Learning Circus Enter Title Here

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Learning CircusEnter Title Here

• Enter your name, school, subject area, email
  address and other background information here.

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STEM Resource Tools

• You may want to use some of these STEM Resource
  tools to enhance the effectiveness of your
  Learning Circus. Delete this slide after you
  complete your lesson.
• Content Clarification
• Standardized Test Items
• Curriculum Integration
• Curriculum Weblinks
• Curriculum Differentiation
• Learning Circus Self-Assessment

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Developer Page

• Developer Materials
• Background
• Applications
• Implementation
• Overview
• Resources Credits
• Student Materials
• Introduction
• Discovery Guide

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Learning Circus Background

• A Learning Circus creates a context for
  collaborative student inquiry. Stations are set
  up around the classroom containing student
  activities all illustrate key concepts
  associated with a single broad unifying theme.
  What makes a circus approach interesting and
  effective is that it provides motivational
  learning context in which students are actively
  engaged in exploring, discussing, and
  synthesizing information.
• At each station in the Circus, students receive
  instructions and guided reflection questions.
  Students rotate and work at all stations
  simultaneously. The student goal is to develop a
  thorough understanding of the major unifying and
  conceptual elements of the topic under
  investigation through a discovery process.

Developer Page
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Learning Circus Content Area Applications

• While originally used for teaching science, a
  Learning Circus is appropriate for any discipline
  in which the goal is to create an active,
  discovery oriented, and student-centered learning
  environment.
• Learning Circus activities can be minds-on as
  well as hands-on. For example, students could go
  to a listening station or a location where
  pictures are to be arranged into a timeline. The
  most important thing is for teachers to design a
  dynamic context for collaborative student
  inquiry.

Developer Page
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Learning CircusImplementation

• 1. Choose a topic and identify the student
  content standards to which the topic is aligned.
• 2. Design an assessment that is closely tied to
  the standard that you are targeting. Build a
  corresponding rubric if appropriate.
• 3. Select several activities that illustrate the
  major concepts associated with the topic.
• 4. Prepare Student Discovery Guides for each
  station.
• 5. Conduct and process the Learning Circus.
• 6. Assess student work.

Developer Page
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Overview

• STANDARDS
• Identify the learning goals/expectations targeted
  in this Learning Circus.

• ASSESSMENT
• Describe the plan for assessing student
  performance on this Learning Circus?
• Refer to the Assessment Collection in the STEM
  Resource for ideas.

• IMPLEMENTATION
• Provide suggestions for implementing this
  Learning Circus.

Developer Page
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Resources Credits

• CREDITS
• Enter the names and URLs of the websites and
  curriculum resources that you used to develop
  this Learning Circus.

• LEARNING CIRCUS REFERENCES
• Exploratorium
• Seton Hall University
• Shell Questacon

Developer Page
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Student Materials

• Introduction
• Discovery Guide

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Learning Circus TitleStudent Page

• Provide instructions that provides a clear
  overview of the Learning Circus.
• Identify the Student Learning Goals/Expectations.
• Describe how Student Work from the Learning
  Circus will be assessed.
• Attach the Discovery Guides that students will be
  using.

Discovery Guide
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Station ___ Discovery Guide Enter a Title Here

• Insert a carefully worded set of instructions
  here.
• A set of thoughtful and carefully scaffolded
  questions are an essential characteristic of an
  effective Discovery Guide.
• Make copies of this slide for each new Discovery
  Guide.
• Place Discovery Guides in clear plastic sleeves
  so that they do not get damaged and can be
  reused.

Introduction