Friday, February 6, 2009

Cognitive Lesson Plan

http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=16281


Here Comes the Sun
Cognitive Lesson Plan

Grab the students’ attention by playing the Beatles “Here Comes the Sun.” By drawing on the students’ explicit memory and spreading activation, introduce the unit by having the students brainstorm as many words or phrases that have the word sun in them. (e.g., sunbeam, Sunday, sundae, suntan, sunburn, sunscreen, Sun Chips, sunlight, sunstroke, Sun Bear, etc.)


Have three paper suns cut out of yellow paper. The three suns will be the KWL chart. This will draw on their declarative knowledge as well as their explicit memory. In the first sun write down all of the things the students know about the sun. In the second sun write down what the students want to learn. At the end of the unit write down what the students learned in the third sun. Hang the suns in the room and add to them as needed.
Now that their attention is focused on the stimuli they can prepare to transfer the information from their sensory memory to their working memory. Divide the students into groups.
1. Pass out construction paper, scissors, glue, and rulers to make temperature pockets.
2. Instruct students to measure two 6” x 6” inch squares of each color. Glue three sides together to form a pocket.
3. Review how to read a thermometer.
4. Students place strip thermometers inside the pockets and place all four pockets outside in the sun for the first part of the experiment.
5. Students predict what they think the temperatures will be for each color of pocket.
6. Check the pockets periodically for morning temperatures and for afternoon temperatures.
7. Record temperatures. *Variations may include placing the pockets in a shaded area and check for temperatures during the following day.
8. Journal the results and compare. Have students journal the steps used to experiment with the pockets and thermometers. (Draw pictures) Did the color of the paper make a difference in the heat recorded? Where was the pocket placed directly in the sun, in a shaded area? Consider questions such as: Which color of paper do you think will heat up the most? And why the students think there is a difference in the temperature.
As students participate in this hands-on activity they will experience elaboration as their existing knowledge about the Sun is deepened with these facts they are learning.
Since the material is taught by using chunking, it will enable students to retain the information better as they are deepening their knowledge slowly. This lesson will also be an example of massed practice, because students are learning about this topic in one lesson not a whole unit. Students will also build on their procedural knowledge as they experience and learn “why” the Sun is so hot.
These memorable activities will prevent decay because students will have experienced these lessons in an interactive way. This lesson and these facts will then make their way to the students’ long-term memory.

1 comment:

  1. sounds like a fun lesson. A couple of comments. First, it's unclear to me how and what students would be chunking. Explain that further. Second, you've described procedural knowledge incorrectly. Procedural knowledge deals with understanding how to carry out certain processes (e.g., brushing your teeth, swimming, etc.). How is understanding 'why' an example of procedural knowledge?

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