Constructivism

  

Michelle GaudetteFran GlickmanSheldon Heil

What is Constructivism?!?• Theory based on teaching students by accessing their prior

learning. 

• Students learn by exploration and are guided by a teacher rather than having the teacher dispense knowledge.

 

• Students' minds are not a "blank slate"  

• Teachers are not the "sage on the stage" 

• Students learn through experience and making connections to prior knowledge.

 

• Teachers are the "guide on the side", serving as a facilitator of knowledge.

 

• Experiences are authentic and help student connect what they are learning to the real world.

         History of Constructivisim

• Constructivisim began with Socrates. Socrates asked many open ended questions that forced students to think critically.

 •  Educational Theorist Jean Piaget believed that people

construct their own knowledge and that knowledge is based on experience.

 • John Dewey students must construct their knowledge as if

they were in a classroom.

Constructivism Visual

 5 E Lesson

Plan

Water Cycle Lesson Overview Using the 5E Model:

     This Water Cycle Lesson is designed for grades 3-4. It incorporates science, language arts, collaboration, and technology. The lesson is meant to be broken up over a minimum of three days and a maximum time of six days.     This lesson has been created using the 5E Model of "Constructivism."   It begins by first engaging the students, having the students explore the materials and explain their reasoning and findings. The culmination is an activity extending their knowledge and evaluating their progress and possibly that of their classmates as well.

New York State Learning Standard:STANDARD 7—Interdisciplinary Problem SolvingStudents will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.Key Idea 2:Solving interdisciplinary problems involves a variety of skills and strategies, including effective work habits; gathering and processing information; generating and analyzing ideas; realizing ideas; making connections among the common themes of mathematics, science, and technology; and presenting results. http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/pub/elecoresci.pdf  

 

EngageIntroducing the Water Cycle

• Most elementary classes have a sink in the classroom. •   • The teacher will direct one or two students from each table to get a cup of water

(translucent plastic cup) and place it on their table.•  • The teacher will tell the students,•  "Take a good long look at the water.  Now -- can you guess how old it is?"    

• There will be a work sheet that contains this question.  The question will also be posted on the Smart Board.  The students will be given a few minutes to o discuss this question with their class mates o to come up with a hypothesis o explain how they arrived to their conclusiono elect a person to speak (or write) for their group

• After a few minutes of the teacher circulating around the room, listening in on the thoughts of the various groups, the teacher will then ask each group to send up their representative to write their hypothesis on the Smart board.o Note: (the teacher may decide to use a count-down timer on the Smart Board if the class

tends to be one to get off focus)o  

• The Smart Board will have the question, o "Take a good long look at the water.  Now -- can you guess how old it is?"  

 • Under the question on the Smart Board page, there will be a two-column table.  The columns are

labeled:•  

o "Statement" - where the group will post their hypothesis (guess). - Number of minutes, days, weeks or years 

o  o "Reason." - Brief statement as to why they believe their guess is true

EngageIntroducing the Water Cycle

EngageIntroducing the Water Cycle Continued . . .

• Once all the groups have posted their "statement" and "Reason" onto the Smart Board, the teacher will pose the next two or more questions for the students to discuss:

 • What does water have to do with the weather?

 • In what ways does water affect our lives?

 • One cold sunny winter morning, you left for school and

nearly fell because there was a little ice on your sidewalk.  When you returned home that afternoon, the ice was gone and the sidewalk was dry.

What happened to the ice that was on the sidewalk in the morning?

EngageIntroducing the Water Cycle Continued . . .

• Once the class has discussed the questions from the previous page and perhaps other similar questions, the teacher can then either reveal the answer in any one of the following ways:o The teacher may state, "The water in your glass may have fallen from the sky as rain

just last week, but the water itself has been around pretty much as long as the earth has." - Be prepared for questions

o The teacher may answer the students' question by showing a brief video on the Smart Board to the entire class.  (The video link would be on the Smart Board).

o The teacher could have the students go over to the class computers (earphones would be provided) and watch an introduction video on the water cycle and then take a self quiz.

o Students can participate in creating a KWL gloster about the water cycle. Students can fill in the K and W sections now and finish the L as part of the extension of the lesson.

