The Final Week

This last week in the field was a very interesting and fun one. The first day my CT did a science lesson with the 3^rd graders including pulleys, inclined planes, etc. I came in during the middle of it, and saw how the students were thinking about these simple machines. One of the activities that the students did was draw a clubhouse and then figure out something they would want in the clubhouse. They then had to explain how they would get that object into the tree house. One of the students wanted a pop machine in her club house, so she used a pulley system to get it up there by using one of the tree branches. Even though some of these things may not be used in the real world, or they would be used in a much more complex fashion, it is good to get the students thinking about these types of things and having them try to apply them to different situations. He used some examples in the class as well so they could actually see what the simple machines looked like. There is definitely more that he can do with them with this type of lesson, and I am sure that he will. Unfortunately I will most likely not be in the class when he continues on with the activity sequence. Finally, I was able to go with the class on a field trip as they went over to MSU’s IM West for a “field day” that was being put on by one of the frat houses. It was a great way to end the year so that I could have a good time with the students, and see how they are out of the educational setting. They were able to enjoy themselves as their year comes to a close as well. However, some of the students could not come because they did complete their work on time, which was disappointing because some of the students who could not come were some of the ones that I had developed good relationships with, including my focus students. All in all, though, it was a great day for the students and interesting to see them outside of a learning environment.

Changes in Teacher Scenarios

The first activity that I would not teach is number 13 where the students go outside each night and sketch the phase of the moon. I do not like it because I did this in a previous class, and I feel that a student does not get much out of it. I would change it because it does not get the students very involved and there are better ways of having the students positively included in the classroom rather than having them do this work at home. I would change it by doing an in-class activity that covers the same material of moon phases. As we did in class, and we also covered in my previous class, you can use different materials to act out the phases of the moon. By using the flashlight as the sun and a ball as the moon, possibly with other materials, you can see the phases of the moon very easily. This gets everyone in the class involved because it can be done in small groups, and they can then have a whole class discussion where everyone reports back to the group. Again, this allows students to be actively involved in the activity, and allows them to discuss their findings with the entire class. They can also compare their ideas with the ideas of everyone else through the discussion or by discussing it in their small groups. This is a more effective inquiry process than having the students look at the moon every night.

The second activity that I would not teach is number 6 where the teacher requires the students to participate in a science fair. I do not like that the teacher requires the students to do this because it takes away from the fun of exploration and experimentation with their project. If they are forced to do, they see it as an assignment and are just doing to it for the credit. If a student does not want to a project like this, then they will likely get very little out of it. A change I would make is having it be a voluntary project for extra credit or some other incentive. I would also do a science fair type project in the classroom where the students could work in small groups on the project. This would get all the students involved without all of the pressures of completing the experiment on their own at home. This makes it a better inquire practice because the students are actively involved in the classroom where they can ask questions. They can discuss what is happening with their group members as well as the teacher, allowing them to talk about their ideas and compare them with the other students. They will overall get more from this because they are hearing multiple perspectives on the issues that are taking place. Because they are getting more chances for discussion as the project progresses, it makes for a better inquiry experience. They are actively engaged in the experience along with learning new information and discussing these ideas and findings with other classmates and the teacher.

In the Field

This week I spent a lot of time with my focus student for another class, and did not really see too much science in the classroom. My CT is still trying to catch-up on a lot of different things, so I was able to take my focus student in the hallway and work with him individually. This is extremely helpful because I am learning how the students in the class learn, especially this one student I am working with. He works so much better with me in the hall then in the classroom because he had someone there to help him when he needed it, and he had somewhere there to show they “cared.” My CT does a great job with all the students and getting them to develop in many different areas, but because he has so many struggling students he is not always able to attend to the students’ needs when they are needed. I was also able to give the student assessment tests in literacy, which was a very interesting experience because I did not do this for a while (I did similar testing the classroom last semester). The students have obviously gotten better at reading, which relates to science in many ways. The students used to have problems following directions on many of the science activities partially because they simply just could not read them at an adequate pace. Now that they can read better, they will be able to complete the science activities more effectively, which of course relates to their learning experiences. This improved reading will help all of the students in many different areas, and considering that a good portion of them came in at a kindergarten reading level, it is truly impressive how much they have improved.

