Science Lesson Plan

Lesson Title: Looking at Sandpaper

Curriculum Materials Used: Foss Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Kit
Grade Level: 1
Driving Question: Why do different sandpapers have different textures?
Ideal Response: Sandpaper with smaller pieces of sand are fine, sandpaper with medium sized pieces of
sand are medium, and sandpaper with larger pieces of sand are coarse. (Includes big ideas; kid-friendly)
Connections to Standards:
NGSS Performance Expectation:
2-PS1-2: Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the
properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.
Disciplinary Core Idea: (Related to performance expectation)
Different properties are suited to different purposes
Cross-Cutting Concept:
1. Patterns in the natural and human designed world can be observed (2-PS1-2),(2-PS1-3).
Practices (Choose no more than 2 to concentrate on for your lesson).
1. Analyze data from tests for an object or tool to determine if it works as intended
2. Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence to
answer a question.

Arizona State Standard: (include strand, concept, and PO)

(http://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/academic-standards/science-standard/)
Strand 6, Concept 1 (Properties of Earth Materials), PO 3: Identify common uses (e.g., construction,
decoration) of basic Earth materials (i.e., rocks, water, soil).

Learning Goals
Students will know that:
1.The texture of the sandpaper depends on the size of the sand.
2. Different types of sandpaper (fine, medium, coarse) makes different finishes and textures.

Students will be able to:

1. Recognize the effects of sandpaper
2. Identify fine, medium, and coarse sandpaper

Language Goals
1. Students will be able to summarize in writing the different uses for sandpaper when given key science
vocabulary.
2. Students will be able to talk about the different finishes and textures each type of sandpaper makes
when having purposeful turn and talk.
Considerations for English Language Learners:
1. Language support strategies (hands-on activities, realia, multiple modes of representation, presentation
of key science vocabulary)
2. Discourse strategies (purposeful turn and talk, monitoring tone and speed of speech, sentence frames,
talk moves, language buddies)

EPE Table
Experiences (with Patterns Explanations (ideal answer;
phenomena) explains how and why)

● Observing various ● Each sandpaper ● Sandpaper with

sandpapers feels and looks largest pieces of sand
different is coarse, sandpaper
with middle-sized
sand is medium
sandpaper, sandpaper
with smallest pieces
of sand is fine
sandpaper
● Making sandpaper ● Each sandpaper has a ● The coarse sandpaper
rubbings on paper different texture and makes lighter
creates a different rubbings than the fine
finished rubbing on sandpaper because it
the paper has more texture (not
as smooth)
● Feeling sand or gravel ● Sand and gravel have ● Finer sand is
outside of school different textures smoother and gravel
(coarser sand) is
coarse
Inquiry
Application

Summative Assessment
What activity will you use to determine if students have met your learning goals?

Students are given a packet with blanks to fill in and answer (this is part of activity 3-Make and Label
Sandpaper Rubbings). They will also share answers in small groups and out loud to the class.
Fill in the blanks:
● “You can use sandpaper to smooth…”
 ● “Fine sandpaper makes a finish”
● “Medium sandpaper makes a finish”
● “Coarse sandpaper makes a finish”

Time Needed: 30 mins

Lesson Overview
This lesson is about sandpaper. Prior to this lesson, students learned about different Earth materials
such as sand, pebbles, etc. After this lesson, students will follow-up with lessons on creating
necklaces with Earth materials (clay) and exploring soil. This lesson will be taught whole-group, but
students will work in groups. At first, students will review sand to make connections once they start
working with sandpaper. This lesson fits into the sequences of using rocks. Students will be making
marks on paper over sandpaper to understand the difference between coarse, medium and fine
sandpaper. After each rubbing, students will label the rubbing by giving it a descriptive word. Then
students will learn about the different textures of sandpaper. They will identify the sandpaper with
their eyes closed and rub sandpaper together. Students will then clean up and we will have a wrap up
discussion about the new vocabulary that they learned (sandpaper, coarse, medium, fine, texture). We
will also ask students “What is sandpaper made from?” and “Why do you think people use coarse,
medium or fine sandpapers?”
Materials/Supplies
Student: 1 Hand lens, 1 loupe, three grades of sandpaper (coarse, medium and fine), 1 piece of white
paper, 1 pencil, 1 “Pebbles, Sand and Silt” packet
Teacher: Bags of sand, paper plates, zip bags
Preparation
Before conducting the investigation, we will tear the sandpaper and fold each sheet of sandpaper into
thirds (three equal parts). We will also cut white paper so that each student will get half a sheet of
paper. We will also prepare the sand by putting three-quarters of a vial of sand in each of four zip
bags. Students will be working in their table groups. These are their class groups that they work well
with. For example, the special education student is placed at a table group with students she works
well with and is comfortable with.
Safety
We will describe that students may not eat sandpaper. We also want to let students know not to play
with the sandpaper before the lesson. We will reiterate this during the lesson so that students do not
scrape themselves.
 Lesson:

