Missy

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 found that making sure my lessons aligned fairly well with the standards was most difficult. I found many different activities and lessons that I thought would be awesome, but they may not have had much to do with the topics that needed to be addressed. I wanted to make sure the lessons really did teach something and were not just a fun activity.

2. Does your sample lesson and unit in general play on your own learning strengths?
Yes, I would say I am a visual an hands on learner and my unit goes along with those strengths.

3. What is one thing you learned or observed from this class that you will definitely implement in your classroom as a future teacher?
Inquiry should be the main focus of lessons taught in science. Encouraging students to ask questions about what they are learning gets them thinking and creative about what could happen. It is key to keeping them engaged and problem solving.

4. What was the most useful Community Science Resource you came across, while doing research for this class and your lesson plans?
My unit was on weather, I thought it would be a great idea for a field trip to take them to a local TV station and talk to a meteorologist about weather.

5. How will you help students become independent learners?
I think science journals are a great way to encourage students to start thinking about the things they learn. The more they become interesting and the more interesting things the teacher can offer, the better off they will be to become an independent learner.

6. Does your unit plan incorporate your philosophy of teaching? Give an example of how your unit plan incorporates your philosophy of teaching.
Yes, part of my philosophy is that students should be engaged in hands on learning experiments. I hope my unit gives students an opportunity for inquiry based hands on learning.

7. Did you come across any good online science resources while working on your unit plan that you would like to share?
http://www.science4us.com/

8. Did you come up with any creative science activities or experiments that you would like to share aside from anything you presented?
I think making a terrarium is a fun idea for a weather unit.

=July 9:=

1. 10 minute Inquiry: Sustainability: What is it? Does it belong in the Science curriculum?
=== Sustainability relates to many different concepts in science and can have different meanings. In general, sustainability is the ability to last over a period of time. In science, it can pertain to the ecosystem or it can relate to human sustainability along with many other science concepts. ===

==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].==

==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 in any subject it is important to update the information over time. Especially in science, things are always changing and technology will inevitability replace textbooks. In science, I believe it is a hands on learning experience that will help children to learn. Therefore, I do not think textbooks are overly important in a science classroom, teachers can find plenty of resources online or in resource books that will help them come up with experiments and activities. ==

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 don't think my opinion on teaching science has changed very much, but this class has definitely given me some great resources and ideas to help when I have my own classroom. However, I do feel more prepared and excited about teaching science as now I have a better idea of how I will teach it. ==

5. Have you solidified an opinion since the beginning of class? If so, explain one or more topics where you thinking was affirmed.
== I still believe that in a science classroom it is important for lessons to be hands on and children need to be engaged. My opinion was solidified that there are tons of science resources and activities that can be used in a classroom. This class gave me a better idea of where to find these resources and how I can implement them in my classroom. ==

=== 1. When should Differentiated Instruction be used? Should all students have the same opportunity? === === I think differentiated instruction should always be used in a classroom. Giving students the same opportunity to learn affects the mood in the classroom. It is a more comfortable environment if all students feel they can succeed. ===

=== 2. What is the difference: ‘What gets rewarded gets done’ vs. ‘What is rewarding gets done.’ Which is truer for you? === === I think "what gets rewarded gets done" is the idea of rewarding a student for doing their work. "What is rewarding gets done" is the idea of a child genuinely enjoying a task and wanting to complete it. I think "what is rewarding gets done" is truer for me because I find myself more eager to complete a task when it is something I am really interested in. If we use subjects that interest our students they are more likely to get the job done because it is interesting to them and therefore rewarding to complete the task. ===

=== 3. How are the skills you used in solving LEGO Challenges considered Science/ STEM? Isn't is just playing with LEGOs? === === When students get the opportunity to actually touch and play with something to learn about science, they become invested in their learning. When we did the LEGO challenges, I felt like I wanted to succeed at each activity because we had to do some problem solving to get the the ultimate design. When something didn't work we felt frustrated and wanted to figure out what we needed to do to fix our problem. Students become invested and don't even realize they are learning an important lesson. ===

=== 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. ===

Mass: building objects out of given materials that weigh the same on a scale.
=== 5. What advantage would there be to giving students choice about how to demonstrate what they have learned? Any disadvantages? === === If students are given a choice about how to demonstrate their knowledge they will explain it in a way that is more useful to them. I do not think there are any disadvantages because if their demonstration is unclear, the teacher can always ask questions to help the students get to their point. Giving students this opportunity allows for creativity and exercises their problem solving skills as well. ===

=== 6. The Solar Oven unit isn't really about Solar Ovens. What is its goal/purpose? === === The goal is to teach students about problem solving. When their solar oven doesn't heat up to the temperature they are wanting it to, they have to change something they created to see what will change the way their oven heats up. I think it is a great way for students to show their creativity and think logically about solving a problem. Creativity is often overlooked in Science. I am glad you recognize this as a part of curiosity and learning. Bob ===

