Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 152376
Big Bang Theory TicTacToe
In this lesson, students will explore the Big Bang Theory through academic games and a large technology-based project that accommodates all
learner types, deepening their knowledge and understanding of the evidences for the Big Bang Theory.
Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators
Instructional Time: 4 Hour(s)
Keywords: big bang theory, red shift, cosmic microwave background radiation
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Earth Systems 2016
ATTACHMENTS
Big_Bang_Theory_Timeline.pdf
BigBangTheory_PowerPoint.pptx
BigBangTic-Tac_Toe.docx
BigBangTic-Tac-Toe_RUBRIC.docx
Scientist_Letter_Template.docx
Frequency_Wavelength_Speed.docx
BBTKahoot_Q_A.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will be able to cite evidence used to develop and verify the scientific Big Bang Theory of the origins of the universe.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
The universe is made of approximately 100 billion galaxies, where there are hundreds of billions of stars in each galaxy. Each star normally has multiple planets that
rotate around it (due to gravitational pull). These are called solar systems.
Energy is found in the form of waves, which are organized by wavelength and frequency.
Nuclear fusion is the process of a high speed collision of atomic nuclei to form a new nucleus/atom and thereby releasing energy.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
How do advancements in technology expand our understanding of the origins of the universe?
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
page 1 of 3 Lesson opener/attention getter:
Teacher can either provide students with short flipped video lesson for homework before the lesson, or watch short videos:
"The Big Bang Theory in 90-Seconds" - TED-Ed (1:31)
"Big Bang Evidence" - STEM Learning (2:50)
"The Beginning of the Universe, for Beginners" - TED-Ed (3:19)
Use the Big Bang Theory PowerPoint to quickly explain evidence for the Big Bang theory while students record Cornell Notes.
Key talking points about the lesson topic:
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB), red shift of galaxies, and mixtures of elements in our universe all support the theory of the Big Bang.
CMB, was found accidentally by using a Horn Antenna. The discovery of CMB shows the earliest radiation detected from the initial rapid expansion, filling the
universe uniformly in every direction.
The universe was formed 13.8 billion years ago.
The Doppler Effect is a shift of wavelengths (not speed), determining the movement of objects in space in relation to our point in the universe.
New advancements in technology can help define and detail the Big Bang Theory.
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
Big Bang Theory Fill-In the Blank Worksheet: Students will work in groups to use textual evidence/evidence from their Cornell Notes to complete (attached)
Mix-n-Match Classroom Game: Students play a version of the Kagan Strategy "Mix-n-Match" game. Each student receives an index card with either a vocabulary
term or definition. Teacher can then play music. Students walk around and switch cards until music stops or teacher says "Freeze." Students scramble to find their
matching card and run to a corner, show the teacher to verify the accuracy of the match. Then, students stand on the outside of the classroom until all students in
the center have found their matching card. Repeat until the teacher wishes. For more Kagan strategy tips, visit the Kagan's Articles website.
Big Bang Theory
how the universe formed
Acceleration
the rate at which something speeds up
Galaxies
clusters of solar systems held together by gravity
Solar Systems
planets orbiting around a star, held in orbit by gravity.
Stars
a cluster of dust and gas going through nuclear fusion
Planets
how planets formed by accretion of dust
The Nebular Theory
wavelengths received from distant galaxies are elongating, showing that galaxies are moving away from us
Red shift
the distance between two crests
wavelengths
the amount of waves in one second
frequencies
the apparent change in frequency due to relative motion of an object from an observer
Doppler Effect
galaxies are expanding, where more distant galaxies are moving faster away than galaxies closer to each other
Hubble's Law
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
Big Bang Theory Tic-Tac-Toe Project: Students will create three projects displaying detailed information, history, and explanation of the big bang theory and the
various forms of evidence supporting the theory. Teachers and students alike can access the project instructions and rubric attached.
If students have computers, phones, or tablets, teachers can have students play this Kahoot Game titled "Big Bang Review" individually.
Teachers can ask students to write out their understanding of the three pieces of evidence for the big bang in as much detail as possible. Then, students can switch
with partners to try to fill in the information voids with their understanding (teachers may want to pair students for this activity). Students can then revise/rewrite
their connections of evidence to the Big Bang Theory.
How will you check for student understanding? (Formative Assessment)
Kahoot generates the class percentage of correct answers and identifies misconceptions. Teachers can identify struggling students by printing out a roster and
performance data.
Common errors/misconceptions to anticipate and how to respond:
Misconceptions are listed as answer choices on the Kahoot. If there are misconceptions answered, teacher can take time to reiterate correct content and relieve
misconceptions. Misconceptions may arise in student essay writing revisions. If so, teacher can recognize this and re-teach topics that may continue to be
perceived incorrectly by classmates.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
Instructions for leading the closing discussion:
Restate key talking points of this topic (same to the ones described at beginning of this lesson) and ask students to rate themselves on this understanding using a 15 system; five being comfortable enough to teach it their parents and one being completely lost, or describe the reasoning for the key points occurrences with
detail.
Exit slip asking students to state the three pieces of evidence for the big bang theory or to explain in detail how one piece of evidence actually supports the theory of
the Big Bang.
Summative Assessment
page 2 of 3 How will the students show that they met the learning objectives?
Students will create three projects displaying detailed information, history, and explanation of the big bang theory and the various forms of evidence supporting the
theory.
Students will take unit exam (formulated by school science department/district)
Formative Assessment
Specific suggestions for conducting Formative Assessment can be found in the Guided Practice and Independent Practice phases of the lesson where it says, "How will
you check for student understanding?"
Feedback to Students
Re-direct students to research material if students have inaccurate information.
Re-direct students to the rubric if they are missing information in their projects.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
Struggling students: Offer extended time for activities, ask students to pick only one project to demonstrate knowledge, pair students, provide students with more
fill in the blank/matching pictures.
Gifted Students: Offer more individual practice, more time for detailed research, and require them to cite their evidence resources.
Extensions:
Students can research, predict and develop a model of how they believe the universe will be distributed in another 14 billion years.
Special Materials Needed:
Computers, tablets, or phones
Printer
Further Recommendations:
Teacher may want to print vocabulary and definition cards prior to playing game.
Additional Information/Instructions
By Author/Submitter
The summative assignment is technology-based and would be more appropriate if teacher provided all students with school computers, renting them from their media center
or used in a computer lab. The introduction should take a 45-minute class period, the guided work would take a 45 minute class period, and the independent project would
take an additional 2-3 45-minute class periods.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Shannon Carmody
Name of Author/Source: Shannon Carmody
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Orange
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
Description
Cite evidence used to develop and verify the scientific theory of the Big Bang (also known as the Big Bang Theory) of
the origin of the universe.
SC.912.E.5.1:
Remarks/Examples:
Explain evidence to support the formation of the universe, which has been expanding for approximately 15 billion
year (e.g. ratio of gases, red-shift from distant galaxies, and cosmic background radiation).
page 3 of 3