Physical Science: Conservation of Matter

Introduction

The lesson plan under consideration is thoroughly prepared and balanced to meet both the individual and collective needs of students. The latter condition adds to its cultural relevance and thereby increases the productiveness of performed tasks. Meanwhile, the benefits of this program are not limited to the above provisions since it also incorporates suitable instructional strategies for building skills and enhancing the understanding of the subject. A detailed examination of this plan’s mentioned characteristics can demonstrate its practical application advantages. Therefore, the proposed lesson is efficient in terms of cultural responsiveness, the correspondence of materials and tasks to the objectives, and the measures to overcome possible challenges of an unexpected nature.

The Importance of the Lesson

Studying the Law of Conservation of Matter as per the designed plan is beneficial for students since it correlates with the principles of a proper organization of the classroom and strategic approaches to managing activities. Thus, the lesson is efficient because the virtual learning process of such a critical topic for the end of the course is underpinned by visuals, tests, and other applicable materials. Its significance is also explained by the incorporation of cooperative modes of work, interaction at different levels, including individual, pair, and group tasks, and a variety of direct and indirect methods of testing comprehension. The mentioned strategies contribute to a positive outcome of the lesson and, consequently, enhance the knowledge of the subject. From this point of view, the importance of the suggested lesson is conditional upon the increased productiveness of elaborated measures for revising the previously studied topics and adding new pieces of information for general expertise.

Cultural Responsiveness/Relevance

The proposed lesson plan is designed to not only increase the overall productiveness of work but also to respond to the current cultural needs of students effectively. This decision corresponds to the findings of the scholars who claim the dominant role of one’s background when studying science, especially with regard to people of color (Brown & Crippen, 2017). First, the requirement of direct experiments in contrast to the perceived benefits of indirect learning is addressed by including all participants in discussions and creating informal assessment tools (Brown & Crippen, 2017). Second, the definition of leaders among students to accelerate learning correlates with the need for an appropriate exchange of information among them (Brown & Crippen, 2017). Third, community building through enhanced interactions is ensured by incorporating group work (Brown & Crippen, 2017). In this way, the lesson can be viewed as culturally responsive and relevant since its essential components are in line with the evidence provided by the study.

Curricular and Pedagogical Choices and Instructional Materials

Its suitability defines the curricular and pedagogical choices made to create this lesson plan for its objectives. Thus, the former is reflected by the considerations of relevance to the learners’ everyday experience, as can be seen from the emphasis on real-life situations demonstrating the applicability of the Law of Conservation of Matter. Their compliance with the curriculum is confirmed by the research, which states that the practical aspect of the process is important for students’ willingness to cooperate with the teacher for the acquisition of knowledge (Morales-Doyle, 2018). In turn, the latter is individually-oriented and connected to the balanced distribution of time for a wide range of activities, which develops both basic skills related to the subject and allows mastering the course. As for the selection of the instructional materials, it was made with a focus on both the topic and the areas of concern related to students’ needs for remediation. Hence, the culturally responsive approach is demonstrated by the expected positive impact of the above elements on learners’ perceptions.

Challenges and Apprehensions

The potential challenges, which can emerge in the studying process of the unit and, more specifically, in this lesson, are related to the failure of some students to rely on the previously studied materials. However, it is adequately addressed by the suggested use of the Common Formative Assessment, which is aimed at assisting the remediation group, which will be revealed in the course of the evaluation. Meanwhile, there is also a possibility of reading difficulties, which require a more complex approach rather than the application of testing instruments. The risks related to this aspect can be eliminated through repetitions and prior listening before starting to work on the tasks at hand (Akyol & Boyaci-Altinay, 2019). This way, the methods described will be culturally appropriate and effective in meeting everyone’s needs.

Conclusion

To summarize, the developed lesson plan is vital for acquiring new knowledge and testing the students’ capability to rely on the already examined materials. This project is culturally responsive and relevant because it provides the opportunity to see the practical implementation of information and is based on the support of students with varying needs. The curriculum is also elaborated with respect to real-life situations, the suitability of activities for everyone determines the pedagogical choices, and the instructional materials are in line with this aim. The possible problems are reading difficulties and insufficient knowledge, which are addressed by repetitions and remediation initiatives.

References

Akyol, H., & Boyaci-Altinay, Y. (2019). Reading difficulty and its remediation: A case study. European Journal of Educational Research, 8(4), 1269-1286. Web.

Brown, J. C., & Crippen, K. J. (2017). The knowledge and practices of high school science teachers in pursuit of cultural responsiveness. Science Education, 101(1), 99-133. Web.

Morales‐Doyle, D. (2018). Students as curriculum critics: Standpoints with respect to relevance, goals, and science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 55(5), 749-773. Web.