Hi All,
Week 3 assignments include completing your reading guide for Ch 1 and 2 in Ready, Set, Science. Also, along with our actvities in class, please see what the South Dakota Science Content Standards include in the K-8 Standards about the Nature of Science here: Pick one grade level and blog about the standards by Friday night http://doe.sd.gov/contentstandards/science/newstandards.asp . Don't forget to look in the discussion questions in D2L for your question to blog about. Do week 2 and 3 here.
Don't forget that your RSS Ch 1 and 2 quiz will open on Wednesday and close Thursday in D2L. Have a great week
Dr. E
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Class Activities:
ReplyDeleteThis week on Tuesday, we created a rubric and class and agreed upon what constituted for an "A." We discussed the areas of web blogs, chapter quizzes, lab activities/assignments, presentations/lesson plans, class participation/attendance, midterm/final, and the embedded experiences. I am glad that we discussed how to receive an "A" in this course and what activities are all required to complete this course. On Thursday we completed an activity called "Crime Scene: The case of the Missing Computer Chips." This activity was fun and allowed group work and inductive reasoning. We all had the amount of time we wished to come to a final answer and at the end of the activity we agreed that there is no right answer. Just like in science, there is not always a black and white answer and that frustrates some people. Our final hypothesis was the Cowboy Paul is to blame for the crime because of the finger print clue, the denim clue, and the sugar from the coffee. In science you have to revisit your hypothesis, just like the crime. You have to make new hypotheses when you get new clues and evidence.
SD State Standards:
2nd Grade Nature of Science - "Understand the nature and origin of scientific knowledge. Apply the skills necessary to conduct scientific investigations." These standards would fit with the activity we performed today. Making predictions about who stole the computer chip is exactly how we apply skills necessary to conduct scientific investigations.
The Four Strands of Science Learning:
Strand one- to understand scientific explanations in the natural world and be able to use the knowledge. For example: instead of memorizing definitions, children could hypothesize and apply concepts to scenarios.
Strand two- "the knowledge and skills needed to build and refine models and explanations, design and analyze investigations, and construct and defend arguments with evidence." For example: deciding if enough evidence is provided and if not, what information is still needed.
Strand 3 - Information can be revised, reflect on own ideas, learn what science feels like and understand the game of science. For example: students understand that there are multiple interpretations for the same phenomenon.
Strand 4 - "Participations in scientific community in the classroom and mastery of productive ways of representing ideas, using scientific tools, and interacting with peers about science." For example: doing science together in groups and presenting scientific arguments and evidence.
South Dakota Standards:
ReplyDeleteThe kindergarten standards are simple and basic scientific knowledge students need to know before they move onto the next step in science. For example, K.L.1.1. Students are able to sort living from non-living things, this will help students begin their knowledge of biology. Students need to know what is classified as a living organism to understand biology. The kindergarten South Dakota standards will make sure students know the basic concepts of science. As a kindergarten teacher the standards make it very clear what topics and concepts I need to teach students. The standards say exactly what needs to be taught, which would make my job easier. The page also lists examples of concepts you could teach with it. The kindergarten standards also make teachers’ lives in higher grades better because they will know students have the knowledge they need. It will allow teachers to touch on concepts taught in lower grades and move right into the standards they need to teach.
Discussion Questions:
Week 2-
Strand 1- Understanding Scientific Explanations
Students need to know, use and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world. This strand usually includes content. They must understand interrelations among central scientific concepts and use them to build and critique scientific arguments. This strand includes the things that are usually categorized as content, but it focuses on concepts and the links between them rather than on discrete facts. It also includes the ability to use this knowledge.
Stand 2- Generating Scientific Evidence
Evidence is one of the most important parts of science. This strand includes process. Strand 2 encompasses the knowledge and skills needed to build and refine models and explanations, design and analyze investigations, and construct and defend arguments with evidence.
For example, this strand includes recognizing when there is insufficient evidence to draw a conclusion and determining what kind of additional data are needed.
Strand 3- Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge
This strand concentrates on how scientific is constructed. Scientific knowledge builds on itself over time. Proficient science learners understand that scientific knowledge can be revised as new evidence emerges. They can also track and reflect on their own ideas as those ideas change over time. They can trace how scientific knowledge is constructed. That is, how evidence and arguments based on that evidence are generated. It also includes students’ ability to reflect on the status of their own knowledge.
Strand 4- Participating Productively in Science
This strand asks for students to understand the appropriate norms for presenting scientific arguments and evidence and to practice productive social interaction with peers in the classroom and investigations. This strand is often over looked by educators. Students who see science as valuable and interesting often tend to be good learners.
Week 3-
ReplyDeleteStudents can use their misconceptions as stepping-stones by bringing their ideas to class and discussions. Students can share their ideas with the rest of the class and learn with their peers about scientific concepts. Students can bring their experiences to the tables and teachers can off their experiences to create labs and activities for students to learn. As a teacher I will always let students share their ideas but never tell them they are wrong. I will ask them questions such as, “Why do you think that way?” or “Explain to me why you think that.” I will then find activities and labs to show students the concept or idea. I will have students come to their own conclusion about how their idea was not correct.
Class Activities
Tuesday:
On Tuesday we discussed a rubric for our the class. We discussed the rubric as a class and for the most part all had to agree on the rubric. I think this is a great idea to use with all grades. With the older grades a teacher could have students create their own rubric on a project they need to complete. Students should use elements talked about in class such as grammar, content, and speaking skills. Having students create a rubric is a great way to get students involved.