1 Title: Review Sand and Introduce Driving I-AIM Stage & Function
Question Question: establish a question or
problem

Step-by-step directions for teaching. Include what students do and what the teacher says/does.
1. We will call one group of students to the sandpaper center.
2. Review the rock sizes that students have looked at (pebbles, gravel, sand, silt, and clay)
3. Show students the sand in the zip bags
4. Let students use the loupes and hand lenses to look at the sand
5. Tell students that sand has an important use they will look at today: sandpaper
6. We will ask students the driving question “Why do different sandpapers have different textures?”
7. Students will fill out the first half of their worksheet for sandpaper in their “Pebbles, Sand and
Silt” packets. This includes the prediction of what sandpaper can be used for and drawing a picture
of their prediction.

Formative Assessment
Students make predictions about sandpaper. (Why do you think different sandpapers have different
textures?) We hope to learn if they have any past experiences with sandpaper and activate prior
knowledge (tap into their funds of knowledge). At the end of the lesson, students will be able to see
if their predictions were correct or not.

2 Title: Observe Sandpaper Magnified and I-AIM Stage & Function

Introduce Vocabulary Explore and Investigate: explore
phenomena for patterns and identify
patterns
Explain: students explain patterns
Step-by-step directions for teaching. Include what students do and what the teacher says/does.
1. We will pass out one piece of each grade of sandpaper to each student.
2. Students will rub their fingers gently over the paper and use the magnifiers to get a close view.
3. We will ask what is different about each paper. Students will tell their partners what they
observe. At the end of the lesson, students will share whole group what they observed.
4. We will tell students that each sandpaper has a different texture.

Formative Assessment
Students recognize differences in sandpapers and come up with explanations for these differences.
(What is different about each sandpaper?)

3 Title: Make and Label Sandpaper Rubbings I-AIM Stage & Function
Explore and Investigate: explore
phenomena for patterns

Step-by-step directions for teaching. Include what students do and what the teacher says/does.
1. We will give each student a half sheet of white paper and a pencil.
2. We will show them how to place the paper over the sandpaper, hold it securely in place, and rub
with the side of the pencil to record the sandpaper texture.
3. Students will compare the rubbings in their small table groups and label them by writing the
descriptive texture word on the paper by each of the rubbings.
4. We will tell students that each sandpaper has a different texture. Begin introducing texture
vocabulary (fine, medium, and coarse).

Formative Assessment
Students will have labeled the rubbings with the descriptive texture word. (What does each the
texture of the sandpapers look like?)
4 Title: Identify Sandpaper with Eyes Closed I-AIM Stage & Function
Explore and Investigate: explore
phenomena for patterns
Apply: apply to similar contexts

Step-by-step directions for teaching. Include what students do and what the teacher says/does.
1. Students will challenge each other to identify the type of sandpaper with their eyes closed.
2. We will encourage them to use new vocabulary.

Formative Assessment
Students will discuss in groups their reasoning for identifying each sandpaper. Students will share
explanations with others. (How do you know which kind of sandpaper is which texture? -coarse
sandpaper is rough, fine sandpaper is smooth, medium sandpaper is medium)

5 Title: Rub Sandpaper Together I-AIM Stage & Function

Explore and Investigate: explore
phenomena for patterns

Step-by-step directions for teaching. Include what students do and what the teacher says/does.
1. Students will gently rub two pieces of sandpaper together to see what comes off.
2. Students can catch the sand on a piece of white paper and look at it with a magnifier.
3. Students will finish the page in their “Pebbles, Sand and Silt” packet about what they have
learned.

Formative Assessment
Students will have group discussions about what they see after rubbing the sandpaper together.
(What did you see? Why do you think you saw what you saw? -types of dust/sand that comes off)

Closure: Content Chart Entries- Explain: introduce scientific ideas; Apply: apply to similar contexts
Students will consider what sandpaper is made of and how the different sandpapers might be used.
Accommodations
In my class, I have one student who is an ELL and in special education. In order to accommodate for
her, I am going to provide visuals and pictures so that she can easily follow along. I also have a
student who is in the speech and language program. To accommodate for him, I will make sure that
students know how to say new vocabulary and explicitly define each word. If he still struggles, I will
find other words to help him define new vocabulary. These are the only two students who need
accommodations. The visuals will be each sandpaper clearly labeled in the front of the room so that
they do not get confused about which sandpaper is which.
Student Science Toolkits

● This lesson builds on students’ funds of knowledge. For example, students have all experienced
sand on the playground. Students are able to connect the sand they have previously experienced
to the sand in the sandpaper. They will notice the sand on the sandpaper and the different textures
of the sand. (Where do we see sand? -playgrounds etc Is that sand fine, coarse, medium? -fine to
medium)
Lesson Artifacts
Students will complete the rest of this page at the end of the lesson as a formative assessment.
Bibliography/Sources
We used the FOSS kit lesson plan to help create this lesson plan.