Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning

5E Lesson Writing Session 1: Authenticity and 5E Lessons

Daniel Schwarz, Shayna Pond, Margaret Salesky, Mariana DeLoera, James Doyle | Published: August 2nd, 2024 by K20 Center

Summary

5E Lesson Writing Session 1: Authenticity and 5E Lessons focuses on building relationships with participants, examining different 5E lesson frameworks, and aligning 5E snapshots with the authentic teaching tool.

Essential Questions

  • How is authenticity incorporated into the development of 5E lesson plans?

  • How can educators effectively craft 5E lesson plans to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes?

Learning Goals

  • Identify key components of the 5E instructional model and analyze authentic lesson plans from diverse subjects.

  • Develop strategies to adapt existing lesson materials to align with the 5E model authentically.

  • Create authentic 5E lesson plans that integrate meaningful learning experiences and engage diverse learners.

Materials List

  • Presentation Slides (attached)

  • Appointment Clocks handout (one per participant)

  • Wakelet Note Catcher handout (one per participant)

  • Critique the 5E Lesson handout (one per participant)

  • Authentic Lesson Reflection Tool (one per participant)

  • Fiction in the Facts posters (five per session) printed on 11”x14” paper

  • Synectics posters (five per session)

  • Markers (one box per table)

  • Sticker sheet (one per participant)

  • Set of highlighters (one per participant; preferably red, yellow, green, blue, and purple)

  • Pens or pencils

  • Cardstock paper

  • Computers with internet access

Snapshot

Engage: Participants engage in activities to foster mutual understanding, collaboration, and networking to share best practices.

Explore: Participants explore the 5E framework using Fiction in the Facts and develop a definition using Synectics. 

Explain: Participants increase their depth of knowledge of the 5E framework by watching and analyzing instructional videos. 

Extend: Participants apply their knowledge of the 5E framework to analyze AI generated lesson snapshots. 

Evaluate: Participants reflect on the session using the Tech Tool Mentimeter.

Engage

20 Minute(s)

Introduce the session using slide 1 of the attached Presentation Slides. Then transition through slides 2-4 to introduce yourself, the grants involved, and how K20 serves schools through our GEAR UP grants. 

Distribute a piece of cardstock paper to each participant and place a shared box of markers in the center of each table. Display slide 5 with the name tent instructions and have participants create a name tent for them to use throughout the workshop.

Use slide 6 to share the Appointment Clocks instructional strategy. Give each participant an Appointment Clocks handout and ask them to find a partner for each of the listed times on slide 7 and write that person’s name next to that time.

  • 12 o’clock: Find a teacher who is the opposite of you (early career teacher with veteran teacher).

  • 3 o’clock: Find someone who teaches at a different school than you.

  • 6 o’clock: Find someone who has a similar Sonic order as yours.

  • 9 o’clock: Find someone who has the same severe weather outlook/procedures as you.

Finally, use slides 8-9 to introduce the essential questions and learning goals for the session.

Explore

35 Minute(s)

Distribute a sticker sheet to each participant and share the Fiction in the Facts instructional strategy. Show slide 10 and have participants follow the directions on the slide:

There are 5 posters, around the room, each with three statements.

  1. Examine the statements on each poster and see if you can determine which statement is false.

  2. Place your sticker next to the statement you believe is false.

  3. Be prepared to share out your reasoning.

When everyone has finished, instruct them to return to their seats. Move to slide 11 and ask them to answer the discussion questions on the slide with others at their table.

Display slide 12 and allow participants a ten-minute break, using the provided 10-minute timer.

Give participants sticky notes so that they each have five sticky notes. Show slide 13 to introduce the Synectics instructional strategy. Demonstrate an example of the activity using slide 14 and then have participants write their synectics statements, one on each sticky note. Show slide 15 and have participants place their sticky notes on the corresponding Synectics posters, then complete a Gallery Walk. Allow participants ten minutes to complete the activity and then ask a few participants to share their favorites with the whole group.

Explain

45 Minute(s)

Distribute the Wakelet Note Catcher handout (attached) to all participants. Using the Wakelet on slide 16, have participants select one of the articles and use their supplied Note Catcher to summarize their learning. Facilitate a discussion about the different handouts.

Show the 5E process videos using slides 17-22. Between each slide have a short discussion asking someone to summarize the video in one or two sentences. 

At the end of the sequence of videos, use the Triangle-Square-Circle instructional strategy to ask participants to reflect on the videos. 

  1. Have participants draw a triangle and write three important points from the prompt inside of it, next to it, or specifically on the three points.

  1. Have participants then draw a square and write down anything that "squares" with their thinking, anything they agree with.

  1. Have participants draw a circle and write down anything that is still "circling" in their minds, what they still have questions about.

Display slide 23 and allow participants a ten-minute break.

Extend

40 Minute(s)

Give each participant a set of five different-colored highlighters (preferably red, yellow, green, blue, and purple), a copy of the Authentic Lesson Reflection Tool, and the Critique the 5E Lesson handout. Using the Categorical Highlighting instructional strategy, ask participants to highlight portions of the lesson that align with each of the components of authenticity on the handout, using the parameters on slide 24. When they are finished, ask them to share with their table the portions of the lessons that they thought lined up with the Components of Authenticity. If there are any purple highlights (portions of the lesson that are counter to authenticity), also have participants share those out with their reasoning.

Display slide 25 and introduce the Critique the Bot instructional strategy. Tell them that each of the 5E lessons was created via AI. Now ask them to use the purple highlighter to highlight anything that they think was unusual or impractical in the lesson. Facilitate a discussion about the practicality and utility of using AI in lesson writing.

Evaluate

10 Minute(s)

Display slide 26 with the Mentimeter reflection. Ask participants to answer the question provided (What is something you want to take away from today’s session?), and share out a selection of some of the responses with the participants.

Research Rationale

LEARN – Authentic, Rigorous Learning Experiences. The K20 Center has created a repository of high-quality, authentic lessons that include recommended instructional approaches, strategies, and supports (e.g., handouts/presentations). The Instructional Support Team will coordinate with cohort teachers to identify a standards-based learning objective and utilize open-resource materials to generate a lesson. In a randomized controlled trial, Jeter et al. (2019) found significant differences in implementing student-centered authentic lessons when compared to teacher-centered instruction. Findings suggest that students are more interested and less bored when engaged in an authentic lesson. Curriculum Writers will collaborate with the rest of the Instructional Support Team to create rigorous, standards-aligned, student-centered lessons in English, math, science, and social studies. Once validated in the classroom, the lessons will be published to the LEARN repository. These authentic lessons will develop critical thinking skills to prepare students for PSE success, reducing the need for remedial coursework.

Resources