Teaching about Energy Flow

 

STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
- Explain concept of energy flow to younger students.
- Identify ingredients and products of photosynthesis.
- Develop communication and teaching skills.

GUIDING QUESTION: How can we teach others about energy flow?

MATERIALS:
- SECRETS of our Forest/Shrub-Steppe Home lesson plan (Lesson 2: Energy Flow)
Note: In order to coordinate lessons with the high school curriculum, students will teach Lesson 3 (Relationships) before Lesson 2 (Energy Flow).
- Lesson materials noted in SECRETS of our Forest/Shrub-Steppe Home lesson (Lesson 2: Energy Flow)

CLASS ACTIVITIES:
Day 1: Organize
1. Lead your students through the lesson activities in the SECRETS Energy Flow lesson. Point out specific things to be conscious about when teaching.
2. For this lesson, focus primarily on the photosynthesis activity, in which students use marshmallows and toothpicks to build a sugar molecule. Ensure that your students clearly understand the concepts of atoms and molecules, and can explain that CO2, H2O, and energy from the sun combine to make C6H12O6, with O2 as a byproduct.
3. Hand out lesson plan to students. (You may also do this the day before and have students read the lesson plan for homework.)
4. Have students break into groups. Pair up the groups, so that one group (the stewards) teaches the lesson activities to another group (the students). After each activity, the group of "students" should give constructive criticism to the "stewards."
Alternative: Have your students, in groups, each plan an activity to teach the concept of relationships/interactions. Students should practice leading each other through the activity, as noted above, and then teach the activities to younger students.

Day 2: Share
1. Your students teach the lessons to a classroom of younger students.
2. If time allows, students should critique the experience immediately after teaching. What was most challenging? What was most enjoyable? What can they do to be better teachers in the next lesson?