Teaching the Lesson

This past week was an interesting with science because I was able to teach my lesson plan to my students. I did my lesson on sound, and I was surprised by some of the results. Many of the students had a great time using the sound systems, which is something that I knew going into the lesson because many of the students can get off-task very easily and hands-on activities are a great way to keep them involved in the lesson. Behavior management has always been a problem that I have had in this classroom because the students know that I am not “the” teacher as my CT is. Because of this, they know they have a little more freedom to goof off when he is not always around. However, I believe that I have gotten better at it as the year has gone, even though there is still plenty of room for improvement. Anyway, the students experimented with the systems in a productive way, but I had to continually remind them that they need to write their evidence in their science journals. This is something that took a little more effort because the students continuously wanted to play with the sound systems. The discussion also went very well because of the level of real world experiences the students were able to bring to the conversation. Many different students were dying to tell their own little stories, and I tried to relate each one to what we were learning so this learning opportunity was not wasted. Sometimes some of the students just wanted to tell their story, so I had to ask them a question or comment further so that a connection was made between the comment and the material that we were covering in the lesson. I think that this lesson was a productive one and is something that I could have continued on with in the activity sequence. It can definitely be built upon, and the type of activity that I did with them is a great way of reaching the students on their level instead of lecturing.

In-Class Bird Observation

The activity with the bird observation was very interesting. It was a fun way to learn about observations and how they can be helpful in the classroom, especially because it gets everyone else involved in the activity. People are going to have different observations and thoughts about anything that goes on in the classroom, and this activity proved that. While I had my own observations, other people in the class had similar or different observations, but it was interesting to hear everyone else’s views on what was going on. There were some things that were pointed out that I did not realize, but once they were pointed out, it made more sense to me. This can be translated to the classroom because you need to take into account that each kid is going to learn differently, not just make observations differently. Accounting for these differences is extremely important because some students may have an easy time understanding something while another student may have a much more difficult time. This is where hearing others’ comments come into play. Through hearing other people’s views and opinions, it may help other people see things that they did not see initially. Also, everyone in the class is going to have something interesting to say, whether they know or not. Giving them the opportunity to do this is extremely important, as we found out today in class. I liked this activity because it did get other people involved and you were able to see how people thought during the process of the bird observation period. It may have gone on for a little too long, but it was still a very rewarding experience because it is something that we can use in our classrooms.

The Past Week

This week the 3^rd graders went through some smaller science projects and how they were going to present them to one another in the classroom. The students had to figure out who was going to present what material. I walked around and listened to the groups as they discussed what they were going to do. My CT said he was giving them total freedom in their presentations and allowing them to do pretty much whatever they thought was necessary in order to present their material. It was interesting to listen to the students in their groups because many of the students did not want to be the ones to present their project. My CT did not have much time with them today, so that is really all the students were able to do. I was able to help a few groups in figuring out how to organize their presentation, kind of the same way that I helped them organize their science projects and posters earlier in the semester. One of the girls practiced her presentation for me, and she seemed to really know what she was talking about. However, she was one of the smarter students in the class, so I am interested in seeing how well the other students do with this assignment because much of the time many students are off-task. They have a difficult time keeping their focus during these types of activities, which is why the science experiment itself was good for them. They were actively involved in the experiment, which kept their focus, but now that they have to present it they seem to be a little more off-task.

