Diane M. Huot
Solar System Introduction
Objective:
The students will elicit prior knowledge and ask questions about the Solar System using a KWL Chart.
Materials:
Chart paper
The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System
by Joanna Cole
*Scientific discoveries continue faster than the pace of children's publications.
The Magic
School Bus
is out of date on the discovery of moons. As of this writing Jupiter has 63 moons, Saturn has 46 moons, Uranus has 27 moons and Neptune has 13 moons.
K-W-L (What I Know, What I Want to Learn, What I Learned)
K-W-L involves three steps: accessing what I know, determining what I want to learn, and recalling what I did learn as a result is a teaching model designed to help student learn from nonfiction text. It consists of brainstorming, purpose-setting through questioning, and then examining answers to those questions. Using chart paper, divide the paper horizontally into three columns labeling the first column K, the middle column W, and the third column L.
Step K (What I Want to Know) involves two steps: brainstorming and generating categories for ideas. Prior to reading
The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System
the students are intended to brainstorm in response to what they know about the Solar System. As students offer ideas, jot down the ideas on a chart, and then use them as a basis for encouraging discussion.
____
The second part of Step K involves generating categories of information likely to be encountered in the read aloud. Do some of the suggestions fit together (i.e. planets, moons).
Step W (What Do I Want to Learn?) After discussion the students begin to develop interests and curiosities. Some of these interests may be associated with uncertainties; at other times the students may be driven to learn more about the Solar System. List these interests, curiosities and uncertainties on the chart. Try to elicit one question from each student.
Read Aloud-
The Magic School Bus Lost In the Solar System
Step L-What I Learned. As the teacher completes the text, the students another discussion ensues as student discuss what they have learned and check what questions they still need answers.