PAGES 18-19

Lexile 940L / 690L

STANDARDS

NGSS: Practice: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information; Crosscutting Concept: STEM and Society; Core Idea: ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution

CCSS: Speaking and Listening: 1. Participate effectively in a range of conversations with diverse partners.

TEKS: 6.2E, 7.2E, 8.2E, TA.2A, TA.4B

DATA ANALYSIS

Lesson: Countdown to 2021!

Objective: Evaluate the use of science, technology, and the engineering design process to create a celebratory light display.

Lesson Plan

ENGAGE

Share the “I Notice, I Wonder” graphic organizer with students. Play the video of Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Pause the video when the first image of the clock is shown. Ask students what they associate with those images. (e.g., New York City, New Year’s Eve, ball dropping) Continue watching the video. When it ends, pause the video so that an image of the ball remains on the screen. Instruct students to focus on the ball. Have them brainstorm as many observations and questions as they can and record them in their graphic organizer. Discuss their responses.

EXPLORE

Create small groups of students and have them read the article together, along with the information in the graphs and sidebars. Have the pairs discuss what they have learned and complete the article’s “Check for Understanding.”

EXPLAIN

Share the “New Year’s by the Numbers” skills sheet. Have students work in their pairs to complete the activity. Prompt them to consider the following questions: Which fact or statistic was most surprising? Why? Which questions from their “I Notice, I Wonder” chart were they able to answer? Which questions would they still need to investigate? Let students research one or two questions of their choosing using the library or internet.

EXTEND

Have students complete the Learning Journey and share their own family’s New Year’s Eve traditions. Have them discuss how their traditions are similar and different. How do they compare with those described in the “Global Traditions” sidebar in the article? Encourage them to also share other holiday traditions with one another. Ask: What holidays are especially important to their families? What role does science, engineering, and/or technology (STEM) have in those traditions?

EVALUATE

Ask: How would you make the New Year’s Eve ball drop even more spectacular? Distribute the “Dazzling Design” skills sheet to the class. Have students work independently to plan and draw a celebratory light display of their own. Have students share their designs in small groups. Discuss how STEM and traditions played a role in their designs.

AT-HOME TIPS

Divide the class into small groups to complete Steps 2 through 4 of the lesson. Have students work together in supervised breakout rooms or discussion boards to complete the activities. At the end of the lesson, have everyone write a short re ection explaining at least one thing they learned from their group members.