Thursday:
Today we did an activity like Clue where we got clues and had to figure out who committed the crime. It was tons of fun and a great way to show students there is more to one answer to things. It also shows how scientists can be looking for the answer and come up with two different answers. It also shows students there are also two different ways to come to an answer. Students will also learn in Science it is not wrong if they can back up their answer. I would use this in my classroom because it teaches students many important things.
Standards:
ReplyDeleteWhen review the standards for Kindergarten, I noticed how the science standards have several different forms of science (Nature of Science, Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth/Space Science). The standards state the specific skills that Kindergarten students should be able to accomplish by the end of the year. Kindergarten teachers should use these standards and benchmarks as guidelines to help plan their weekly units and lesson plans. For example, a Kindergarten teacher may plan a science unit around solid objects. A teacher could have a science center set up in the classroom and have the students describe what make an object a solid. Students could compare different types of solids and place them into categories.
Misconceptions:
When children do not understand a specific science concept, teachers can use this as a teaching moment. For example, the child that was intrigued by the rabbits eating leaves would benefit from other experiments with animals and their eating patterns or habitats. When a child does not understand why something is evident in science, a teacher should provide the students with experiments and discussions to help students look more in depth at the concept. Children’s misunderstandings will lead children to want to explore and build hypothesis/predictions about the world around them. As a future teacher, I will use my students misconceptions to develop high quality educational activities to allow my students to discover the real understanding of a concept.
On Tuesday, we created a classroom rubric that would be used in our class to determine Proficient or ‘A’ quality work. We worked together as a class creating suggestions and ideas for the each of the different grades that we could receive in the class. I thought creating a rubric was a constructive idea for all the students to become aware of the concepts and materials in which we would be graded. Although, I thought creating this rubric with a large group of people was very difficult because everyone had different ideas about ‘A’ material and effort.
On Thursday, we completed an activity that was similar to the game of Clue. We were asked to find the person who stole the computer chip from the company. This activity allowed us to work together with a team, formulate a hypothesis, and reevaluate our predictions when viewing sequential clues. This activity allowed groups to collaborate and make decisions using deductive reasoning. My group concluded that Cowboy Paul committed the crime because he wore Levi jeans, had sugar on the chip, and finger prints were not on file.
Discussion Questions:
ReplyDeleteThe Four strands of Science include:
Strand 1 is the understanding of scientific explanations. This strands states, according to page 19, that rather than just memorizing a definition of natural selection, a child who understands this concept will be able to apply it in novel scenarios. Strand 2 includes the knowledge and skills needed to build and refine models and explanations, design and analyze investigations and construct and defend arguments with evidence. Strand 2 also includes mastering the conceptual, mathematical, physical and computational tools that are needed in order to construct and evaluate knowledge claims (pg 19). Strand 3 involves reflecting on scientific knowledge. Proficient science learners understand that scientific knowledge can be revised as new evidence emerges. This strand includes ideas usually considered part of understanding the “nature of science,” such as the history of scientific ideas. However, it focuses more on how scientific knowledge is constructed. Strand 3 brings the nature of science into practice, encouraging students to learn what it feels like to do science as well as to understand what the game of science is all about. Strand 4 is participating in productively in science. This strand calls for students to understand the appropriate norms for presenting scientific arguments and evidence and to practice productive social interactions with peers in the context of classroom science investigations. It also includes the motivation and attitudes that provide a foundation for students to be actively and productively involved in science classrooms.
Week 3 discussion:
Students are able to use their misconceptions as stepping stones by bringing their questions and concerns to class to ask questions and form a discussion group about their misconceptions. The teacher should then be able to form groups, labs, activities and discussions off of what the students do not understand. There may be many different students that do not understand the same thing. I would tell the students about some of my personal experiences and encourage them to do the same in order for the class to understand better.
The Kindergarten Standards for nature of science includes understanding the nature and origin of scientific knowledge. It also includes if the students are able to apply the skills necessary to conduct scientific investigations.
This week in class we worked together to come up with a class rubric. I found this to be very helpful and encouraging. I now know what is expected of me and what I need to do in order to get an “A” in the class. We also worked on an activity that taught us there are no “black and white” answers in science. I found this activity to be frustrating because I like to know the answer to a problem that I have worked on. I did enjoy the activity and it gave me a better understanding on how scientists work and have to change their hypothesis often.
I choose the science standards for kindergarten. They seem pretty basic, like knowing the difference between a solid, liquid, and a gas. However, this is where we start. Once they know that there are these different elements they can being to think like scientists and discover that science is everywhere around us. These first experiences with science are extremely important to how they will feel about it for the rest of their lives so it’s important that we show them how much fun it can be and really turn them on to science in their early school years.
ReplyDeleteWeek 2 Discussion:
I think that the four standards go hand in hand and that in order to fully understand one you need to have the others. There linked and together they make up a full understanding of the nature of science. They “encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students eventually must acquire to be considered proficient in science.”
Week 3 Discussion:
I agree with what the articles says, I think that children’s view points about the world and the way things work can help them gain scientific knowledge. They learn quickly that the theories or hypothesizes they have about certain things will change and that as they gain more knowledge about the way the world works they will being to better understand some of the things they may be a little confused about. It’s our job as teachers and parents to embrace their ideas and talk with them about why they think things happen or are a certain way. It’s our job to help them grow, explore, and continue to form their own opinions.
Class Tuesday:
I really appreciated being able to help make our class rubric. Its nice knowing what we have to do in order to get and “A” and even nicer to know that our opinions matter. Even though it took up most of our class time I think it was a great exercise.
