1. Age: First Grade
Subject / Content area: Science, Engineering, and Literacy
Unit of Study: Exploring Engineering
Central Focus for the learning segment: In this lesson, the children will hear a story about a young girl who
used every day materials to create new things. Jumping off from the theme of the story, the children the
opportunity to explore reusable materials. The children will examine various types of recyclable materials and
use their writing skills to document the various characteristics of each material. They will use descriptive
language and drawing skills to document these characteristics for reference in later lessons.
Content Standard(s):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6
Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.5
Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when
writing.
Learning Objectives associated with the content standards:
-Students will participate in questions posed during the read aloud.
-Students will engage in a read aloud.
-Students will examine various reusable materials.
-Children will use their knowledge of the written language and/or pictures to write the characteristics of various
materials.
Instructional Resources and Materials to engage students in learning:
 Book: Rosie Revere Engineer by: Andrea Beaty (Author) and David Roberts (Illustrator)
 Previously made list of describing words
 Large white paper
 Markers, crayons, and pens for children and for the teacher
 Reusable/Recyclable Materials
o Cardboard (from cereal boxes, shipping boxes, tissue boxes, and tubes from toilet paper and paper
towels)
o Plastic bottles (washed and dried)

2. Grade Level: Kindergarten, General Education
o Popsicle Sticks
o Various kinds of string (shoelaces, yarn, twine, rubber bands, etc.)
o Scraps of paper/ Recycled or used papers
 Design Worksheets
Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks that support diverse student needs:
Book introduction:
 Introduce main title, author, and illustrator of the book. Have children make predictions about the book
based on the title and cover. Write down predictions on a large white board in front of the class
(connecting their spoken word to written word) and discuss them after book has been read through.
 Planned Script: All right everyone today we are going to start our activity with a book. This book is called
Rosie Revere Engineer. Its author is Andrea Beaty. Who can tell me what an author does? (Expected
answer: writes the words) This book’s illustrator is David Roberts. Who know what the illustrator’s job
is? (Expected answer: draws the picture.) Yes very good. This book was written by Andrea Beaty and
Illustrated by David Roberts. Just looking at what the illustrator drew on the cover, what predictions can
we make about the story? (Children’s answer-write down children’s predictions on a white board in front
of the class). Let’s begin reading. I want to you listen carefully to the story to see if your predictions
about the book were right.
Read Aloud:
 Stop at page two and ask: Where is Rosie looking for materials for engineering?
 Stop at page seven and define perplexed: to be very confused. Rosie was confused or perplexed at why her
family was laughing at her inventions.
 Stop at page twelve and define sputtered: when something makes soft exploding or chugging sounds.
Rosie’s heli-o-cheese copter made soft exploding or sputtering, sounds to tell her it wasn’t working right.
 Stop at page sixteen and ask: have you ever tried to do something and haven’t gotten it on the first try like
Rosie’s first try of building her heli-o-cheese copter? What did you do to learn that new skill?
Book discussion:
 Reread predictions for the children and discuss the character’s use of reusable materials to create new
items.
 Ask: What happened in the story? Were our predictions right?
 Ask: (Flip to the second-fourth page in the book) What kind of materials did Rosie use to create her
inventions? (Draw attention to reusable materials.) Turn and talk about one thing you noticed used in her
invention (Regroup and share) Rosie used many kinds of reusable materials, or materials we think we
should throw away, but instead use again to make new things.
Station activity introduction and model:
 Explain that the students will pick a differentiated worksheet appropriate for their level of writing abilities
to design and create their own invention out of reusable materials.
 I will model this for them with an invention I make up (I will recreate the worksheet on a white board and
demonstrate the process for the students.

