Lesson Reflection

This week I taught my structured inquiry lesson on "Protecting Natural Resources".  I was suprised at how much background knowledge my students had on pollution.  They did a great job discussing and completing the Frayer model graphic organizer.  Here's a photo of a completed sample:

My students also did a nice job making records in their science journals of procedures and explanations.

Unfortunately, I ran out of time for students to do computer research during class time, however there are several informative websites such as the Environmental Protection Agency and even the European Space Agency.  To close the lesson, students created posters to teach others about the importance of environmental education.

My most proud moment came when I took the class outside for recess.  One of my students asked if he could pick up trash while we were outside.  I was so excited to see this transfer of knowledge!

Melting Icebergs

Before beginning this experiment, I have only a little background knowledge on the possible outcomes of melting glaciers, increasing water levels, and potential worldwide flooding.  This investigation may cause some to predict that the melting ice in a glass full of water would cause the water to overflow (thus modeling flooding) however this did not happen in my investigation.  This proved my hypothesis to be true.  By using what I know about water displacement, I predicted that the ice is already "taking up space" in the glass, and when the ice melts that mass is simply transferred into liquid state and will not overflow.

How does this investigation connect to the melting polar ice caps?  I believe this experiment shows that ice's mass presently in water is already accounted for in the overall water level.  On the other hand, ice from glaciers on land that melts would cause a rise in water levels.  This would only be for a limited time however, until the entire glacier melted and the source of water stopped.  Possible outcomes could be flooding, but perhaps even more severe would be the effects on water to countries for drinking and irrigation.  If this "source of life" were to dry up, countries would require more imports and even put the world's food supply at risk.  I found the video "On Thin Ice", as referenced in our investigation, very interesting, but also know that it is only one side of the story. 

Reflection of STEM Lesson Week 2

This week I created a STEM lesson based on the unifying themes of scientific inquiry and patterns of change.  My lesson is an investigation into the best type of insulator for keeping liquids hot or cold.  This aligns with national and state standards for third graders.  Students will measure the temperature of liquids over periods of time using different types of insulators. 

This lesson integrates technology, engineering, and math by incorporating data, graphing, and making connections to effective insulators for homes.  I plan to invite a heating/air conditioning specialist to further emphasize the importance of insulators and steps students can take in their own homes to save energy.  This real-world application is beneficial throughout students' lives.

In planning the lesson this week, I used the 5 E's strategy from our resources.  Honestly, I felt that this strategy was very similar to the Learning Experience/ Activity section of our lesson plan template and similar to what I use on a regular basis.  It is important to have a type of "hook" or activator to get students thinking, then gradually build the lesson to make connections and extensions into other areas of study.  Assessing students should  not be the end of learning...teachers need to clear up misconceptions and do a review of concepts if needed.

If I were to implement this lesson, I would need to consider the amount of time needed to measure temperature every 15 minutes for an hour and what students would be doing during the "wait" time.  Overall, I look forward to hearing students' thinking during this experiment.