Science: Mystery Box Object Exploration

Date: Monday, March 16

Time: 60 minutes
Students: First Grade ESOL, Southwark Elementary
Goals and Objectives:
Using a graphic organizer and their senses, students will observe and describe objects. in order to make
predictions identifying objects through sound.
Language Objectives:
Vocabulary: names of objects, adjectives on organizer, loud, soft, prediction
Function: students will be able to use adjectives describe and compare objects.
Standards:
PA Language Arts Standards:
1.6.1.A: Listen actively and respond to others in small and large group situations with appropriate
questions and ideas
1.1.1.C: Use increasingly robust vocabulary in oral and written language.
NGSS Science and Engineering Practices:
1. Asking Questions
2. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
Materials and Preparation:
13 bags each with 1 of the following:
-marble
-walnut (or other nut) in its shell
-coin
-cotton ball
-toothpick
-13 trays
-shoebox (or some other kind of box that is not see-through
-13 object adjectives graphic organizer
-26 predictions graphic organizer
-determine student pairs beforehand
-make list of order of objects for trial beforehand
Classroom Arrangement and Management:
Students will be at their seats working in pairs. Before beginning, we will review the rules for group
work (one voice at a time, listen to your partners, level one voices, ask to share materials). Students
who have trouble keeping to these norms will be reminded of what the expectations are.
Plan:
Introduction:
(15 min) Review pair work expectations with students.
On the rug, tell students we are going to be using three senses to learn about different objects: touch,
hearing, sight (for each, ask which part of body gives us this sense?). Draw/write these senses on the

board. Their job as scientists is to explore a mystery: to learn about objects so that they can try to
identify them just by sound. This means make sure to think about what objects sounds like.
Go over vocabulary needed for the graphic organizer: hard, soft, bumpy, flat, sharp. For each,
incorporate a sensory demo, for example knock on the floor for hard, pass around a stuffed animal
for soft, show a sharp pencil point for sharp.
Exploration
(10 min) Return to seats. Tell students that when they get their objects tray, they can start putting the
objects on top of the matching word. More than one object may fit the same word. Remind students to
keep objects on desks, not on floor.
When most students have sorted objects, ask different pairs to state where they put various objects. See
if people have different answers for the same objectssometimes we can use more than one adjective
to describe something.
(5 min) Ask students to put objects back into trays. One student from each pair puts the trays on the
back table.
Now we are going to see if you can use what you observed with your eyes, ears, and fingers to identify
the objects without seeing themonly from listening to the sounds you hear.
(10 min) Pass out predictions graphic organizer. Explain that students will circle the picture that
represents the object they think they are hearing. They should circle the word loud or soft for the
sound (write these words on board, review their meaning).
Shake each object in the box, walking around so all students can hear. Monitor to see if students are
filling out organizer.
(2 min) Ask students to compare their predictions with a partner. Were they the same, or different?
(5 min) Ask a student what they put for the first trial. Reveal the answer. Tell students that if they were
wrong in their prediction, they should not erase, but they should underline the correct object.
(3 min) Ask students to compare with a partner: how may did you get right? How many were a
different object?
(add to opposite chart)
Wrap-up
(5 min) Ask some students to share with class which predictions were correct and which were incorrect.
Emphasize that part of science is about making predictions and then seeing if we are right. It doesn't
mean we did a bad job if we are wrong.
If there is extra time, students use prediction organizer to compare objects using the sentence frame:
The _____________ sounds____________, but the __________ sounds ___________.
Assessment of Goals and Objectives:
Informal: How do students work together? Are they discussing the objects? Are they sharing the

materials rather than grabbing or monopolizing?

Formal: Are students able to place objects on the adjectives organizer (more than one answer may be
possible)? Are they able to justify their answers? Can students successfully predict the identify of the
objects by sound? Can they compare their predictions to the results?
Accommodations:
For students who find the work too easy:
Students who are quickly able to categorize their objects will think of more adjectives to describe the
objects.
For students who find the work too challenging:
Students will be in mixed-level language groups so students with higher levels of English can help
those with lower levels. Students with lower levels of English will be encouraged to use nonverbal
ways of communicating, such as pointing and feeling the objects.