Science Fair

I was unable to go to the Elkpoint Science Fair. Instead, I am one of the individuals involved in setting up a children's activity at the public library. The activity will be about "The Nature of Science". Lower elementary students will be able to come to the library, after school, to learn about fun, exciting, and educational science books that they will be able to read and check out. The children will then be able to do an experiment with water, cornstarch, and food coloring. The program will be fun and exciting for the children. Hopefully more children will be able to see how great science can be!

November 20, 2008

Today in class we discussed our upcoming assignments for the class. We also talked about the science fair judging and what we needed to do.

Also in class we worked on our final project. Our final project is for kindergarten and is over measurement. The neat thing about this project is that everyone's lesson plans hook together from one grade into the next. For our lesson plan, we are having a kindergarten class use unifex cubes to measure the heights of their stuffed animals. Then the children will have to order the stuffed animals, according to heights, from smallest to highest. It is really fun to do a lesson plan with hooks.

Assessment Types

Assessment is the process of discovering, often in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and the ability to apply newly acquired knowledge in new situations.

Formative assessment allows the monitoring of the development of understanding as bridging occurs with existing ideas and skills and how these skills and ideas are developing. And, the teacher’s role is changing as they monitor, coach and guide students to construct their scientific understanding. There is evidence that using formative assessment leads to considerable gains in levels of achievement.

Summative assessment has an important but different role. Its purpose is to reflect achievement at the end of a unit or course. It can be by summarizing evidence already used for formative purposes or checking up on focused knowledge or skills.

Performance Assessments Performance assessment is a measure of assessment based on authentic tasks such as activities, exercises, or problems that require students to show what they can do. Some performance tasks are designed to have students demonstrate their understanding by applying their knowledge to a particular situation. For example, students might be given a current political map of Africa showing the names and locations of countries and a similar map from 1945 and be asked to identify and explain differences and similarities. To be more authentic (more like what someone might be expected to do in the adult world), the task might be to prepare a newspaper article explaining the changes. Performance tasks often have more than one acceptable solution; they may call for a student to create a response to a problem and then explain or defend it. The process involves the use of higher-order thinking skills (e.g., cause and effect analysis, deductive or inductive reasoning, experimentation, and problem solving). Performance tasks may be used primarily for assessment at the end of a period of instruction, but are frequently used for learning as well as assessment.

Seamless Assessments is the difference in assessment for learning as opposed to assessment of learning. Ongoing assessment is already embedded in effective inquiry-based instruction. However, whether the scoring of assessments is primarily designed to guide instruction or measure achievement toward the standards is another matter. Assessment that is primarily designed to measure learning, and is often considered punitive, can be effective. But somehow coupled with that must be assessment for learning, that is not necessarily used to quantitatively measure a student’s cognitive abilities but is instead used to guide the path instruction should take to be most effective.

In the education industry, alternative assessment or portfolio assessment is in direct contrast to what is known as performance evaluation, traditional assessment, standardized assessment or summative assessment. Alternative assessment is also known under various other terms, including: authentic assessment, integrative assessment, holistic assessment, assessment for learning.

5 E Model

The 5 E Model is a useful tool for designing science lessons. According to the textbook, throughout the five phases of the instructional sequence, students engage in science questions, collect and use data to formulate expectations, and evaluate and communicate their explanations. The 5 E model consists of five phases. These phases include engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. The book states that each phase aims at a slightly different purpose for science learning. The first E is Engage. In this phase, students encounter a scientific question, idea, or natural phenomenon. The next phase is the Explore stage. In this phase students have firsthand experiences with a phenomenon. Students that are exploring may carry out investigations using lab equipment or collect data using the Internet. The third phase is Explain. The purpose of the Explain phase is for students to formalize their understanding of the concepts under investigation. The book explains that in this phase, students invent explanations and use evidence from the Explore phase to support their ideas. The fourth phase of the 5 E Model is the Elaborate phase. Students build on their understanding by solving new problems in new contexts. The book explains that in this phase, it is the teacher’s role to design ways for students to extend what they know by transferring their understanding to these problems. The fifth and final phase of the 5 E Model is the Evaluate phase. The book states that this phase provides opportunities for students to reflect on and demonstrate what they know.

November 13, 2008

Today in class we had a working day. Our professior was very kind and thoughtful by letting us have a day to catch up on homework and projects because she knew how busy and stressed we were. In class, my partner and I worked on our second lesson plan. Our lesson plan is designed for a kindergarten science class. We are doing our lesson plan over the 4 Seasons and we have many great things planned for the activity!

November 6, 2008

Today in class, we discussed what the 5 E Model is and about Seamless Assessment in science. They goals of the class was to understand and apply the 5 E model to our own science teaching and to help use understand and apply seamless assessment techniques within the 5 E model. Also to make us aware of the resources in our book and elsewhere to help use along the way.

We then worked with a group to come up with an activity that correctly applies the 5 E model to a regular classroom. Our professor gave us some materials to use in order to come up with that activity. We then invented the activity implementing the 5 E model and assessments.

November 4, 2008

For the first part of class today, a group presented their midterm presentation project. The project was over the 4 Seasons. They discussed different ways in which a teacher could integrate different activities and lessons into their classroom over the four seasons. They also displayed a video that would be a great visualization for students on how the seasons change year round.

During the last part of our class, we discussed what kinds of assessments we have conducted already. Then we talked about the different types of assessments we use, as teachers, and why we use those specific assessments. The achievement and opportunity to learn must be assessed correctly. Teacher flexibility is very important when dealing with the your classroom and also when using assessments. Assessments should be deliberately designed to help the students. Also assessment procedures need to be consistent. Students should have many opportunities to demonstrate achievements. Teachers also need to make assessments purposeful. It is important that students have varied assessments. The timing of assessments is very critical. We then went on to discuss the 5 E's of Seamless Assessment. During this time, we discussed what each five were and how to implement them in our classrooms.

October 30, 2008

Today in class we watched our classmates do their Science Midterm Projects again. Everybody has been doing such a great job with their projects. I really feel that I could take each person's idea and use them in my own science classroom. I feel that everyone did great lesson plans that have hands-on activities that would really benefit students. I believe that with the knowledge and ideas that I have gained from listening to everyone else's ideas I will be better prepared when it comes time to do my own science lesson plans and activities.

October 28, 2008

Today in class we watched our classmates give their Science Midterm Projects. The projects and activities that accompanied the projects were great. Some of the projects were over mixtures and learning about oil spills. The activities were also great to do in a regular science classroom.

October 23, 2008

Today in class we listened to our classmates Midterm Group Projects. The first group's lesson plan was called "Mixtures". The presentation and lesson was designed for the third grade. They discussed what a mixture was and what properties a mixture has. We then made jello that helped to show students what a mixture really is. The second group's lesson plan was called "Habitats". The presentation and lesson was designed for the fourth grade. The group discussed the different habitats and the animals and plants that living in these certain areas. They then did a project where they made a model of a habitat and that is the project they would do with their students. The third group's lesson plan was called "Sink and Float". This group discussed the properties that made objects sink or float. This lesson was designed for first graders. The activity we did was to put objects into water to see if they either sand or floated. We then discussed why these objects did what they did. The fourth group's lesson plan was called "Oil and Water". This lesson plan was designed for kindergartners. The group discussed why oil and water do not mix. The activity we did was putting water in with oil and seeing what it would do.

October 21, 2008

Today we discussed what we need to do for our midterm project. We also discussed our reading guides and the questions that we will be asked on them.

We then did an activity called "The Leaping Egg". We first put a small funnel into a glass. Then we put a hollow ping pong ball into the funnel. After this we blew onto the ball as hard as we could to see if it would "leap" into another glass. It did!! We figured out that when air gets under the ball, it makes the ball jump because of the force of the air. The flowing air creates a current.

October 16, 2008

Today in class, we talked about staying safe online. We visited a website that helps children learn about safety when they are using the Internet. The website tells children not to meet anyone they do not know but have met online. The site also tells children not to respond to anyone they do not know, when they feel uncomfortable tell an adult, when they see something wrong tell an adult, etc. We then discussed how important it is for children to understand how unsafe the web can really be.

October 14, 2008

Today in class we talked about our midterm project. We discussed possible ideas and thoughts. We also talked about the rubric and what is expected of us. We then broke up into out midterm project groups. In our groups, we figured out how we wanted to do during our project. The day was overall very productive.

Mystery Box

Mystery Box is a great online activity for students to use during school. The website has students make shapes that are supposed to lie directly on top of a hidden shape. Then you are supposed to use the beam to determine if your blocks are in the correct spot. By using the beam, you are able to use your thinking and reasoning skills when trying to figure out the "mystery box". This online game is great for all students and it really helps them to sharpen their thinking and reasoning skills.

cyberbee.com

The website, http://cyberbee.com is a really great resource for all content knowledge elementary education teachers. The site offers curriculum ideas, research tools, treasure hunts, web projects, web links, etc. The site also offers teachers ideas based upon which content area you teach. This website would also be great for students to be able to use as a resource for school projects, getting ideas, making presentations, etc. This is a fun and easily accessible website for everyone.

October 2, 2008

I was not in class today because I was on the Rosebud internship trip. Other students in the class said that the activity for the class was the Mystery Box. They said that they had to shake a black box and guess and make predictions about what was in the box. Everyone said that they really enjoyed the experiment.