More in the classroom

This week I was able to discuss my lesson plan a little further with my CT and talk about what he will be doing before and after, mainly talking the activity sequence. We discussed how he has another intern at a different time and they will be teaching a different lesson before me, and he will be teaching the lessons that we do not teach in the order that the book has them. He let me know about what kinds of experiments and activities they will be working on. He will be using some of the same sound systems that I will be using in my lesson plan, but I will be asking them to look for evidence as they use them while he, at least in the earlier lessons, will be having them just explore with them and have some fun with sounds to get them excited about the unit. As stated in the previous post, the class is behind in every subject, and because of math and literacy, science is kind of taking a back seat until other areas are caught up. While the students were working on some individual work, I was able to look through a few of his science containers, which he has from his previous job, and he is one of the teachers in the school who truly loves teaching science. Some teachers even come to him for materials or advice on how to teach a certain lesson. He had some pretty simple stuff in there for the sound unit, including some metal “forks” and rubber stoppers, tongue depressors that make a musical instrument when put between pieces of wood, etc. I believe that the students will really have a positive experience as they experiment with the sound systems. It will also give my CT a chance to see how much they know before actually getting into the facts and deeper experiments about sound. These kinds of pre-assessments can be really helpful in planning out the lessons, and I hope to talk to him about what he has seen after he has done these lessons with the students.

Science talk and catch-up work

This week I did not see much science in the classroom as my teacher was working with the students in other subjects. However, I did perform my science talk with a few students, and this turned out to be very interesting because of the students’ responses as I prepared for my lesson on sound. One student that was extremely interesting to listen to is, in my opinion, the smartest girl in the class. I have written about her for other posts in other classes, and every question that I asked she was able to answer correctly or at least get part of it correct. She, as usual, was an exception in the class as many of the students did not have much prior knowledge on sound waves and vibrations, along with how they travel to our ear. The answers of many of the students are most likely comparable to the answers that the other students will have, which is obviously very helpful when I am planning my lesson. Other than performing my science talk, I helped some of the students individually on other work to help them catch up. All of this work that I do with them in the classroom is helpful because I am able to plan my lesson in accordance to how the students learn, and what types of activities will be the most meaningful for them. There are many different types of learners in this classroom, and many of them do not receive the support at home that is necessary to help students succeed. Therefore, I am learning what I have to do in order to get through to the students so that they learn the material and understand the best that they can. Keeping them on task is almost as important as anything else because of how energized they usually are, and I can use science to help this because of how interactive I can make the lesson. I was not able to talk to the CT too much about what was happening in science because of the amount of catch up work they were trying to accomplish.

And more Science Projects...

This week the students were finishing putting together their science projects as I was able to work with both the second and third graders. I worked with the third grade class first, and many of the groups were pretty much done putting everything together on their board. I helped the few remaining groups finish putting their boards together, including the group I had work with previously with creating a circuit. We put the circuit back together as we had it before, and taped it to the board so that it could be presented to everyone else in the class. Once I finished with this group, the person who was in charge of explaining their project during the science fair went over some of the information she was going to discuss. I helped her understand the circuit as thoroughly as possible, and she did a very good job in going through the steps that they took to get their results. The most interesting part about this project for them was that they got the wrong answer, saying that using a longer wire will produce a brighter light than using a short wire in the circuit. My CT and I discussed this a little and he told me that if that is what they found, then they should use that as their results/conclusion. I found this very interesting because it is allowing the students to use their own observations to get their results, even though they may be incorrect. As long as my CT goes back over this information with them, I think it will prove to be a very rewarding learning experience. Later in the day I worked with the second graders, and their projects were a little more disorganized. I mainly helped them put their boards together, and again had to assign jobs to students as many of them were lost in their groups. They did good job, though, decorating their boards with pictures from the internet that related to their projects. Finally, the students went down to the cafeteria because Impression Five was there for a small assembly. They did an interactive experiment with a few of the kids, mainly to get them motivated for the night as the school was invited to go to Impression Five with their families and participate in the activities that they had set up there. Overall, I observed a variety of science activities today, and all most of it was hands-on for the students. For the class that I work with, this is very important because it provides the motivation that would not be there if they were just doing stuff out of a textbook.

