STEM Lesson Reflection

It was helpful using the 5 E's strategy to plan my lesson but I did not start out with them. I picked a unifying theme to work with and then decided on an idea for a lesson that would fit with one of those themes. I chose energy flow because it is one of my favorite scientific concepts. I located the Benchmark standards as well as the Pennsylvania standards that most closely related to the concept before planning out the lesson. Then I started jotting down basic activity ideas for how I could relate information about food chains to my students in a hands - on, lecture free way. After I had a basic outline, I went ahead and checked to see that I had covered each of the 5 E's. It helped me to see what I was leaving out and what I needed to change or add to enhance the lesson. I wanted to make it a tiered lesson so that it was guided toward multi - leveled learners and I made sure to include lots of manipulatives and visuals for diverse learners.

Since all of you did not get to actually see the lesson, here is the basic outline: The lesson focuses on food chains and energy consumption along the food chain. I wanted the students to discover why there are more producers than consumers. The students are grouped into 3 groups by learning level. Each group gets a bag of elastic headbands to put on that have pictures of a sun, plants, or animals on them. The students are not allowed to see which picture they are getting on their heads but have to silently help their group members place each other in the correct order of where their energy comes from. Each group has a different food chain to create. Afterwards, the students would present their food chain to the class using the correct terminology to describe it (producer, consumer).

Then the students will actually become the members of that food chain and perform the activities those plants and animals do (grow, breathe, move, bloom, etc). For each activity they do, they use up a certain amount of energy. For example, a student representing a plant receives an envelope with 10 cards that each say 10% on them which represents the energy he got from the sun. The plant uses up 90% of that energy acting out activities. He gives the leftover 10% to a cow. The cow realizes he needs 100% too and has to consume more than 1 plant to get enough energy. This continues along the food chain. The human at the end of the food chain gets some energy from the cow but receives energy from other sources as well and does not need to eat as many cows (burgers).

The students will tally the results of how many each animal needs to eat and will notice the similiarities between the food chains that the highest member of the food chain needs to consume so many of the preceeding member and that member needs to eat even more of the one before it and so on and so forth.

I really think it is an important lesson because it connects students in the classroom with parts of the natural world many of them never get to discover. Plus, I think it is really important for students to know the source of the food they eat on a regular basis. If they recognize the amount of energy that goes into it, they will not take it for granted that they have it. :)