The Amazing Food Detective

The Amazing Food Detective is an online game about health, food, and nutrition. During the game, the player is the detective and has to figure out how to help each suspect in the line up. The line up consists of children who are not eating properly, not doing portion control, not exercising enough, etc. As the detective, you have to help the children make good choices and help them with their exercising and eating habits. This website would be amazing for students to do because it allows students to get a more in-depth understanding of health, food, and nutrition. This also allows students to learn more about themselves and what they should be doing and not doing.

October 7, 2008

Today in class, we went over our midterm project. We discussed safety considerations when performing science experiments. Students need to know what is exactly expected of them before, during, and after the experiment. Many potential hazards can be eliminated if you have an organized disciplined classroom. We then discussed how to properly judge a Science Fair fairly.
Also in class, we did an activity from FOSS. We talked about how learning is a skill that is enhanced by repetition. Also about how memory is enhanced by active firsthand experiences, multiple senses, and emmotional engagement. The activity we did was called Mirror Writing. The activity was set up by using mirrors that are tilted on a piece of blank paper. During the experiment, the person could only use the mirrors to see what they are writing. This activity helps students learn how to write by looking in a mirror.

Webseminar--NSTA

I was unable to be an active member in the webseminar, therefore I watched it at a later date. The seminare was about the International Year of Astronomy. The seminar discussed star birth and formation, stellar classification, star spectra, planet information, when stars die, and some more resources. The seminar then went on to discuss how stars are formed and what the most important factor in how a star evolves and eventually dies-- initial mass. It went on to explain that a star is born from collapsing cold clouds of interstellar gas and dust, clouds rotate as they collapse which conserves angular momentum, and then forming the smaller clumps that will become starts. The seminar then went on to discuss how to classify stars. We classify stars based on their spectra which provides us with information on temperature, composition, brightness, and distance. The seminar then went on to discuss aboutl ight and energy. The also discussed how planets form around stars, which happens from accretion of smaller bits after the central forms or from a clump orbiting the main star. They then went on to discuss about when stars die. It was a very interesting and information filled seminar.

September 23, 2008

Today, we talked and did an activity about acidity of vinegar, water, and fruit. The activity we did was called the Acid Test. It taught us that baking soda and acid react to form carbon dioxide, and that baking soda can be used as an indicator of the presence of acid. We then performed the acid/baking soda reaction in a closed system and observed the volume of gas formed by the reaction. We first tested how much acidity was in vinegar and found that vinegar is 100% acidic. We then tested how much acidity was in water, which is 0%. We then tested how much acidity was in a 50-50 mix of water and acid, which is 50% acidic. We then tested how much acidity was in a lime and lemon, which both are 100% acidic. We then tested an orange's acidity which was at 23%. We then tested a grapefruit's acidity which was at 27% acidity. We found out that the more acidic a substance is the more carbon dioxide reaction there is when mixed with baking soda.

September 18, 2008

Today in class, we talked about Health and Nutrition. We did an internet activity that taught us how to pick healthy and nutritious food and drinks. We also did an activity where we had to figure out the different components of food and what would be a healthy lunch. We then discussed how important it is for teachers to teach to teach their students about Health and Nutrition.

September 16, 2008

Today, we talked about new ways of thinking about scientific content and scientific processes, and new ways of thinking about what it means to be proficient in science. We also discussed the four learning strands: understanding scientific explanations, generating scientific evidence, reflecting on scientific knowledge, and participating productively in science.

Also we made a game called "The Safety Game". We created the game as a way to be able to teach students the proper safety procedures and methods in a classroom. We discussed how important it is for students to stay safe and know all the proper ways to deal with certain situations.

September 11, 2008

Today in class, we discussed the importance of teaching science well to our students. We also discussed the different reasons to teach science well. Also, we discussed the new paradigm, what scientists really do, and the language that is used in science. Also we went into depth what a hypotheses and a theory are. We went into depth about conflicting definitions and thinking like a scientist.

ELED 320 September 9, 2008

In K-8 Science Methods today, we did two activities. The first activity we did was called "Temperature Probe Response Time". During this activity, we investigated the response time of the EasyTemp temperature probe and learned more about the EasyData Program. Also we used a TI-84 Plus graphing calculator and an EasyTemp Probe to measure temperature, we set up the senar for different units of measure, and changed the time graph data collection parameters.
The other activity we did (but did not get to) was "A Hot Hand". This activity showed us how to use the Vernier EasyTemp temperature probe and the Vernier EasyData application. We learned how to use a Vernier EasyTemp probe to measure temperature, calculate temperature averages, and we compared the results.