11/25/08

For today's class period we traveled to Elk Point South Dakota to judge the fifth, sixth, and seventh grade science fair! I found the opportunity to be a great experience! Throughout my elementary years, I never had the opportunity to participate in a science fair, so I found this opportunity to be a great experience. The day started out with lunch. Next, we found out which group we were assigned to. I was assigned to the fifth grade physical science. I had to opportunity to judge about seven different presentations. All of them were very unique and interesting in their own way. The children did a great job of presenting! One presentation that sticks out in my mind was done by a girl covering the topic of iron in cereal. The child tested about five different cereals raining from fruit loops to wheat flakes. The child discovered that if you blend wheat flakes with a little water into almost a runny like substance, pour it out into a pan and let it sit for about thirty seconds, and run a magnet through it, you can literally pull out chunks of iron. It was a pretty neat experiment. The overall winner of fifth grade was a girl who's experiment focused on calcium, and bone density. Overall, the experience was a good one. I was able to visit many different booths on many different experiments. I learned alot of information from the science fair. In the end, it was a great opportunity to take part in.

11/20/08

Today's class period was a work day. The period started off with an explanation of what is expected of our final project. To begin, our final project focuses on measurement. We went through a run down of what is expected from the final project along with a quick glance through the grading rubric. Next, we broke into groups of four, and each group was assigned a grade level from k-8. The goal of this project is to connect information over measurement throughout the k-8 grade levels. For example, our group chose to focus on measurement in the 2nd grade. In order to develop a lesson plan for our grade level, we had to meet with the first grade group in order to find out what they are focusing their lesson on, so we can build on information the students will learn from first grade into the second grade. We also had to meet with the third grade group in order to explain to them the focus of our unit so they are able to build on the concepts the students will learn in second grade. This process goes on and on until the 8th grade. After establishing this information, my partner and I found a science standard that we felt we could incorporate measurement into. We then developed a lesson over the standard. The lesson focuses on have students first plant various types of plants. The students would then predict how tall they believe the plants would grow. Next, the students would both measure and photograph the plants as they grow. They would then create a chart out of the data that they will collect. The rest of the lesson is in the works. However, we feel we developed a solid foundation. Overall, today's class period was very successful.

11/18/08

Today's class period consisted of the completion of two out of class assignments. The first assignment was to complete a quiz over chapters one through three of our textbook, "Seamless Assessment." This quiz covered important topics out of our readings. The next assignment was to upload the lesson plans that we have been putting together. Our lesson plan, as mentioned in earlier blogs, was based on growth and change. The main focus of this lesson plan was assessment since that is what we have been focusing on throughout the last couple class periods.

11/13/08

Today's started off with a brief run down of upcoming assignments and so forth. With the end of the semester very near, Dr. E allowed us to have in class work time. We have a presentation next Tuesday and Thursday which calls for us to present a lesson plan over a science activity. Since we have been learning about assessment within the last couple of class periods, this lesson plan is going to focus more no assessment than anything else. Because this lesson plan is due next week, Dr. E allowed us to get with our partners and work on it in class. She provided laptops for those who didn't brings theirs (including us because we forgot!). Overall, the day was very successful. With the help from Dr.E providing answers to any questions we had, my partner and I finished our lesson plan. We are ready to present it next week. Our lesson plan is focused on first grade and helping them develop an understanding for growth and change. Our activity consists of having the students construct a timeline of their own lifespan thus far.

Dr. E. also provided materials for us to reference when it comes to creating our assessments for our activity including materials over the nature of assessment, the purpose of assessment, the tools of assessment including purpose and impact, validity and fairness, reliability, significance, and efficiency. The information also included an assessment format along with other helpful and significant information. Dr.E also provided us with materials to read over if we ended up completing our lesson plans which was focused on meteorologists. This information was pretty neat. It informed us how, and with whom meteorologists work with, the equipment in which they used, how they predict the weather, and more. Overall, the class period was very successful. I really appreciated the in class work time due with finals and end of the year projects approaching!

11/11/08

No Class. Veteran's Day.

11/6/08

Today's class period was a continuation of our discussion over the 5E model from Tuesday. Prior to beginning Dr. E informed us of her goals for us to take away from the 5E model most importantly being to help us understand and apply the 5E model to our science teachings. We also discussed other topics such as the importance of meta cognition and learning. Next we moved onto our lab over potatoes and salt. This was a pretty interesting and new activity to us. Instead of following the instructions from a lab sheet that is usually provided, it was up to us to form a lab and the instructions out of the materials provided. We had to base the lab we created off of the 5E model. It took some testing with my partner and I and our materials; however, we eventually came up with a successful lab.
One of our latest assignments was to read through an internet source that Dr. E had provided pertaining to the 5E model. This internet source did a great job of introducing us to the 5E model, along with explaining how it relates to constructivism which I found to be very interesting. The 5E's are: engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate. The website explained what exactly each one meant and how each one can be used within the classroom during instruction. The website did not only inform but it provided examples of classroom situations as well. Overall, the site helped me in understanding the 5E model. I think it is a great site to keep in our resources.

11/4/08

With the end of the semester near, today's class period began with a discussion over upcoming assingments. After establishing the due dates of these assignments, we went on to finish our midterm presentations. The first group presented their lesson over the changing of seasons. They provided a very child friendly video to demonstrate the changing of the seasons. The last group to go was a continuation from last week. They had already given their lesson. However, we still had to finish the activity. This group was the bottle rocket group. They set everything up outside in a large open space where no one was around. After putting on the appropriate safety gear, different groups took turns shooting of home made bottle rockets. I was pretty need. Some of the rockets went about 2-5 feet off the ground and other shot 12 feet off the ground. It was a very cool activity. The class period ended with a discussion over the new text book that we will be focusing on for class. This text has to do with assessment in the classroom. Our discussion consisted of the most common forms of traditional assessment including pen and paper, recall, and problem-solving. We then learned that as a teacher it is important to have flexibility in addressing different learning styles and the ability to probe different levels of understanding at different times during instruction. This in turn goes along with providing your student with many ways to show you what they have learned. Other important pieces of information pertaining to assessment state that, "For assessment to be fair, it must be consistent, each component must assess what has been studies and talked about, not what SHOULD have been studied. The final piece of information that I feel was of importance within today's discussion stated that assessment should be appropriately modified to accommodate the needs of students with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or limited English proficiency. Overall I felt that we accomplished a lot within our class period today. The information introduced is very important to have an understanding of as future educators.