A Reflection on STEM Lesson Plans
In considering the lesson plan used this week, I used national and state standards, benchmarks, and several strategies from the Five E’s to accommodate my diverse group of students. I used activities that reached across curriculums and tied them to a unified theme with systems. I incorporated an opportunity to introduce STEM careers.
Initially I collaborated with a team of teachers that teach seventh grade science about the national and state standards to be addressed for this year’s focus. The national standard I addressed is diversity and adaptation of organisms in life science (AAAS, 2009). The state standard of Georgia addressed S7L5. Students will examine the evolution of living organism through inherited characteristics that promote survival of organisms and the successive generations (Ga.DOE, 2006). I used a lesson on natural selection with a lab on bird beaks and an investigation on the internet about the Galapagos Island animals and adaptations. The next stage is putting a project together that would include levels of difficulty and different interest to prove knowledge of natural selection. I created a rubric for grading and feedback purposes. This set of activities links to the benchmarks where individual organisms with certain traits are more likely to survive and have offspring; and changes in the environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms (AAAS, 2009). The unifying theme has to do with how every part relates to other parts within a system. The second unifying theme any system is usually connected to other systems, both internally and externally; therefore has and is built of subsystems (AAAS, 2009).
In addition to analyzing the standards to plan this set of lessons, I had my students in mind. I have a diverse group of students with Individual Education Plans, multicultural, hearing impaired, and an English language learner. I have more females than males in my classes this year. According to Buxton and Provenzo (2007) experts, the following activities using collaboration, graphing, and non-linguistic expression are key for assisting underrepresented students and English language learners (p.110) Another area I used multiply representation in the forms of written, oral and charts; therefore, providing concrete data to write about (Buxton and Provenzo, 2007 p. 111) . As I considered student achievement levels, I have several that are quick to finish and need more challenging material often; therefore, I differentiated the project and research to include their level and I use a variety of grouping to accommodate the higher functioning with some of my struggling students as indicated by Buxton and Provenzo, (2007, p.113). I incorporated posters to include diverse scientist to accommodate my diverse students with Hispanic, African American and females (Buxton and Provenzo, 2007, p. 91). Two other tools I used were preferential seating and spatial arrangement for my hearing-impaired student. According to Dr. Yager personal curiosity causes students to want to learn more about the natural world, so I had skulls brought in from a local University (Laureate, 2009). As an extension to my lesson, advanced students can research different types of careers related to Darwin’s voyage and the exploration of adaptations in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The journal entry asks students to reflect on the types of careers they could have using their research in order to stimulate interest in the STEM careers of underrepresented population in the field (Traurig and Feller, 2009, p.2)
Another area I considered while planning this lesson is the space available to my students in my classroom and the technology lab. The space in my classroom is setup for labs with two person teams at long tables, two sections in the rear for a center for reading and individual study, two computers for internet exploration, and an area for creativity of varying degrees. I will also incorporate the technology lab that will hold thirty students with individual computers. According to Dr. Yager technology impacts science understanding and speed to great extents (Laureate, 2009).
Finally, I used the Five E’s to complete my lesson plan to assure the best development used for student success. I used a K-W-L and a variety of skulls to hook my students’ attention and ensure engagement (Hammerman, 2006 p. 82). Then I used a bird beak lab for a discovery phase. I created a graphic organizer with a place to collect data, graph data, and write a summary as indicated by Hammerman, (2006 p. 82). The next step in this lesson includes evaluation of the lab. The students answer posed questions using student-generated data in journals. After this is complete, there is a class discussion of questions to use for understanding and dispel of misconceptions (Hammerman, 2006 p. 83). They brainstorm ideas about natural and manmade items that have evolved to survive. Then there are topics of Global warming and others from students such as ice age. There is an extension to the lesson in the computer lab involving discovering who Darwin was, what he explored, his voyage, and the outcomes or theories developed. This is an opportunity for extension used to enhance, relearn, and clarify natural selection. The last component to the lesson is the evaluation of learning. I will use two tools for this data; a written exam required by current school, and a project. I will provide opportunity for students learning to be relevant broadened by creativity in their interest. The student can create a song, poem, rap, U tube video, or a power point. Their project presentation shows evidence of how natural selection supports survival for a species from generation to successive generation. I will provide differentiated rubrics and instructions for such project. Students are provided opportunity to choose type of project incorporating their interest for proof of knowledge.
In conclusion, there are more steps to this format than I have used when creating lesson plans in the past. I thought the format was disjointed in many areas. However, I found it lends to assure best setup for diversity in student population. It assists in developing a plan where teachers consider all populations, useful tools, and strategies that are appropriate for students. The five E’s were a strategy that assisted in the knowledge to keep all students’ involved, interested, and accounted for during the lesson, and seemed to fit nicely with this lesson. When I set up this activity, I will need to evaluate the rubric and project instructions carefully to differentiate at the correct levels for a variety of students to ensure all students succeed and mastery of the standards.









Resources
American Association for the Advancement of Science. (2009). Benchmarks online, Chapter 10. In Benchmarks for scientific literacy project 2061. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://www.project2061.org/publications/bsl/online/index.php?chapter=10
Buxton, C. A., & Provenzo, E. F., Jr. (2007). Teaching science in elementary & middle school: A cognitive and cultural approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Georgia Department of Education, Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools 8/29/2006 2:52 PM Page 1 of 8 All Rights Reserved Retrieved on 3/12/2010. https://www.georgiastandards.org/Standards
Hammerman, E. L. (2006). Becoming a better science teacher: 8 steps to high quality instruction and student achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). The nature of science. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Traurig, A., & Feller, R. (2009). Preparing students for STEM careers. National Career Development Association. Used by permission of Knight Communications, Inc.