Continuing with the Science Projects...

This past week in the field, I worked with the students on their group science projects again. However, this week I was able to work with the second graders. I helped many of the groups with putting organizing their information, helping them type things up and where to position them on the board. During this time, I was able to ask some of the students to explain to me what they did and how they did their experiment. It was interesting to listen to the students’ descriptions of their experiment and how they went about doing it. One student went through the results they had come up with when the gathered evidence about who had bigger hands, boys or girls. They had everything almost done this time around, which was not the case the last time I was helping them. They had some problems figuring out how to organize their information on their board, and many of the student needed guidance in what they were supposed to be doing. I went to a few of the groups and helped them figure out which person was going to do what job, such as writing out the procedure that was used or finding a way to organize the information on the board in a presentable manner. This definitely helped them move along at a smoother pace because it cleared up much of the confusion that they were having. This kind of activity allowed me to interact with the students for an extended period of time as well, letting me into what they were thinking as they worked on their projects. I was able to see how many students understood what was going on, and how many were lost during the group work and could not seem to find a job to help their group. Talking to my CT about what is occurring in the classroom is also helpful as he has explained why he is doing this project with them, among other things. Many of the students would struggle with this type of project if they had to do it individually, so doing it in groups with help from the teacher and people like myself allow for the students to experience all of the steps that are necessary when doing a science project such as this one.

Week in the Field

This week in the field, I worked with the third graders as they began to work on science projects. While some of the students are doing individual science projects, in the classroom they are doing group science projects in groups of 4 or 5. I was able to work with one group extensively on creating a full circuit with a batter, wires, and a light bulb. Their object was to make the light bulb light up, and to see if the brightness depended on the length of the wire involved (we used a short wire and a long wire). We had some trouble making it work the correct way as we had to make some corrections and changes to make it work better. There was also a small little motor in the science kit that they were using, and the students had a lot of fun using that with the battery to power it. Working with the students, I tried to make them see that the longer wire produced a dimmer light than when using the short wire. They had to use the scientific method for this project as well, so I helped them record their results, as well as to figure out what they were observing. They were able to do much of the work on their own, mainly because they had a list of steps to follow as their procedure. Their final product involved putting their different steps of the procedure on a tri-fold poster board. They had to type these up on the computer and glue them on. They did not finish this process completely because they ran out of time, but I began helping them figure out where on the board the different sets of information should go (mainly putting it on the board in order of the scientific method, making it easier to understand when reading it). I think that this type of activity in the classroom is very helpful because it shows the students how to conduct an experiment the proper way. I remember when I was doing these projects in elementary school I had to do them at home with the help of my parents. Doing them in the classroom allows the teacher to help them to ensure that they are doing it the correct way, and that they understand the steps as they go.

Inquiry

Meaningful questions are very important in the classroom, especially in science, as students continue to develop their understanding in different areas. Having the students create the meaningful questions themselves allows them to create questions that may interest them more. As they go through the material, whether it is an experiment, readings, etc., they are trying to find the answers to something that they are curious about. This provides them a source of motivation, driving them to find the answers, and it will allow them to use this information in a more meaningful way. They will likely remember this more effectively because, again, it is something that is of interest to them. The teacher could also provide the students with meaningful questions. By doing this, the teacher is giving the students something to look for, probably because it deals with important information within the unit. They may also revolve around something that will interest the students, relating back to motivating them to complete the work and find answers. Meaningful questions will hopefully prompt the students to continue searching for answers from outside sources. Instead of just reading the material from the text book, they could possibly go to the library and look through different books to build upon what they are learning. The meaningful questions could stretch the information across many different areas within the classroom, overall providing the students with more knowledge and hopefully allowing them to learn more from their experiences.

Relating to the fossils benchmark SCI.III.4.E.1, one example question could be: Why do you think the fossils lasted so long in the ground and did not disappear (disintegrate)? Another meaningful question could be: Why do you think fossils are found in some areas of the world and not in others? These questions would go beyond some of the material being taught, and could be answered through further research and experimentation.

