What Is a Lesson Plan and How Do You Make One?

Lesson Plan (Primary)
Lesson title: How do some solids change into liquids? Date: Year level: 2
Topic: Change of State. Duration of lesson: 45 minutes
Links to the
Australian
Curriculum:
Learning areas Strands & sub-strands Content descriptors
Design and Technologies
Strand: Science Understanding
Sub – Strands : Chemical sciences
.
Different materials can be combined for a particular
purpose (ACSSU031) (Connor, 2011; ACARA, 2014)
Science involves observing, asking questions about, and
describing changes in, objects and events (ACSHE034)
(ACARA, 2014)
Lesson rationale: What influenced your lesson choice? (E.g. student interest, global/local event).
Global event – ice melts into water when heated. This information will be used to inform the students about solid and liquid as two states of matter.
Students background knowledge: What is your starting point? What do the
students already know? What have they done before? How does this lesson connect to
or build on their existing knowledge?
The students already know about the concepts of heat and cold. This
lesson uses that knowledge to teach them about different states of
matter.
Teacher focus: What areas will you concentrate on yourself? (E.g. classroom management, voice,
body language, student motivation).
Voice and intonation, body language, class management and experiemental
cautionary measures .
Learning objectives: What will the students learn?
 The students will learn about solid and liquid states of matter
and how these states change by the application of heat.
Learning environment and resources: Where will this lesson take place? (E.g. indoors or
outdoors). What resources will you need to have prepared?
This will be a mixed lesson where the students will be first shown a video on how heat
affects the state of materials. This will be mostly done indoors. Afterwards, the
students will be given a practical demonstration regarding the effect of heat on various
substances, which will happen outdoors.
Assessment strategies: How will you identify what the students have learnt and how will you record this?
 Anecdotal notes.
 Worksheets
 Query response.

Stage of lesson Approx.
time
Pre-service teacher’s actions
What will you do during this time?
What prompting questions might you need to prepare?
How might you assess and record student learning?
How will you cater for individual differences?
Student actions/tasks
What will the students be doing during this time?
Stage 1
Introduction
How will you gain the
students’ attention,
engage the interest of
the students and
introduce the
concept(s)?
10
minutes
The teacher makes the students sit one the mat and
asks them about their understanding of heat and cold.
Afterwards, the teacher asks them what happens when
ice is kept in the sun for a long time.
The students will greet the teacher back and answer the question that
is asked to them.
Stage 2
Body of lesson
Describe each activity
and the order in which
it will be undertaken.
25
minutes
The teacher writes SOLID and LIQUID on the board,
draws an ice cube under SOLID and a ‘Question Mark’
under LIQUID
The teacher plays a video of a chocolate melting after
being put in a microwave. This helps in gaining student
engagement (Gregson, 2012) and also shows the
benefit of using ICT in Early Childhood education
(Kerckaert, vanderlinde & Van Braak, 2015).
The teacher takes the students outside and performs
an experiement where s/he uses a blow torch to melt
ice cubes.
The teacher tells the students that it is a process called
‘melting’ where the heat has turned the ice into water.
This helps in gaining student interest as well (Gregson,
2012; Bradley & Reinking, 2011).
The students will concentrate on the videos. They will respond to any
queries asked in the class.
They should be able to identify solid and liquid by now.

Stage 3:
Conclusion
How will you draw the
lesson ideas together
so that the students
can evaluate what
they have learnt?
How will you prepare
the students for the
next task?
10
minutes
The teacher revisits the lesson and highlights key
points from the lesson and the activity. Afterwards the
students are given a worksheet to fill.
The students will demonstrate their understanding of the concept by
completing the first worksheet in the class.
Evaluation and self reflection of the lesson: How well did your lesson plan meet your lesson objectives? What aspects of the lesson worked most effectively? What aspects of the
lesson could be improved and how could they be improved? (E.g. Lesson flow, classroom management, resources, assessment of student learning).
The lesson worked most effectively when the theoretical and practical aspects were both merged together. The practical demonstration was significant in gaining
student attention and engagement. The lesson also followed the Australian Curriculum Appropriately (Connor, 2011) in terms of science education for year 3
students.
Resources is an area that can be worked upon and more ICT based resources can be incorporated in the lesson.
Follow up: Are there any areas that you feel you need to follow up with the students?
By giving them a practical demonstration with heat, I can help the children distinguish between objects that will melt and those that will burn. Similalry, I can also introduce the third state of matter,
gas, and use the smoke as an example.
Mentor teacher comments: Pre-service teacher comments: