What I enjoyed most about this lesson plan is the fact that I will get to implement it next year with my fifth graders! My lesson involved students creating earthquake proof buildings which are tested on a shake table to simulate a real earthquake.I found the 5 E's strategy helpful, though it was a much more extensive than I am used to using for planning a single lesson. I do naturally follow these guidelines, including an Engagement (an anticipatory set), Exploration, and Explanation. I liked coming up with ideas for the Elaboration step of the planning process. Enrichment activities are something I always enjoy but often find myself out of time to actually follow through with them. Time is one of my worst enemies as a teacher! I also liked the Evaluation step because it reminds me to slow down and think if my students have truly absorbed the material as I hoped they would. Do they really understand it? Could they take it a step further? What additional questions do they have? The whole point of a lesson to for the students to learn, so this step ensures the success of the task. Learning should be engaging, and I like that the 5 E's model reinforced that students should be engaged at all times.
If I were to actually implement this lesson in my classroom, I would need to make sure I had plenty of supplies for the students to use. I would also need to allow sufficient time for students to build their buildings. Part of my anticipatory set is to have a guest speaker from the Red Cross talk to my class about working to aid in earthquake relief in Japan. This may be a hard person to secure to come to my classroom. As a back up plan, I would show the students pictures and video clips on my Promethean board from the devastation caused by the 2011 earthquake in Japan.
I felt the hours it took me to create this lesson plan are not something I will, or even could if I wanted to, reciprocate in my everyday lesson planning. I am not only a science teacher, but additionally teach reading, math, social studies, grammar, and writing. I just do not see how it is possible to create this extensive as a plan for every lesson I teach! That being said, I do believe this planning process helped me focus on the important parts of the lesson. I am excited that I have a really good lesson to use next year!!
Great lesson plan! I especially liked the idea of having someone from the Red Cross come in and talk to the students about responding to a crisis like the one in Japan. This definitely helps build bonds with the community and gets the students to think about what happens outside of their school, city, state, and country.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this type of lesson planning is not suitable for everyday lessons, but it did help me focus on making sure the students are engaged and learning. Time definitely is one of our worst enemies. There's just not enough of it. Sometimes it comes to the point where we need to move on and there is no time to review or re-teach the concepts covered in class. What a shame!
Is a shake table something that you purchased or something that you built? I know your students would have fun building their structure to be tested. This sounds like a very engaging and vigorous project!
The shake table is something I made. You can simply use a deep box top, like the lid that comes on a box of copy paper. Line it with a single layer of marbles, leaving room for them to shift and roll. Then put the students' structures onto a cardboard base just smaller than the inside of the box lid. Put that base on top of the marbles, then shake the box top. The structure will shift on top of the marbles, simulating an earthquake.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of bringing the community into the classroom, I used Skype the other day with my class to communicate with a classmate who had moved to England. I started thinking of all the possibilities this type of communication could have for the classroom. Why not try to talk with someone in Japan about the aftermath of their recent earthquake? The opportunities are limitless!