Instructional Sequence Matters

Instructional Sequence Matters shows how to make simple shifts in the way you arrange and combine activities to improve student learning. It also makes it easy for you to put the NGSS into practice. After explaining why sequencing is so important, author Patrick Brown provides a complete self-guided tour to becoming an "explore-before-explain" teacher. He explains that this teaching mindset helps students construct accurate knowledge firsthand, which is an important component of all science learning. The book focuses on two popular approaches for structuring science lessons: POE (Predict, Observe, and Explain) and 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate). You get guidance on how to create your own 5Es that translate the NGSS. And you get ready-to-use lessons featuring either a POE or 5E sequence to teach about heat and temperature, magnetism, electric circuits, and force and motion. Throughout, reflection questions spark thinking and help you develop the knowledge to adapt these concepts to your own classroom. Instructional Sequence Matters is a one-stop teaching resource for developing lessons that support both the NGSS and contemporary research on how students learn science best.

Instructional Sequence Matters, Grades 9–12 is the one-stop resource that will inspire you to reimagine your approach to high school physical science. The book discusses the 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate) as a specific pathway for teaching and learning. It also shows how simple shifts in the way you arrange and combine activities will help your students construct firsthand knowledge as you put the three dimensions of contemporary standards into practice. Like its popular counterparts for grades 3–5 and 6–8, the book is designed as a complete self-guided tour. It helps both novice teachers and classroom veterans understand the following: • Why sequence matters. A concise review of cognitive science and science education research explains why the order in which you structure your lessons is so critical. • What you need to do. An overview of important planning considerations covers becoming an "explore-before-explain" teacher and designing 5E instructional models. • How to do it. Planning templates include reflection questions to spark your thinking and develop your knowledge. Model lessons encourage you to teach in ways that allow for active meaning making-precisely what is called for in three-dimensional instruction. You'll learn to engage students as they tackle engineering design problems, use algebraic and mathematical reasoning, read technical texts, develop their own inquiries, and write argumentative essays. Instructional Sequence Matters, Grades 9–12 will help you stimulate teacher thinking and cultivate the skills necessary to take your students to higher levels of learning.