 • Possible video Choices:

o Brain Pop - Water Cycle  - log in = e2t2 and password granto Water Cycle Video - "The water cycle goes round and round"o The Earth's Water Cycle - Environmental Science (Video)

 

Exploration       

• The teacher will take students outside to get a cup of snow. • The snow will be left in the classroom to melt. • The snow will be left to evaporate. Students will be asked to

hypothesize about the whereabouts of the water. • After students suggest that it "went into the air", the teacher

will ask students to test that theory. • The teacher will lead students to the idea that they might try

a covered and uncovered cup to see what happens. The covered cup will stay the same while the uncovered cup will evaporate.

• Students will discuss what caused the change and will discover that heat is what caused the change. 

Exploration (continued)

• The teacher will then melt an ice cube over a flame so that the students can see the evaporation take place. 

 • Now ask the students how the process might be reversed. 

 • To demonstrate, take a jar of cold water with ice. Wipe it

down and set it on a paper towel. It will sweat. Ask the students where the water on the outside of the jar came from. 

 • If they think it came from the inside of the jar, do the

experiment over with water that is room temperature. This time the jar will not sweat, so the water on the outside of the jar must have come from the air. 

• Source: http://www.proteacher.org/a/35576_evaporation.html

Explanation

• Students will work in groups to write a play about the water cycle that they will present to the class (possibly parents).

 • The teacher will provide guidance as needed or sample

plays for the students to review.   

Extend    

• Together with guidance from the teacher, students will fill in the "L" section of the KWL Glogster. Students will elaborate on and explain what they have learned.

• Students will share their Glogsters, sharing what they have learned. 

• Teacher will clear up any misunderstandings. 

• Students will participate in a Socratic Seminar focused on the question - Why is it important for humans to understand the water cycle? 

 

• This lesson will be geared towards a project where the students will:o Perform a play about the water cycleo Create & perform a play about the water cycle (live, on video

and/or podcast)o Create a "Did you know . . ." video about the water cycle

Evaluate

• Students will complete exit slips at the end of each class which will be collected by the teacher as a form of informal continuous evaluation.

 

• The teacher can use the K and W sections of the KWL to assess students' prior knowledge and knowledge upon completing the lesson.

 

• Students will be graded on the play using a rubric supplied at the beginning of the project.o Contento Creativityo Scripto Group participationo Costumes 

 

• Students will fill out individual and peer evaluations when working in groups for various activities. 

Work Cited   page 1

Carlson-Pickering, J. (2002-2004). Water, Water Everywhere - The Water Cycle. Retrieved October 16, 2010, from Chariho Regional School District : http://www.chariho.k12.ri.us/curriculum/MISmart/water/water.htmlGagnon, S. (n.d.). The Water Cycle,Evaporation, Condensation and Precipitation, Reading Comprehension Passages . Retrieved October 16, 2010, from Jefferson Lab, Science Education: http://education.jlab.org/reading/water_cycle.htmlJulianne. (1998-2008). Exploration - Evaporation. Retrieved October 18, 2010, from Pro-Teacher Community: http://www.proteacher.org/a/35576_evaporation.htmlMasferrer, M. (n.d.). Our Water Cycle Play. Retrieved October 16, 2010, from Mrs. Masferrer's Classroom: http://www.schools.manatee.k12.fl.us/291MMASFERRER/mmasferrer/water_cycle_play.htmlNetting, R. (2006, October 10). NASA. Retrieved October 16, 2010, from Droplet And The Water Cycle: http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/droplet.html

Work Cited page 2

Reader's Theater Script: Water Cycle Adventure. (2001-2010). Retrieved October 16, 2010, from Enchanted Learning: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/rt/weather/watercycle.shtmlThe Water Cycle - "Where Did The Water You Drank Today Come From?". (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2010, from http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/1064_Watercycle_instructions.pdfThe Water Cycle. (Copyright © 1998-2009 DLTK's Sites - All Rights Reserved). Retrieved October 16, 2010, from Kidzone - Fun Facts For Kids: http://www.kidzone.ws/water/Ullrich, K. (2004, June 30). Constructivism and the 5 E Model Science Lesson . Retrieved October 14, 2010, from The WebQuest Page: http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/fellows/Ullrich/webquest/mkuindex.html#Constructivism%20and%20the%205%20E%20ModelWater Cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2010, from neoK12, Educational Videos, Lessons, and Games for K-12: http:/http://www.neok12.com/Water-Cycle.htmWater Cycle. (1999-2010). Retrieved October 16, 2010, from BrainPop: http://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/watercycle/preview.wemlWater Cycle. (2006 Inflection Media). Retrieved October 16, 2010, from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: http://www.montereyinstitute.org/noaa/lesson07.html