Each lesson includes some discrete sections that will follow a predictable pattern. This way, the cognitive load gets smaller with practice. There will be: 1. Scientist You Should Know, 2. A little introduction to the concept itself (largely with links to other resources), 3. Experiencing the science (often a demo or an observation exercise), 4. Responding to the science (in place of assessment/can be used as a form of assessment).
1. Scientists You Should Know
Each lesson will start with a “Scientist You Should Know.”
Multisensory/Creative
To make this part multisensory/creative, consider printing the image to trace. Alternatively, ask learners to draw or act out the data collection process of that scientist. Certainly read it aloud. Maybe dramatize the lesson, pretending you are the scientist.
Make it more verbal (often for older learners)
To make it more verbal, learners can journal about questions they would ask this person if they could or write about things they would enjoy or not enjoy about the job. A journal with sections marked is pretty important for science-ing. I like the kind with graph paper or dots because of….
Make it analytical (manipulate the information)
In terms of analytical treatment, learners can calculate the scientists age (my 5th grade learners did this without being asked) and try to think of other events that were happening at the time. Consider building a timeline. For living scientists, look up their data and see if you can interpret a graph.
This will be the page where I link to all my cohesive lesson starters.
Notably, I will not include very much “information” at all. It might say something like this:
My favorite way to teach hydrogen bonding (and Van der Waal’s force) is to talk about animals that walk on smooth vertical surfaces. Frogs, insects, geckos, and slugs all use different modalities for accomplishing this feat, but all of them rely on atomic-level molecular bonds. To read more about these bonds, try the following resources.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltxqQbiI6-o (Khan Academy)
(Often, at this point, I’ll talk about who Van der Waal was, what sort of data he collected, and what big question he was trying to address. I also like to talk about the timeframe he lived in, who his colleagues were, and what was known at the time. Because Science happens in community. Anyway, moving on…)
…or something like this:
Kids love making slime, but when does it move from a craft (a super valuable multisensory activity) to a science practice? Welp, the options are infinite, but my favorite applications are to talk about the engineering design process and viscosity testing. How will we know when it’s transitioned from glue to slime? We test its viscosity. How do we do that? Let’s brainstorm.
Teach engineering has many levels of content.
For now, check out the lesson fragments on my insta (as the kids used to say, last time I checked). Make sure to read the comments. That’s where I make suggestions on the practicing.