finally
arrived at that planned final goal.

2.What aspect of the planning the unit will you change next time?

I would like to refine assessment further to reflect even more the differentiated
instruction and assessment needed for UDL, and accommodate even further the needs
characteristics and different learning styles of all students.

3.How did the Learner Characteristics influence your planning?

Learner Characteristics influenced my planning in a fundamental way. I planned

teaching/learning activities and procedures with the different Learner Characteristics in mind. I
was fully and keenly aware that some students had to move far more than others; others needed
to see and hear new vocabulary and terminology more often than others; others needed to be in
an environment where they would be motivated to learn. Whenever I planned either an activity,
or an assessment, I had Learner Characteristics in front of my eyes.

4.Rate the level of support each Major Learner Outcome will provide students for
achieving the End-of Unit Learner Outcome with:

5 representing MLOs build upon each in developing

knowledge, skills and affect

3 representing MLOs will hopefully work together.

1 representing very little relationship.

All Major Learner Outcomes build upon each in developing knowledge, skills and affect.
MLOs were designed to build upon each other to develop knowledge, skills and affect.
I would rate each MLOs 5.
5.Rate the level of student engagement which your Major Learning Assessing
Activities create; with:

5 representing hands-on, a lot of learning style variety,

influential

1 representing routine paper work

Day 1: 5
Day 2: 4
Day 3: 4
Day 4: 4
Day 5: 4
Day 6: 4
Day 7: 5
Day 8: 5
Day 9: 5
Day10: 5

THE END

Professor Mark Powell returned "Week 3:

Assignment 3A" to the Dropbox

Comments: Lorand, nice work and you can take pride in

knowing that your efforts in the class will help you to

make a positive contribution to the educations of
students. Would it be okay with you if I used your paper
as an example of good work for future classes/students?
You have done well in this class so far. You have
successfully designed a unit plan based upon the
information presented in this course and have
demonstrated that you understand the fundamentals of
lesson plan design. You have an appropriate number of
learner outcomes. You have highlighted the (big ideas)
and have found the proper content area standards. Once
again, you have written an excellent paper and it is
always a pleasure to see that, the information gained
from this course will be used by students in practical
application.
Yesterday 11:28 AM