Assignment: How do I plan to learn science content?

So much information……so little time……Oh my….

My assignment for this week involves seeking out resources and materials that will assist me in learning what I need to know to teach a 3^rd grade science unit involving changes at “X” Elementary School.  It’s time for me to roll up my sleeves and dig in to learn everything I can about this fascinating unit.  I begin my quest to learn all I can to teach this classroom of inquisitive budding scientists.  I know that I will need to be engaging, confident, and knowledgeable about the material I present.  My mission will be to absorb as much information as I can with resources that are available to me.  The neat thing will be that I will continue to learn as we prepare for each subsequent lesson.

I need to be cognizant of the fact that this lesson will be geared to a 3^rd grade classroom and that my instruction must be at an understandable level.  As I think about preparing for the lesson I need to continually remind myself that I will need reliable resources that will teach me and yet peak a 3^rd graders interest.  My goal is to present the information in this lesson in a way that they find meaningful.  The following are a list of ideas that I hope will help me in grasping the content before my “big day”.  I am off  and running………………… 

The search results in some of the following:

•CHEM4kids.com – very useful information on changing states of matter.  The information is clear, concise, simple and there is even a quiz at the end to take which determined my level of knowledge regarding this content area.

• I revisited our old friends Tim and Mobey from Brainpop and watched their clip on changing states of matter for a brief overview and took their quiz as well.  This is a really great way to kick off our lesson because it is simple, visual, and humorous (which I will infer will reach most of our students.)

•The learningscience.org website introduced me to an interactive web program on changes in matter where I could actually click on water to watch it boil and also freeze.  It was a very engaging and fun activity.

•I also plan to visit Borders and scan the children’s section for some books that explain change in an interesting way.  Keeping it simple…

 Immersing myself in all of these resources made me realize how much information is available to us as teachers if we know where to look.     

Here is to getting SCIENCE SMART on the unit of CHANGES, my fellow peers!

Some great science resources....

Science Magazine

International weekly science journal, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

-Use government sites. Any site with a .gov will most likely have up date information that is also reliable for reading. Government websites are highly regulated and so is the reading material that is posted on them This is a good start when it comes to looking for science articles.

http://www.science.gov/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/The Teacher's Guide Interactive Sites For Kids

Interactive sites to use with an interactive whiteboard.

www.theteachersguide.com/interactivesites.html - Similar

This interactive site has some great lesson plans for teachers by subject.

My Personal Science Story

My science story is a little vague.  There were not many experiments that I can recall from my elementary school experience.  My memories of science class included a lot of note taking and studying concepts that were just words to me because I hadn't been exposed to them in a visual/hands on way.  I do remember dissecting a frog when I was in highschool which I found to be fascinating.  While some of my fellow peers were complaining I remember grabbing my instruments and really getting involved with that frog unit.  It was so amazing to me how clear the organs appeared inside the frog and it helped me to better undertand the functions. 

One of my favorite things to do is to explore nature when I can.  I have always loved the outdoors and the beauty of nature.  Butterflies are one of the most beautiful creatures to me and I can remember getting really involved with my children's butterfly units from school.  They were so intrigued because their teachers were actually growing butterflies from caterpillars in the class which allowed them to observe and collect data and feel like they were a part of the experiment.  It was great to see them so excited about science.

I strongly believe that if we as teachers are excited about science then we have a better chance of our students being excited and inspired to learn.  However, if we are to engage the younger students we need to be able to include them in experiments that they can see and touch so that it will be meaningful information to them.  Most children are so curious at a young age which in my opinion is a perfect prerequisite for studying science.