Benchmarks

In order to see a student understand the benchmark about how shadows are made, I would want them to show me using different materials. For example, they could use a flash light and put an object in the way of the light rays, therefore causing the shadow. I would want them to show me and explain the principles of it as they are doing it. You would be able to tell if they understood by how they explained it to you while they were performing their demonstration. They would be able to explain how the light is being blocked, which stops the light from reaching the area behind the obstruction. Demonstrating this while describing it would be fairly easy if the student understood what they were talking about.

For the student to understand the benchmark about needing evidence when making scientific decisions, I would want them to show me an experiment they conducted and how they came up with their conclusions. I would want to see how they used their senses (seeing, hearing, etc.) to back up their data and conclusions. This would include having data written down, including observations that were made during the experiment. The more information that they are able to attain to back up their conclusions, the more detailed and concrete information they will have. It will overall only strengthen their argument, which is an area that I will be able to assess once it is done.

In the field

I had a very interesting past week in the field. The highlight of my week came on Tuesday when I was able to teach a science lesson on my own. My CT gave me about 45 minutes to teach a lesson and do a science experiment on fresh water compared to salt water. The kids were in groups and had two cups in front of them, one with salt water and one with fresh water. We then took cotton swabs and put a sample from each cup onto black paper, which when dry showed the salt that remained. The students had a great time drawing designs on the paper, which got them more involved, and they were able to really see that even though you can not see the salt in salt water, it is still there. We also had a discussion about where salt water and fresh water can be found, along with how are bodies can only use fresh water. I was able to get many students involved in this conversation because I continued to ask follow up questions to get them thinking about different aspects of each of the water types. The students were a little hard to control at times, as keeping them on task is always an issue. However, I feel that the experience was something that I can definitely build off of. I continue to learn how to teach the kids in an effective way, playing around with strategies to see what works and doesn’t work. This lesson plan will definitely help me when I teach my future lesson in the classroom for this class. I will be able to use what I learned in teaching this lesson and put it into use. I was also able to work with the students in some individual circumstances, again helping me learn the most effective ways to teach them.

First week/Video Reaction

The video was very interesting to me mainly because of how many people had misconceptions about the seasons of the earth. The beginning was especially surprising to me because Harvard graduates had difficulty answering the question correctly. It just shows me that people are not going to remember information that is not particularly important to them. I am sure that many of those students had learned about it at some point in their lives, but simply forgot it. Because I took SME last year, I know much more than I would know had I not taken it. I am assuming that most of the students never took a class like that during college, which was a pretty intense experience, so that is why they did not remember this information. Next, I also thought it was good to see how students in an actual classroom respond to a question such as this. The one girl who did very well in the classroom was the one that stood out to me the most. She started off creating her own reasoning for the seasons. When she was told the correct reasons, she corrected her answer, but only partially. It was very interesting to see how she took the correct answer, and, in a way, combined it with her incorrect answer. She could explain many of the correct reasons, but once she had doubts about her description, she reverted right back to her own thoughts on why the seasons occurred. The video talks about how she never let go of her own personal theory, and this is something that I believe will be a huge deal when teaching students in any subject. Correcting their own methods that they come up with, or modifying them to make them more correct, is going to be crucial. This will be difficult as well because there are going to many different types of learners in the classroom, so as a teacher, I will have to use many different methods and teaching styles to get across to all of my students successfully. I would have liked to see more of the students who were not as successful in the classroom to see how they changed ideas. The classroom that I am in for placement right now has many struggling students, so seeing more of these kids would have been more helpful.

So far we have not anything with science in the classroom, but I will see more this upcoming week. However, science projects are coming up very soon, and I have talked to my CT about that. The students will be doing some of their work in the classroom, but a majority of it will be done at home. It will be interesting to see what types of projects the students choose to do, and how they go about doing it.