I am a student teacher and I am going to teach a lesson on magnet interactions for a Kindergarten class. I am a little confused as to how to create a full 5E lesson for a Kindergarten class. I would appreciate any suggestions! Would it be better to split it up for several days or should it be a very brief 5E lesson where I repeat it but changing the activities throughout the week? How much inquiry would be appropriate for children this age? I see a lot of activities on magnets but I want to make sure that I am allowing for inquiry for the children.
Hi Griselda! I am currently a student at the University of Northern Iowa, majoring in Elementary Education. Recently, my class has been creating 5E lesson plans and incorporating inquiry based learning. Throughout the year, we have discussed which age groups to keep at open inquiry and which age groups to keep at a structured inquiry. For Kindergarten, I personally would have structured inquiry. This leaves the students in charge of the results at the end of the activity. With this age group, I would split up the lesson over several days. This allows students enough inquiry time and it allows time for discussion. Splitting up the lesson over several days gives the students more time to problem solve and construct questions. Letting the students discuss and problem solve will allow them to take control of their learning.
Hi Griselda! Take a look at the article from Science and Children More Than Magnets. It's not written with the 5E template, but I think you'll recognize the components. It's written by Peggy Ashbrook who has a monthly column in Science and Children focused on pre-K and K (The Early Years). She has wonderful ideas for lesson that take advantage of children's natural curiosity. She also does a blog for NSTA. MaryB.
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