3. Teacher Reflection
(1) What did student prior knowledge indicate about readiness to learn and existing
schema? (2) Misconceptions evidenced? How addressed? (3) What interests or intrigues students? How can instruction incorporate these things?
proceed; quick review; remediate
Explore 1 (25 min)
1. Explore Details
Sub-components:
Predict, Collect, Justify
Representative Questions:
(1) What if...? (2) What would you expect to happen? Why? (3) How will you organize
your information? (4) How much data/information do you need to collect? (5) What
are some changes you noticed in...?
Explore Description:
The teacher will tell the students they will be going outside to play an animal game.
When you arrive outside, the teacher will need to explain the boundaries. The teacher
will then introduce the characters (producers, herbivores, carnivores, decomposers).
On the character card will be a description of their goal, who they chase, what they
collect and who they are chased by. The teacher will then distribute the character card
to the students. The teacher will be the Sun (the life giver). Refer to
http://www.cpawscalgary.org/education/pics/animal%20game.pdf
2. Formative Assessments
Observation, Record/Data Collection
The teacher will monitor students to ensure appropriate roles are followed. The
students will share: What did you feel while playing the game? How might a wild
animal feel? What strategies did you use to avoid being caught? Do plants and
animals use these strategies? What strategies did you use to catch other students? Do
plants and animals use these strategies? If humans were introduced to this game,
what rules would you give them? What about diseases? What about famine?
3. Teacher Reflection
(1) Skillfulness of predictions made? (2) Meaningfulness of data collected? How
organized? (3) Justification of approach used to solve question/problem? What
justification tells about understanding?
proceed; clarify; remediate; re-engage
Explain 1 (25 min)
1. Explain Details
Sub-components:
Interpret, Evidence/Justify/Verify, Communicate, Alt.explanations, Analyze
Representative Questions:
(1) What took place? (2) What changes did you notice? (3) Explain what happened?
(4) What pattern(s) did you notice? (5) What surprised/puzzled you? What is still
confusing? (6) What visuals help to explain your findings? Explain them. (7) What
evidence do you have for your statement? (8) How would you explain...? (9) What
trend does the data show? (10) What do you mean when you say, ...? (11) How is
your idea different from...? (12) What do you think will happen if? (13) How is this
similar or different from...? (14) How does this apply to what we learned before? (15)
What has been learned? (16) Do you agree with...? Why/Why not? (17) Where have
you encountered a similar phenomenon?
Explain Description:
Students will describe what took place in the explore. They will discuss the roles of the
characters (producers, consumers, and decomposers). Students will continue with the
three types of consumers (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores will be subheadings
underneath consumers). See example below. The teacher will have chart paper with
the characters listed at the top. (Leave space for an additional column at the end for
omnivores to be added later.) The students will list what was eaten under their
character. The teacher will then ask questions leading the children to develop a
description about each character. They will give examples of animals that will fit under
each category. The students will be asked to give non-examples of each character.
Students will record descriptions, examples and non-examples in their science
notebooks. They will be asked to identify a role that has not been identified
(Omnivore). Students will come up with an example of the missing role. These will be
identified as omnivores. The students will give examples of what they eat. These will
be recorded on the chart paper as well as their science notebooks.
5th grade Example of chart:
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
Herbivore Omnivore Carnivore
2. Formative Assessments
Whole Class Discussion, Science notebooks
Teacher should check notebooks to be sure the chart is recorded correctly in
notebooks.
3. Teacher Reflection
(1) Quality and accuracy of interpretation of results? (2) Strength of evidence for
claims? Ability to verify procedure/results? Skillfulness in justifying approach/results?
(3) Effectiveness of communicating knowledge? (4) Ability to see alternate
explanations? (5) Ability to analyze the quality of exploration conducted?
proceed; re-engage; re-explore; remediate; have students clarify
Extend 1 (50 min)
1. Extend Details
Sub-components:
Apply, Elaborate, Transfer, Generalize
Representative Questions:
(1) What would happen if...? (2) How do you think... applies to ...? (3) Explain from
another viewpoint. (4) How can this be used in the Real-World? (5) What
questions/problems are still unresolved? (6) What decisions need to be made? What
consequences
/benefits/risks accompany certain decisions?
Extend Description:
The teacher will pose this scenario to the students: What do you think would happen to
the surrounding area if a new road is placed around a lake where the geese live?
(Teacher can select an impact role relative to the area to introduce the second round
of the game. Examples: Neighborhood/commercial development, hunting season,
lakes drying up, etc.) Student’s predictions will be recorded on a class chart.
The class will go back outside and play the game with the additional or eliminated role.
If teacher chooses, she could have students suggest other changes that could be
made that they would like to explore if time allows or at another time. If time allows, the
teacher can bring in real-world scenarios to discuss. When students return to class
they will choose one of three scenarios and describe the impact the scenarios would
have on each role in the area. This will be recorded in their science notebooks.
Students will present their scenario impacts to the class. The class will have an
opportunity to ask questions of the presenters.
2. Formative Assessments
3. Teacher Reflection
(1) Quality and number of applications made? (2) Ability to elaborate on
ideas/concepts? (3) Skillfulness transferring knowledge to new ideas? (4)
Competence and accuracy generalizing experience?
debrief; re-engage; re-explore; have students clarify; another extension
Extend 2 (50 min)
1. Extend Details
Sub-components:
Apply, Elaborate, Transfer, Generalize
Representative Questions:
(1) What would happen if...? (2) How do you think... applies to ...? (3) Explain from
another viewpoint. (4) How can this be used in the Real-World? (5) What
questions/problems are still unresolved? (6) What decisions need to be made? What
consequences
/benefits/risks accompany certain decisions?
Extend Description:
Students will be given the same packets of word cards that they worked with during the
engage activity. Students will be asked to create a graphic organizer again using what
they have learned during the explore and explain activities. They will tape their graphic
organizer in their Science Notebooks and write an explanation of their reasoning. They
will also be asked to explain in their notebooks how and why their graphic organizers
changed during the study.
2. Formative Assessments
Science Notebooks
Students will be asked to make a graphic organizer to show their growth in knowledge
of the standard. The teacher can easily asses the students’ understanding of
organisms’ role in the ecosystem through the graphic organizer and the
explanation of the students reasoning in their Science Notebooks.
3. Teacher Reflection
(1) Quality and number of applications made? (2) Ability to elaborate on
ideas/concepts? (3) Skillfulness transferring knowledge to new ideas? (4)
Competence and accuracy generalizing experience?
debrief; re-engage; re-explore; have students clarify; another extension
Contributed by:
Julie Smart, Clemson University, SC
Jeff Marshall, Clemson University, SC
