Teaching Lightning Bolt Books™
Exploring Physical Science
TM
K–2nd Grade Interest Level
2nd Grade Reading Level
Go to www.lernerbooks.com
for a complete list of titles in this series.
Standards
Physical Science
• Understands the structure and the properties of
matter
• Understands the sources and the properties of energy
• Understands forces and motion
History
• Understands major discoveries in science and
technology, some of their social and economic
effects, and the major scientists and inventors
responsible for them
Nature of Science
• Understands the nature of scientific knowledge
• Understands the nature of scientific inquiry
• Understands the scientific enterprise
Language Arts
• Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading
process
• Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and
interpret a variety of informational texts
• Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing
process
• Gathers and uses information for research purposes
Multiple Intelligences Utilized
Verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, intrapersonal, interpersonal, visual-spatial
ISBN 978-0-7613-6693-5
2
TEACHING
EXPLORING PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Lesson 1
Physical Science
Materials
•Exploring Physical Science
series
•paper
•pencils
•whiteboard
•marker
Pretest
•What is physical science?
Read
•Read the Exploring Physical
Science series.
Model
•Explain how different science
topics are a part of physical
science.
•Demonstrate how to make a
concept web. Choose one of the
Exploring Physical Science books
for your main topic.
•Have the students suggest
branches and make connections.
•Make sure that important words
from the glossary and the index
are used.
Practice
•In groups, students create
concept webs for the Exploring
Physical Science books.
Discuss
•If any of the topics were
repeated, have the groups
compare webs. Edit webs so
information is identical.
Lesson 2
Scientific Method
Materials
•Exploring Physical Science
series
•Experiment Report p. 6
•parent letter
•pencils
•materials needed for
completing a science
experiment
Prepare
•Prepare a science experiment from
the Exploring Physical Science
series to demonstrate to the class.
•Write a letter to parents
explaining the science experiment
assignment.
•Make two copies of Experiment
Report p. 6 for each student.
Purpose
Students will identify connections between the main topics
of physical science.
•On the board, begin a large
concept web with physical
science as the main topic.
•Add information from the
students’ webs.
•Form links between the different
science topics. Challenge the
students to make connections to
all the Exploring Physical Science
series topics.
•Discuss how the different topics
are related.
Evaluate
•Observe student participation
in the discussion. Have students
write a sentence or two that
describes physical science.
Evaluate student responses for
understanding.
Purpose
Students will conduct an experiment using the scientific
method.
Pretest
•How do scientists or inventors
discover new things?
•What is a hypothesis?
Read
•Read the Exploring Physical
Science series.
Model
•Explain the purpose of the
scientific method using
Experiment Report p. 6.
•Discuss how inventors and
scientists need to be organized
and observant so they can share
their discoveries with others.
•Demonstrate a simple science
experiment to the class.
•Complete Experiment Report
p. 6 together during the
demonstration. On the back,
students can draw a picture of
the experiment.
Practice
•Have students perform a science
experiment at home.
•Students complete Experiment
Report p. 6.
Discuss
•Have students share their
completed experiment reports.
Evaluate
•Evaluate student work for
completeness and understanding
of the scientific method.
TEACHING
EXPLORING PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Lesson 3
Super Scientists
Materials
•Super Scientist Project p. 7
•My Super Scientist p. 8
•Exploring Physical Science
series
•paper
•pencils
•research materials
Prepare
•If preferred, compile a list of
scientists and inventors who
worked in the fields covered in
the Exploring Physical Science
series.
•Copy Super Scientist Project
p. 7 and My Super Scientist p. 8
for each student.
Pretest
•Brainstorm a list of some wellknown superheroes and their
abilities and accomplishments.
•How are superheroes and
Purpose
Students will research accomplishments of famous scientists.
scientists similar? What do they
have in common?
Read
•Read the Exploring Physical
Science series.
Model
•Define scientist.
•Discuss how scientists discover
and share information about
everything around us.
•Explain that the students will
be learning information about
famous scientists and turning
them into superheroes. Review
information on Super Scientist
Project p. 7.
•Demonstrate how to complete
My Super Scientist p. 8 to the
class.
Practice
•Students choose a scientist to
research for the Super Scientist
Project p. 7.
