Unit Plan: Introduction to Matter
Science / Grade 6
Big Ideas
Everyday materials are often mixtures.
Essential Questions
Students will keep considering…
- How are properties used to solve problems?
Evaluative Criteria
Teachers should consider how summative assessments should be based on clear criteria and include a variety of ways for students to show demonstrate their learning.
- N/A
Monitoring Progress
Teacher will monitor progress:
Teachers can monitor progress through ongoing formative assessment including but not limited to:
- N/A
Resources
TEXTS
- Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchhart
Reflection
How will teachers and their students reflect on and evaluate the completed project?
Teacher Reflection
- What aspects of the unit went well
- What did students struggle with
- What did you struggle with?
- What would you add/revise the next time you taught this unit?
- Were there any unintended outcomes?
- Were students engaged?
Downloads
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
EXECUTE THE LEARNING PLAN
LEARNING EVENTS:
- These learning events/activities are suggested activities only.
- In some cases the plans are not fully completed lesson plans.
- The teacher may choose some lessons/activities to span over several lessons.
- Teachers may add, revise and adapt these lessons based on the needs of their students, their personal preferences for resources, and the use of a variety of instructional techniques.
Learning events are enriched for students when teachers consider the “WHERE TO” acronym and guiding organizer by Wiggins and McTighe.
The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:
- How are properties used to solve problems?
Acquisition-Meaning-Transfer
Concept Attainment
The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:
- How are properties used to solve problems?
Concept Attainment
1) Show different materials and have students sort into what is matter and what isn’t (ultimately knowing that everything is matter).
2) Give students bags of a bunch of different materials and have them work collaboratively to sort into different categories (have students decide how to sort, and justify why they sorted that way).
3) Extension: Provide more materials after they have already sorted and have them add to or change groupings.
4) Extension: Join another group and re-sort.
5) Extension: Go backwards – there’s only one category, how would you describe it.
6) Extension: Sort according to more than one attribute at a time.
7) Adaptation: Provide some characteristics/sorting rules for lower level students.
The following resources are made available through the British Columbia Ministry of Education. For more information, please visit BC’s New Curriculum.
Big Ideas
The Big Ideas consist of generalizations and principles and the key concepts important in an area of learning. The Big Ideas represent what students will understand at the completion of the curriculum for their grade. They are intended to endure beyond a single grade and contribute to future understanding.
Core Competencies
Communications Competency
The set of abilities that students use to impart and exchange information, experiences and ideas, to explore the world around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital media
Thinking Competency
The knowledge, skills and processes we associate with intellectual development
Social Competency
The set of abilities that relate to students’ identity in the world, both as individuals and as members of their community and society
Curricular Competencies & Content
Curricular Competencies are the skills, strategies, and processes that students develop over time. They reflect the “Do” in the Know-Do-Understand model of curriculum. The Curricular Competencies are built on the thinking, communicating, and personal and social competencies relevant to disciplines that make up an area of learning.
Additional Resources
First People's Principles of Learning
To read more about First People’s Principles of Learning, please click here.
For classroom resources, please visit the First Nations Education Steering Committee.
