5E's CFG's and Web 2.0. The BSCS 5E method provides an easy to use framework for lesson development. The 5E is not new, it just provides organization to lessons that support inquiry. The challenge of this week was using 5E to create a kindergarten/first grade lesson plan. As a secondary teacher, it was difficult to determine appropriate depth of knowledge and classroom procedure for the younger grades. This leaves me with greater concerns as unit 7 progresses into a unit plan based on the kindergarten/first grade plan of this week.
In this discussions this week, we focused on using the 5E method for scientific investigation, for learning and assessment purposes. Some of the discussions considered renaming or rearranging the 5E's. The E which I would consider renaming is Elaboration. Elaboration could be considered Extension. A goal of inquiry is to develop student interest in the material. Extension accounts for students who want to learn more about an activity. It accounts for students who have completed the primary learning objectives and are interested in exploring further. It accounts for students who have developed a strong interest in taking the material beyond the classroom.
If Elaboration becomes extension, then perhaps the new placement for extension should be as the 5th instead of 4th E. This allows for the sequence to continue without termination. Although assessment has ended, students have determined their learning, teachers have created a score of the performance, and grades have been entered, the cycle does not need to end. Students can now continue to extend their learning beyond the programmed activities.
The other major portion of this week was on web 2.0. The plethora of resources that fellow students in this course have used with students is encouraging and daunting. Tying the web 2.0 resources to 5E sequences helped to organize the options, but only slightly. In viewing the many responses on this discussion, similar resources appeared for multiple purposes within the 5E's, making selection options variable.
A sample of how I might use the 5E resources in my classroom is for a unit on water. Through this unit, I expect students to gain an understanding of water as a resource, the cycle of water within the living and nonliving systems of the earth, and the role of water in shaping earth's surface features.
I would start by engaging them with demonstrations and thought provoking questions and demos, such as the 5 gallon water activity.
Students would then explore the locations of water resources around the world. Using Google Earth, NASA A-Train data and USGS streamgauge data online, the students will compare available water resources for various locations within the United States and then internationally. Students would prepare a GIS overlay of water availability and usage characteristics.
Through these lessons, explanations of limited earth resources and the cycling of water throughout the earth. Students will further explore the hydrological cycle between atmosphere, surface, and subsurface movements. Web simulators will allow students to visualize the variables of climate, rock type, and human impacts on water availability, water cycling, and biologic processes.
Elaboration or extension will take place through virtual field trips to locations previously studied. Students could extend their learning to include social and cultural impacts of the water resources, laws and regulations prepared to protect water, water pollution, and water borne illnesses.
Evaluation and assessment tools for such a unit would include students preparing their data overlays, their combined virtual field trip destinations (a collaorative using wiki, prezi, or google docs), a student proposal for using water resources locally or for a remote location, a mock town hall style meeting to discuss the use of water resources and competing interests which may interfere with preservation of the resources.
The 5E method and web2.0 supports will enhance and guide student understanding of water resources in an approach that is applicable to student interests, relevant to a student's individual role in his or her surroundings and includes stronger reinforcements than reading, note-taking, and multiple choice tests.
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