don’t move firewood it bugs me! an inquiry based lesson cycle on invasive species by jeff anderson...

Don’t move firewood it bugs me!An Inquiry Based Lesson Cycle

on Invasive Species

By Jeff Anderson janderson1@nwlsd.org & Leslie Silbernagel lsilbernagel@nwlsd.org

Northwest Local School DistrictCincinnati, Ohio

Ohio Resource Center and Learning and Teaching Collaborative

• Goal: Each team created 2 inquiry based lesson cycles, that integrated several nonfictional texts and aligned to Ohio’s New Learning Standards (ONLS) for Science in grades K-5 .

Nonfiction Text Set

• Today there is a much greater emphasis on nonfictional text than in the past (Common Core)

• A text set is a set of 5 – 15 books, articles, or other forms of media that all relate to a specific concept

• Focus for the project - choose high-quality texts that relate to a specific topic and help foster inquiry

The 5 E Learning Cycle

Evaluate: formative

and summative assessment

Engage: Teacher helps spark student interest and

activate prior knowledge

Explore: Students learn about a topic using testable

questions

Explain: Students make

evidence based claims, produce some

product

Extend/ Expand:

Students dive deeper or apply to a new or real world situation

Don’t move firewood it bugs me!An Inquiry Based Lesson Cycle

on Invasive Species

• ONLS alignment: Grade 5 – Life Science– Content Statement: Organisms perform a variety of

roles in an ecosystem• Content elaboration: Investigations of locally threatened or

endangered species must be conducted and include considerations of the effects of remediation programs, species loss and the introduction of new species on the local environment

• Testable question: What happens when you add a new species is to an ecosystem?

Day 1 - Engage

Day 1 - Engage

Inforgraphic Questions1. What information can be found on the infographic?2. Who is the author?3. Who is the intended audience?4. What is the message the author is trying to send?

Day 2 - Explore

Day 2 - Explore

Day 3- Explore

Day 4 & 5 - Explain

Day 6 & 7 Elaborate

Summative assessment: Write a persuasive letter explaining why you feel the release of wasps is the right or wrong thing to do. Use examples to support your argument.