Class Thursday:
The mystery “clue” activity we did today was really fun! I really enjoyed trying to solve the mystery and I know that any group of students would have just as much fun with the activity. However, if I were to do something like this in my class room I would want to have a solid ending I would want to know exactly what happened and who did it. I think it’s important to have the discussion we had after the students make their conclusions about scientific reasoning and piecing the clues together, however, I think it would have been more fun if there had been an answer to the problem we were trying to solve.
Ashley Buhr
ReplyDeleteWeek: January 25-29
• In class on Tuesday January 26th we worked as a classroom community to construct a class-grading rubric. This not only helped us as teachers learn how to construct a rubric based on required criteria but it also gave us the opportunity to choose how we thought we should be graded and expresses our concerns and thoughts on the course assignments. We constructed the rubric from the assignments in our syllabus and ranked the grades, excellent, good and basic.
• In class on Thursday January 28th we worked in our individual teams to solve a “clue” science activity. This assignment helped us to share our ideas, be problem solvers, and work together within our table groups as well as other groups in the class. We then produced a hypothesis that we all felt strongly about and kept it throughout the activity. At the end of the class we were very surprised at the other groups explanations and decided that each group did indeed have evidence to support their hypothesis and that there could be more than one correct solution based on the provided information. I think this was a very useful activity and would use it in my classroom because it got us as student very engaged and active in problem solving and working together. This was a fun and engaging science activity that I think student at any age level would enjoy with proper modifications.
• Nature of science standards—3rd grade. The science standards for the 3rd grade level include physical science, life science, earth/ space science, and technology/environment/society. At this level students are expected to understand that nature of science by describing physical properties, using tools to relate composition to physical properties, be able to demonstrate how different substance can be made by combining two or more substances. Also students should be able to define energy and the different between other sources, be able to demonstrate how sound consists of vibrations and pitch and how sound can be used as a means of communications. Also showing a nature of science students should understand the fundamental structures, functions, classifications, and mechanisms found in living things. Students will in addition analyze various patterns and predicts of natural and induced biological chance. With earth and space science students will be applying what they know and analyzing various structures and processes of the earth system. The nature of science is found within all of the state standards for the 3rd grade level.
• Week 2 Discussion-- I think that the four standards are linked together and help both teachers and students understand the full nature of science. For a student to become proficient in science the student must fully understand the reasoning and knowledge that students obtain.
• Week 3 Discussion-- I agree with what the articles says, I think that children’s view points about the world and the way things work can help them gain scientific knowledge and become familiar with the world around them. I also think that it is very important that students learn how to hypothesize and problem solve so they can gain knowledge about the way the world works. I feel it’s our job as teachers to help them grow and explore as learners.
Standards-The standards that i looked at were the Kindergarten Physical Science standards. Students were to describe structures and properties of, and changes in, matter. Analyze forces, their forms, and their effects on motions. And Analyze interactions of energy and matter. I think these are all items that students should learn about in Kindergarten to get their mind thinking about science and those things surrounding them.
ReplyDeleteDiscussions-Week 2 There are multiple important parts of the four learning strands, but if i had to sum up each strand i would say that...
Strand 1- Understanding Scientific Explanations means to be proficient in science, students need to know, usd, and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world and have the ability to use that knowledge.
Strand 2- Generating Scientific Evidence means to encompass the knowledge and skills needed to build and refine models and explanations, design and analyze investigations, and construct and defend arguments with evidence.
Strand 3- Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge means that to be proficent in science learners need to understand that scientific knowledge can be revisited as new evidence emerges and ideas change over time.
Strand 4- Participating Productively in Science means students who see science as valuable and interesting tend to be good learners and participants in science and that steady effort in understanding science pays off.
Week 3-I agree with the article because it stated that children’s view points about the world and the way things work can help them gain scientific knowledge and become familiar with the world around them. I have learned this in many of my ELED classes, if children can draw conclusions with their school and the "real" world they will be able to understand the information better. If you can activate childrens' background knowledge and make connections of the old knowledge with the new information they will have a better understanding of the new knowledge being taught.
Class on Tuesday- We constructed a rubric that everyone agreed upon to use for grading our tasks throughout the semester.I think this is a good idea so everyone has the same understanding of what is expected and what it takes to do well.
Class on Thursday- Today we solved a mystery and i found this activity to be really engaging. This activity kept everyone wondering what was going to happen next and i think that is very important to remember when working with elementary students. Overall i found this activity to be very valuable and i will definately use this technique in my classroom.
On Tuesday we gently shifted from a teacher centered classroom to somewhat of a more student centered! This was done by creating a constitutional rubric that explained what criteria we have to meet in order to receive an A, B, or C in the class. We held a discussion and offered rationale for our beliefs of what constitutes an acceptable grade. A draft was created and the expectations were set.On Thursday we did a little activity that assigned us the role elite investigators; a game similar to Clue but with no bloodshed! My partner and I were to work cooperatively as a team in order to solve a theft case for some computer chip company. We took actions similar to the hit television show Criminal Minds and began recording hypothesis and mapping out the crime scene. We drew the clues from the envelope and tried our best to piece out the suspects, evidence, alibis, and possible motives. I got to admit; I really got into this activity and enjoyed myself while discussing possible motives and evidence with my partner Jessica. Eventually we determined the culprit to be the big talked Coffee Cart John based on the facts that he was not a factory worker, talked way too much for his own good, must of seen through a window or was inside the lab at the time, and what kind of business entrepreneur sells coffee to only three workers present early in the morning!? The benefit of this activity for students allows them to utilize their problem solving and reasoning skills, their abilities to gather evidence, their abilities to develop a hypothesis and back up their hypothesis with evidence in order to agree on an ultimate decision! Hey! The roles of the investigators in this activity mimic roles of field scientists by exposing them to scientific content and processes!
