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.