Standards
NGSS: (NGSS & Science and Engineering Practices)
NGSS and Science and Engineering Practices
Practices
Practice:
• Practice 1 Asking Questions (^)
o Ask questions that can be investigated and
predict reasonable outcomes based on patterns
such as cause and effect relationships
 Practice 2 Developing and Using Models (^)
o
o
o
•
Practice 3 Planning and Carrying Out
Investigations (^)
o
•
Make predictions about what would happen if
a variable change
Practice 6 Constructing Explanations and
Designing Solutions (^)
o
•
Collaboratively develop and/or revise a model
based on evidence that shows the relationships
among variables for frequent and regular
occurring events
Develop and/or use models to describe and/or
predict phenomena
Use a model to test cause and effect
relationships or interactions concerning the
functioning of a natural or designed system
Construct an explanation of observed
relationships (e.g., the distribution of plants in
the back yard).
Practice 7 Engaging in Argument from
Evidence (^)
o
Construct and/or support an argument with
evidence, data, and/or a model
Performance Expectation:
NGSS
• Topic:
• Standard:
CCLS: (CCLS for Math)
• Domain:
• Standard:
• Performance
Expectation:
Performance Expectation:
NCSSS (National Curriculum Standards for Social
Studies)
• Theme
• Standard
• Performance Expectation:
•
CCLS: (CCLS for ELA)
• Domain: Reading: Speaking
& Listening
• Standard: Comprehension
and Collaboration
• Performance
Expectation:
CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.4.1 Engage
effectively in a range
of collaborative
discussions (one-onone, in groups, and
teacher-led) with
diverse partners on
grade 4 topics and
texts, building on
others’ ideas and
expressing their own
clearly
Lesson: Parallel Circuits
Grade: 3rd and higher
Essential Question: (What is an essential question?)
What does Electric Circuit tells us about the power source that we use in our
daily lives?
Key Concepts:
Electric Current:
Static Electricity:
Circuit:
Parallel Circuit:
Branches:
Switch:
Open Circuit:
Closed Circuit:
Enduring Understandings (Use the Science and Engineering Practices, the
Disciplinary Core Ideas and the Crosscutting Concepts found in a NGSS topic
PDF)
 Scientists ask questions that can be investigated and predict reasonable
outcomes based on patterns such as cause and effect relationships
 Scientists develop and/or use models to describe and/or predict
phenomena
 Scientists construct an explanation of observed relationships (e.g., the
distribution of plants in the back yard)
with evidence, data, and/or a
model
Learning Objectives: (How do I write objectives I can measure?)
•
Use the World Wide Web to access the Parallel Circuit Simulation
1. Go to
http://activities.macmillanmh.com/science/ca/grade4/g4_ch6.html
2. Scroll down to Lesson 2 Electric, then click on Science in Motion
Parallel Circuit
•
•
•
•
•
3. Listen to the lesson, while pacing yourself to fully understand the
concepts
Complete the Whaddaya Know? Quiz Show after the lesson
Print the results and check each other’s work
Go over key concepts
Identify materials/items that may have a parallel circuit or may not have a
parallel circuit.
Complete Parallel Circuit crossword puzzle with a partner or individually
http://www.mhschool.com/mmh_games/content/science_CA/grade04/unit
_c/ch06/index.html
Checking for Understanding: (How can I check for understanding?)
•
•
•
•
"We/I have" ... used the online interactive simulation to learn about
parallel circuits
http://activities.macmillanmh.com/science/ca/grade4/g4_ch6.html
"We/I have" ... constructed an explanation of observed relationships with
evidence, data, and/or a model (drawing)
"We/I have" ... engaged effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4
topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own
clearly
“We/I have” … completed the online crossword puzzle and checked with
a peer
Student Sample:
Parallel Circuit Simulation
Parallel Circuit Review Quiz
Electric Circuit
Rubric: - click here -
Multimodal Learning Environment Project (MmLE)
The site that I chose to analyze and critique analyze is located at the following
URL link: http://activities.macmillanmh.com/science/ca/grade4/g4_ch6.html
This site presents a unit on Electricity but the focus of the simulation we will
use in on Electric Circuits, which is Lesson 2. This simulation can be used with
students in grade 4 or higher, and to some extent, students in grade 3,
depending on their ability and knowledge acquisition. The simulation is very
simple and can be used to introduce the lesson of electric circuits to students.
The simulation follows many principles and concepts that Moreno and Mayer
emphasized in their research. The simulation has an auditory component along
with a visual interactive display that students are allowed to pace themselves
with the use of pause, play, rewind and fast forward buttons. The auditory
component can be muted if a teacher prefers to just use the simulation as a
visual representation while orally presenting the material. The simulation
presents students with various examples of what is being taught and uses
household materials as examples to provoke students to make connections to
the lesson using objects outside the classroom. Following the instructional
simulation, a brief interactive quiz game follows that helps students review the
concept that they learned. All the processes of the simulation occurs within
the same window so no time is wasted as a result of navigating from one place
to another.
Overall, this simulation is really good and I liked it because of all the
components of multimodal instruction that is incorporated in it. I think it
should be used with good facilitation. Teachers using this model can engage
with students in conversations while pacing the students and providing them
with feedbacks since the simulation does not provide feedback besides its
review quiz. By providing explanatory feedbacks, teachers will put students in a
place to learn more and do better. As stated by Moreno and Mayer in their
research, “students learn better with explanatory feedback rather than
corrective feedback alone” (Moreno & Mayer, Interactive Multimodal Learning
Environments, 2007, p. 318). It will be of great benefit for students who receive
such feedback because along with the review quiz, students will learn more and
recollect emphasizes placed on certain aspects of the lesson. Emphasizes is very
important for students learning something new. The design of simulation allows
for students to also pace themselves through the instruction. This particular
ability for students to pace themselves aligns with the Pacing Principle
identified by Moreno and Mayer, which stresses that students be allowed to
work at their own pace so to better understand the concept of what they are
learning as opposed to being rushed to complete a task in a timed manner.
Another point stressed by Moreno and Mayer is creating lessons that produce
extraneous processing. Extraneous Processing is defined as ”the cognitive
processes that are not necessary for making sense of the new information but
instead originated from poorly designing the learning task” (Moreno & Mayer,
Interactive Multimodal Learning Environments, 2007, p. 314). In this simulation,
the individuals who put it together did a great job in making sure students do
no extraneous processing. The lesson taught with this simulation is done in only
one tab throughout, including the review quiz. This extremely lessens the
probability of students’ attention being diverted from the objective goal
because there is no need for them to access any links that leads to external
resources. Moreno and Mayer stress that lessons should be designed in a way
that it does not produce a visual split-attention effect as this can hurt
students learning (Moreno & Mayer, Interactive Multimodal Learning
Environments, 2007, p. 314). The two external resources provided goes straight
to its intended source, thus making all the processing done essential and
generative.
This simulation is an illustration of combining a mixed modality representation
of knowledge that fosters a meaningful learning outcome. It combines both
verbal and non-verbal representations; it provides an opportunity for students
to review what they learn through an interactive quiz game, and the connection
made with household materials stimulate students’ mind and provoke them to
think. This provides a teachable moment for teachers to take an advantage of
and really engage students and immediately reflect on the instruction they are
receiving. Overall I like the simulation I can visualize myself effectively using to
teach students a lesson.
Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. (2007, June 22). Interactive Multimodal Learning
Environments. Educ Psychol Rev , 19, pp. 309 - 326.