ReplyDeleteThird Grade South Dakota Science Standards: The indicators for the Third Grade state that students will: Understand the nature and origin of scientific knowledge and apply the skills necessary to conduct scientific investigations. The goals will be to identify the various scientific contributions around us and use investigations in science to acquire knowledge. Kind of sounds like the consolidation of scientific content with processes into the whole four stands of science we have been reading about! A standard for physical science is 3.P.1.2. Students are able to use tools to relate composition to physical properties. Students will start to utilize the various tools in science to start making observations and gathering data. This is a gigantic cognitive leap for the students in the scientific field! Teachers can reinforce their learning by guiding them to create their own questions, for instance, about why certain rocks contain a mesh of mini rocks and how it got this way! Students will utilize a magnifying glass to observe various rocks and record their observations. For Life Science an awesome standards would be 3.L.3.1. Students are able to describe how species depend on one another and on the environment for survival. I like this one because the third grade is a good time to have them start pondering about certain impacts we and other animals may have on the environment. A determined teacher may use find and use information to develop an elaborate lesson about the final extinction of carnivorous dinosaurs such as the Tyrannosaurs Rex. You know that one theory; a meteor hit Earth and created a thick haze of dust that blocked out the sun. Plants could not receive sunlight and thus dies, herbivores could not eat the plants and died off, carnivores kept on eating until everything succumbed to disease and hunger. A great start for the kids!
Ring Starr once shouted "I've got blisters on my fingers!" I think it’s time for a break!
Joe Barth
Discussion Questions:
ReplyDeleteWebsite-
o The statement was made in the article, “Young children can and do inquire, and it is important not to underestimate the power of this inquiry.” This statement is actually the reason I love working with children and, honestly, the reason I want to be a teacher. I love learning from children as much as I love teaching them. The article talked about the simplicity of a child’s perception through an adult’s eyes and how sometimes adults choose to ignore the things that may intrigue a child. I think, especially as future elementary teachers, it is important to build on a child’s predictions and observations and view them as learning opportunities. A child’s misconception about science may lead them to investigate and produce theories, ultimately allowing them to understand science for themselves. This way of learning is talked about as the “new” way of teaching science, which I believe to be the most effective and rewarding.
Standards:
o I chose to look over the Kindergarten standards for the Nature of Science. While reading these I noticed that the majority of the standards are pretty broad. I also noticed that while teaching there could be many opportunities for student led discovery. For example, one standard said that “Students are able to describe simple Earth patterns in daily life. I realize that this does not have to be taught with a whole lesson but rather students can make simple observations and predictions about the weather on a daily basis in order to meet this standard.
In Class:
o Tuesday: On Tuesday in class Dr. E gave us the opportunity to create our course grading rubric as a class. I thought this was a great idea, except I could tell that many of my peers were struggling with having control over the grading. There were many complaints and circumstantial situations brought up in class. I think this is because in the majority of our classes in our schooling, there are set guidelines and standards preparing us for what we can expect in the classroom. I think this “activity” really allowed us to realize the change of focus in teaching. I think it is a good idea and is probably something I will implement into my classroom in the future.
o Thursday: In Thursday’s class we did a “Clue” like activity. Our group had to read a scenario and draw clues as we went. The idea was for us to determine who stole a computer chip. I thought this was an interesting activity. I think it might have been more fun if it involved more hands-on work or included more visuals, such as searching for clues in a scavenger hunt or having pictures of the suspects. Overall, I think it was a good activity that allowed us to think for ourselves and weight out our hypotheses while continuously adding more clues.
In class this week we made a rubric for the course on what we can expect to do to get an A, B, or C. As a class we went through every assignment that we have for the class and discussed what we thought would constitute an A, B, or C. After some debate about the subject we came to a conclusion and it was typed up and given to us. On Thursday we played a mystery game where we had to make a hypothesis about the mystery based off of the evidence that we pulled randomly from an envelope. After each group had come up with a hypothesis we then had to present it to the class and support it with evidence.
ReplyDeleteFourth Grade Physical Science, in the first indicator for the standards the students are mainly observing the changes of different matter. An example is students having to describe why something tastes the same even though the mass of it has changed. In indicator two the students must be able to demonstrate how forces act over a distance. An example would be a magnet; the closer two are together the stronger the force of them coming together, but as you move them farther away the force is less and less. For indicator three the students must analyze interactions of energy and matter. They have to be able to tell the difference between a conductor and an insulator. They must also be able to build and define a simple circuit and also give examples of them. For the last part of indicator three the students must use a variety of devices to explore magnetic energy.
Week 2
The four strands go hand in hand with each in that for the first strand the students need to learn and know the facts, concepts, principles, laws, theories, and models of science. For strand two the students have to know the knowledge and skills needed to build and refine models and explanations, design and analyze investigations, and construct and defend arguments with evidence. Without strand one though students would not know how to accomplish strand two, because without knowing the facts or concepts of science students would be unable to construct and defend their arguments. Strand three is connected with the first two in that without the students being able to build models, construct arguments, etc. they would be unable to revise them because of further knowledge they gained from the practice of science. Strand four comes into play with the other strands because without the students participating, sharing, discussing ideas, thoughts, etc. with other students/scientists, no progress would ever be made. They would never know of the new information that one person has and without it they might not be able to revise or build on their work.
