My lesson plan was designed for my students to use scientific inquiry skills, mathematical calculations, technological and engineering strategies to construct a bridge out of building manipulatives (K’NEX, Legos, craft sticks) to cross a “river” and be able to hold weight. Years ago, when I first started college I designed a similar lesson for my peers to try and it was very fun and successful, only at the time I used toothpicks and gumdrops.
Using hands-on materials is very beneficial in the classroom, it allows students to visualize, manipulate and even relay their ideas. For this lesson I did refer to the 5 E’s regularly and I think it was very helpful for me to focus on the most important aspects of the lesson. Yes, I want my lesson to align with all of the standards, but I really want my students to be engaged. The exploration, explanation, extension are critical for students to really be immersed in the learning process. Evaluation is equally important because I want to be sure that my students actually did understand what I wanted them to know. Using the 5 E’s is different from the way that I have been creating lesson plans but one way that I will be sure to use in the future.
The idea of this lesson came from a lesson plan I found on the website Hotchalk, it is a wonderful resource for planning. After reading the lesson plan I considered the students in my own classroom and formulated it more specifically to meet their needs and the way that I would teach it. If I were to implement this lesson I would use materials that I have the most access to. I would have to spend a little time reminding my students how to handle the materials in a proper way. This lesson focuses on providing the students with a scenario; the bridge must be at least one foot across and four inches tall, and they must calculate the costs associated with it (each piece of material is assigned a price). The lesson could easily be adapted to allow for much more creativity, questioning and problem solving.
Elizabeth
HotChalk (2011). Bridges. Retrieved from http://www.lessonplanspage.com/index.html
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