So, without realizing it, I have been using what's called the 5E strategy. This works especially well if you believe in teaching via the inquiry/discovery method as often as you possibly can. In order...Below, the 5 E's, as I see them.
1. Engage. Get the kids motivated by providing them with something interesting to look at, a short story or mystery to solve, something on their desks that they can't identify. A curiosity.
2. Explore. Students will then explore what's in front of them. Describe it. Summarize it. Investigate. Postulate. Hypothesize. Predict. Infer.
3. Explain. Using their observations, and possibly, other readings or a short discussion given by the teacher, students give support to their hypotheses. They figure out how to test. They collect more observations or data. Make categorizations. Try to find cause and effect relationships or compare and contrast different things. They may build a model to test their findings. They may come up with further questions.
4. Elaborate. Use their testings to come up with more concrete answers. Extend on their thinking. Find links, news, other sources to back them up. Try to prove someone else wrong. Go beyond!
5. Evaluate. Judge each others. Debate findings. Analyze other work. Review and reflect on their own work. Make any necessary changes to their own projects based on the analysis of others.
NOTICE: It's NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT the teacher doing the work here-- but the kids! We just walk around and ask annoying questions. Possibly lead them in the wrong direction. Get their minds to justify their thoughts. Provide structure or graphic organizers or scaffolding... and occasionally a bit of information (such as a technical term) but overall, the darlings make meaning of the world. And thus, remember it.
No spoon feeding allowed!
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