Week 3
I like how the article stated that “If children are struggling with an idea, they need time to come to a physical understanding of it before they can really use it in their world.” Students who all throughout their lives have thought that the wind is caused by the leaves will need time to understand that the leaves are moving because of the wind and don’t cause it. By just going out and telling the student they are wrong and you are right, as the article states, “They may come to believe that there is something called "science," in which they are told what to see, what to know, and what to think, and that it is rather unrelated to the world they experience outside of school. They may doubt their experimental abilities when the "results" they are told to expect are not necessarily what they really do see. They also may come to the conclusion that there is a whole realm of knowledge that they themselves cannot understand, and that they must simply take, unquestioned and not understood, the facts as given from an adult or a textbook.” By doing this you do the one thing you don’t want to happen, make the child fear and hate science. By building on the misconceptions that they have, and by letting the students themselves find out these things you can build up their confidence and make them love science and want to know more and more about it.
This week in class:
ReplyDeleteTuesday - On Tuesday we discussed a rubric for the overall grade in the class. I think it was a good idea, it not only gives all of us a chance to know where our grading scale comes from but also it allows us to feel like we have some control and choices in the matter.
Thursday - On Thursday we did the clue game. I thought the game was really fun. It was definately unique to any science activity I had ever done before. I also think it would be a great tool to use in the classroom when talking about evidence, hypotheses and theories.
Standards: I looked at the 6th grade standards, the very first standard caught my eye 6.N.2.1. Students are able to pose questions that can be
explored through scientific investigations. I think that this is the overall goal for science education to enable students to ask questions and to give them the tools to be able to seek out their own answers to them.
Week 2 Discussion
Strand 1 - Understanding scientific explanations - To be proficient in science, students need to know, use, and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world. They must understand interrelations among central scientific concepts and use them to build and critique scientific arguments.For example, rather than memorizing a definition of natural selection, a child who demonstrates proficiency with scientific explanations would be able to apply the concept in novel scenarios.
Strand 2 - Generating Scientific Evidence - Strand 2 encompasses the knowledge and skills needed to build and refine models and explanations, design and analyze investigations, and construct and defend arguments with evidence. For example, this strand includes recognizing when there is insufficient evidence to draw a conclusion and determining what kind of additional data are needed.
Strand 3 - Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge - Strand 3 brings the nature of science into practice, encouraging students to learn what it feels like to do science as well as to understand what the game of science is all about. Strand 3 focuses on students’ understanding of science as a way of knowing.
Strand 4 - Participating Productively in Science - This strand calls for students to understand the appropriate norms for presenting scientific arguments and evidence and to practice productive social interactions with peers in the context of classroom science investigations.
Week 3 - I think the article made some very good points about children's perception of the world around them. Like most people even adults children seek understanding to the things they don't know, like what makes the wind blow. Even if the answer they come up with isn't correct the process by which they can draw conclusions is what is important. Children begin with the necessary skills to act as scientists and they come into our classrooms with these skills. it is our job to build upon them.
Tuesday, January 26th
ReplyDelete• During this class we created a rubric to help us determine what we had to do in order to get an A in the class. We set specific criteria that we would need to meet in order to achieve our desired grade. Personally, I found this task to be frustrating. I felt it was just a repeat of the syllabus and lowered the requirements we had to do. Additionally, it was frustrating because it was hard to agree on what to include and not include and how it would be measured. I think an activity such as this could work if it was done in a classroom at the beginning of the year to show students what you expect of them and involve them in it so they take ownership and responsibility for their actions.
Thursday, January 28th
• During this class period, I enjoyed using the clues and evidence to solve the mystery. I think this would be a fun activity to do with students of all ages. Depending on the grade, the activity could be modified. I felt it was a good activity to get students involved in the nature of science by collecting data/evidence from the clues, using critical thinking skills, developing hypothesis, and using evidence to support claims. Also, this activity involves team work and each member of the team got to share their ideas and input which was valuable. Furthermore, each person in the group had a role, so everybody was taking part in the activity. Overall, I was impressed with this activity and feel that students would be engaged in an activity like this and really have fun with it!
South Dakota Standards
• I chose to look at the science standards for first grade. Within the science standards for first graders, they are to learn about the nature of science, physical science, life science, earth/space science, and technology/environment/society. Within the nature of science standards, first grade students should be working on understanding the nature and origin of scientific knowledge and use scientific skills to conduct investigations, such as recording observations and data. Overall, students need to be actively involved in many types of scientific investigations to help them develop the knowledge and skills used in science. Some examples of activities that students should be doing to help meet these standards include using magnets and scales, graphing data using numbers and pictures, and learning proper safety procedures. All in all, the indicators of the nature of science need to be incorporated into all sciences-life, earth, space, etc.
-Melissa
Blog Continued:
ReplyDeleteWeek 2 Discussion Question
• In comparing the four strands, it is evident that they are all related. Strand one is the foundation because students need to be able to understand explanations in order to become proficient scientists. Understanding these science explanations allows students to begin to generate scientific evidence as part of strand two. This is an active process in which students are using models and explanations to improve their scientific skills. Students are then able to design, carry out, and analyze science problems. Students think about the knowledge they have gained and how this science has changed as a part of strand three. As a part of this strand, students are able to reflect on changes over time and trace how their scientific knowledge has been constructed. Students need to participate productively in science in order to benefit as part of strand four. Students who see science as valuable and interesting tend to be good learners and participants in science. These students are the ones whose effort in science pays off. Overall, these strands are all correlated and help form the basis for understanding the nature of science.
