An Activity Involving You in Planning a
Concept Learning Cycle
Where possible, discuss your responses to this activity with a classmate.
Consider the following objective:
“After examining a situation involving two children and one gift,
students will define ‘jealousy’.”
1. What is the major concept used in this objective?
2. If this objective is to be accomplished, students must be able to use
which inquiry skill?

The concept of “jealousy” is emphasized in this objective. In order to
accomplish this objective, students must have skill in making
predictions.
Rephrase the objective so that it focuses on an inquiry skill rather than on
the concept of jealousy.

There are a number of ways in which this objective could have been
restated. One example is, “Students will predict whether an individual
would be jealous when involved in a situation where there are two
children and one gift.”
As part of the lesson’s activities, students could role-play various
situations in which a person displays jealousy.
If this were part of the lesson development why would the teacher be
involving students in the role plays?
What do you think are the most important characteristic(s) of the definition of
jealousy? Formulate the definition of jealousy as a second grader might
explain it. What is the definition of jealousy as a fifth grader might explain it?

Expansion in this lesson might involve students in developing and
performing a scenario where jealousy is displayed.
Describe a role play that might be used with fourth graders to teach the
concept of “sharing.”
What are the important characteristics of sharing in this role play?
Examine the lesson plan on the concept of “interdependence” in Chapter 12
on helping students make economic decisions. Then review the activity in the
exploratory introduction of the interdependence lesson. Would this activity
enable the teacher to diagnose students’ prior knowledge?
Examine the lesson development activity in the interdependence lesson.
Are students developing their definition of the concept or is the teacher giving
them one? Is there an example in the activity that might help students develop
a mental image they could use in the future when they try to recall the concept
this lesson teaches? Is there a closure that the teacher could use to determine
whether to go on to the expansion activities?
The expansion activities involve students in applying the concept in a
situation different from that in which they learned it. How do the expansion
activities do this?
Now that you have had an opportunity to examine this lesson focusing on
the concept of interdependence, describe a set of activities to teach another
concept. Suggest activities to help students construct the concept of “island.”
Begin with an activity for the exploratory introduction. Remember that it
should focus students’ attention, diagnose their current conception, and relate
prior to new learning.
Suggest a lesson development activity. Can you suggest one that would
present students with a best example of the concept? Remember that teachers
are a little more directive during the lesson development phase of a learning
cycle.
Suggest an expansion activity. If possible, include more than one of the
following: guide students’ practice with the concept, give them some final
practice with it, and have them do an independent activity using the concept.