Kathy

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?
The most challenging part of creating my Science unit was my lack of knowledge about Science. It has been a long time since I have taken a Science class, and I do not remember many of the lessons and principles I have learned. Writing the unit not only required me to re-learn old material, but I had to learn new material, and figure out how to unify my units and lessons. It was very overwhelming.

2. Does your sample lesson and unit in general play on your own learning strengths?
My sample lesson does not necessarily play on my strengths, but I do hope that the factors involved become strengths of mine in time. My knowledge is not enough of a strength in my sample lesson, but I think I did engage the students, which is a strength I hope to have, if I do not have already.

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 think the most important thing I learned in this class is how Science can be easily related to students' lives, and how Science is interconnected. There are many ways to have Science lessons flow into one another; it is just a matter of making the connections.

4. What was the most useful Community Science Resource you came across, while doing research for this class and your lesson plans?
My favorite website that I came across was childreninnature.mo.gov. This was a good website that would be easy for children to use. It gives them different and simple ideas to get them out in nature no matter what the temperature is. It isn't as useful for the classroom, but I think it would be a great tool for them to have at home and to initiate their own explorations.

5. How will you help students become independent learners?
I think the best way to make my students independent learners is to encourage them to choose their own topics of interest and self-initiate their learning. If they are able to find a topic they naturally want to research, then I simply need to be there to give guidance and encouragement. They will become more independent learners if I allow them to lead, rather then me forcing them to follow me.

6. Does your unit plan incorporate your philosophy of teaching? Give an example of how your unit plan incorporates your philosophy of teaching.
I think the primary way my until plan incorporates my philosophy of teaching is by utilizing differentiated instruction. I try to ensure that lessons are taught in different formats, especially visually and with hands-on activities. I hope that my lessons appeal to more students and provides them all with opportunities to participate and learn.

7. Did you come across any good online science resources while working on your unit plan that you would like to share?
I actually came across a really great website that I think was very motivational. It is theurbanfarmingguys.com. It is about a group of people who are trying to build sustainable communities in underprivileged neighborhoods. I haven't had a chance to explore the entire website, but the videos I've seen so far have inspired me, and made me want to improve my own sustainable practices.

8. Did you come up with any creative science activities or experiments that you would like to share aside from anything you presented?
I thought of an activity in my head today on my way home from work. Unfortunately, it was not on a lesson I was covering, so I did not use it in my lesson plan. The activity revolves around the food chain. I thought it would kind of fun to play a game similar to tag, in which each student is a particular herbivore, carnivore, etc. There will be fake "plants" hidden around the playground. The students will have a certain amount of time to find the food they are looking for and bring it to the teacher. The herbivores will be searching for the plants, the carnivores for other animals, etc. This obviously is lacking in details, but I thought it sounded like fun, and a good way to get the kids outside and moving around. Any feedback would be appreciated! Too morbid?

= = =July 9:=

1. 10 minute Inquiry: Sustainability: What is it? Does it belong in the Science curriculum?
I view sustainability as the ability to live within your environmental means, and use technology and lifestyle practices to stretch your resources as far as possible. I think Science is the best class for the topic to be introduced and thoroughly studied, however, I think it is important to integrate sustainability school-wide.

Sustainability should be taught in the Science classroom because the idea revolves around the physical environment and engineering, both of which are Science topics. Because sustainability goes beyond the classroom, and should be implemented in daily life in and out of the classroom, it is important for the students to practice this outside the classroom as well. This should not be taught in isolation, but the whole school needs to practice and implement what the students learn, in order to reinforce the ideas. = = I like the definition of Sustainability: The capacity to endure: It doesn't seem to high minded or doom and gloom...just right. 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]. == = = = = == 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? == = = As someone who has not taught a class yet, I think textbooks bring a level of comfort to a teacher. I do not, however, think they should be a primary tool in the classroom. I think textbooks have several uses, such as a general guide for the teacher which can offer lessons and ideas, and a resource for the students to use.

I do not think textbooks should be provided to all students and closely followed throughout the year. At this time, it simply isn't necessary for students to have their own textbooks, which are typically one-size-fits-all. We have too many tools at our fingertips to rely solely on textbooks.