Week 3 Discussion Question
• According to the article, “children's early conceptions arise from their experiences, which are limited by time and circumstance.” Often, these conceptions have errors. As a result, teachers can use the child’s knowledge or misconception of the topic as a stepping stone to help them develop greater scientific understanding. Teachers can structure activities which challenge students’ ideas. Additionally, teachers can provide students with an array of experiences to allow students to understand scientific ideas and take part in collecting evidence, developing hypotheses, evaluating ideas, and reflecting on their knowledge. I think the article sums it up nicely by saying that “to support children's learning in science, teachers must be willing to try to understand the ideas and formulations children have made and are making and to guide their instruction accordingly. This means the teacher accepts and supports a wide variety of views and encourages real dialogue and debate among the children. This also means creating a rich physical and social learning environment in which new questions, explorations, and investigations can arise, and in which every step is not dictated.” All in all, there are numerous ways that teachers can help build on students’ knowledge and help them to develop and test new ideas on topics they may have misconceptions about.
-Melissa
Week 2 - Science Strands
ReplyDeleteWhen looking at the science strands, it is clear to see that they all are interlaced. Strand one, understanding scientific explanations, means that students not only understand the concepts of science, but they can apply them. So, when a student understands scientific explanations he or she can conduct experiments to gather evidence which is strand two. Generating scientific evidence is making the hypotheses, creating the experiments, and gathering evidence. Then, when that is done, the students will move on to strand three, reflecting on scientific knowledge. Students will discuss with others about their findings. They will check to make sure their data is correct and see what changes might possibly need to be made. Finally, strand four, participating productively in science, it is connected with all three of the strands. Students need to be able to work well with those around them in order to accomplish what they set out to do. This is the main part of four, and these are how the strands work with each other.
Week 3 - Science Misconceptions
The important part of this chapter, I believe, is that we as adults should be more understanding and open to the ideas that children come up with to explain the world around them. Just as we try to make sense of the things around us, so do children. They have a natural curiosity to explore the world and we as teachers need to give them plenty of opportunities to do just that. Then, "to support children's learning in science, teachers must be willing to try to understand the ideas and formulations children have made and are making and to guide their instruction accordingly," which supports the idea that we need to be more open to their way of thinking.
Science Standards
For this part, I chose to focus on fifth grade. The standard that stuck out in my mind was "5.L.3.3 - students are able describe how interrelationships enable some organisms to survive." The reason that this one stands out in my mind is because I can relate it to the IDEA project that I am doing. We will be going and teaching about competition in a classroom, and this could be a very good standard to use in our lesson plan we have to create for it.
Class Discussions/Activities
Tuesday (01/26) - In class, we created a rubric to determine what would be required of us to achieve an "A" in this class. It was good to get it all laid out so that we know exactly what is expected of us.
Thursday (01/28) - In groups, we played the Nature of Science "Clue." Using the evidence provided, we had to solve who stole the computer chip. The point of this game was to demonstrate that everyone will look at things differently, just like scientists. Therefore, in science there are not always right or wrong answers, it is all about how it is interpreted.
Week 2 Discussion:
ReplyDeleteStrand 1- Understanding Scientific Explanations: in this strand students know scientific explanations and know how to use and interpret them
Strand 2- Generating Scientific Evidence: students know how to record data and observations, collect evidence and use to create and refine models and explanations
Strand 3- Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge: students can use their evidence recorded to reflect on their experiment and refer back to their hypothesis
Strand 4- Participating Productively in Science: students are active participants in the science classroom, and begin to see science as valuable and interesting
Week 3 Discussion:
The article suggests that teachers can help their students with these misconceptions by providing focus, structure, dialogue, and breadth. Teachers should provide their students with the experiences to learn and create early conceptions, and should have structure for those experiences. Teachers should encourage their students to look closer into their observations and help them see the small elements. Teachers should support their students, which require an understanding of the students’ thinking process. To understand what your student’s are thinking dialogue is necessary.
Class Activities:
In class on Tuesday we created our a rubric which is our contract for what we will do in our class to earn an A. There were a few disagreements in the process of creating the rubric, but as a class I felt that we discussed our concerns and ideas and came up with a good end result. Creating a classroom contract is a good way to start the school year because it invites students to take responsibility of their learning, and helps them feel more comfortable in the classroom in the environment that they have set the rules for. On Thursday we worked in our groups to solve a mystery. The idea of the mystery was that with good evidence and thorough explanations, there can be more than one answer to a problem. It is created to encourage students to discover something using good evidence, and not worry about a right or wrong answer.
SD Content Standards:
1st Grade: “Understand the nature and origin of scientific knowledge; Apply the skills necessary to conduct scientific investigations” These standards demonstrate strand 1 and strand 4 of science learning. At the level of 1st grade, students are not required to master their understanding of scientific knowledge, but they are introduced to it. These two standards can be demonstrated in the classroom with the measurement unit performed by Mr. Dolens and Mrs. Martinez from Chapter 1 in our text.
Jessica Wilson
ReplyDeleteSorry, forgot to include my name in the first posting
The Standards I looked at were the 1st grade physical science Students are able to compare objects in terms of heavier or lighter. Students are able to categorize objects by physical attributes such as color, size, and shape. Students are able to predict how common materials interact with water. These attributes are keys to children getting a concept and start grasping what need said for science. As teachers we must consider that every student need to know each of these concepts so they can further their learning to grades coming.
ReplyDeleteWeek 2: When thinking about the four stands I think about each of them independently. They each need to characterized as equal importance and value. Strand 1 understands scientific explanations to me means that students need to know, use and interpret scientific explanation of the natural world. This is to me is a of great value students need to know where they are getting their information and how they are going to apply it to scientific explanations. Stand 2 is generating scientific evidence this means generating and evaluating evidence as part of building and refining models and explanations of the natural world. Students need to know how they can apply certain strand to the world that they live in. When students have this type of learning they are much more able to retain useful knowledge. Stand 3 is reflecting of scientific knowledge to me learners can be revised by new evidence emerges. They can also track and reflect on their own ideas as those ideas change with time. Students to me need to have an open mind about this strand and keep it open to be effective in science. Strand 4 is participating productively in science, proficiency in science entails skillful participation in a scientific community in the classroom and mastery of productive ways of representing ideas using scientific tools, and interacting with peers about science.
