How to Write Lesson Plans for the Active Learning Classroom

Teacher Tutorial #12from Marcia:How to WriteLesson Plansfor the ActiveLearningClassroomHow to Write Lesson Plans for the Active Learning Classroom Do you want to have moreof an active learning classroombut don't quite know how tostart? I hope this TeacherTutorial will help you start onthat worthy journey! There are a few basicprinciples to the active learningclassroom. These are the pointsthat worked for me. If you startwith these thoughts in mindand judge everything fromhere, you will be able to changeover to a much more activelearning classroom format.The Active-Learning Basics:(1) The old-fashioned conceptof "the teacher as the BOSS,the leader of the classroomand everything rotatesaround the teacher" shouldNOT be part of your"vocabulary!" Nor should theStudent be the central focus tothe exclusion of the teacheraltogether, that's the OpenClassroom and doesn't reallywork in the 21st century.States have objectives you haveto meet, for instance. However,if you want to have theSTUDENTS do more of thework each day while you walkaround and guide yourstudents through a series ofactivities that will meet theobjectives, then active learningis your kind of classroom!(2) "The teacher as thelecturer, the fount of wisdom,in the classroom" should alsoNOT be part of your "vocabulary"In fact, you shouldavoid lecturing at all costs!Marcia's Science Teaching Ideas was founded by Marcia Krech, a retiredEarth Science Teacher from Missouri, who believes passionately in passingon what she knows about good science teaching. I encourage teachers to usethe active learning model including team games and foldables which puts thestudent to work and assigns the teacher the role of facilitator.Email me with questions!© Copyright 2012 MJ Krech. All rights reserved.

How to Write Lesson Plans for the Active-Learning ClassroomGoodies for the Teacher:I came to this concept early onbecause I was terrified tolecture to kids when I firststarted teaching. So I figuredout other ways to input materialas a way to avoid "publicspeaking." And I never lookedback!(3) The students should haveFUN in your classroom andlook forward to entering yourroom! This is not as radical as itsounds! If your students arehappy and comfortable with youand how you teach and how youset up their learning, it usuallyfollows they learn the materialand do better on state tests!(4) The more WORK yourstudents are doing during theclass period, the more workyou will have to do for preparation.No way to get aroundthis! BUT, once it's done, it'sdone. You don't have to reinventit next year, just refine it. Ispent one whole school yearinventing and making TeamGames. They all worked greatthe second year and for all theyears after that! I just got toadd to my stash each year!(5) Your students WILL dojust as well if not better onany state tests! This is becauseof that age-old principle, "If youteach a man to fish..." If kids doactive things, including cut andpaste, presentations, TeamGames, etc, they are much morelikely to remember and be ableto apply what they know! I sawthis again and again during mycareer! And you will, too!HERE'S HOW TO DESIGNLESSONS FOR AN ACTIVELEARNING CLASSROOM:Use the Five E's Approach butfrom an active learningmindset.1. ENGAGE: Catch YourStudents' Interest!2. EXPLAIN: Input theMaterial!3. ELABORATE: Practice theMaterial!4. ELABORATE: Have Funwith the Material!5. EVALUATE (EXPLAIN):Review the Material!6. EVALUATE:Test the Material!Here's an example based onmy Science Lab SafetyPacket for the objective:** Identify safe labprocedures.1. ENGAGE: Catch YourStudents' Interest!Each year I would have thestudents do some sort ofsmall group exercise inremembering what theyalready knew from theprevious year about LabSafety Rules.Students can:*Do a K-W-L Worksheet*Make a K-W-L Foldable*Do a Group Poster of onething NOT to do in Laband why.2. EXPLAIN: Input theMaterial!Students can:*Circle the rules on yourdistrict's SafetyTemplate for the 5-E'sLesson Plan MethodClick here for a peak!Check out anotherexample on my websiteusing a basicVolcano Objective.Click here for a peak!Check out the GamesPage on my websitefor LOTS of greatTeam Game Ideas!Click here for a peak!Here's a fun Lab SafetyActive LearningGet 'Em Up and Get 'EmMovin' WorksheetClick here for a peak!© Copyright 2012 MJ Krech. All rights reserved.

How to Write Lesson Plans for the Active-Learning ClassroomContract which theymentioned in theprevious exercise.*Watch a PowerPointcovering your district'sbasic safety rules andcircle those covered.3. ELABORATE: Practicethe Material!Students can:*Make a Safety Foldable*Prepare and present askit illustrating onerule. Film and show onParent Night or just tothe class!4. ELABORATE: Have Funwith the Material!Students can:*Play a Safety EquipmentGame with partners orteams.*Pick out the unsafepractices with a partneron a cartoon worksheet.5. EVALUATE (EXPLAIN):Review the Material!Students can:*Evaluate scenarios as aTeam for safe/unsafe labpractices.*Make a Safety Licenseready to be signed whenthey pass the SafetyTest.6. EVALUATE: Test theMaterial!Students can:*Try for 100% on theSafety Test.*Retake the test until the100% requirement ismet!Want to see more?Here's one for a WeatherObjective with suggestionsfrom my Weather Packet:**Identify and explainthe use of basic weatherinstruments.1. ENGAGE: Catch YourStudents' Interest!Students can:*Try to identify differentweather instruments asyou quickly hold them upin the air.*Play a partner matchinggame with names andphotos of weatherinstruments, Concentrationor some othersimilar game2. EXPLAIN: Input theMaterial!Students can:*Watch a PowerPoint andcut and paste the correctinstrument sketcheswith the correct names.Later, add what theymeasure also.* Make a Foldable of a fewweather instrumentswith name, sketch andwhat is measured3. ELABORATE:Practice the Material!Students can:* Play a Team Gamematching function withinstrument name*Do a cut and pasteworksheet matchingnames, function andsketches4. ELABORATE: Have Funwith the Material!Students can:*Take measurementsusing some of theweather instrumentsover time and analyzingthe results5. EVALUATE(EXPLAIN): Review theMaterial!Students can:*Play a Team ReviewGame using small whiteboards*Fill out a Test Review inpairs or small groups6. EVALUATE:Test the Material!Students can:*Take the Unit WeatherTest*Retake the Test to raisetheir grade after a studyperiod with youGo to my website to take amore in-depth look at thePackets I have for sale.Loads of Free Printableson my website, as well!© Copyright 2012 MJ Krech. All rights reserved.