Observations for Learning!!!!

                                                

Today our class completed our first observation of a fifth grade science class at Bishop Dunn Memorial School. The teacher did a lesson on data point spreads. Throughout the lesson she used the inquiry method by asking questions to the class that made them really think. She provided a visual on the board by drawing a number line on the board with temperatures above the line. She modeled by showing the students her very own index card with 70 degrees Celsius written on it. She then turned to the board and said "ut oh, the number 70 isn't written on the board, can somebody help me?" Her students walked her through how to find the number 70 in between the two points 60 & 80 that were written in.

**This got her students to engage in critical thinking. She very well could have just placed it on the board all by herself, but she wanted to ensure her students would know what to do if a number they are given was not written.
                                                                

She then had a stack of index cards and had the students that were given cards go up to the board and plot the temperatures while the rest of the class started to copy the board, giving every student something to do. When all of the data was recorded on the board, she went through each plot one by one asking the student how they found it, how they knew what to do with the negative numbers, etc.
                                   
**She did this to ensure all students can see why the data was plotted where it was.
Throughout the lesson she gave specific academic praise numerous times, complimented students on how well they were doing with the work, and checking for understanding frequently. She even asked if the pace she was moving at was ok, to ensure all students were on the same page so to speak.
Lots of praise!   Lots of checking for understanding!

After this the students had to answer four questions in their text where they had to utilize two data point spreads already completed to find the answers, this was a great way for the students to practice what they just learned, while the teacher and us college students were there to guide them when needed.


The students were then given a worksheet for homework basically doing what they just did in class. They were allowed to work on it if they finished the text assignment.

This teacher walked around the room observing the students working, she gave praise and feedback throughout, she checked for understanding throughout the lesson, she addressed all concerns of students including when one student raised his hand, she was speaking to the class, she quietly walked over to him but finished asking the students a question to find a solution for, then she whispered to him and resolved it while the class was working.
 

 

She was great a time management, explaining the information, and asking the right questions for the students to be actively involved every step of the way.
 
I really enjoyed this experience, the students were great, very bright group, the teacher was so welcoming and accommodating to us. This teacher is simply amazing, she basically did a 5E lesson and modeled for us, what type of teachers we are all aspiring to be! I am definitely looking forward to going back and observing some more!!!!
                                                                 

Earthworms Gross Me Out!!!!

               I don't know why, maybe it is partially because I am a girl, maybe it's partially because I have an older brother who loved to torture me, all I know is worms give me the heebjeebees!!! EWWWWW                                                                                          

       

             

              Earthworms belong in the Animal Kingdom. The major subdivisions of the animal kingdom are the phyla. Earthworms belong to the phylum Annelida. Earthworms have no skeleton. Their digestive track runs from one end of their body to the other!

                                                                

            I did not know that there are such major differences among earthworms. Did you know that "different species of earthworms are adapted to different climates (temperature and moisture) and to different soil types (high organic carbon content) to mineral soils (very low carbon content)? These adaptations are responsible for a wide range of physiological differences between earthworm species." (worm digest)

           Earthworms are very interesting, they breath by absorbing oxygen into their body surfaces and they cannot maintain a steady body temperature. Earthworms nutrition is mainly from organic matter in a wide variety of forms. The one thing that really grosses me out about earthworms is that they are able to regenerate amputated segments of the body.....YUK! This one of the main reason kids (especially young boys) love messing around with these crazy creatures!

                                                                                             

           "Worms are fascinating especially to kids. They are also an essential part of the environment, mixing up and breaking down organic matter. As they burrow deep into the soil, they also help with aeration. In the process, earthworms also leave behind worm casts (or waste), which contain nutrients that enrich the soil. Plants need these nutrients for healthy growth."(the kids garden)

 

**A neat project that I learned about while reading up on Earthworms that I may do with my students one day is start a Worm project. This will be a project where students will observe a worm for a period of 3-5 weeks. They will create a 'wormery', which is really like a temporary house for worms. They can be created in a variety of ways. Items like newspaper, sand, soil, manure, and a small amount of water to keep it moist go into these homes. The students will supply their food and keep their homes in a dark place. Children will have their own little 'pets' and will get to see first hand what the earthworm is all about!

The Ex-Germinator

Seventeen days ago, Dr. Smirnova asked our class, ED5534 to take 10-20 seeds and place them in a wet paper towel and then into a plastic baggie, observing them for two weeks. We were investigating germination of seeds, and we are learning about living and non living things in class right now, which makes this experiment appropriate to our course content. We had to keep the paper towel moist, check on the seeds everyday and record any changes we observe. This paper is my reflection about what I have learned from observing the seeds and from the further research I engaged in.

I had 18 seeds total delicately placed in a moist paper towel and then into a plastic baggie. I placed the baggie on the window sill in my kitchen where the sun hits it everyday. I did this because when researching, I read that germinating lettuce seeds, which mine are, should be in a moist but warm environment. Everyday for 17 days, I checked on my seeds and took notice to any changes. Germination of lettuce seeds should be successful in six to ten days, where you should see a sprout of some kind, physical changes to the dormant seeds.

After only three days I started to take notice to the physical changes occurring in my seeds. They were a bit bigger than they were originally. This truly excited me, then a few days after that, two of my seeds split open a bit. Seeing these changes happening really intrigued me. On the sixth day the paper towel had yellow and green stains on it.  It also had some clear gooey stuff coming from the seeds onto the towel. I thought for sure that a sprout was eminent in the near future. Unfortunately, nothing else ever took place. I read that all seeds are not successful at germinating. This is why Dr. Smirnova had us take more than a few seeds. My seeds were not kept hot or cold, I kept them in a warm climate just like I read about. They were checked everyday, and were nice and moist. I have to say, I was truly disappointed when I came to the realization that nothing else was going to happen.   