3. Subject / Content area: Science, Engineering, and Literacy
 Give the children their groups (pre-assigned) and all together we will go over the rotation (color
coordinated-correlated with the table)
 Worksheets: Children will design an invention they think of themselves. They will pick reusable materials
to use to create this design. Each table will have a bin of reusable materials on the table for the students to
examine and use for inspiration. The children will draw their design, name it, and describe what the
machine would do and potentially, based on different levels of writing, what materials they would use to
create it.
Share and Conclusion:
 Children will gather on the carpet and create a list about the various materials explored for future use.
 Say: Great work making observations everyone! Can I have some volunteers share their inventions?
Introduce your invention, what it does, and what materials you would use.
 The children will take turns sharing their observations about the various materials they explored as the
teacher writes down the observations as the children say them aloud.
 Say: Wonderful job everyone! I really appreciated the hard work you did today.
 Collect the students’ worksheets from the day as they clean up and get ready.
Differentiation and planned universal supports:
There will be numerous built-in differentiations to the lesson. The observation sheets will be differentiated based
on the children various writing abilities. The children will have a choice of three various types of sheets, ranging
from mostly artistically based to mostly writing based. I also plan on creating an opportunity for all students to
engage in the read aloud. I will read clearly and slowly for the student so that all students can have the
appropriate wait time to comprehend each page. I plan on defining harder vocabulary within the story to ensure
complete clarity. I also plan on leaving room for questions after the book as well as analysis of our predictions
after the read aloud for students to make personal connections and more deeply comprehend the story.
Language Function students will develop. Additional language demands and language supports:
Academic language throughout the lesson will be used. Previously discussed academic language such as the
words predict/prediction, observe/observation, and characteristic(s) will be used through the lesson. During the
read aloud I plan on defining the point of contact vocabulary words perplexed and sputter. The children will also
be prompted to use their own descriptive vocabulary to describe the qualities of various recyclable material. I will
also use the terminology design and materials in the explanation of the worksheets.
Type of Student Assessments and what is being assessed:
 Informal Assessment: I will take anecdotal and running notes throughout the station activity. I will make
observations about students’ focus, engagement, problem solving, collaboration, use of prior knowledge,
and struggles using a list of their names.
 Formal Assessment: I will used the worksheets to gage each individual student’s writing abilities. I can
use this as a concrete sample to assess their descriptive vocabulary as well as the words and/or morphemic
structures that they are able to use correctly, consistently, or partially as well as the ones they still need to

4. practice. In conjunction with the anecdotal notes, I will be able to gage the student’s individual writing
process and the more effective way to instruct in the future based on their skills as a learner.
 Modifications to the Assessments: The worksheets will be differentiated based on the various levels
within of abilities within the classroom. The students will be able to choose a worksheet to create the
observations
Evaluation Criteria: I will be evaluating the students the students based on various elements. I will also be
examining the writing abilities of each child as they use adjectives to describe each material and their command
of various morphemic structures. Based on Words Their Way, Kindergarten students should fall between the
middle letter name-alphabetic stage and the early within word pattern stages. I will be looking for the students’
use of initial and final consonant sounds, short vowel use, and familiar consonant digraphs and blends when they
spell their descriptive words. I will continue to use this criteria throughout the lesson. I will also be looking for
creativity and the extensiveness of their vocabulary use when they describe the various materials. Lastly, I will be
looking at the extent of which they collaborate with the other members of their group as this changes the thought
process an individual may have.
Relevant theories and/or research best practices:
 Piaget: The children in this age are between the pre-occupational and occupational stages according to
Piaget. In the pre-occupational stage the students should be able to use internal thought, including
symbols, but still require physical cues and perception in the learning environment. In the concrete
occupational stage the thinking has become more internal and abstract. The students’ use of concrete
items throughout the unit in conjunction with the mathematical concept of addition helps the students
deepen their mathematical understanding. They use the concrete items to help them make the connections
between what the numbers are doing and the way we depict that in a mathematical equation.
 Vygotsky: According to Vygotsky, children’s learning should be scaffolded. This means that teachers
should use language and social interaction to guide children’s thinking. By walking around during the
activity, I will be able to scaffold the children’s learning throughout the activity. Vygotsky also described
a child’s zone of proximal development. The zone of proximal development occurs when an activity
require thinking just above a student’s current level of mastery. This is why differentiation throughout the
lessons is crucial. It is paramount that the students will be able to work within their own individual zone
of proximal development in order to gain the most out of the lesson.
LessonTimeline:
Book introduction and prediction: 7 min
Read aloud: 15 minutes
Book discussion: 7 min
Activity explanation and model: 10 min
Stations: 20 min

5. Unit of Study: Exploring Engineering
Lesson Title: Read aloud and Examining Properties of Materials
Conclusion and list creation: 10 min