How to Write Lesson Plans for the Active Learning Classroom Do you want to have more of an active learning classroom but don't quite know how to start? I hope this Teacher Tutorial will help you start on that worthy journey!

There are a few basic principles to the active learning classroom. These are the points that worked for me. If you start with these thoughts in mind and judge everything from here, you will be able to change over to a much more active learning classroom format.

The Active-Learning Basics:(1) The old-fashioned concept of "the teacher as the BOSS, the leader of the classroom and everything rotates around the teacher" should NOT be part of your "vocabulary!" Nor should the Student be the central focus to the exclusion of the teacher altogether, that's the Open Classroom and doesn't really work in the 21st century.

States have objectives you have to meet, for instance. However, if you want to have the STUDENTS do more of the work each day while you walk around and guide your students through a series of activities that will meet the objectives, then active learning is your kind of classroom!

(2) "The teacher as the lecturer, the fount of wisdom, in the classroom" should also NOT be part of your "vocab-ulary" In fact, you should avoid lecturing at all costs!

Teacher Tutorial #12

from Marcia:

How to Write Lesson Plans for the Active

Learning Classroom

Marcia's Science Teaching Ideas was founded by Marcia Krech, a retired Earth Science Teacher from Missouri, who believes passionately in passing on what she knows about good science teaching. I encourage teachers to use the active learning model including team games and foldables which puts the student to work and assigns the teacher the role of facilitator. Email me with questions!

© Copyright 2012  MJ Krech. All rights reserved.

Goodies for the Teacher:

Template for the 5-E's Lesson Plan Method

Click here for a peak!

Check out another example on my website

using a basic Volcano Objective.

Click here for a peak!

Check out the Games Page on my website

for LOTS of greatTeam Game Ideas!

Click here for a peak!

Here's a fun Lab Safety Active Learning

Get 'Em Up and Get 'Em Movin' Worksheet

Click here for a peak!

How to Write Lesson Plans for the Active-Learning ClassroomI came to this concept early on because I was terrified to lecture to kids when I first started teaching. So I figured out other ways to input material as a way to avoid "public speaking." And I never looked back!

(3) The students should have FUN in your classroom and look forward to entering your room! This is not as radical as it sounds! If your students are happy and comfortable with you and how you teach and how you set up their learning, it usually follows they learn the material and do better on state tests!

(4) The more WORK your students are doing during the class period, the more work you will have to do for prep-aration. No way to get around this! BUT, once it's done, it's done. You don't have to reinvent it next year, just refine it. I spent one whole school year inventing and making Team Games. They all worked great the second year and for all the years after that! I just got to add to my stash each year!

(5) Your students WILL do just as well if not better on any state tests! This is because of that age-old principle, "If you teach a man to fish..." If kids do active things, including cut and paste, presentations, Team Games, etc, they are much more likely to remember and be able to apply what they know! I saw this again and again during my career! And you will, too!

HERE'S HOW TO DESIGN LESSONS FOR AN ACTIVE LEARNING CLASSROOM:

Use the Five E's Approach but from an active learning mindset.

1. ENGAGE: Catch Your Students' Interest!2. EXPLAIN: Input the Material!3. ELABORATE: Practice the Material!4. ELABORATE: Have Fun with the Material!5. EVALUATE (EXPLAIN): Review the Material!6. EVALUATE: Test the Material!

Here's an example based on my Science Lab Safety Packet for the objective:

** Identify safe lab procedures.

1. ENGAGE: Catch Your Students' Interest!Each year I would have the students do some sort of small group exercise in remembering what they already knew from the previous year about Lab Safety Rules.

Students can: *Do a K-W-L Worksheet *Make a K-W-L Foldable *Do a Group Poster of one thing NOT to do in Lab and why.

2. EXPLAIN: Input the Material!

Students can: *Circle the rules on your district's Safety

© Copyright 2012  MJ Krech. All rights reserved.

Contract which they mentioned in the previous exercise. *Watch a PowerPoint covering your district's basic safety rules and circle those covered.

3. ELABORATE: Practice the Material!

Students can: *Make a Safety Foldable *Prepare and present a skit illustrating one rule. Film and show on Parent Night or just to the class!

4. ELABORATE: Have Fun with the Material!

Students can: *Play a Safety Equipment Game with partners or teams. *Pick out the unsafe practices with a partner on a cartoon worksheet.

5. EVALUATE (EXPLAIN): Review the Material!

Students can: *Evaluate scenarios as a Team for safe/unsafe lab practices. *Make a Safety License ready to be signed when they pass the Safety Test.

6. EVALUATE: Test the Material!

Students can: *Try for 100% on the Safety Test. *Retake the test until the

100% requirement is met!Want to see more?

Here's one for a Weather Objective with suggestions from my Weather Packet:

**Identify and explain the use of basic weather instruments.

1. ENGAGE: Catch Your Students' Interest!

Students can: *Try to identify different weather instruments as you quickly hold them up in the air. *Play a partner matching game with names and photos of weather instruments, Concentra- tion or some other similar game

2. EXPLAIN: Input the Material!

Students can: *Watch a PowerPoint and cut and paste the correct instrument sketches with the correct names. Later, add what they measure also. * Make a Foldable of a few weather instruments with name, sketch and what is measured

3. ELABORATE:Practice the Material!

Students can: * Play a Team Game matching function with instrument name

*Do a cut and paste worksheet matching names, function and sketches

4. ELABORATE: Have Fun with the Material!

Students can: *Take measurements using some of the weather instruments over time and analyzing the results

5. EVALUATE (EXPLAIN): Review the Material!

Students can: *Play a Team Review Game using small white boards *Fill out a Test Review in pairs or small groups

6. EVALUATE: Test the Material!Students can: *Take the Unit Weather Test *Retake the Test to raise their grade after a study period with you

Go to my website to take a more in-depth look at the

Packets I have for sale.

Loads of Free Printables on my website, as well!

© Copyright 2012  MJ Krech. All rights reserved.

How to Write Lesson Plans for the Active-Learning Classroom