Cornerstone Entry Events

Cornerstone Entry Events

In Cornerstone, lessons are designed to immerse students in learning from the very beginning using interactive Entry Events for elementary students and Background Knowledge & Discussion Starters for middle schoolers. These strategies ensure students actively engage, making connections between prior knowledge and new learning experiences.

🔹 Elementary (K-1, 2-5): Entry Events

Entry Events in elementary lessons serve as high-energy, hands-on introductions that spark curiosity, establish key themes, and set the stage for exploration. These activities are designed to be playful and engaging, helping younger learners connect emotionally and physically to new concepts.

Example: Entry Event in I’m Adaptable (K-1, Block B)

  • Objective: Help students understand how animals adapt to survive in their environment.
  • Activity: Animal Charades – Students act out different animals while their classmates guess which animal it is.
  • Engagement Strategy: Instead of just naming the animal, students must focus on how the animal moves and behaves, reinforcing adaptations through movement and role-play.
  • Transition to Learning: After the game, the facilitator leads a discussion:
    • Why do some animals run fast while others move slowly?
    • What might an animal do to protect itself from predators?

How This Prepares Students for the Lesson:

This play-based learning approach helps students actively experience adaptations before they start building their own modeled animals with special traits for survival. By physically acting out behaviors, students internalize adaptation concepts in a memorable way.

🔹 Middle School (6-8): Background Knowledge & Discussion Starters

For older students, lessons begin with a structured discussion format that provides key background knowledge while allowing students to explore big ideas through guided questioning. Instead of a playful entry event, discussion starters encourage students to engage in critical thinking and personal reflection about the topic.

Example: Background Knowledge & Discussion Starters in Naturally Inspired (6-8, Block B)

  • Objective: Introduce the concept of biomimicry—how humans use nature as inspiration for technology and engineering.
  • Activity: Real-World Examples of Biomimicry – The instructor shares images or short video clips showing examples of inventions based on animal adaptations (e.g., gecko-inspired climbing pads, kingfisher-inspired bullet trains).
  • Guiding Discussion Questions:
    • Can you think of an invention that was inspired by nature?
    • Why do scientists and engineers look to animals when designing new technology?
    • If you could take an ability from an animal and turn it into a tool, what would it be?

How This Prepares Students for the Lesson:

By introducing real-world applications first, students can make connections between scientific adaptation concepts and practical innovation. The discussion builds excitement and encourages students to think like engineers, preparing them for the lesson challenge: designing their own biomimicry-inspired invention.

💡 Key Takeaways

  • ✅ Elementary Entry Events are hands-on and movement-based, helping younger students engage physically and emotionally with new ideas.
  • ✅ Middle School Background Knowledge & Discussion Starters encourage critical thinking and real-world application, allowing students to explore concepts through structured inquiry.
  • ✅ Both strategies build excitement and curiosity while preparing students for the deeper learning activities ahead.