Weeks 3: When students do not understand a concept inside the classroom it can be thought as an enlightening experience. Students need to know that the classroom is an open and free environment to talk amongst each other and also with me. I want my classroom to always be open with questions and answers I think it is really important for students to understand that. I think I want my students to answers each other questions inside of the classroom where become simply the facilitator of discussions.
Tuesday: We worked on a rubric for grading as a class. I thought it was highly informational we learned exactly what you expected of us and I am glad I know that now. I liked the open discussion we had and I thought everyone had really good points that they raised amongst some of the scores of an A or not.
Thursday: Was by far my favorite day of this semester by far. We did a mystery game on who done it. It was a game with an envelope that was enclosed with certain clues on who were the key perpetrators of the crime. I liked how it brought science together in a fun atmosphere. I think the use of making a hypothesis every time we drew some clue out of the envelope made good showing of what a hypothesis is. I want there to be only one perpetrators but I guess it goes with science there are many explanations to science phenomena’s.
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ReplyDeleteJoe Barth
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday I'm back!
Week 2: Compare Important Points in the Four Strands.
In class we discussed a little bit about some scientific terminologies of scientific content and processes. According to our readings, scientific content are the various results of science: observations, facts, and theories. Scientific processes enthrall the student in the various types of fieldwork associated with running experiments. In the old days, the students are lectured scientific content and would work on lab experiments once in a blue moon. To ensure that students are proficient in all areas of science it is very important to combine the content with the processes so the students learn in a beneficial way. This new call to action has given way to the creation of the four strands of science learning! Strand 1 calls for understanding scientific explanation. Students need to discover and learn scientific content like explanations and theories and be able to apply it to the real world. Students must be able to experience the scientific processes and the very first step is to speculate, ponder, and generate hypothesizes for a situations state of being. Stand 2 calls for generating scientific evidence in order to follow through with their hypothesis! This is done by carrying out scientific investigations to gather evidence by means of observations, collecting data from trial and errors, mapping, taking measurements, etc. This stand also calls for developing questions and pondering about what routes they will take in order to meet their objectives. Strand 4 calls the students to reflect on their scientific knowledge. Reflections are critical for the activation of the students’ higher order thinking abilities; revolving around science learning and generalizing to various encounters outside the classroom and scientific community. Reflections allow the students to return to their previous steps in the scientific process and develop more questions and are even more skeptical about their findings. I see this as a return to strand 1 and strand 2 so you can revamp, modify, or assimilate other conjectures into your product before it is finished. Strand 4 calls for absolute participation while learning science. Participation in the form of working together on projects and coming together for displaying their findings, asking further questions, and reflecting. The scientific communities are always working together although not always cooperatively because of strand 3 call to skeptical reflection. However you must teach students to see this as constructive criticism and take this ample opportunity to return to the other stands and tweak with their evidence.
Week 3 Discussion: This article highlights the importance of a child's thinking process. From a very young age children try their very best to make sense of their environment by utilizing curiosity and concrete thought to develop their own theory on how stuff works. The article suggests that some children may have trouble learning the scientific content in class because they have a different perspective on a situation, creating a struggle if just taught in a traditional way. I believe the main point of this article is to reinforce the four learning stands of science with a more student centered problem based learning approach. I liked how the article states, " Teachers also guide children's inquiry to help them be more orderly and systematic than they might be on their own, and so they can draw on other resources such as books, people, media, and technology." Life in marvelous times of educational reform calls us to develop a teaching perspective of metacognitive "guides" not just the boss that lectures. I want to expose my students to rich experiences that get them to think for themselves but this is going to take careful observations and guidance if a student is struggling with science.
- Week Two Discussion
ReplyDeleteImportant parts of the four strands of learning that was discussed in class were the definitions of content and process and how instead of separating the two, using the four strands of learning to incorporate the two in order to achieve proficiency in scientific learning. One important part from the first strand, which is understanding scientific explanations, is that through this students achieve proficiency in science through understanding scientific concepts and gaining the ability to use what they have learned. The second strand, generating scientific evidence, challenges students knowledge of drawing conclusions through evidence and data and observing how much additional evidence or data is needed to draw those conclusions. The third strand is reflecting on scientific knowledge, and this strand allows students become proficient through understanding that scientific knowledge can be revised through new evidence; this constructive process can also be traced by the students to gain further understanding. The last strand is participating productively in science, and this is the strand that I feel is the most important. This strand engages students to participate in scientific learning through experimentation and opportunity. Through experience and hands-on activities, students can build knowledge through participation. After evaluating the four strands, one can see how the four work interchangeably and proficiency can be achieved through effective usage of these four strands.
- Week 3 Discussion
Children’s misconceptions can act as stepping stones in to greater scientific knowledge because children learn how to develop ideas to make sense of the world around them. By doing this students learn to become critical thinkers and should be encouraged to draw conclusions and make logical explanations. By allowing children to use their minds to develop high-level thinking skills, students will be able to use these foundational skills to add new knowledge and build on their ideas. However I do believe that children can also be let down in the process of these ideas they develop about the world around them. They could become discouraged to find out that they are contradicted and what they once believed was false. In contrast, students may also be excited to learn the true answer of and meaning of the world around them.