I do not recall anything like this from my childhood in school, but I would definitely use something like this in my classroom when learning about living kingdoms or plants. Students would be excited to check on their very own growing projects and write about their observations in their journals. Then, when the project is over, I would help them plant the successful seeds in pots in the classroom. The students would get to enjoy taking care of the plants they grew throughout the whole school year!   

I read in our textbook that it does not matter if the seeds were placed in a well lit area or a dark space. I placed my seeds in sunlight merely for the warmth factor that was described as needed. This experiment raises many inquiry questions for me. What could I have done differently for my seeds to have been successful? Maybe I could keep a towel wrapped around the baggie next time so the seeds can be insulated like they are when they are in soil. What exactly went wrong? I am truly not sure about this; were the seeds bad? Is it possible that I ended up with seeds that would never germinate? I will never know the answer to this question but it is not impossible nor is it likely though. I wonder how my classmate’s germination went for them. Last I spoke with them they were having the same experience that I had.

       Germination is a crucial part of the survival of our civilization. Plant life provides food for people and animals, and oxygen. Understanding germination is important for everyone- germination has to occur for the dormant embryo to grow into a plant. We are exploring living things right now; the professor wanted us to observe how a dormant seed makes an astonishing transformation into the beginnings of plant.

To seed or not to seed that is the question...

Ok so here we are fourteen days into our germination projects. My seeds have gotten a bit bigger and some have split open in my papertowel. If you look closely there is some clear gooey substance coming from the seeds laying on the papertowel. There is also some yellow-green coloring staining the papertowels where the seeds lay. I am really starting to think my seeds are no good anymore...I thought for sure after two weeks I would see some sort of sprouting?!

Planning for Learning...

Cooperative learning groups encourages meaning making for students in many ways. Collaboration among students is a major part of scientific inquiry—the process of investigation whether undertaken by third graders or by adult scientists—benefits greatly from the collaboration of several people. In addition research has shown a number of positive results from cooperative learning. Cooperative learning helps students retain more conceptual knowledge. It also fosters a classroom climate in which students interact in ways that promotes each other’s learning.

Lesson planning is vital to ensure you are covering your curriculum and standards; it is to be used as a guide rather than an instruction manual. The teacher needs to be prepared to let go of the plan, if they don’t their students’ own ideas that could have taken the lesson to another level of awareness, now become restricted, which puts a limit to the learning involved.

                                                              

It is important for cooperative learning groups to include students of diverse backgrounds and abilities because it is very beneficial for all participants. Group work and cooperative learning can reduce individual competition and raise the level of cooperation. The climate of support encourages the participation of students who are less likely to volunteer and interact in a whole-class situation, such as females and culturally diverse students. Students who are culturally diverse benefit everyone else in the group by expanding everyone’s knowledge and often leads to student to develop further questions to investigate. Students with physical or learning disabilities also contribute to the diversity of a cooperative learning group, they bring a way of seeing the world that enhances the science experience for all the group’s members.

                                                                                                   

The one teacher I can recall being especially good at making me think by asking key questions was my 10^th grade global studies teacher. He would always ask us for our thoughts on everything. He was always asking open ended questions to the class. He really made us dig deep for answers, and he would never answer his own questions he would ask the class more questions until he guided us to the answers he was looking for. As his student, I didn’t like it much but now looking back, I can see why he did this; I still remember things I learned from his class! I even remember some of the comments he used to make, and this was over 12 years ago. His technique was utilizing open ended questions whenever possible.

                                                              

Why won't you do anything for me?!

Just wanted to give an update, my seeds are still the same, some split some didn't, it looks as though there might be some clear stuff on the papertowel under the seeds but not connected. I am starting to think my seeds don't want to do anything I mean a week has gone by now! I hope something more starts happening I don't know what I am doing wrong, everything is as it should be, papertowel is wet, they have been protected and I have been checking everyday....

                                                           

Something to expand on........

All students learn differently. If you stick to the books, your students may not grasp what is meant to be learned. Like the book said, if Ms. Drescher did not let the students experiment with the objects and eggs in salt water, they may not of grasped the concept of density! When students explore, they learn and ask more questions, which will lead to expanding on the area being focused on. Just because you have to teach one area does not mean you can’t cover another one along with it. If a student did an experiment the year prior on density, maybe he didn’t fully understand it until the second experiment with Ms. Drescher. These are the things us teachers need to take into consideration when planning our curriculum.

                   

From the stories in chapter 8, I would define sinking and floating in terms of volume and density. If an object sinks, then it has a greater density than the liquid it was placed in, if the object floats, then the liquid has a greater density than the object placed in it.

                                                                                                  

Students might explore the idea that people could float in the Dead Sea. They might want to know the difference between that body of water and other bodies of water. As the teacher I could get three large jugs of water and different objects to drop in the jugs, maybe a pencil, eraser, paper clip, etc. I would have one jug just plain water, the second jug would have half a container of salt mixed in (to represent oceans) and the third would have four times the amount of salt as the second jug(to represent the Dead Sea). I would have the students predict what will happen with all three jugs as objects get dropped in them, in the third jug, the objects should float a lot higher than in the second one, where in the first jug items will sink.

Spiraling curriculum is wonderful because it helps the student remember what they once learned, but expands on it year after year. I remember doing experiments in grade school on plants, growing my own in class in at least two different years, but learning something new like photosynthesis the second time around.  I also remember creating solar system projects over the years and then the last year in elementary school we went to the planetarium to “experience” the solar system and be able to see all that we have learned and “created” over the years.  This type of curriculum is like building a house. When you first learn about it, that’s your foundation, then every year you get to add more and more until you finally have a roof. I think it is imperative to incorporate this into your teaching.