Lesson Plan for Year 3 - Science - Simple Investigations

**Lesson Plan: Simple Investigations** **Grade:** Year 3 **Subject:** Science **Duration:** 60 minutes **Topic:** Simple Investigations **Objectives:** 1. Students will understand the concept of scientific investigations. 2. Students will learn the basic steps of conducting a simple investigation. 3. Students will conduct a simple investigation using common classroom materials. 4. Students will communicate their investigation results with peers. **Materials:** - Chart paper/whiteboard - Markers - Magnifying glasses - Measuring cups - Rulers - Plastic cups - Water - Seeds (beans work well) - Soil - Journals or notebooks - Pencils **Lesson Outline:** **Introduction (10 minutes):** 1. **Greeting and Warm-Up:** - Begin with a friendly greeting and a brief discussion about science. - Ask students what they think scientists do and what an investigation is. 2. **Introduction to the Topic:** - Explain that today’s lesson will be about conducting simple scientific investigations. - Discuss what a scientific investigation involves: asking questions, making predictions, conducting experiments, observing, and drawing conclusions. **Teaching/Input (15 minutes):** 1. **Steps of a Simple Investigation:** - **Ask a Question:** What do we want to find out? - **Make a Prediction:** What do we think will happen? - **Conduct the Experiment:** Test our prediction. - **Observe and Record Data:** What do we see happening? - **Draw a Conclusion:** What did we learn? 2. **Examples and Discussion:** - Provide a simple example (e.g., What happens to a plant if it is not watered?). - Discuss potential predictions with the class. - Use the chart paper/whiteboard to write down the steps and example. **Activity (25 minutes):** 1. **Preparation:** - Divide students into small groups. - Hand out materials to each group. 2. **Conducting the Investigation:** - Each group will plant a bean seed in a cup with soil. - One group will water their plant daily, and another group will not water their plant. - Ask each group to make predictions about how their plant will grow over a week. - Have students observe, measure, and record their plant's growth daily for a week in their journals. **Discussion and Sharing (10 minutes):** 1. **Group Presentations:** - After a week, have each group share their observations and conclusions with the class. 2. **Class Discussion:** - Discuss the differences in plant growth between the watered and non-watered plants. - Relate observations to predictions and draw conclusions together. - Emphasize the importance of investigating and learning from the results. **Conclusion and Wrap-Up (5 minutes):** 1. **Review Key Points:** - Summarize the steps of a simple investigation. - Reinforce the idea that making predictions and exploring outcomes is a part of being a scientist. 2. **Closing Activity:** - Ask students to think of another question they would like to investigate on their own. - Encourage them to discuss their ideas with their parents and potentially conduct an investigation at home. **Assessment:** - Participation in the group activity. - Accuracy and detail in journal entries. - Group presentations on findings and conclusions. - Understanding displayed during class discussions. **Homework:** - Ask students to choose an everyday question they are curious about and think about how they might investigate it at home. They can write a short description of their question, prediction, and how they would test their prediction in their journals.