Context

The “5 E: Science Inquiry Lesson Plan” was created for GS 4401, Science and Science Teaching in the Elementary School, during the fall 2007 semester. It was created under the advisement of Professor Judy Sink. The lesson was taught as a peer lesson with fellow peer, Alyssa Cohn, for a required class at Appalachian State University.

“Free Rolling Go-Carts” is a hands-on, guided inquiry science lesson designed to be used with fifth grade students. It follows a Learning Cycle (5 E’s) format with these components: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Expansion, and Evaluation. The Learning Cycle models a constructivist approach to student learning in science.

Impact on Student Learning

This lesson was created to allow students to engage in a hands-on, guided inquiry science lesson. Students were able to conduct investigations to build an understanding of forces and motion (Science Goal 4). Students were able to evaluate forces of motion and devise a design for a free-rolling go-cart (Science Goal 4, 4.01, 4.02, 4.05, 4.06). In addition, students were able to use math skills to measure the distance traveled by the go-cart (Math Goal 2, 2.01).

Alignment

NCDPI Standard 2, Indicator 2 was met through the teachers’ knowledge of standard measurement; which was necessary for students to measure the distances travelled by their go-carts.

NCDPI Standard 3, Indicator 2 was met through the teachers’ knowledge of measurement and forces of motion when used in scientific content. The focus of this lesson is forces of motion with a particular emphasis of creating a free-rolling go-cart.

NCDPI Standard 7, Indicator 1 was met through aligning the lesson with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study goals and objectives.

NCDPI Standard 7, Indicator 2 was met by integrating math, language arts and social studies into the lesson by incorporating measurement, reading aloud books, writing, and exploring inventions in our society.

NCDPI Standard 7, Indicator 3 was met through the engagement activity of accessing previous student knowledge. It was also met through the expansion phase of this lesson because students are asked to use the scientific process skills to construct new knowledge based on prior experiences in the Exploration.

NCDPI Standard 7, Indicator 4 was met through the communication of peers during group work to create their free-rolling go-cart.

NCDPI Standard 7, Indicator 5 was met through the questioning by the teacher throughout the lesson. Critical thinking was encouraged through the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy based questions. These questions facilitated the students’ responses and their further decisions concerning the making of their free-rolling go-carts.

NCDPI Standard 7, Indicator 7 was met through the Evaluation phase of the lesson. Formative and Summative Assessment were both identified throughout the lesson.

NCDPI Standard 10 was met in the Exploration phase of this lesson as students were engaged in an active, hands-on investigation. Questioning was used in this phase of the lesson, as well as, throughout the entire lesson.

NCDPI Standard 12 was met by incorporating the arts into the free-rolling go-cart lesson plan. Students drew the designs of their go-carts in the beginning of the lesson and their final design at the end of the lesson.

NCDPI Standard 15, Indicator 1 was met in both the Engagement and the Exploration phases of the lesson. The Engagement phase includes a real-world application of what a car is and how it runs. Regardless of a student’s gender or ethnicity, each student has had some prior exposure to an automobile. The Exploration phase allows all students to work collaboratively and cooperatively together to devise a plan for the design of a free-rolling go-cart.

NCDPI Standard 17, Indicator 1 was met by instructing students to be respectful and safe with the materials they are given. The teacher will provide supervision to her students while they are building their free-rolling go-carts, and make sure students are continuously being safe.

NCDPI Standard 17, Indicator 3 was met through the teachers’ working knowledge of the Safety Laws, Codes and Standards.

NCDPI Standard 17, Indicator 4 was met through the teacher’s communication of safety and appropriate behaviors in the Exploration phase of the lesson.