- Tuesday 01/26/2010
ReplyDeleteDuring this class period, we worked as a class to create a rubric for ourselves. It was interesting to observe how the class set expectations of themselves. I believe that in the end we set agreeable standards but it was interesting to see the class work out the controversy about setting two low of standards for the class. This I felt was a good activity because it allowed the class to work together and developing a rubric can be a hard task at times especially when you are creating one with more than just yourself. Other people may assess knowledge differently and on different scales and so to be in agreement with an entire class can be difficult but I felt that we settled on appropriate expectations.
- Thursday 01/28/2010
During this class period, we got to engage in a group “Clue” activity. I really liked this activity because everyone at my table got to be productive and make predictions about what we thought happened in the story. My group thought it was fun because we all go to work together and I have always liked activities such as this one. The only disappointing part about the activity was that there was no answer; everyone who made a prediction was correct. I felt that there should have been a solution. This relates to the scientific learning strand that helps students understand scientific knowledge and that it is possible to change conclusions through new evidence and data.
-K-8 Standards
The standards I chose to observe were the 3-5 Science standards. The standards are divided into Life Science standards, Physical Science standards, Earth/Space Science standards, and Science, Technology, Environment, and Society Standards. In 3rd grade, students learn about the physical properties of matter and how to apply that knowledge in the Physical Science Standards. In addition, the students will learn about energy and the different sounds vibrations and pitches. In the Life Science Standards, students learn more about animals and their life cycles, including metamorphis, and different habitat requirements for different animals and organisms. In the Earth/Space Science, the students focus on distinguishing between rocks and minerals and how they are used by humans, and the placements of the planets and the moon. In the Science, Technology, Environment, Society Standards, 3rd graders learn the concept of recycling; reduce, reuse, and recycle.
South Dakota Standards:
ReplyDeleteThe state standards I chose to look at are those for first grade. The areas of science that are supposed to be covered in first grade are the nature of science, physical science, life science, life science, earth/space science, and technology/environment/ society. In the area of the nature of science, there are two standards that need to be covered. The first indicator is that they understand the nature and origin of scientific knowledge, but they are not asked to master this skill until the eighth grade. The second indicator that first graders are asked is that they apply the skills necessary to conduct scientific investigations. The skills needed to accomplish this standard are the use of scientific thinking skills like observing, communicating, and comparing. This includes enhancing observations by using senses and simple instruments/tools to identify differences in properties, recording observations and data, and measuring length, mass, and volume using non-standard and standard units when appropriate. They also ask that they use safety procedures in conducting science investigations. The skills that first graders discover in the area of the nature of science can be included across the other areas of scientific standards.
Class Activities:
I was sick this week.
Discussion Questions:
ReplyDeleteWeek 2-
STRAND 1: Understanding Scientific Explanations
To be proficient in science, students need to know, use, and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world.
They must understand interrelations among central scientific concepts and use them to build and critique scientific arguments.
This strand includes the things that are usually categorized as content, but it focuses on concepts and the links between them rather than on discrete facts.
It also includes the ability to use this knowledge.
STRAND 2: Generating Scientific Evidence
Strand 2 encompasses the knowledge and skills needed to build and refine models and explanations, design and analyze investigations, and construct and defend arguments with evidence.
For example, this strand includes recognizing when there is insufficient evidence to draw a conclusion and determining what kind of additional data are needed.
STRAND 3: Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge
Scientific knowledge builds on itself over time. Proficient science learners understand that scientific knowledge can be revised as new evidence emerges.
They can also track and reflect on their own ideas as those ideas change over time.
They can trace how scientific knowledge is constructed. That is, how evidence and arguments based on that evidence are generated.
It also includes students’ ability to reflect on the status of their own knowledge.
STRAND 4: Participating Productively in Science
Strand 4 is often completely overlooked by educators, yet research indicates that it is a critical component of science learning, particularly for students from populations that are underrepresented in science.
Students who see science as valuable and interesting tend to be good learners and participants in science.
They believe that steady effort in understanding science pays off—not that some people understand science and other people never will.
Week 3-
I thought this article was truthful in its explanation of how children want to understand the world in the same way as adults do. It covered the basics of why children ask questions and try to take in the world around them. By talking about their experiences, children are building deeper levels of thinking skills and guide them to discover the scientific meanings of their world. In order to find that meaning, children build theories. Whether they are right or wrong, these theories stem from their personal rationale and logic. As they explore things around them, children build and edit their personal schemas of scientific knowledge.
As a teacher, I would address children’s scientific understanding and discovery in a way that allows them to take their knowledge and explore their inquiries in a supportive environment. This will allow my students to look for the answers to their questions, discuss them with their peers, and find answers through guided, child-directed activities and lessons.
Tuesday: We talked about a rubric for the class which I feel was very beneficial because this way all members of the class know exactly what we are being graded on. It’s nice to have a say in how we are graded!
ReplyDeleteThursday: Today we played a clue game which was fun and a different way of learning and using my mind than what I am used to, I feel like students would really like this activity and it’s something I will remember in my future.
I decided to look at the 1st grade standards and the standard goes into detail about nature of science, physical science, life science, earth/space science, and technology, environment, society. Students should understand the basics of these categories. The best way to get these students to learn, is by getting them involved hands on.
Week 2:
All the four strands are closely related. Strand one is the Understanding Scientific Explanations: This strand the students know scientific explanations and know how to use them. The second strand is Generating Scientific Evidence the students know how to record and observe data, collect evidence and use to create and refine models and explanations. In Strand 3 it is important to learn about Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge students use their evidence that they have recorded to reflect on their experiment. Participating Productively in Science is when students are active participants in the science classroom.
Week 3:
This reading discusses how students have misconceptions on science. The reading suggests to use this to their advantage. They are able to take what the students know and try to mold it into understanding the concept! We need to do ‘hands on’ activities for students to really grasp the idea of a concept.