Tag Archives: Discovery Education

Coming Full Circle with the 5 E Model

New Insights on the 5 E Model

At the beginning of the semester, I had a lot of burning questions pertaining to the 5 E Model. This past week we learned about the 5 E Model and tried our hand at create a lesson plan following the 5 E format.  I was familiar with the 5 E Model from my undergraduate studies, and I created an Inquiry Unit for Pre-K students titled “What Makes Day and Night?”  I realize now that I had a narrow scope on Inquiry-Based Learning.  I have learned that inquiry can take many forms, and the 5 E Model is just one way to structure Inquiry-Based Learning experiences.  The 5 E Model was created for Science, but I learned that this model is being applied to other subject areas.  For example, Discovery Education uses the 5 E Model in both their Science and Social Studies Techbooks.  I feel like I  am starting to come full circle in this course, since I started off wondering about the 5 E Model and now my questions have been answered.   Continue reading

My Ever-Changing Mental Model of Inquiry-Based Learning

Over the past two weeks, my mental model of inquiry-based learning has developed.  One new insight I have gained is that there different types of inquiry.  Inquiry can be teacher directed, teacher-student shared or student directed.  I also learned that these types of inquiry-based learning exist on a spectrum.  On one end of the spectrum is structured, teacher-directed inquiry and on the other end of the spectrum is student-centered, open inquiry.  In the middle of the spectrum is guided inquiry that is teacher-student shared.  We also learned that inquiry can be multidisciplinary (Topic C, 2018). Continue reading

Toolkit for Primary Educators

toolkit screen shot

Recently, I was chosen to give a presentation on our district’s Act 80 day for an audience of educators who work with students in Kindergarten and 1st grade.  I decided to show them some of my favorite web-based resources.  Continue reading

Creating a Glog on the Life Cycle of a Chicken with Glogster EDU

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Lesson Background

In Reading we read the story, Dan’s Pet, about a boy who keeps a pet chick named Jen for pet. Throughout the story Jen grows into a hen. At the end of the story, Jen lays eggs. I thought this week would be a good opportunity to teach students more about the life cycle of chickens. I had used Glogster EDU during my graduate studies, and I always wanted to try to use it with my students. I set out to have my class make a Glog on the life cycle of a chicken. Continue reading