Rachel

3. Know the concepts listed as the Study Guide on the Home Wiki Page AND be able to identify or explain them as they pertain to your Unit Plan on Tuesday.
=July 16:=

1. When creating/writing your science unit, what did you find to be the most challenging part for you?
I have trouble determining what is actually feasible, in regards to time, student ability, supplies, or funds. I also always wonder if my lesson will be effective enough for students to comprehend and retain the knowledge I am presenting to them.

2. Does your sample lesson and unit in general play on your own learning strengths?
I feel that some aspects do and some do not. I liked learning through lecture and note-taking. Sometimes experimentation was helpful for me, but often, I was so stressed about not messing up and getting done on time that I never learned what I was supposed to.

3. What is one thing you learned or observed from this class that you will definitely implement in your classroom as a future teacher?
I plan to implement UBD practices. I like the idea of making sure that I build a lesson that meets a standard, instead of building a lesson and having to come up with a way to force fit the standard into the lesson.

4. What was the most useful Community Science Resource you came across, while doing research for this class and your lesson plans?
I like the programs offered by St. Charles County libraries. They would be done by children outside of school with their parents, so I could not force students to go and would not be able to implement them in my classroom; however, they are a way for parents to help their students be exposed to science out of school and the programs often incorporate literature, as well.

5. How will you help students become independent learners?
I will use inquiry questions in the classroom, so that students can research and explore ideas on their own with guidance.

6. Does your unit plan incorporate your philosophy of teaching? Give an example of how your unit plan incorporates your philosophy of teaching.
I believe that it does. I like to use a combination of lecture and experimentation. I do want to rely on one or the other. In the lesson I presented to the class, I used a note/lab sheet. The note sheet was for students to take notes regarding my lecture/our class discussion.

7. Did you come across any good online science resources while working on your unit plan that you would like to share?
http://www.webelements.com/ - interactive periodic table

8. Did you come up with any creative science activities or experiments that you would like to share aside from anything you presented?
Unfortunately, no. I was pretty much solely focused on states of matter.

=July 9:=

1. 10 minute Inquiry: Sustainability: What is it? Does it belong in the Science curriculum?
Sustainability is about the ability to endure on a global scale in regards to both natural and economic resources. It fits into the science curriculum in a few ways. Of course, we can talk about sustainability in regards to ecosystems and the environment. It can also be incorporated into engineering. For example, students can brainstorm new technologies for creating a sustainable environment. It is really all about understanding how systems work...Bob

==2. Check out the NSTA website: [] Here is the link to student/preservice teacher application: []. I will sign your application, if you wish to join. The local NSTA affiliate is called STOM (Science Teachers of Missouri). More information can be found at [|http://www.stom.org].== No, but thank you.

==3. We heard a lot about one particular publisher of textbook, and we all have had them in classes from an early age. What do you think? What role do textbooks have in the (science) classroom? Has / will / can /should technology replace textbooks?== I feel that textbooks do have a role in the the science classroom. I hate the idea that since textbooks do not work for some students, they should not be used at all. Textbooks alone are not enough to successfully teach a lesson, but I feel that they are a good resource. They can provide students with an introduction to the subject or be used as a resource if they do not remember what they learned in class, or they need to review a chart or definition. Students need time to experiment and explore, but I believe that learning from reading is important, too. I do not think that technology should replace textbooks, but be used in addition to textbooks. Technology is great, but it is not always reliable. Sites are removed, computers go down, and there are not always fact checkers to determine the accuracy of a site.

4. Have you changed your opinion on something since the beginning of class? If so, explain one or more topics where your thinking was challenged.
I do not know that I have fully changed my opinion on something since the beginning of class, but my thinking has been challenged. We learned a lot about how important is it to allow students to make discoveries on their own by letting them experiment and make mistakes. I do see that this method could be very effective, but I do not know that I could use it with every science lesson. For one, I do not know that there is time. Unless schools move to a system of mastering fewer subjects, I worry that there would not be enough time to let students make discoveries on their own every time. Also, I have my own personal bias to get past. The old system of teaching science worked very well for me. It was a combination of reading, lecture, research, design and experimentation. We learned the basics and then used what we learned to conduct experiments. We had fun, but also learned the terminology so that we knew what we were working with when we experimented.

5. Have you solidified an opinion since the beginning of class? If so, explain one or more topics where you thinking was affirmed.
My opinion that creativity and imagination should be incorporated into science has not changed. I remember one night I told you an idea I had about comparing particles to vacationers, and you said that you do not really support the idea of personifying aspects of science. I do. I think that children are smart enough to know that particles are not people, but if personifying something can help students relate to a concept better, I will do it. I remember teaching a girl how to balance equations. She could not get that if you add/subtract on one side, you had to do the same to the other side. Once, I told her that it was like getting dressed (put a sock on one side, you put a sock on the other side), it clicked for her. She had her aha moment. From then on, she understood that concept. But what if there is only one sock in the drawer?

= **July 2:** = === 1. When should Differentiated Instruction be used? Should all students have the same opportunity? === I believe that differentiated instruction should be used when there are students of significantly varied abilities in the class, there are many different learning styles in the class, and when there are students with learning disabilities or IEPs. This means that differentiated instruction will be used in the classroom a lot. I believe that all students should have the opportunity to learn to their greatest potential. That does not mean that I believe that students should all be given the same assignments. I like the way the LEGO Challenge was set up. All students had to finish through a certain number on the list. If students finished early, they could continue to the enrichment activities. All students had to opportunity to reach this level, but if a student only had time to finish the required activities,that was okay too. This allowed for more advanced students to challenge themselves, while average or struggling students had time to complete the assigned task.

=== 2. What is the difference: ‘What gets rewarded gets done’ vs. ‘What is rewarding gets done.’ Which is truer for you? === "What gets rewarded gets done" implies that a task is completed, because accomplishing that task results in a reward. "What is rewarding gets done" means that a task is taken on, because the task itself is rewarding. Unfortunately for me, "What gets rewarded gets done" is currently a more accurate representation of my life. My life mostly consists of school and work. I have doubts as to whether or not I want to be a teacher, so the work, at times, is almost painful for me to complete. I do so, because I need to finish my undergraduate degree. I am a year away from graduating, and I feel like I am just burned out and am going through the motions. I complete the work, because I need the grades. As far as work, I have been working in a Walgreens pharmacy for six years now. I started this job when I was sixteen. I am not passionate about my job. I stay, because I get paid better than I would at most part-time jobs and I get vacation time. Once upon a time, I had hobbies. I did those, because they were rewarding. I do not have time for hobbies right now. Is there an area of teaching that interests you? Would you like to observe in a classroom to see if it is for you? how can I help?: Bob

=== 3. How are the skills you used in solving LEGO Challenges considered Science/ STEM? Isn't is just playing with LEGOs? === The LEGO challenge is more than just playing with LEGOS. The activity seemed to really apply to the "E" in STEM. We had to engineer different structures that met set requirements. We learned about basic building structure. The technology aspect applies when students create the moving mouth and moving robots.

=== 4. Name two science standards at your target grade level that are not part of your unit. Describe how you would meet them with an engineering (design-build-test-redesign) lesson. === Describe how friction affects the amount of force needed to do work over different surfaces or through different media. I would have students create different environments and different vehicles to achieve different levels of friction. They would record data and reflect.

Compare the measures of effort force needed to lift a load with and without the use of simple machines. I would have students create different simple machines (with LEGOs, cardboard, rulers, etc.) and have them lift loads with and without the machines. They would compare the amount of force with and without the machine.

=== 5. What advantage would there be to giving students choice about how to demonstrate what they have learned? Any disadvantages? === The advantage to giving students choice about how to demonstrate what they have learned is that they can select assignments that better appeal to their interests and learning styles. One disadvantage is students may be overwhelmed by the choices and procrastinate because they do not know which to choose. Another disadvantage is multiple assignments creates a need for multiple rubrics. For a new teacher, the idea of adding more work to my already heavy workload is somewhat intimidating.

=== 6. The Solar Oven unit isn't really about Solar Ovens. What is its goal/purpose? === There are a few goals/purposes for the Solar Oven unit. One is to teach students about sustainability. The lesson can include discussions about ways in which Solar ovens are good for the environment and a clean use of the environment. The lesson also requires ingenuity. Students must use creativity, as well as what they know about science to create their solar ovens. Students must also practice perseverance. They must keep inventing new models until they find one that works. Finally, students must be inventors. They must develop an idea that meets the goal of the assignment.

=== 7. If you were to share one key thing from the Preparing Creative and Critical Thinker article, what would it be? === The part of the article that I would share is:

// Encourage all possibilities //. Even possibilities that seem wild or silly might serve as a springboard for someone to make an original and powerful new connection. Last fall, I developed a sustainability assignment in which students would create a sustainable invention. It could be anything. They did not have to focus on something that they believed to be scientifically possible. My thinking was that what we believe is impossible may not be impossible in the future, and though these ideas may never become anything, they may help students work towards an idea that will one day be feasible.

=== 8. Which of the tools from the Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox would you use (or not use) in your classroom and why? === I really like the force fitting activity. I like that it requires students to make connections that may not seem obvious at first. They have to create new ideas while staying in the parameters of the objects in the force-fitting cards. I do not like the morphological matrix. Using four words in a sentence does not seem to be as thought provoking as some of the other activities. It just seems like a backward madlibs, in that the student have the words that go in the blanks, but they need to supply the surrounding words.

=**June 25: Journal 3:**=

What is something you learned from the Pond Life book?
I did not know that there were so many different types of ponds. I thought a pond was just a pond. There are cypress ponds, bog ponds, meadow-stream ponds, mountain ponds, and farm ponds. The cypress ponds are common in the middle and lower Mississippi basin and have willow, bay, and cypress trees growing on the shore. Bog ponds are in temperate regions of North America and the water is usually muddy. Meadow-stream ponds are found where a stream widens and the current speed drops significantly. Pondweeds, cattails, and water lilies can be found at meadow-stream ponds. Mountain ponds are only briefly free of ice and dry up in the summer. Farm ponds are built and should fill from seepage.

Explain Differentiated Instruction in your own words.
My understanding of differentiated instruction is that it is a method of instruction through which instructors teach material in various ways and provide various styles of assessment to appeal to the different learning styles of students. For example, a teacher may appeal to kinesthetic learners by having students create a dance to represent the water cycle. Visual learners may develop an artistic representation of the water cycle. A teacher would use a variety of teaching methods and assignments to try and address all learning styles in the classroom.

What is the purpose of using a system like Responsive Classroom in a classroom/school?
The purpose of using a system like Responsive Classroom in a school is to create a generation of learners that feel comfortable collaborating with peers and instructors. This system would allow teachers to create a learning community in which students may feel more willing to share ideas and feel less judged in class. I feel that this is more of a social system than an academic one. I believe that it is good for students to know how to work together, but I also feel that students need to be confident learning on their own. They should be able to come to an answer on their own and believe in their answer without having to have peer approval.

Name a technology that would be useful in your unit and explain how it would enhance learning / assessment.
I found a states of matter webquest that I like (http://teach.fcps.net/trt8/Weaver/states_of_matter_webquest.htm). I also found an interactive states of mater simulator on Nova (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/states-of-matter.html).

What did you find out about Science Notebooks?
I found that science notebooks are a way for students to strengthen language skills in science. Students use them in before, during, and after investigations. They ask questions, formulate predictions, keep data, record results, write procedures, and reflect on findings.

=June **18: Journal 2:**=

Is Health a Science Topic? Elaborate:
Yes, health is a science topic. The human body is a like a science lab. There are chemical interactions, it uses and creates energy, and is composed of gases, liquids, and solids. The study of nutrition shows how the body processes different foods and their positive or negative impact on the body. Technology helps us to study, modify, and cure the body.

What advantage is there to pretesting students? Are there any disadvantages? Why is this useful in the science classroom?
The advantage to pretesting students is learning what the students already know about the topic. There is no sense in teaching a topic that the students already know or a topic that they are not yet ready to learn. It gives instructors a platform from which they can begin instruction. I can see pretesting as a disadvantage if it is time consuming. A disadvantage of paper pretests is that sometimes students do not try their best when they are not being graded. Pretests are useful in the science classroom, because I feel that they can be used to lead students into an inquiry led discussion. If the pretest is given orally as a discussion or as a group KWL activity, the teacher can work off what the students know and do not know to guide the discussion.

What are your thoughts on the the Classroom Performance System? Useful? Too complicated for a teacher to use? What good is the data it gathers?
I am a fan of the Classroom Performance System. I think that it is very useful. It is an easy way to assess where all of the students in the class are. For those students who are usually too unsure to participate in class discussion, it is especially useful. I never got up the courage to participate in meaningful class discussions until college. I cannot expect all of my students to be willing to speak up in class if i didn't. I do not think that it is too complicated, but I believe that it can be difficult if not executed properly. Behavior management is important. I imagine students can get overexcited with the clickers. Also, I do not believe that the CPS should replace discussion, but that it should enhance it by giving the whole class an opportunity to participate.

What philosophy of education or pedagogical approach(es) do you identify with and why?
I feel that I best identify with UbD and Bloom's Taxonomy. I like UbD, because it just makes sense logically to me. Creating a lesson based on the outcomes that I want to achieve just makes more sense to me than picking an activity that sounds fun and desperately trying to figure out how to link it to an outcome. I like to know what outcome I am required to work towards and then come up with a meaningful activity to achieve that outcome. I like Bloom because it emphasizes the need for basic and more advanced levels of knowledge. The basic information is necessary to help a student learn more advanced information. It is about building knowledge. Also, I feel that Bloom provides great opportunities for differentiated instruction. The different levels of learning can correspond to the different levels of ability in a classroom.

What unit topic will you seek to develop?
I will be developing a unit based on states and properties of matter.

Feel free to add any questions you have to the Parking Lot page.
=June 4: Journal 1:= ===What was the best idea/concept/procedure you took away tonight?=== As I was not in class, I will go with something I learned through the reading and video. I know that there is a question below about the Changing Education Paradigms video, but it was really got me thinking, so I will be talking about it twice. I loved what the speaker said about moving in the opposite direction of standardization.

===This is how I would expand this idea…=== I would like to learn more about or engage in a discussion regarding how a school could support and improve divergent thinking and how that kind of thinking would be assessed. Like the speaker said, it is not just about creativity. It is about a different style of teaching a applying knowledge.

===What question do you wish you asked in class (This could be about a topic, the class or the classroom)?=== I have questions about STEM. I think I have a pretty good understanding of ST and M, but I am not sure what I would do with engineering, especially what I could do that is affordable and worthwhile to the students.

===What did you find interesting about the methods and ideas shared in the video Changing Education Paradigms? What did you find upsetting or unsettling about the methods and ideas shared in the video?=== I found it interesting what he said about age being the determining factor for grade. Though I understand that this is an easy way to group students and that there is some merit to this system. For example, boys and girls around the same age may grow and develop emotionally around the same rates. Still, I wish that it were less taboo to split students into reading and math classes based on ability. Perhaps the students would be in the same class for most of the day, but for reading and math, the students could be split. If know that some fear a system like this would cause students in a higher age bracket to feel embarrassed to be in a math or reading class with younger students, but wouldn't they feel worse if they get out of high school with elementary math abilities. I think that if all students were put into different classes, not just the struggling students, there may not be as much of a stigma.

I certainly agree with what he is saying about how under the current system of education the academic people are seen as smart while the non-academic people are considered "non-smart." It seems to me that Common Core standards will only further this divide between academic and non-academic individuals. I find that unsettling. Last semester, I had a Language Arts Methods course. We looked at the Common Core standards for language arts. Words like logic, reason, organize, produce, and routine are consistently found through out the standards. I hardly see any words related to creativity or emotion. It seems to me that Common Core is taking the Arts from Language Arts. I do not see how this could possibly benefit the future of society. Analytic thinking is wonderful, do not get me wrong and it has its place, but creativity needs to be encouraged. We need new ideas across disciplines to progress as a society. Analyzing existing ideas is good, but being able to create new ideas is great.