Divide and Conquer

We recently discovered that by dividing the space that we have into sections works best to control the kids especially when there are a large group of kids. Each section will teach a different aspect of a topic. By dividing the kids into groups, each group can rotate through the sections. 

For example, we divided our lesson on the solar system into three sections. First was the main lesson where we talked about what exists in a solar system and how many planets are in our solar system. The next section or station was the eclipse experiment while the other was the worksheet about the eclipse. The worksheet would best cover the whole topic instead of just the eclipse. 

A way to keep the kids that ends early or is waiting for their turn through the sections, it is best to have an exercise like a math quiz. In our case, we had another worksheet where the kids had to fill out the lunar cycle on how the moon looked like from the Earth in a certain positions. It basically teaches the kids when does the moon is crescent, when it is full or when it is a new moon. 

The number of facis play a big part in making this method a success. First, there must be a faci for each group. Each section must have one core faci that best explains the lesson taught in that section. This way, the faci that leads the group only teaches the exercise as they wait their turn and would also add to what the kids learn after each section.  

 

Eclipses

Two weeks ago, we had an we experiment about the two types of eclipses which are the Solar eclipse and the Lunar eclipse. We used two different size balls to represent the Moon and the Earth and a flashlight to represent the Sun. We also prepared a work sheet that they have to fill up after the experiment. 

The experiment was done in a dark room with a group of four or five kids. The setting of the experiment was important so we used blankets to cover the windows to make the room dark. We first explained that the small ball is the moon, the larger ball is the Earth and the flashlight is the Sun. Then we moved on to make one kid be the Sun by holding the flashlight while two more became the moon and the earth. After that, we asked the kid who is the sun to shine the spotlight on the moon (small ball) while standing in front of the Earth (big ball) and ask the other kids to observe where the shadow of the Moon is on the Earth. This is the Solar Eclipse. The we asked the moon and the Earth to switch places and explained that this is known as the Lunar eclipse. 

After the experiment is done, the group is moved to the next room as the next group does the experiment. The finished group will then answer some simple question about the experiment that they has just done on a worksheet. For example, when does the solar eclipse happen? The worksheet is just a method to strengthen their understanding and memory about the experiment.