This paper presents three interconnected 7th grade science lesson plans built around an inquiry-based learning framework. The first lesson introduces students to foundational science concepts, scientific methodology, and prominent scientists. The second lesson focuses on Thomas Edison's inventions and their contributions to modern technology. The third lesson examines Marie Curie as a pioneering female scientist. Each plan outlines learning objectives, language demands, instructional materials, guided practice, formative and summative assessments, and accommodations for students with special needs and English language learners. The inquiry-based model is applied consistently across all three lessons to deepen student understanding and promote collaboration, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving.
Lesson Title: Science
Central Focus: What science is all about
State Standard(s) Addressed: 7th Grade — science, science methodology, and famous scientists
Content/Skill Objectives:
Students should state the definition of science. Students should discuss various science methodologies. Students should name and discuss various prominent scientists. Students should be able to identify the application of science in day-to-day life.
Language Demands: Students are required to define and describe what science is. They should also be able to use their understanding of science to apply scientific knowledge, and use scientific terms and language in both spoken and written presentations of scientific information.
Key Vocabulary: Science, scientists, famous scientists, scientific methods
Resources: Class textbooks, handouts, charts, etc.
Materials: Worksheets, games, projector, Smartboard, paper, pencils, art supplies, cards, post-its, etc.
The teacher distributes Assessment 1.1, an inquiry-based research activity whose purpose is to pre-assess the background knowledge of students. The assessment is in alignment with the learning targets, and its main goal is to test existing knowledge. Assessment 1.1 comprises both subjective and objective questions, each with its own assessment criteria.
The questions in Assessment 1.1 are related to the demands of academic language, including definitions of subject-matter terms such as artifacts. Students' performance on this assessment helps the teacher make decisions about next steps and structure upcoming lessons.
Beginning the Lesson / Introduction
The teacher distributes Assessment 1.1, an inquiry-based research activity designed to assess students' background knowledge. The assessment is aligned with the learning targets and focuses on testing existing knowledge through both subjective and objective questions, each evaluated with its own assessment method. Questions are also related to the demands of academic language, including definitions of subject-matter terms such as artifacts. Student performance guides the teacher's decisions about structuring the next lessons.
Students are required to complete the assessment. Results help identify students who lack a clear understanding of the upcoming topics. Questions related to academic language and student voice are also included.
Introducing New Content/Skills
The teacher begins the lesson by displaying the learning target on the board and inviting students to read it aloud to a nearby partner. Students are then asked to rate their knowledge and understanding of the target and its vocabulary using their fingers on a scale of 1–5. The teacher shows a poster displaying scientific words, definitions, and categories, and informally assesses language demand by asking students to identify familiar terms and those they have never encountered before, sharing with a partner. Students are then asked to verbally state their understanding of what they will learn in this lesson.
The teacher prepares Instructional Material 1.1 (presentation) and distributes 1.2 (guided note-taking). The teacher takes the class through a discussion of Presentation 1, conducting formative assessment and questioning students on the definitions of academic vocabulary. A poster is created at the front of the classroom showing definitions, meanings, and images related to key terms. As students write notes, the teacher circulates the room to help them differentiate the note-taking process. Students are then instructed to share-pair and analyze how accurate their peers' notes are. The teacher notes areas that were difficult for students to review during the instruction phase, to be addressed in Lesson 2.
Students recite the lesson target to their partners and use a finger scale of 1–5 to rate familiarity, where 1 finger means quite unfamiliar. They engage in discussion of familiar and unfamiliar vocabulary, with a few students sharing their interpretations aloud. Students then move to the front of the classroom for 10 minutes to be introduced to Instructional Material 1.1 (presentation) and discuss academic language before returning to their seats to complete guided note-taking. Students share-pair with their partners and analyze the content discussed.
Guided Practice
The teacher presents various science exemplars and non-exemplars as part of planned supports. Students are asked to provide their own definition of artifact as a self-assessment on the central focus and lesson target. The teacher places students in groups and provides a presentation on science and scientific development. The teacher circulates the room, observing students' notes and discussions on Instructional Material 1.1 (Guided Notes 1 handout), and encourages students to identify at least the characteristics of science as support for the next stage of the lesson.
Students differentiate and identify materials that are scientific from those that are non-scientific. They provide their own definitions of science and complete a fist-to-five check on the central focus and lesson target. Students analyze and compare each other's responses as an assessment criterion.
Formative Assessment
From the front of the classroom, the teacher conducts formative assessment to monitor student learning by asking the following questions:
1. What is science?
2. What are the characteristics of science?
3. State any available methodologies of science.
4. State a new concept you have learned about the lesson target.
The assessment criteria for these questions, including alignment, depend on the verbal feedback given by students, the degree of strength or weakness in their responses, and the resources available for correcting misconceptions.
The teacher also moves around the classroom during guided practice and asks the following questions to identify misconceptions:
1. Can you state and explain three characteristics of science to your partners?
2. In what ways can we learn from science?
3. Name several prominent scientists.
4. What have you learned about today's learning target?
Students raise their hands and respond to the questions. They undergo identification of remediation resources to eliminate misconceptions. Organized in groups, they identify the characteristics of science both verbally and in writing, then discuss and summarize their peers' responses.
Closing the Lesson / Summative Assessment
The teacher instructs students to give their own interpretation of the lesson target and define the scientific language embedded within it. The teacher asks students where they would seek clarification in case of misunderstanding, and then asks them to write an Exit Slip as a tool to assess student learning on the lesson target and the scientific language involved.
Students provide their interpretations, answer the questions, and share responses with their peers. They then create an exit slip as outlined in the instructional material.
