Effecting Change at school

I think that I am doing everything possible to ensure my students are enjoying science and learning that science is real world applicable. We do not use textbooks as a learning tool, we use it as a resource. We try to make the class hands-on and I work with my colleagues to pull science into their course work. The reading teacher incorporated my weather unit into her non fiction unit and it was a great introduction for my class.

Since I teach at a charter school, I do not work with any other teachers in the district. My only other science resource in my school is the fifth grade science teacher. Next year, seventh and eighth grade will be moving into our building as well. We are fortunate that we are able to take numerous field study trips to help cement our learning--the botanical gardens, the science museum, the aquarium, the Parthenon, and other city locations and even outside the city. The biggest struggle for me is that I feel that I do have to do it alone. I can go to administration for financial support, but for actual classroom support, there is no one that has taught science to bounce ideas off of or to help me out in that arena. I also struggle with getting our laptops in the classroom as often as I would like to use them. Other teachers reserve the COW (computers on wheels) and I have to postpone lessons or fore go them all together.

Keeping up with global competition

After reading the article, "What's Our Sputnik?", I found myself wondering why we rely on so many other countries for items that we can handle here in the United States. Why did it take Sputnik to set us into a tail spin to launch our space program? Like the article states, what will be next for us (Friedman, 2010)? I think that we have more than enough knowledge and capability here but we need to stimulate our younger generations by giving them exciting educational opportunities. In some aspects, the education system needs to overhauled. Students need to have the resources to compete with other countries with technology and in many schools, basic science equipment.

Growing up in Florida, I witnessed numerous space shuttle launches. I also witnessed the Challenger explosion when I was in fourth grade. I live in Nashville now, but my children were fortunate enough to have resided in Florida long enough to experience a few launches and landings. I believe having witnessed those awesome viewings sparks a curiosity in adults and children alike. If only every child could have some sort of like changing experience to get the scientific juices flowing...

Reference:

Friedman, T. L. (2010, January 17). What’s our sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p. WK.8.
Retrieved from the Walden University Library using the ProQuest Central database.

Modeling Earth Science

The lesson plan implemented that required the use of a model was a scaled version of a solar system on the basketball courts. The students were required to walk the orbit of each planet for one minute and log how much of a revolution they were able to complete during that time.
The students obtained the goals and objectives during this lesson. Using the model solar system scaled down and having the students be active participants was a concrete tool to getting the meaning across to the students. Prior to doing this activity, students were struggling with the distance factor in space. They were looking at pictures in video clips, in the textbooks and other resources, but they were not able to make the connection to how far apart the planets were from each other. After we completed our revolutions, the students seemed to grasp the concept much easier. Another concept the students were struggling with was the different sizes of the planets. A great slide show that erased all misconceptions is found at http://www.rense.com/general72/size.htm. This is the best model comparison that I have found anywhere on the Internet.
I know the objective was met because the students were successful in answering the question sheet that they were required to answer on their own. We were also able to have meaningful, in depth discussions that moved up Bloom’s taxonomy after completing this activity. Prior to the completion of the modeling activity, students were not able to speak to the level that they did afterwards. This demonstrated that goals were not only met, but concrete understanding had taken place.
The only area that I would change in the future is the calculating of the solar system scale. In the future, I would see if the math teacher could incorporate this portion into their lessons. I believe that this would strengthen the math aspect and make it less time consuming and frustrating for students. Students seemed to find that part of the lesson to be the most confusing. Even though I had already measured off and created the scale on the basketball courts, I wanted the students to see how the scale was calculated.
Having the model as part of the lesson was crucial in teaching the standard. If the model had not been included as a component, I do not believe that students would have been able to grasp the concept as concretely as they did. I have found that when we bring models into the classroom students learn and enjoy it at a different level. When we studied biomes, students created biomes that included plants and animals indigenous to that biome. Our next models will be on the phases of the moon and eclipses

Natural Disaster information

As I have done in a previous blog discussion, I used Jello to demonstrate the different faults. Students constructed buildings of different heights. Students also used toothpicks as a structure support. They were then asked to complete application questions about building stronger buildings, how life is affected by earthquakes, and location of fault lines. Students watched different videos of earthquakes: before, during, and after. They were then able to see the destruction that an earthquake does to the land and the property on the area.

After our floods here in Nashville, I think students realized the importance of helping out strangers in their community. Seeing the devastation of an earthquake may promote the giving and helping to people they do not know.

Ask a scientist

I submitted my question to the "Ask a Scientist" website to glean more information about my endangered species. I have yet to receive a response from the website.

I believe the website can be a great tool for students when they are doing research for science fair projects or to search for archived questions for homework. Teaching students to seek questions and answers out for themselves is a valuable tool. I believe students rely on others to give them the answers instead of finding the information and working to gain the knowledge.

Evaluating Web tools

The first tool I tried out was the Prezi. I watched the tutorial and decided the application looked pretty exciting to use. Once I logged onto the website, I viewed several of the previously created templates. I found a few of the presentations to be rather intriguing and could help stimulate learning. I think the presentations would be more suited for a older crowd and not my 6th grade students. I do not know how well I would like this tool for my students. I have not personally made a Preze yet.

The next website I visited was PreZentit. I enjoyed this website the best out of all the one's listed on the resources pages. I found it to be the most user friendly when I tried it out and one I was most accustomed to since it is similar to PowerPoint. It is more exciting than PowerPoint, but the premise behind the presentation seems to be similar.

The Zoho link did not work when I clicked on it. It said it was not found. I do not know if I am the only student in the class that had this problem.

I did not try uploading photos to animate slide shows on Animot, Vividex, and Vcasmo.

21st century learning tools

During my Internet research on Newton’s Laws of Motion, I found a variety of labs that could be turned into guided inquiry investigations for students that would foster their scientific learning. One that students may find interesting because it involves building ramps and playing with Hot Wheels cars is found at http://teachertech.rice.edu/Participants/louviere/Newton/hotwheels.html. For this lab, the procedure could be omitted and the teacher could pose the guiding question to the students. The students would then use the materials to write their own procedures and become more scientifically literate individuals.
Another powerful tool for students to complete is a Web Quest. This will build upon their knowledge and their technology skills that are a must in the 21st century. A great Web Quest can be found at images.pcmac.org/Uploads/.../newtons%20laws%20webquest.doc. Students can work independently or collaborate with each other to ensure they understand the key ideas correctly.
A physical activity that would differentiate instruction and make students apply Newton’s laws to real world scenarios is based on a SeaWorld/Busch Gardens animal game that would divide the class up into groups. The teacher would not have much preparation for this activity and it would benefit the students to see that physics applies to all aspects of the world. This activity can be downloaded from www.seaworld.org/.../classroom.../Newton%20Laws%20of%20Motion.pdf.
All of the above referenced ideas of motion would be easy to bring into the classroom with prior planning and access to laptops. The Hot Wheels lab requires the most planning and gathering of materials. Students will benefit from the use of manipulatives and technology in the classroom. Teachers should no longer be using direct instruction as the main source of teaching in the classroom. There are many more valuable resources available that will captivate, teach and prepare students for the 21st century.