Rotation+and+Revolution


 * Lesson Rotation and Revolution**

//__Motivation:__// Read The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons and The Reason for the Seasons by Gail Gibbons. After the books the students will fill in everything that they know about the moon, earth, sun, and seasons into their graphic organizer. This activity will help scaffold the information that they will view in the online presentation.

//__Presentation:__// At home, online, the students will watch a few YouTube videos to get deeper into the content. While watching the YouTube videos the students will continue to add to their graphic organizer what they have learned in the videos. This can include words or drawings. After the videos, the students will log into the class Wiki and add something that they have learned to the class graphic organizer/class discussion. They will also post one question on the question board for the rest of the class to think about. “The Blending with Purpose model posits that instruction is not always just about learning content or a skill but is also about supporting students socially and emotionally. Perhaps more readily recognized for younger K–12 students, social and emotional development is an important part of anyone’s education.” (Picciano, 2009, p.14). The question board not only allows everyone to ask a question without any face-to-face social implication, but it also aids in more inquiry based learning.

Ideally, these students have had previous lessons in prior grade levels on the earth’s movements; thus, this information can be done online as a refresher and information gathering activity. Some of the videos have some complex language; however, since there are lots of visuals and the students have some knowledge of the topic, they will be able to understand the main information.

The decision for this information to be done online instead of face-to-face is that there needs to be visuals to show the models for the information. The students can get both the information and the visuals at home where they can click on the simulations over and over again to be in control. The “Net provides expanded opportunities for students to plunge ever deeper into knowledge resources, thus affording a near limitless means for students to grow their knowledge, to find their own way around the knowledge of the discipline, and to benefit from its expression in thousands of formats and contexts.” (Anderson, 2004) The videos allow the student to get the information while in control of it instead of sitting passively in a lecture.

Furthermore, the question board will help create a knowledge community. “These ideas have been expanded in Lipman's (1991) community of inquiry and Wenger's (2001) ideas of community of practice to show how members of a learning community both support and challenge each other, leading to effective and relevant knowledge construction.” (Anderson, 2004). The Wiki will create a community that may not be possible in the classroom because of social constraints.

In addition, the students will answer three homework questions via the discussion board. This will be used to asses understanding and to add individual accountability for the content.

In the class we can come together do a short discussion and then apply what they have learned by having the students create a simulation to depict the earth, moon, sun revolving and/or rotating in addition to the earth’s axis and how season’s are formed.

//__Guided Practice:__// The next face-to-face meeting the class will discuss the questions and information posted on the class Wiki. Coming together as a class to discuss the student’s discoveries and questions will help create a sense of community. The questions that the students post on the board will help guide the discussion and ensure that they are truly understanding the earth's movements. Divide the students in to either groups or pairs to discuss the questions and their prospective answers. Have the students revolve around the room switching groups/pairs to discuss the ideas and answers that they have come up with. This will enforce the revolving vocabulary and have the students act as the experts as they talk within their groups. The teacher will not only include the questions and ideas that the students had, but also some guided questions to ensure the topic details get covered. Such as the sizes of the earth, sun, and moon, what is actually lighting the objects, and so forth.

//__Independent Practice:__// The students will be in groups of three to create a simulation or model that will depict the moon, earth, sun rotation and revolving around each other as a system. “Opportunities should be provided for learners to transfer what they learn to real-life applications, so that they can be creative and go beyond what was presented in the online lesson.” (Ally, 2004). Since there is no real life application to this particular science subject having the students create a model from their knowledge transfers the knowledge to their world.

//__Evaluation:__// The simulation or model will be presented and described to the teacher by each student group. The teacher will assess the students by observation. An additional step could be taken to video or podcast the simulations to then have them posted on the class wiki. The student's answers to the discussion questions will also be evaluated for understanding and participation.