Textbooks are only one of many tools, I like to think that way, too. Bob
== 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. == =Please see answer below.= = = == 5. Have you solidified an opinion since the beginning of class? If so, explain one or more topics where you thinking was affirmed. == Since the beginning of this class, I would not say my opinion has changed on any topics, as much as it has been solidified. I have taken a class in nearly every subject, since I started at Webster, and each class has reinforced the basic ideas which have formed my philosophy. These include ideas such as differentiated instruction, cross integration, and real life applications. It has been exciting to see this from the Science point of view, and to see how this fits into the Science classroom.

One idea that I have learned for the first time was STEM. It makes so much sense, to me, to pull Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics into the same curriculum. I find it interesting that this did not happen naturally, but it seems too much time has been kept keeping subjects isolated, in the past. It is crucial that our students get a well-rounded education to make them competitive in the professional world. What better place to start global competition than through STEM? I agree. Bob = = = **July 2:** = === 1. When should Differentiated Instruction be used? Should all students have the same opportunity? === ===DI should be used as often as possible. I do not think that a teacher should decide one day that she thinks DI should be used for a particular activity. DI should be a part of every lesson and every activity. It should be the norm and not an exception.===

===All students should have the same opportunity, but that does not mean they need to do the exact same thing. As Prof Shaw said in class, "the means to the end can vary, but the end should be the same." I think this is a great way to state that all students should try to achieve the same goal, but they can and should use their individual strengths and creativity to achieve that goal.===

=== 2. What is the difference: ‘What gets rewarded gets done’ vs. ‘What is rewarding gets done.’ Which is truer for you? === ===The difference between "what gets rewarded gets done," and "what is rewarding gets done" is the difference between whether someone does something to satisfy someone else, and then gets a reward, as opposed to doing something for oneself and finding the actually activity rewarding. I do believe there is some overlap, but to put it simply, I think one does the former because they have a certain need which should be satisfied, like the need for a paycheck. The latter, however, is something someone does for self-fulfillment such as hobbies.===


 * For me, I believe both statements to be true, but I prefer tasks which are rewarding to tasks which are rewarded. A rewarding task is more enjoyable to perform, than a task which gets rewarded. I prefer to enjoy the journey, and not just the destination.**

=== 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 considered Science/STEM because you use many of the science and engineering principals to help better your product. We had to consider certain physical properties and laws of physics to figure out how to make a sturdy wall. I would not say we were just "playing" with legos because we had a goal and purpose and had set out to improve our product. We were using our brains, and not mindlessly putting legos together.===

=== 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. ===
 * === Construct and diagram a complete electric circuit by using a source (e.g., Sun, stove, fire, body) that can cause solids to change to liquids, and liquids to change to gas. ===
 * For this Science standard, we would research electric circuits, and the students would have to build a mechanism which would melt ice, and then hopefully boil the water.**


 * ===Design and construct an electrical device, using materials and/or existing objects, that can be used to perform a task (Assess Locally)===
 * Although this standard somewhat overlaps the previous standard, for this project I would want to plan an activity to involve Legos. If the correct programs are supplied, I would like to have the kids use the Legos computer programs to build an electrical device. If Lego computer programs are unavailable, then we would likely try and do something similar to an erector set that incorporates the battery powered motor with which we could make a vehicle.**

=== 5. What advantage would there be to giving students choice about how to demonstrate what they have learned? Any disadvantages? === ===When giving children a choice about how to demonstrate their learning, this allows them to display/convey their information in a mode which they are comfortable with. This is advantageous to the students for many reasons because it helps differentiate their learning in a way which is helpful to them. Those who work better with their hands can build something, where as those who are better orally can give thorough explanations through speech.===


 * I think the primary disadvantage would be while the students are trying to convey their knowledge to their audience. If someone prefers to build something, but is not good at explaining details of their construction, this may prove difficult to an audience member who prefers learning aurally, rather than visually or kinesthetically.** True, but this is a great way to strengthen a weaker skill of the presenter and sharpen the questioning skills of the audience. Some of the best presentations are crude in the beginning and then the audience asks questions to clarify and in turn has more buy-in than a passive audience. As the teacher, one must anticipate these situations and spend some time in areas of weakness with students, so they can improve them.;: Bob

