STEM strategies lesson plan
Creating the STEM Strategies Lesson Plan was more challenging when attempting to tie a historical perspective in while also using a state standard for the selected grade level. My goal was to incorporate the benchmark, science principles, and a 7th-grade mathematical concept. The 5 E's strategy was helpful as explains the process of building the learning experience (Duran & Duran, 2004). Starting a topic with activation of prior knowledge is a strategy that is consistent with my current lesson design. If I plan an exploration activity, my students require extended time to understand the expectations and to activate critical thinking. Students would likely have a personal connection to the question "What would life be like without certain inventions?" (Buxton & Provenzo, 2011, p.45). This tied in well with the historical perspective of "harnessing power" from Project2061's benchmarks (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2009). This was also connected to the mathematical standard of bias vs unbiased samples (Georgia Department of Education, 2016).
The
lesson would likely span the course of three or four class periods. The
connection between historical information, mathematics, science, and math would
be worth the investment of time. The opportunity for creative
exploration would effectively help convey the mathematical component of bias vs
unbiased samples and create student buy-in. This lesson would also address the
elements of the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA)
standards for language development. Students would have the opportunity to
read, write, listen, and speak throughout the lesson (WIDA, 2020). If I were to
implement this lesson, I would need to communicate with other staff to identify
practical times to complete surveys. I would need to inform the
administration that students would be moving around the building and provide
those students with special passes. The IEL teacher would be a part of the
process as I would run instructions by her for help modifying the assignment
enough to support the language development phase of the various students.
Planning this lesson was different from my usual planning as this
year has involved much trial and error with my new position teaching ESL math.
I am now using a sheltered math curriculum to guide my lesson design. It
includes suggested activation activities, hands-on or teacher-guided
activities, and often has an independent or group work component. I have
implemented additional activities and strategies to encourage critical thinking
which has yielded significant growth in independent thought processes. As
students continue to increase in English proficiency, I expect that students
will participate in the explain
and evaluate aspects of the 5
E's (Duran & Duran 2003).
Buxton and Provenzo (2010) reference
the socio-economic disparities that occur for children and families in low-income
neighborhoods. Providing equitable access to education is the entire purpose
for the opening of my current school. It was built to address disparities in
the inner-city area, alleviate overcrowding, and improve access to highly
qualified educators and education for the neighborhood families. Offering
students lessons designed with this level of purpose and intent would provide a connection for the students while encouraging them to understand the world
around them and be active participants in discovery.
References
American Association for the Advancement of Science. (2009). Benchmarks online, Chapter 10.
In Benchmarks for scientific literacy project 2061. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://www.project2061.org/publications/bsl/online/index.php?chapter=10
Buxton, C. A., & Provenzo Jr., E. F. (2010). Teaching science in elementary and middle school:
A cognitive and cultural approach. (2nd Edition). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781483343358: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Duran, E., Duran, L. B. (2004) The 5E instructional model: A learning cycle approach for
inquiry-based science teaching: The Science Education Review 3(2), Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1058007.pdf
Georgia Department of Education (2016), Georgia standards of excellence. Retrieved from
https://www.georgiastandards.org/Georgia-Standards/Documents/Grade-6-8- Mathematics- Standards.pdf
WIDA Consortium (2016), Can
do descriptors, Key uses edition. Retrieved from https://wida.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/resource/CanDo-KeyUses-Gr-6-8.pdf
Your lesson seems very engaging and will certainly elicit interesting suppositions as to how life would be different without certain inventions. I'm sure it would be difficult for many students to understand life without the internet. You have certainly put thought into this potential lesson, as advised by Hammerman (2006). Will they work in groups or individually? - Erica Hamm
ReplyDeleteHammerman, E. L. (2006). Becoming a better science teacher: 8 steps to high quality instruction
and student achievement. Sage Publications.
I always encourage my students to work in pairs as it increases the amount of communication that occurs in the classroom. This also provides them with someone who can answer questions or help if they find they do not understand something. Some students choose to work independently and I allow this as long as they are able to accomplish the same task as an independent worker.
DeleteYou shared that this lesson covers standards in more than just mathematics. Do you plan/meet with other teachers of different subject areas to align your curriculum with theirs? Cross-curricular teaching is linking subjects areas to show students how interchangeable the skills they learn are with the different subjects (Fulton, 2020). Reading and writing can almost always be tied into any lesson. Mathematics is more concrete than most areas of study, how would you bring in other concepts to your lessons? Having your students make connections between their classes makes their learning more valuable.
ReplyDeleteFulton, J. (2020, November 12). How to make cross-curricular teaching part of Your plan - classcraft blog. Resource hub for schools and districts. Retrieved from https://www.classcraft.com/blog/how-to-make-cross-curricular-teaching-part-of-your-plan/
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DeleteI currently meet with the ELA, IEL, and Reading support teacher for the needs of most of my students. I run ideas by the IEL teacher and we provide additional time in her class to support more challenging lessons. I would like to be able to collaborate more with other content area teachers as I develop plans for the students over time. I hope to integrate more cross content connections that will better support these students as they develop their language proficiency.
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