5E Lesson on Systems

This article not only addresses the importance of teaching concepts within science in a systems approach, it also provides a 5E lesson to help, including the concept map and cards that can b... See More

This article not only addresses the importance of teaching concepts within science in a systems approach, it also provides a 5E lesson to help, including the concept map and cards that can be copied and distributed. I teach environmental science and space science – both content areas that can be and should be taught in a systems approach. I plan to use the Lorax lesson plan at the beginning of my next school year, and to teach these content areas in a systems approach. In the article, I especially like how the systems approach is explained, how the systems approach is compared to a more linear approach of teaching science concepts, and how the benefits of a system approach are outlined and discussed. The added bonus is the 5E lesson plan to introduce the concept to students!

System of "The Lorax"

I completed concept map activity with my middle school students. Systems is a difficult concept for most middle school students. I told my students we were going to look at systems through... See More

I completed concept map activity with my middle school students. Systems is a difficult concept for most middle school students. I told my students we were going to look at systems through the story of the “The Lorax”. The directions I gave were, as I read the story, I wanted them to take notes on each of the characters and the contribution the characters make. Once the story was completed they were going to create a concept map within their groups connecting the characters and contributions to each other. Initially the students did okay, but many were still missing some of the bigger ideas in the story, mostly because they needed exposure to the story again. Many of my students were not familiar with Dr. Seuss’ work, so I chose to show them the video to help create a more visual picture of what was going on. This helped a lot. They were able to go back to their original concept maps and see more of the connections. Each of the groups took a photo of their concept maps, which