Extension
The teacher listens to student responses and makes adjustments to the support activities of the upcoming lesson, paying close attention to students who demonstrated misconceptions during the lesson. Students provide responses to the teacher's adjustments.
Assessment Strategy #1: Comprehension questions presented as fill-in and multiple-answer questions
Alignment with Lesson Goals: Gauges student understanding of basic science concepts.
Evidence of Student Understanding: A 0–20 rating scale is used: 18–20 = excellent comprehension; 15–18 = very good; 12–15 = fairly good; 10–12 = fair; below 10 = poor comprehension.
Feedback to Students: Students receive feedback based on their performance on the comprehension questions.
Assessment Strategy #2: Students engage in a journal entry activity.
Alignment with Lesson Goals: Identifies which unit of science study was understood most and which approach was most effective.
Evidence of Student Understanding: A comprehensive journal entry report that covers a particular topic extensively.
Feedback to Students: Individualized feedback based on each student's learning experience.
Lesson Title: Thomas Edison
Central Focus: Thomas Edison's Inventions
State Standard(s) Addressed: 7th Grade — contributions Thomas Edison made to modern technology
Content/Skill Objectives:
Students should explain a brief history of Thomas Edison. Students should name a minimum of three inventions made by Thomas Edison. Students should name Thomas Edison's most significant invention. Students should explain the contribution of Thomas Edison's inventions to modern-day life. Students should participate in a minimum of two lab experiments.
Language Demands: Students should provide a detailed overview of the inventions made by Thomas Edison. They should also be exposed to a practical experiment showing how one invention works, with the specific invention determined by the teacher.
Key Vocabulary: Science, Thomas Edison, inventions, experiments, modern contribution
Resources: Handouts, internet links and websites, laboratory equipment, posters, and books
Materials: Worksheets, games, projector, Smartboard, paper, pencils, art supplies, cards, post-its, etc.
The teacher distributes Assessment 1.2, an inquiry-based research activity with collaborative projects as the central focus, to assess students' background knowledge. The assessment is aligned with the central focus and learning targets to gauge previous learning. Assessment 1.2 includes both subjective and objective questions, each with its own assessment criteria. The assessment includes scientific language demand questions such as the definition of subject-matter terms — for example, the contribution Thomas Edison's inventions have made to modern-day life.
Beginning the Lesson / Introduction
The teacher distributes Assessment 1.2, a collaborative inquiry-based research activity to pre-assess student background knowledge in alignment with the central focus and learning targets. The assessment includes both objective and subjective questions, each with unique assessment criteria. Questions related to language demand include definitions of terms such as science. Student performance guides the teacher in making decisions about upcoming instructional practices.
Students complete the assessment and ask for clarification regarding the upcoming lesson where needed. Academic language questions are included, and the assessment takes students' learning interests into consideration.
Introducing New Content/Skills
The teacher uses questions to connect the current topic with the previous one before displaying the learning target on the board and asking students to read it aloud to their peers. Students are instructed to use the fist-to-five method to rate their knowledge of the target and its vocabulary. The teacher creates posters showing words, definitions, categories, characteristics, and artifacts, and invites students to identify familiar and unfamiliar terms with their partners as informal language demand assessment.
The teacher asks students to voice their interpretation of what they will be learning in their own words. Instructional Material 1.1 (presentation) is prepared and distributed alongside 1.2 (guided note-taking). The teacher takes the class through Presentation 1, conducts formative assessment by asking questions about academic vocabulary, and writes key notes on a poster at the front of the room showing definitions, meanings, and related images.
As students write notes, the teacher circulates to assist them in differentiating the note-taking process. Students are then instructed to share-pair and evaluate the accuracy of their peers' notes. The teacher records areas that presented challenges during Lesson 1 instruction.
Students raise their hands to respond to questions and pair with partners to recite the learning target, using a 1–5 finger scale where 1 means quite unfamiliar. They discuss both familiar and unfamiliar vocabulary, with a few sharing their interpretations with the class. Students gather at the front of the classroom for 10 minutes to be introduced to Instructional Material 1.2 (presentation) and discuss academic language, then return to their seats to take guided notes. Students share-pair their notes and discuss the content.
Guided Practice
The teacher offers guidance in the lab as part of planned supports, specifying the experiments to be performed and stating laboratory rules and regulations before the experiments begin. The teacher randomly asks questions about lab rules and introduces students to different lab instruments, explaining the function of each and its connection to the learning target. Students are asked to explain instrument functions in their own words and complete a self-assessment on the central focus and learning target.
The teacher creates experimental groups and moves around the laboratory while distributing equipment and observing students' writing and discussions on Instructional Material 1.2 (Guided Notes 1 handout). The teacher instructs students to be observant after demonstrating how experiments are performed.
Students raise their hands to respond and explain based on their understanding. They compare their responses to their peers' as an assessment method and verbally state their responses while rating themselves using the fist-of-five method. Students participate in the identification of artifacts and non-artifacts and make comparisons between their own responses and those of fellow students as a criterion for assessment.
Formative Assessment
The teacher monitors student learning by conducting formative assessment from the front of the classroom. After the presentation and note-taking, the teacher asks the following questions:
1. Who is Thomas Edison?
2. List a minimum of four inventions made by Thomas Edison.
3. Give a brief history of Thomas Edison.
4. State a new concept you have learned about today's learning target.
The assessment criterion for these questions depends on the degree of strength and weakness in students' verbal responses and the resources available for misconception management and correction.
"Marie Curie's discoveries and role as female scientist"
"Theory behind inquiry and collaborative learning model"
"Scoring scales, journal entries, and exit slips"
"Support for IEP students and English language learners"
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