=== 7. If you were to share one key thing from the Preparing Creative and Critical Thinker article, what would it be? === === I think the idea of teaching a student to be prepared for creative and critical thinking will prepare them for a bright future. I think a key idea from the article is that the world is constantly changing and there are new needs for jobs and new job descriptions we have never heard of. Current elementary students will have jobs that we don't know exist. I think we really need to consider what it is our children need and what is going to prepare them best for this unknown world we are preparing them for. ===

=== 8. Which of the tools from the Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox would you use (or not use) in your classroom and why? === ===** I think that each of the tools from the Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox could be very useful in a classroom. The most important tools for me would probably be Attribute Listing and Evaluation Matrix. I think these two would be especially important because they make you peel apart the layers for problems you want to solve. You can see many specific things about each problem and evaluating the problem when you use these tools. **===

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

What is something you learned from the Pond Life book?
I learned about the littoral habitat which extends from the water's edge to as far as rooted plants grow. There are also different plant zones as the water gets deeper, and different types of plants grow in each zone.

Explain Differentiated Instruction in your own words.
The idea of changing your lesson plans to cater to different learners. This can be very simple or more complex. Differentiated instruction offers various levels of work to better suit certain students. This can be making an activity harder, easier, or just a different style in order to meet any learners needs.

What is the purpose of using a system like Responsive Classroom in a classroom/school?
It encourages students to become more involved in the classroom. Asking students questions is much more interesting than a teach standing up in front of the classroom and talking for an hour.

Name a technology that would be useful in your unit and explain how it would enhance learning / assessment.
I think the Classroom Performance System is a great way to involve students in a lesson. I would use this as a assessment to get a quick idea of where my students are before I begin a lesson. I would also use it during the unit and again at the end to help me determine when they are ready to move on to the next step of the unit.

What did you find out about Science Notebooks?
Science notebooks give students a chance to record their own thoughts about the class. The can record observations and describe or draw what they have seen in the classroom. This gives students a chance to elaborate their own thoughts to help them remember what they have learned. Repetition works for children to a certain extent, and seeing it in their own way makes it highly effective. Science notebooks are also a great way for teachers to track their students' progress and better understand what is more difficult for some students.

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

Is Health a Science Topic? Elaborate:
I think it is a science topic because our health is related to how our bodies function. The way our bodies function and our body systems are science. Studying health gives students a real word example of showing that how we treat our bodies effects the health of our bodies.

What advantage is there to pretesting students? Are there any disadvantages? Why is this useful in the science classroom?
I think it is important to pretest students only because you don't want to reteach them things that they have already mastered. It is a waste of time to focus on something the whole class has already learned and understands. The only disadvantage I can see is that it can be time consuming, especially if they have not mastered the material and you could be using that time to teach them instead of confusing them with something they have never seen before. It is useful in science because a lot of the topics build on one another and it is good for the teacher to know what their students understand in order to build on different topics.

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 think the Classroom Performance System is a great way to get students involved in the class discussion. It is a fairly easy concept once you get over the general confusions that can be caused when new technology is introduced to any teacher. Teachers can anonymously gather data, but later review and find out which students in particular need help with certain concepts. Teachers can also identify which teaching procedures are effective for student learning by reviewing the data from the class as a whole.

What philosophy of education or pedagogical approach(es) do you identify with and why?
I identify a little bit with each of the philosophies we looked at, however I think I align most with SDSRA: Acquire, Explore and Demonstrate. I think it is important for students to be able to explore on their own. I think it is especially important in science because the concepts can be so hands on. Students are much more likely to grasp a concept that they can physically see and manipulate on their own. It is also important for students to show us what they know. This is a very effective method for teachers to really see if students are soaking up the knowledge.

What unit topic will you seek to develop?
1st grade Weather

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 idea that I took away from class last week is that as teachers we should be able to connect the different ideas in science so we can help kids see why each subject area is related. This gives students a clear idea of why each concept is important and encourages them to ask questions. When children inquire about the different aspects of science, they can usually get to the next topic. For example when we were talking about the solar system and orbiting, it could easily lead to seasons and weather. This helps them to connect the reasons why science is important and how it can relate to their everyday lives. Bob: Making things relevant to students is a huge first step in getting them to retain the information and develop skills.

===This is how I would expand this idea…=== I would expand this idea by introducing a creative way to ask questions. We became interested in Mr. Shaw's idea about questioning when he introduced it by having us ask questions about his wife's condition. We were all very interested because we were concerned about how she was doing. It soon became a very good example of why questioning in science is crucial to the success of learning in the real world and in the classroom. I would use my students' interests to prepare a lesson to introduce this concept. If you use something students are interested in, they are more likely to respond.

===What question do you wish you asked in class (This could be about a topic, the class or the classroom)?=== I would like to hear more about how science will be affected by Common Core. I would also love to hear more specifics about the STEM program, I think it seems like a great way to integrate the different curriculum. Bob: STEM programs are still being defined, so that one is a bit more complicated. However, the CC is well defined. What do you see as connections and contradictions among them?

===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?=== The video we watched in class made me think about how many children are diagnosed with ADHD in recent years. It is quite interesting to me that he thinks this is caused mostly by boredom. While I do think some children are not challenged or bored by school, I do think that ADHD is a very real disease. Bob: I think it is more of a condition rather than a disease, but still relevant and real in our population.