Creating a science lesson based on STEM - science, technology, engineering, and math - was more challenging than I thought it would be. I decided to use a lesson on plants that I've used with my second-graders. The lesson actually takes place over several weeks, as we experimented with what happens to plants when exposed to different conditions - no light versus light, on the side versus right-side up, etc. The students work as a whole class, individually, and in small groups as they learn about plants, make predictions, and observe the changes that take place. They also record measurement data in their science journals for future analysis during math time. The students create a Power Point about the experiments as a final project.
The lesson plan template provided by Walden helped with planning the lesson, and I definitely was more thoughtful and intentional in my approach to the curriculum. Thinking about the 5 E's was beneficial as I had to plan the steps of engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation. Since I usually just plan out my lessons based on what I want the students to learn, this step of using the template did take more time than I am used to, but I felt that the lesson was more rigorous and addressed more learning styles (along with more cooperative learning, which the students really enjoyed!).
I had difficulty integrating engineering into my lesson and I hope to do some more research into this aspect of STEM. I'd also love to solicit comments and suggestions from my fellow bloggers!
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Hello Mrs. Cruise,
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that as a teacher of second grade the 5 E's Lesson plan template was beneficial. I found it a bit difficult. I believe it was because of the connection we had to have to the historical perspective of the Benchmarks Online. Then again, I may have made it harder than it should have been. I am not used to using that sort of plan. I am more in sync with ADEPT lesson plans but I did my best.
I have not been able to integrate engineering into any of my lesson this year. I am hopeful that once I become a science teacher and teach a higher grade level, all that I am doing in this class could be useful in my adjusting.
Mrs. Cruise I agree the lesson plan template did take time and will require higher thinking skill/expectations from our students. I was not familiar with the format until this week. Our district uses EATS for Acquisition lessons. It is very similar but it addresses only four areas. I agree with Ms. Wiggins that the Benchmarks Online did limit my choice of topics. In addition, I was not sure what to do with the Historical Perspective being for higher grades than I teach.
ReplyDeleteMy kids love powerpoints; this year I decided instead of teaching out of the textbook my students researched the topics in each unit. I just provided links on my website which I wanted them to use. One of their favorites is the jeopardy game template where they plug in the questions and then the entire class plays as a review before a test.
A.Lisowski
Hello! I liked my science lesson, but I found it a bit challenging since I was using a systems unit on the cardiovascular system, and had to find a better experiment. The use of technology was fine. Best of luck to you, and I love your blog site!
ReplyDeleteShannon Hyde