I have been using the 5E's (Engage, Explore, Elaborate, Explain, and Evaluate) strategy for one year now and I do like it; however, I rarely complete my planned 45 minute lessons. With this strategy, students' are constantly engaged; therefore, it is sometimes difficult to complete a lesson. It keeps me interested to see my students interested.
In my erosion lesson that I plan to implement, I can see the students getting lost on configuring the slope to prevent erosion from taking place on the school's outside basketball court. The students begin the lesson by reading a letter from the principal concerning the erosion problem. Students also explore positive examples of erosion, such as the Nile. The lesson ends with the students submittng the final proposal to the principal of their solution.
Hang in there with figuring out the whole "time" thing with the 5 E's method. It definitely takes time (oddly enough!) to get a firm grasp on it. But once you do, your class will really take off! Have fun with it. That's what science is all about! :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear more about your lesson. It sounds as if, if you are willing to allow your students freedom, that you have a great problem-based learning experience started! Giving those reins over can be nerve-racking, but oh so fun at the same time! See what comes of it. I'd love to know how it goes!
Jordan
Hi Sandra,
ReplyDeleteFor lessons that extend past the planned time - do you usually break the lesson into different components (ie. finish the rest of the lesson in a different class), or do you find yourself having to eliminate sections of the lesson?
I was just wondering if it might be beneficial to try to identify the most important components of a given lesson beforehand so that it might be possible to "adjust the lesson on the fly" so that students get the most out of it. I know that this can be really difficult, especially when the students are actively engaged, but it might help! Amy