•Students follow the project
requirements on Super Scientist
Project p. 7.
•Students complete My Super
Scientist p. 8 using the gathered
information.
•Students create a poster of their
scientist as a superhero.
Discuss
•Have students share their posters.
Evaluate
•Evaluate student work using
rubric on Super Scientist Project
p. 7.
3
4
TEACHING
EXPLORING PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Lesson 4
Finding Physical
Science
Materials
•Exploring Physical Science
series
•paper
•pencils
Pretest
•How does science make a sailboat
work?
Read
•Read the Exploring Physical
Science series.
Model
•Using concepts learned in the
Purpose
Students will examine common machines or inventions and
identify how they use physical science concepts.
Exploring Physical Science series,
brainstorm how those concepts
make a sailboat work or affect
the sailboat. Examples include:
density and shape makes the boat
float, force from the wind on the
sail makes it move, and friction
from the water on the boat
makes it slow down.
Practice
•Each student chooses a common
machine or invention.
•Students brainstorm the different
ways science makes that object
work. Challenge the students to
list a variety of science concepts.
Discuss
•Have students share their work
with the class.
•Which invention was affected
by the largest variety of science
concepts?
•Why do inventors need to
understand many physical science
concepts?
Evaluate
•Evaluate student projects for
completeness and participation in
the discussion.
TEACHING
Lesson 5
One Good Idea
Materials
•Exploring Physical Science
series
•whiteboard
•marker
•paper
•pencils
•colored pencils
Prepare
•Familiarize yourself with
information about famous
inventions and their inventors.
Pretest
•What is an invention?
Read
•Read books from the Exploring
Physical Science series.
Model
•With the students, brainstorm
EXPLORING PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Purpose
Students will solve problems by inventing imaginary devices
that use physical science concepts.
a list of inventions that use
one of the concepts from the
Exploring Physical Science series.
For example, tennis shoes create
more friction to grip the ground
or magnets are used in speakers
to give them more power.
•Discuss the inventing process.
Give examples of famous
inventions and how they came to
be.
•With the students, brainstorm
problems that affect their lives.
It could be a chore they do not
like, water pollution, their dog
sheds too much, etc.
•Ask the students to design an
invention to solve that problem.
Their invention must use or relate
to one of the Exploring Physical
Science series concepts. Their
invention can be impossible to
build, but the science behind it
must make sense.
Practice
•Students need to identify a
problem in their lives.
•Students create an invention
to solve that problem that uses
an Exploring Physical Science
concept.
•Students draw a diagram of their
invention to explain how it
works.
Discuss
•Share the inventions with the
class.
Evaluate
•Evaluate student projects for
completeness and quality of
work.
5
6
Name
Experiment Report
My Question (What do I want to know?)
My Hypothesis (What do I think will happen?)
My Procedure (What do I do?)
My Result (What happened?)
Was my hypothesis correct?
Teaching Exploring Physical Science
YES
NO
7
Name
Super Scientist Project
Step 1: Choose a scientist.
Step 2: Research information about the scientist you have chosen. Use the information to
complete the My Super Scientist page.
Step 3: Create a poster of your scientist as a superhero. The requirements are listed below.
Review the rubric on this page to know how this project will be evaluated.
Step 4: Evaluate your work, and record your scores in the “My score” column.
Step 5: Turn in this page, My Super Scientist, and your poster by ___________________.
Points
possible
Categories
Name of scientist
Superhero name of scientist
Super scientist costume
Shows super scientist using a superpower
Shows science concept (details, equipment, etc.)
Use of color
Spelling
Neatness
Completed on time
Total
Student comments:
Teacher comments:
Teaching Exploring Physical Science
My score
Points
received
8
Name
My Super Scientist
1. Which scientist did you research?
2. When did the scientist live and work?
3. Where did the scientist live? Where did he/she work?
4. What science concept(s) did he/she study?
5. List three of his/her important accomplishments or discoveries.
6. What equipment did he/she use for her experiments?
7. List three of his/her superpowers.
(Use his/her important accomplishments or discoveries for ideas.)
8. Create a superhero name for the scientist.
(The name should relate to the scientist’s main concept or accomplishments.)
9. Attach a picture or a sketch of the scientist.
Teaching Exploring Physical Science