The Arrangement
All 3 rd grade students will gain knowledge about and experience with energy during a 6-8 week Energy Blast. The first two weeks will focus on an energy overview for all students. The overarching objectives for the entire curriculum unit are for students to understand: 1) what energy is, 2) how plants use energy from the sun, 3) how environmental conditions affect growth and survival of plants, and 4) how the sun helps keep our Ecosystem balanced.
For this unit, I would like to arrange students in a variety of ways from independent reflection to small group collaborations. For some of the activities, it is better for students to work independently and use trial and error to confirm or disprove their own predictions. On other solar activities, students will have opportunities to work with collaborative groups to gain knowledge from others and problem solve together.
Science Journals
One strategy to help students organize their thinking and keep track of their data is by using Science Journals. For Science Journals to be most effective, students should set them up at the beginning of the year. The first page of their journal can be dedicated to science they already know from previous grades as well as their own interpretation of what they think a scientist looks like. Journals are powerful tools that allow students to record key vocabulary terms studied throughout the year as well as making pictures and diagrams from demonstrations and experiments.
5E Learning Cycle
The 5E Learning Cycle model is an additional strategy that most educators use in the classroom, especially with science. This is an Inquiry process where students are active learners in their learning process. The 5 stages are: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. In the first stage, students are drawn into the lesson by discussing their prior knowledge or thinking of questions they would like to explore. In the second stage of the learning cycle (explore), students participate in experiments and demonstrations that help spark their inquiry process. Notice with this type of model, teachers are seen more as facilitators rather than pouring out a wealth of knowledge. Teachers guide student thinking in the explain process by asking students to think about the experiment and helping students form generalizations. The fourth and fifth step of this process is critical because we want students to go further with their questions and develop or plan alternate explanations. They need to know how it relates to their everyday lives and how they can apply it. Often teachers have students complete an experiment without having students evaluate or reflect upon their process. This leaves students thinking "now what?" "We completed an experiment, but why?" Therefore, it is essential that the Learning Process Model is carried out to the end.
Socratic Seminars
Another arrangement for this unit includes the use of Socratic Seminars. They will be used at the end of the unit to allow all students to showcase their knowledge and learn from others in the group. This strategy is a common method used in education to help students investigate multiple perspectives. Elfie Israel describes it beautifully by saying:
The Socratic seminar is a formal discussion, based on a text, in which the leader asks open-ended questions. Within the context of the discussion, students listen closely to the comments of others, thinking critically for themselves, and articulate their own thoughts and their responses to the thoughts of others. They learn to work cooperatively and to question intelligently and civilly. 10
Mock Debates
Mock Debates is another strategy that will be used in this unit to expose students to differing viewpoints and allow them to become more Open Minded with their decision making. With this teaching strategy, students will have an opportunity to look at pros and cons of a debatable topic and begin to brainstorm their own personal perspective. They then have opportunities to work in small groups that have the same perspective before presenting their side to the entire class. Before using this strategy, it is important to set a warm, comfortable environment where students feel comfortable expressing their ideas even if they are different. Essential agreements should be established as a whole group where everyone agrees upon at least 3-5 "ground rules" to keep order and respect present in the classroom.
This unit is designed for 3 rd to 5th grade students but can be adapted to meet the needs of any students using the content. Students will gain knowledge by learning about someone new and have an opportunity to use their creativity to design their own Energy Station for the Expo! Let the creativity begin!!
Comments: