Leslie

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?
In creating my science unit, I found the most challenging part to be coming up with the lessons themselves, figuring what topics flowed the best, determining how much time every procedure will take, and thinking of a variety of inquiry based activities for each lesson. I noticed I was doing this - write, read, revise, repeat. I found the writing process to be more time consuming (and involving more research) than I had anticipated, but that made it a good learning experience for me to gain knowledge of and utilize the abundance of resources available to science teachers today.

2. Does your sample lesson and unit in general play on your own learning strengths?
Yes my sample lesson and unit in general play on my own learning strengths. I think it's very natural for teachers to do this - you tend to teach in the way you learn the best. For example, I am visual learner so I have several videos, and hands-on activities, pictures, etc. The challenge is to make sure you appeal to ALL learners, not just learners that fall under your same learning style. So I have added songs, reading activities, and providing students with choices in how they design their final project.

3. What is one thing you learned or observed from this class that you will definitely implement in your classroom as a future teacher?
One thing I learned that I will definitely implement in my classroom as a future teacher is doing bodily-kinesthetic activities to teach a concept. Like how we revolved around the room as the earth and how we acted as atoms and molecules in different states of matter. This not only gets students up and out of their seats, it helps students retain the information by actually experiencing it themselves. I never thought of teaching topics this way until this class.

4. What was the most useful Community Science Resource you came across, while doing research for this class and your lesson plans?
The most useful STL Community Science Resource I came across while doing research for my lesson plans was the St. Louis Zoo. My unit is on Animal Habitats, so this resource provided the information I needed to help plan my field trip and think of activities.

5. How will you help students become independent learners?
Allowing students to take control of their own learning is how they will become independent learners. I will help my students achieve this by having them perform student-led activities, experiments, doing learning stations, and providing them with choices for projects.

6. Does your unit plan incorporate your philosophy of teaching. Give an example of how your unit plan incorporates your philosophy of teaching.
Yes my unit plan incorporates my philosophy of teaching through a variety of learning activities to meet the various learning styles and interests of the students. "The only way for students to learn science, is to experience science themselves." The best way to accomplish this is to guide students to asking questions and try new things and ideas. Science is about discovery. I want my students to discover and be involved in their learning. In my unit I have introduced fun and relevant activities that spark and maintain students’ interests.

7. Did you come across any good online science resources while working on your unit plan that you would like to share?
A few good online science resources I cam across while working on my unit plan that I would like to share are: TheEducationCenter.com, DiscoveryEducation.com, WatchKnowLearn.org, and SheppardSoftware.com. All of these had good videos and interactive activities for my life science elementary unit.

8. Did you come up with any creative science activities or experiments that you would like to share aside from anything you presented?
Another fun activity I have in my unit is "Animals in Winter" for a lesson on Hibernation. There will be a chart 1-5 “how cold is it?” and the students will tell us what they believe is the rating – writing their predictions in their science notebook. First, have the student put their bare hands in a bowl of freezing ice water, without anything protecting their hand. As a class, count aloud and see how long they can hold it in there (great counting practice). Always stop at 30! Then, take a rubber glove and have one student make a fist and have them put their hand in the glove (do not have them put their fingers in the finger places). Cover that student’s hand with shortening (Crisco) until the whole fist is covered. Then cover the student’s fat covered hand with plastic wrap (this is for easier clean up also). Have the student put their hand in the icy water now. They now cannot feel the icy cold water. (do not count, they can hold for a long time). The shortening represents the additional fat that helps protects the animal from the cold weather. This activity allows the students see how a Polar Bear (or a penguin or a seal or any other freezing Arctic animal) might feel in the winter.

=July 9:= =1. 10 minute Inquiry: Sustainability: What is it? Does it belong in the Science curriculum?= The simplest and most fundamental definition of sustainability is: "the ability to sustain" or "the capacity to endure." Sustainability belongs in the classroom and topics should relate to sustainable development - the use of environmental resources in a responsible way to ensure that they will continue to be available for use by future generations. Science is not only a part of students' everyday lives, but that the decisions they make play a role in their local communities. Therefore, s tudents should learn to analyze risks, assess trade-offs, make decisions using scientific data, and apply scientific concepts to real world situations... .and think systematically and systemically: 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].== I do not wish to join, but than you for the information! ==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 think it's very interesting a lot of us chose the same publisher of textbook. Pearson is well known and as I stated in my review, there's a reason so many of us chose the same book - it's very appealing. The role I think textbooks have in the science classroom is to be used as a guide, reference, and tool, but are not the main component of learning. They are nice to have to look up something you may need a definition for and seeing these terms grouped together. As far as technology, unless the school/parents can afford for every student to have their own person Kindle or iPad, I don't think technology should replace textbooks.

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.
An opinion that has changed since the beginning of class is forms of assessment. Remember, my only science knowledge dates back to my school days where assessment was a paper and pencil test as the primary means of assessing student understanding of the material. Now, being towards the end of class, I have learned multiple ways to access the students throughout lessons that do not involve a handwritten test at the end. I like these varied tactics so much better - project based, windshield check, clickers, etc. How do you feel about students helping to determine their grade?

5. Have you solidified an opinion since the beginning of class? If so, explain one or more topics where you thinking was affirmed.
An opinion that has been solidified since the beginning of class is the importance of hands-on learning and inquiry learning. I am a visual learner so this is how I learn best. By doing these sort of activities in class ourselves (such as the Legos building, pond exploration, solar oven, and buckets) and seeing how much information I retained from doing them, I know students will retain information this way too. I believe you remember things more through personal experiences, through trial and error, and in real-life. = **July 2:** = Way to go! Did you eat the hot dog?
 * My Pizza Box Solar Oven! Temperature got up to 80°C **

=== 1. When should Differentiated Instruction be used? Should all students have the same opportunity? === Differentiated Instruction should be used in every unit. Teachers can differentiate through four ways: 1) through content, 2) process, 3) product, and 4) learning environment based on the individual learner. All students should have the same. By considering varied learning needs, teachers can develop personalized instruction so that all children in the classroom can learn effectively. === 2. What is the difference: ‘What gets rewarded gets done’ vs. ‘What is rewarding gets done.’ Which is truer for you? === A reward is something that you are given, for example because you have behaved well, worked hard, or provided a service to the community. The rewarding of something are the benefits that you receive as a result of doing or having that thing. The truer one for me is "what is rewarding gets done" as I am a very intrinsically motivated person. I feel, instead of rewarding someone for doing what they are supposed to be doing, lets motivate that person and make them understand that the reward is how you feel when you are finished. I agree, but how do you get students do think this way?!

=== 3. How are the skills you used in solving LEGO Challenges considered Science/ STEM? Isn't is just playing with LEGOs? === The skills used in solving LEGO Challenges are considered Science/STEM because they enable and facilitate progressive approaches to instructions, such as project-based learning and problem-based learning, hands-on learning (learning by making things), collaborative learning, authentic learning and assessment, and constructivist learning. It is not just playing with LEGOs. The challenges enable students to design, build, and in some cases program if using a motor, small scale structures using LEGOs. The materials and practices are highly motivating and highly engaging with particular value in STEM. === 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. ===  **NGSS Standards**: Students who demonstrate understanding can:   2-LS4-1: Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. Science and Engineering Practices:  -Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data which can be used to make comparisons. (2-LS4-1)  Disciplinary Core Ideas:   -LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans: There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water. (2-LS4-1)  -->I would meet them with an engineering (design-build-test-redesign) lesson by having the students build a habitat. How would students test it? === 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 how to demonstrate what they have learned is it gives students a sense of empowerment over their learning environment and keeps them engaged. A disadvantage would be that students will gravitate toward the easiest project choice anyway and that not all students can handle choice; that some will become overwhelmed. The best solution is to offer 3-5 options that meet a variety of learning styles and multiple intelligences. === 6. The Solar Oven unit isn't really about Solar Ovens. What is its goal/purpose? === The Solar Oven unit solar oven is a great project for kids because it demonstrates two of the three basic principles of passive solar design working in concert with each other to accomplish a goal the kids can really relate to: making something yummy! It's a trial and error learning experience that allows students to think creatively, design and build something with their hands, and get the satisfaction of having successfully cooked a meal in something they designed on their own. === 7. If you were to share one key thing from the Preparing Creative and Critical Thinker article, what would it be? === One key thing from the Preparing Creative and Critical Thinker article is "in education, we routinely teach students how to use various sets of cognitive tools to make academic work easier, more efficient, or more productive: for example, research tools, note-taking strategies, or ways to remember and organize information." We need to teach thinking and to give students cognitive tools to teach them to use these tools systematically to solve real-life problems and to manage change. === 8. Which of the tools from the Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox would you use (or not use) in your classroom and why? === The tool from the Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox that I would use in my classroom would be Brainstorming - generating many, varied, or unusual options for an open-ended task or question. Brainstorming is a very powerful tool and key part of the creative process because it's the best way think of a whole pile of potential answers to a problem, task, or question. It promotes thinking skills, is engaging, builds energy in the classroom, and allows ALL students to feel included by expressing their ideas.

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

What is something you learned from the Pond Life book?
In pages 1-30 of the Pond Life book, the big picture I learned is how things live together in a pond and lake community. It discussed the differences between ponds and lakes, characteristics of water, habitats in them, food webs and food pyramids, community changes in ponds in lakes, and observing and collecting (like we did in class). One thing specific I learned is there are four levels are habitats within a small pond or a large lake (surface film, open water, bottom, and littoral habitat) and different plants and animals leave in each of these.

Explain Differentiated Instruction in your own words.
In my own words, Differentiated Instruction is using a variety of instructional methods, activities, tasks, and assessments in the classroom to reach a variety of learners. Every students has different learning styles, background, abilities, and interests, so it's best to use several different methods in order to reach each of these learners and while keeping them engaged.

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 classroom/school is to help fulfill the mission of encouraging every student to reach his or her full potential - the social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum and the best learning takes place when children live in a school environment that is kind, safe, respectful, and predictable. It is a research and evidence based approach to elementary education that leads to greater teacher effectiveness, higher student achievement, and improved school climate through a set of (7) classroom management and teaching strategies. Morning meeting, CARES, academics choice, rules/logical consequences, classroom organization, working with parents, and guided discovery are key.

Name a technology that would be useful in your unit and explain how it would enhance learning / assessment.
A technology that would be useful in my unit would be the BrainPOP and PBS Learning websites. The drawback to BrainPOP is it's a paid service, but it might be worth looking into when I become teacher. I like the short videos both sites has to offer and follow-up quizzes afterwards. They would enhance the learning/assessment because they're interactive, so students would be able to retain the information better. I'm looking into animal habitat ones now!

What did you find out about Science Notebooks?
Science Notebooks are used to help students develop, practice, and refine their science understanding - while also enhancing reading, writing, mathematics, and communications. They give teachers access into students' thinking - what they do and don't understand, what misconceptions they have, and organizational skills they're using. In them, students record everything ... data, charts, procedures, hypothesis, conclusions, questions, reflections, experiences, notes, etc. I like the idea of reserving the first three pages as a table of contents, having a word bank/glossary, and bibliography page. These notebooks provide structure and support for all students to achieve. They encourage students to use writing for thinking and empowers them to become active in their own learning.

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

Is Health a Science Topic? Elaborate:
Yes - Health is closely allied to Science (biology) and Social Studies. For example: It is in science class students learn about the parts and systems of the human body. In the primary grades, students are learning responsibility skills and starting to take ownership of their own actions. Therefore, it makes sense for these students to also learn how to care for their body and respect for self and others. Students should learn about the relationship between nutrition and health, about wellness, about disease and its prevention, about the importance of cleanliness, and about the role of exercise in physical development.

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 for teachers to find out what the students already know and don't know about a certain topic. This is useful in the science classroom because it helps the teacher determine where to begin on the topic, know what equipment students are (or are not) familiar with, and more. Pretesting is a also a good refresher for the students to activate their prior knowledge.

What are your thoughts on the Classroom Performance System? Useful? Too complicated for a teacher to use? What good is the data it gathers?
This was my first time using the Classroom Performance System and I really liked it. I think this is very useful because the students are answering the questions anonymously. This is beneficial to the student because he/she knows what answer they clicked and can see where their answer falls with the rest of the class. If the teacher is trained on how to use the system, then it shouldn't be too complicated for the teacher to use. The data it gathers is good because it shows the teacher where everyone is at on a topic and it is also only the teacher that knows how each individual student answered - so they can see who is struggling, etc.

What philosophy of education or pedagogical approach(es) do you identify with and why?
I am very intrigued by POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) - a learning cycle of exploration, concept invention and application. I am a visual learner, so I like that it is student-centered, where students work in small groups with individual roles so that all students are fully engaged. I too believe that critical thinking, problem solving, and communication through cooperation and reflection are very important in the learning process and helps students retain more information.

What unit topic will you seek to develop?
Animals Habitats Unit - Second Grade

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?=== The best concepts I took away from our first class was the 5E Instructional Model and Inquiry Learning. Leaning about the key components of this model was very interesting and brand new to me. The idea of students exploring, investigating, and being active participants in their own learning is a fantastic concept. If inquiry learning existed back in the day when I was a young learner, I believe I would have done much better in my science classes with more of these hands-on experiences rather than the 'answer the questions at the end of each chapter' textbook learning that I had.

Bob: ...and no looking for one answer, either!

===This is how I would expand this idea…=== Since we will be using the 5E Model in writing our lesson plans for this course, it is my goal to apply this idea of inquiry learning and to be as creative as possible in developing my activities as best as I can. This is definitely a learning process but I am up for the challenge.

===What question do you wish you asked in class (This could be about a topic, the class or the classroom)?=== I am confused about STEM education. How is STEM learning the same/different as Inquiry learning? Bob: How do you see STEM and Inquiry being similar and different?

===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?=== A few key things I picked up in the Sir Ken Robinson video is that the education system is outdated and focuses on standardized tests, that divergent thinking and creativity is being squashed, and that there are misconceptions about kids/students today. I find all of this to be interesting, upsetting, and eye-opening.