Week Six: Essential Questions

Design Brief for the Design Process component of this unit.

Essential Questions:
1. How does the sun influence changes outside?
2. How do people and animals change as the seasons change?
3. How do people adapt to cold and warm weather?
4. How do plants and animals adapt to changing climates and the time of day?

I would teach them in the order of 1, 3, 2, 4. The reason for this because the transition between the questions would be smooth and the questions are expanding on what the past one started the conversation on. The other reason is, if I needed to eliminate one of the clusters, the outcomes could be integrated into the other clusters, just not as in-depth as they would have been taught individually.

If I were to eliminate one of the Essential Questions it would be number 3. Eliminating that question would simply mean looking a little more in-depth when talking about people in the outcomes in question 2. The decision was also based on ensuring that the Design Process remains in the unit. The Design Process is where hands on learning happens, so it should be included as often as possible. By including people in the animal equation in question 2, the students would not lose out on much learning. In fact, they may become cognizant of the fact that people are animals too. The sorting outcome of question 3 could be addressed in math, as a review of sorting objects.

When choosing the Essential Question I eliminated, I made sure to choose one that would have a minimal impact on their learning. The question should be "if I eliminate this learning outcome, will it significantly impact the students longterm learning". If the answer is yes, it is a fair outcome to eliminate. It is fair to the students and it is fair to the teacher. If you can use the outcomes to address needs in other subjects, than you can eliminate the outcomes without fear of creating knowledge gaps in students. This is possible and should be a concern when looking at eliminating outcomes.

Week Five: Design Process

Design Brief

The Problem
John loves birds. John has notices that some birds live in Manitoba all winter. He has also noticed that these birds To help the birds remain fed throughout the cold, snowy month design a bird feeder that is strong enough to last the winter and tall enough to not get buried in the snow.

Supplies:
Milk Cartons (1-4L)
String
Fabric
Tape (two strips)
Glue (white glue and hot glue gun that adult helps with)

Criteria
Bird feeder survives one week in a safe area in the school yard in the winter.

This design brief meets the outcome for in grade 1. The students can help set some of the parameters on if the bird feeder needs to look nice and/or be a free-standing object.

To carry this out in the classroom, I would block off an afternoon for the students to design and complete the work. I would set up parent volunteers to ensure that there is adequate help if students need it. Bird feed will be supplied by the teacher and the students will decide on how their bird feeders will be hung. The bird feeders can be free standing or hung onto something. The students will be given 30-60 minutes the day before to start planning. All the supplies will be provided in class. Students will draw a design plan and get it teacher approved before moving onto building the bird feeder.

If students are sick or need more time, I will talk with the parents and arrange for a different time for the student to design and build the bird feeder. This is purely an at school project, so none of it can be done at home. If this is not possible, you have to find a way to ensure the student gets the opportunity to design their own bird feeder.

Week Four: Science Inquiry

Grade 2, Cluster 2: Properties of Solids, Liquids, and Gases
SLO: 2-2-17

Question:

If I put a quarter in water, will it sink? What if I make the surface area larger, will that help the quarter float?

1. Assemble Supplies:
    -1 clear container
    -1 quarter
    -1 roll of masking tape
    -water
2. Put water into container
Predict what will happen when you put the quarter in the water.
    -I predict the quarter will sink.
3. Put quarter into container
    -quarter sinks
4. Record result
5. Tape the coin to make the surface area larger, predict what the modified quarter will do.
     -I predict it will float.
6. Place the coin in water.
    -coin sinks
7. Record result
Conclusion: The surface area of a coin does not change its ability to sink or float if the surface area is changed.

 

As the pictures show, the inquiry can be very simple. Students can test as few or as many objects as they like, modifying the objects to see if the object still floats or sinks when modified. This shows that the surface area of the coin changing does not affect the ability if the coin to sink or float.

In a classroom doing guided inquiry, one could ask students what objects they think float and which ones they think will sink. Students then should compile a list of classroom objects they want to test. In groups of 3-4, students can start to answer their questions. Guide students to questions about changing the surface area of objects to see if they sink or float when modified. Students should record this information in a manner that is appropriate for their age and learning level. Some grade 2 students will need visuals to help them identify objects, while others will be perfectly fine naming objects alone. If possible, make the groups balanced. Do not worry about spelling. Instead, focus on the students understanding of what they are doing and see if their prediction changes as they perform more experiments.

Note that the inquiry I conducted is step-by-step. If doing it in a classroom, the students would not have instructions that specific. Making predictions and other steps are learning outcomes that would be practiced in the class before sending students off to do a science inquiry. 

Week Three: Skills

 

4-2-08, 4-2-10

This activity forces the students to observe and communicate what they see when they put water on paper. Students have to be able to actively communicate what they are seeing at various intervals while completing the activity. Students will have to become comfortable with recording their observations in the form of a sketch instead of simply using words. It opens up young students to a new way of communicating and forces the students to be creative when getting their point across. In grade 4, it also forces students to learn a new skill of diagramming an experiment and communicating what they are seeing in a new format.

The teacher should tell students that they need to label their sketches and teach them how scientists label diagrams. This can help them improve their communication skills with both words and pictures. Students will need these skills all through their school career, and possibly longer, in science class. It is up to the teacher to guide them to good communication skills. The teacher should first review how sketches are presented in science. 

The observation skill is another obvious skill that students develop while doing this activity. Students will have to observe the changes of how the text looks as they move the water drop around. Students having to note changes in what they see and be able to communicate those changes clearly. Observation and communication go hand in hand. If students can observe something, but not communicate what they are observing, they are failing at the ability to share gained knowledge. On the other hand, if students cannot observe something, but are strong communicators, they will not be able to tell you what you need to know from them. 

Week Two: The Nature of Science

Full disclosure, my opinion of scientists is heavily influenced by the fact my sister and my cousin work in labs and my uncle is a professor of astronomy at Dartmouth. My perception of scientists has been shaped by knowing so many different ones. Using books and other resources like YouTube and guests, I would convey that scientists are like any other person. I would also teach the students that being a scientist is about doing certain things. Science is not scary, science is fun.

 

The results from profile show that I edge towards a balanced approach in the delivery of science. I do feel as though science does not explain everything, but that it can explain a lot of the world around us. Science is not something to be feared, but something to be viewed sceptically and something that should involve questioning everything because that is how science works. There is no certainty in science and that should be reflected in how the lessons are delivered. Evidence should be presented, but students should be taught to form opinions and question what is being presented to them as absolute fact. In science, there are no facts, just proven assumptions that get tested again and again until a new theory has been tested and proven. Even then, not everyone will agree and experiments will be run to re-prove or disprove the theory. This is all part of good science.   

Week One: Curriculum

I intend on making science a positive experience for all students by making it hands on and fun. Students think science in scary a lot of the time and by making it something that they all can do, it becomes less scary. I plan on using different forms of instruction based on the type of learners in my class and their readiness to learn. Science is fun for students if they are capable of completing the tasks set forth, even if extra help is needed in the classroom.