=== 6. The Solar Oven unit isn't really about Solar Ovens. What is its goal/purpose? === ===The Solar Oven unit is an empowering unit which teaches us many things. It teaches us to think outside the box to achieve certain goals, such as making our own mobile oven whose only source of energy is the sun. It also teaches us about how simple projects can allow us to easily save energy and use the energy and items in our daily lives. This was a great project which tests our perseverance and ability to troubleshoot.===

=== 7. If you were to share one key thing from the Preparing Creative and Critical Thinker article, what would it be? === ===I think this would be the basic differences between critical and creative thinking, and how they are most powerful when used simultaneously. I have never thought to compare the two ideas, but it really makes sense to do so. Critical thinking allows us focus in on a problem and how it can best be solved, but when we pull creativity into the mix, we can expand our ideas to involve some which may be completely original ideas which are out of the box. The way I view this, creativity makes the idea original and critical thinking makes the idea come to reality.===

=== 8. Which of the tools from the Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox would you use (or not use) in your classroom and why? === Brainstorming has always been one of my favorite tools in the classroom. I find it very hard to begin the process for getting ideas, and brainstorming has always helped me to get even more ideas than necessary. This tool will be used often.

Evaluation Matrices are helpful for quantifying data for decision making. Although this is not useful/practical for all decisions, it can make subjective decisions or class decisions easier.

I liked the example used for Attribute Listing because I think this helps children break down their projects into pieces and better evaluate strengths and weaknesses. From this point, it will be easier for them to make improvements.

Hits and Hot Spots seems to be an activity that would happen organically in the classroom. When multiple children have the same idea or question, I think it becomes apparent rather quickly if there are open lines of communication.

I think the Morpholoical Matrix seems like a fun or interesting activity, but I don't think I'm likely to use this. I think it would take careful planning and experience for it to prove useful rather than end up being goofy and mad-libs-like.

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

What is something you learned from the Pond Life book?
In the Pond Life book, I learned about the "succession" of life in a pond. I had no idea that it was natural for ponds to eventually fill up and become forest or prairie. This really stood out to me that if we were to leave nature to its own devices, the plants would slowly take over the pond, and in time the pond would fill up with roots, weeds, and humus, and would eventually be walkable. I am fascinated, and have never thought of this as a natural result.

Explain Differentiated Instruction in your own words.
Differentiated Instruction is the process of teachers getting to know their students well enough so that they can provide them with suitable activities to maximize their learning as independently as possible. Teachers need to learn about their students' strengths and weaknesses, as well as interests, in order to appropriately assign projects and activities which engage the students and cause them to learn at the peak of their zone of proximal development. The teacher will push all students to succeed, but will not overwhelm them to the point of discouragement or shutting down. The teacher can scale activities to meet the students' needs and skill levels.

What is the purpose of using a system like Responsive Classroom in a classroom/school?
To me, Responsive Classroom revolves around an environment of openness and communication. The students teachers, and students' parents all know one another well and are in constant contact, in order to provide a supportive learning environment. It utilizes collaboration and causes the children to take responsibility and control in initiating their own learning.

Name a technology that would be useful in your unit and explain how it would enhance learning / assessment.
There are, obviously, many technologies that would be useful in my unit, but I think the most useful would be a computer. I plan to complete my unit on plate tectonics and the affects on Earth's terrain. Because of this, I think the computer would be most useful; it would allow students to do research and access live data on earthquakes and volcanoes, etc. Additionally, there are many websites which have various explanations and activities to help them gain better understanding. I'm sure there are many helpful interactive websites which I have not found, yet.

What did you find out about Science Notebooks?
Science notebooks have many positive affects on students' learning. SN cause students to think more as they are writing about what they have learned (or would like to learn), and to enhance their literacy. It helps the teacher to evaluate herself by how well her students seem to be comprehending the lessons. She can figure out whether or not to expand or contract her lessons and ideas. Additionally, it helps with differentiated learning. It allows students to organize their thoughts, do additional research, and record facts they have learned which they can reference at a later date, such as homework time or study time.

