Strategies
While all strategies that are being proposed are appropriate for a middle school classroom, they have all been chosen specifically to meet the needs of high risk students that traditionally perform below grade level. The strategies have been chosen to optimize engagement and lend themselves well to differentiation. The main strategies that will be used will be: demonstrations, modeling, hands-on lab activities and problem based learning.
Demonstrations
In the middle school classroom, it is not always possible or wise to let students do certain activities on their own. Demonstrations allow for a quick "gotcha" moment in the classroom without losing all the time with a full lab set-up. The questions that are asked by the teacher and the questions asked by the students determine the value of a demonstration.
Hands-On Labs
There is little question that hands-on learning is beneficial to students and their level of engagement. The hands-on activities being proposed will allow students to witness osmosis and diffusion and to experiment with ways to control it.
Writing Activity
Writing is usually a struggle for students, especially middle school students. In this unit, students will write a story book for small children using their notes and other background information. This will provide them with an opportunity to create their own differentiated product.
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