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I have worked in many different states and in many different learning environments throughout my 19-year career as an educator. For the past 13 years I have been honored to teach at Agora Cyber Charter School.
Established in 2005, Agora Cyber Charter School is an online public school for Pennsylvania students in kindergarten through 12th grade that is accredited by the Middle States Association. Our rigorous curriculum is taught by Pennsylvania-certified teachers trained to provide virtual instruction in real time and is focused on providing all students the educational resources and out-of-classroom experiences they need to become successful, lifelong learners.
Teaching in the cyber environment can sometimes present obstacles to presenting content in a way that students will engage with and will want to be involved in during classes. This is especially felt in the 5th grade science and math classes I teach. With most of the states nationwide moving towards a phenomena-based approach to learning in science, it is especially important that I integrate high-quality online resources into instruction–resources students can relate to, apply prior knowledge to, and that prompt questions about their curiosities.
Creating lessons that are phenomena-based, engaging for students, and that spark curiosity is my objective as an online teacher, but really, that should be the objective for all educators. I strive to ensure each student has that “ah-ha” moment during one or more (hopefully more) science classes.
Over the past few years, I have found several appealing resources to help in the development of my lessons. Drawing on my experience both in the online environment and in a traditional classroom setting, I think these resources are useful to all teachers.
Below are three resources to support phenomena-based science learning in any teaching environment, as well as why they are so helpful.
Science A-Z
Science A-Z is an online program for elementary students that brings together science and literacy. It offers lessons, resources, a digital library, and hands-on activities. It covers the four scientific domains of life science, physical science, earth and space science, and process science. Science A-Z is a paid subscription that your school can purchase, or a teacher can buy a subscription for one year. There is also a free trial. I enjoy using Science A-Z is because it is research-based with a problem-based learning approach.
Science A-Z is a terrific tool to help educators increase engagement due to all the amazing models, process diagrams, and pictures embedded into all the different lessons. Some lessons also have virtual labs that students can complete on their own to further their exploration. This program also provides the educator with the ability to assign the same science article to students to read, but at their reading level. Having students work together in partners and/or groups with the virtual labs, models, and other resources provided has helped increase engagement in my classes, as well as assist with teamwork.
In my lessons, I have used a multitude of the components available in the cyber education world. All of the resources are catered for ease of use, as well as providing the students with the knowledge, support, and skills to be successful in their science education. To see my students’ critical thinking skills, scientific knowledge, and curiosity flourish is the moment I know that connections are being made–not only in science, but also with literacy skills.
Explore Learning Gizmo
Explore Learning Gizmo is the “golden ticket” I was looking for to provide students with firsthand lab experience and demonstrations they can view at home. At a cyber school, having the students perform experiments can be complicated. Not all of the students would have access to the necessary supplies. I do have students complete labs with items within their homes, for example Kitchen Chemistry, but growing plants with several types of light sources is not something most of our students are able to complete.
This is where Explore Learning Gizmo comes into play. Gizmo is an interactive STEM learning experience for grades 3-12. It also offers a younger version for grades K-2 called Science4Us. It is a paid online school program, but does offer demo accounts. There are wonderful resources, including lesson plans (teacher guides), student exploration sheets and answer keys, vocabulary sheets, and some supplemental materials (task cards, a literacy component, additional resources). They have started to design lessons with alternate languages and most resources are customizable. Gizmos also offers math programs–Reflex and Frax.
Explore Learning Gizmo is really user-friendly for teachers and students alike. Once the teacher assigns the STEM activity to a class, students can access it immediately. The students will use the interactive Gizmo to complete the lab sheet or exploration sheet the teacher provides. The students can also complete the assessment questions attached to the interactive Gizmo. Without these tools at their fingertips, the students would miss out on many aspects of science.
I have used Gizmo during a lesson after sparking students’ curiosity with a provided phenomena. Using Gizmo in partners or groups has really aided in providing students with a voice, confidence, and an eagerness to learn more. They are ready to share their group work with the other students, and their discussions flourish. Students begin to make connections with previous lessons within the unit, along with prior units. The students will then start to see the connection to the presented phenomena as well. There is that “ah-ha” moment!
Mystery Science by Discovery Education
With the new STEELS standards in Pennsylvania, Mystery Science by Discovery Education has been a game changer. It aligns with NGSS standards and TEKS standards, which helps immensely. It is a paid online school program, and there are discounts available for school and district memberships. The activities can be utilized as printouts or through Google Classroom. Mystery Science can be used in kindergarten through fifth grade, and every grade level has four to six units of study available.
Each of the units includes engaging videos, hands-on activities, performances tasks, assessments, discussion questions, handouts, and lesson extensions. Every Mystery Science unit begins with an anchor phenomena, which students look forward to. This sparks their curiosity for what is to come in the new unit of study. The videos are wonderful components that really get the students thinking, listening to each other’s ideas, working together to develop arguments, and presenting their reflections to discussion questions.
Not only does this aid in strengthening their teamwork, but it also helps to build their individual confidence. I have had more students this year volunteering to ask and answer questions, completing assignments, and exploring more on their own outside of the classroom. I believe this is in part thanks to Mystery Science. Other aspects of Mystery Science that are beneficial are the mini lessons that are provided as extensions, literacy components, and the adaptability for classroom instruction versus cyber classroom instruction. They also offer Spanish narrations and handouts.
The excitement I see and hear in my students when using this program is contagious. Most recently, I have seen and heard the connections in chemistry when discussing chemical reactions and why/how gargoyles transform over the years. I cannot wait to hear the gasps when we finally finish the unit and tie everything together.
Advice: Jump into the deep end of the pool
I know phenomena-based learning can be a difficult transition. It will take time to adapt and modify lessons, have students learn in a unique way, and even approach learning with the lens that one lesson may take several days. Just know that it is okay!
Start with building out one unit first and remember to always begin with a phenomena. Have the students “see” and note what they observe. Then, have them “think” and identify what they think about the picture, video, or artifact that you present them. Finally, have them “wonder” about three questions they hope to find the answer to by the end of the unit. Believe me, the students will begin to shine brightly in their thoughts, questions, conversations, and answers. Engagement will increase. It just takes time! You can do this! Dip your toe into the “science pool” and get ready to be amazed.
