Koantum

Koantum covers elementary school science using the 5E model of instruction: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate. Teachers have access to a dashboard, which they can use to add students, track progress, and access lesson plans and printable worksheets. The lesson plans are very thorough and are scripted in some places to help guide teachers through the instruction.

Students also have access to a dashboard so they can sign in on their own and choose a lesson. Most lessons are aligned with a Next Generation Science Standard, but not all standards are covered, and some existing coverage is weak. In fact, there is a noticeable lack of engineering coverage.

Students can explore content in a variety of ways, which makes Koantum a good resource for differentiated instruction. The 5E model can be a very effective instructional strategy that enhances traditional curricula; as kids step through each "E" section of a lesson, they gain a deeper understanding of the content. Most of the 5E sections are very well done, but the Evaluate section could be improved with the addition of some constructed response questions that require higher-order thinking.

Kids will feel empowered to learn since they can log on and access lessons on their own. Hints and detailed feedback for incorrect answers are not given, so teachers will need to provide support for struggling learners. Hopefully lessons that cover engineering standards will be added some time in the future; with the addition of some engineering lessons and more challenging assessments, this site could be a home run as a supplementary science resource.