As I talk to parents, homeschoolers, and teachers science and math come up over and over again as classes that are difficult. I’ve heard lots of different reasons including science is expensive, science is intimidating, and there is time to learn science later. What? When is this later you speak of?

I get some of it. Science can be expensive in time and money. There are ways to get around it, but it requires additional planning ahead and teaching procedures to control the mess and time loss. It is worth it! (Grab a Supply List for Everyday Science)

Small children are natural scientists and when we stamp out the desire to explore and discover we are not doing kids any favors.I don’t care how well Sara reads or John knows his multiplication. If they have the skills at the expensive of losing their passion for using it, what have we really accomplished?

Science and history are applying the skills of mathematics and language arts. Aren’t disciplines like science and history WHY we teach math and reading?

Science can be intimidating. Many elementary teachers have little training in the sciences. Often these teachers are moved from grade to grade without being able to create a strong portfolio of lessons. Middle school principals tend to prefer elementary or K-8 prepared teachers.

That means that in most public school settings kids will not have a teacher with specific science training until high school. Due to teacher shortages, those teachers are often not trained in the actual subject they teach.

When are they getting the science? The answer is that many kids just are not getting what they need before high school graduation.

So, don’t be intimidated. Most teachers (in whatever setting) are just trying to do the best that they can. I can testify that most new teachers (to a topic) are staying a day or two ahead of the kids.

The great news is that the old lecture models for teaching are being replaced. The old model was a teacher is in the front of the class and lectures on the material. This is the type of learning environment that most of us are familiar with.

The student is shocked by the amount of knowledge that is being thrown out at them. It’s like trying to drink out of a firehose. The teacher looks like a genius in the eyes of these bewildered students. The kids often leave feeling completely defeated.

We can all agree that isn’t the ideal situation. If you don’t feel like you have the knowledge or understanding of the subject to spout facts like a dictionary, that is still great. You can change how you approach science.

The 5E model of instruction.

This model of instruction serves as a road map for learning. It puts the emphasis on the student to explore the world and make connections. The instructor’s role is more as a support team member.

The biggest job of the teacher in the 5E model is to redirect students and ask probing questions. The teacher is modeling what it means to investigate and discover new information. The teacher and student are part of a learning team. Sound good? (Grab a sample 5E lesson)

What are the 5Es?

Engage

Capture your students’ interest. This is a time to help activate any previously learned information. Examples would be reading a book or conducting a demonstration.

Explore

Allows students to a chance to discover. Students can watch videos, build models, create scenarios. You got their interest early, but this phase lets them see connections between what caught their interest and the science.

Explain

Provide vocabulary for students to explain what they have seen in the exploration and engagement phases. At this stage, you can identify misconceptions, clarify concepts and misconceptions, and begin to introduce the scientific vocabulary. Remember this is a time for the student to try to explain what they are seeing.

Elaborate/Experiment

Time to challenge students to apply, extend, or elaborate on their new knowledge and skills. Creating a deeper more meaningful understanding of the material. This is also a time for the teacher to see if there are remaining misconceptions. Give them additional or new materials and have the students experiment again.

If you don’t know the answer look it up. This is a great time for your student(s) to see you as a learner ( that old idea that learning is never finished).

Evaluate

Take the time to check for understanding during the process and at the end. This includes formal assessments like papers, test, and quizzes and informal assessments like class discussions, exit tickets, and journal entries. Assessment can be as diverse as teachers and students. Have a little fun with the ways you evaluate students!

Need more resources?

I have a FREE guide to help you create your own 5E Lesson. You can enter your information below to have the guide sent directly to your inbox.

One Comment

Nellie says:

at

I'm so happy to stumble on to your blog! As a new homeschooler, we've entered our first "real" year of "work" and, having boys, they like to explore and play more than do things from a book. This is going to be a great stepping off point for me in redirecting our curriculum (really, just a bunch of loose ideas)! I can't wait to get exploring (on purpose, any way)…I think we'll do something tomorrow! Thanks!

Comments are closed.

Is Science on the Back Burner?

The 5E model of instruction.