What is this section?
The storyline tells you exactly how each lesson fits into the overall arc of the unit and why it belongs in the specific “E” it is placed within.
Our units follow the BSCS 5E Instructional Model and are designed to support scholar-led guided inquiry, putting the thinking work on the scholars throughout the unit and allowing content mastery to build over time.
How do I read it?
As you read this section in the unit, start with the orange text first, to read the “story” on its own. Next, go back and read it again with the lesson descriptions in grey to connect the storyline back to what scholars will actually be doing day to day. Finally, read the whole section one more time, and match the Big Ideas to each section, determining what scholars are discovering and/or mastering at each stage.
Engage: Scholars are introduced to the unit’s Essential Question, and should be excited and inspired to find an answer. Scholars will also take time to assess any prior knowledge that could help them on their quest.
Explore: Scholars dive headfirst into hands-on activities, experiments, and research to help them uncover foundational knowledge to support them in answering the Essential Question. By the end of this section, scholars will have a lot of partially formed ideas, new understandings, and more advanced questions.
Explain: This is a time for scholars to draw conclusions that solidify their understanding. Finally, they have answers to their questions and can put all the pieces together. By the end of the Explain lessons, scholars have everything they need to answer the Essential Question and demonstrate mastery of the unit’s Big Ideas.
Elaborate: Scholars’ mastery of the unit’s content/central phenomena are challenged and deepened through new experiences. Scholars will be asked to apply what they have learned in new contexts, testing the strength of their understanding.
Evaluate: Finally, scholars are challenged to independently demonstrate mastery of the unit’s Big Ideas. This can come in many forms, a unit test, a debate, a longer lab with lab report, a writing sample, or a combination of these.