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

Is Health a Science Topic? Elaborate:
Yes, I think Health is a Science Topic. In Science, we often study living organisms, how they function, and what they contribute to the environment. Studying health and the human body fit perfectly under this description. What better way is there to understand living things than through your own body?

This does not necessary mean that Science classes should be responsible for teaching health. However, it could work in combination with the PE department to study the human body and teach nutrition, or could be worked in as a different subject of its own.

What advantage is there to pretesting students? Are there any disadvantages? Why is this useful in the science classroom?
Pretesting students is a good practice which allows the teacher to be aware of the level of understanding her students have in regards to a particular topic. This will show her when she needs to spend more time on a topic or when she can skip ahead.

The primary disadvantage in pretesting is that it takes up quite a bit of class time, and it can be redundant if the students are beginning a new unit which directly spins from the previous unit. Pretesting is ideal when changing topics entirely, or when the teacher is new to the class.

Pretesting is especially useful in the Science classroom because Science can cover many topics which overlap other subjects. For example, a Science teacher may have taught the same students for the past 5 years, but never taught them about measuring the volume of an object. She may assume, since she never taught this to them, that they do not know how to measure volume. What she needs to know is whether they have learned this in their math class, and if they have, which students actually remember how to do it, and which need a refresher. Pretesting will give her this information.

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?
Although I have never been on the proctoring side of CPS, it seems to be a useful tool. I imagine the more I work with it, the more efficient and useful it will become. It is a great way to gauge where the students are in learning about a certain topic, or to ask them questions about their thoughts on the class. It is especially handy that student responses can be anonymous, or that they can be recorded for more individual data.

What philosophy of education or pedagogical approach(es) do you identify with and why?
The philosophical approach I most think about regarding my teaching is trying to build projects which can include all students and which can be scaffolded to meet each child's zone of proximal development. I think it is important to create activities which engage all students, and which emphasize collaboration. Being able to scaffold a project so all students are able to contribute is very important to me. I think this is the best way to prepare students to lead a productive adult life, if they are able to see how they can contribute to the whole.

What unit topic will you seek to develop?
I haven't committed to one topic yet, but I think it will be along the lines of Earth and natural disasters. Even though natural disasters are scary, I think there is something very powerful and exciting when it comes to teaching something so physically powerful and unstoppable. I think teaching about the earth and techtonic plates is very exciting, and I think this is a great starting topic to lead to other topics (such as plants and animals). To me, it feels natural to begin by teaching about Earth and to slowly work our way down the line to smaller things.

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 most important idea I learned on Tuesday night was about how we need to show kids the ways in which different science topics are related to one another. If we encourage students to inquire and to follow the path their inquiries take them on, this will encourage them to be lifelong learners and inquirers. Showing students how different science ideas lead into one another is very important. I think it will help them to discover the cause and effect of different changes in the environment, and how the students themselves fit into the science web. Bob: Cause and Effect is a very useful tool to prove/discover a concept.

===This is how I would expand this idea…=== To expand this idea, I would like to build plenty of time into my lesson plans to allow students to ask questions and discover what interests them. I would like activities to be somewhat individualized so students can choose topics they are interested in, and hopefully they see connections among one another when they present their findings to their classmates.

===What question do you wish you asked in class (This could be about a topic, the class or the classroom)?=== Considering I feel like I have very little knowledge in science, I would like to know how to handle students' questions to which I don't know the answer. Bob: How do you handle this when an adult asks you something you don't know?...please ask this in class.

===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 made it very apparent that we are not fostering creativity among our students. We are instead trying to force our students to go down whatever path we think they should be on. This video helps to explain the importance of letting our students learn to be independent learners and choose (with some guidance) what topics they want to explore. If we are all forced down the same track, then we will likely all come to similar conclusions. If we allow our students to explore freely, they may learn and discover things which no one ever has. Bob: not only explore more freely, but at their own pace.

==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?==