Red Cup Engineering
This red cup activity would be effective for upper elementary grades. Not only would it be good to teach scientific principles, such as engineering, but it would also serve to improve dexterity, teamwork, and communication. It could be modified for younger grades by using a more sturdy material such as blocks or allowing the students to use their hands.
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Curriculum Mapping
We cut each indicator out separately, we were able to arrange them in a manner that reflected how they were connected to one another. We were able to see how they flowed together, or not together, and make decisions as to how lessons should be taught based upon those connections.
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Class Investigation
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Science Notebooks
Science Note-booking is a huge addition to the elementary classroom. In order for a notebook to be effective, organizational strategies and content must be considered heavily before implementing them into your classroom. Finding a way that works for you in order for your students to benefit and you to be able to follow their work is crucial. This strategy is an excellent way to help your students gain ownership of their education.
ABC SummaryAllow your students to come up with the ABC's of a topic, which can be used to expand vocabulary, assess what your students already know, and possibly learn ways you can expand your lesson based upon your student's interests. For example, if you were discussing magnets and the class began asking questions about Mag Lev during this exercise, you could add a little extra into your lesson plan to discuss a way that magnets are used in real life.
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Work PresentationsWhen you ask students to present their work, they are able to "teach" the other students which helps the child realize what they actually know. It also allows them to take pride in their work, and it can encourage them in that you care what they have worked so hard in completing. It also can increase confidence and instill pride in the work they do.
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Drawing Enhanced NotebooksAsk students to draw pictures in their notebooks to show you what they know in a way other than words. Some students will do better with sharing their knowledge through pictures rather than with words. In order to be effective, student drawings should be Accurate, Big, Colorful, and Detailed. Allow students to see you draw, and let them practice before assigning them to draw something from a class exercise. Make sure they know that being an artist is not required and that everyone is capable of doing this.
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Independent vs. Dependent Variables
Meet Students Where They AreGive them an assignment that centers around an interesting topic, you will engage them automatically because you are capitalizing on things they enjoy. It also is a good pre-assessing tool because you can see if they comprehend the idea of something before you add "science" terms to them.
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A Helpful VisualAfter introducing the topic in a relatable way, you can then apply that to science by teaching them how to decide the various variables within an experiment. After doing this, you can show them this image to help them remember where independent and dependent variables go within the data table and graph.
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Creating RubricsIf you create a defined grading scale, you make grading a little easier, and you also can provide students with a guideline of exactly what you are looking for in their work. Relieves uncertainty on your side and frustration on theirs.
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RERUN an exercise
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Sample Rubric:
Student uses all five terms and fully understand what they mean - 3 points.
Student uses 3-4 terms and understands what they mean - 2 points
Student uses 1-2 terms and understands what they mean - 1 point
Student does not make any attempt at all - 0 points
Student uses all five terms and fully understand what they mean - 3 points.
Student uses 3-4 terms and understands what they mean - 2 points
Student uses 1-2 terms and understands what they mean - 1 point
Student does not make any attempt at all - 0 points
Testing Force of Attraction
Prior to starting this unit, we were given the materials but we were not given instructions on how to set up the experiment. This was good because we had to problem solve on our own to try to discern how to set the experiment up. This also encourages students because once everyone has presented their ideas, the class collectively decides which one had the best set up and the entire class uses that set up. That group also gets the task of choosing controls throughout the experiment.
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Work Ahead
This assignment showed us that as we create lessons, we need to complete EVERY activity we plan prior to asking our students to complete them. Sometimes what we think is perfect, may have a flaw that we cannot see until the activity is actually worked through. We also learned to triple the time it takes us to complete a task so that we allot enough time for our students.
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MY COURSE WORK
-PART TWO-
Group ExamsOnce students have taken the exam by themselves, allow them to take a portion of the exam again where they are allowed to use notes, classmates, previous work, etc. This gave students a second chance at the material, which could help students not feel so hopeless if they did not do as well as they wanted to. It also is a natural way to revisit material and it gives you an opportunity to see what questions might have been too difficult or if there are topics you need to reteach.
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Pre-PlanningPlanning is an essential part of being a teacher. Not only do you need to plan "fun" lessons, but you need to make sure that everything within your lesson is covered so that you know exactly what your purpose for the lesson is. This chart is a very effective planning tool to use when prepping for lessons.
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**Children's books are a great way to generate your students interest when beginning a lesson.
~Watercraft Solutions~
Individual DesignsAssign students to create individual designs prior to starting the project. This begins the thinking process, and it also creates an easier way for everyone to get their voice heard if they each are asked to present their designs to the whole group prior to starting a group design.
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Incorporating Language Arts
Integrating cross curricular lessons is always a bonus as a teacher. One way you can make this activity cross curricular is by adding a writing element that involves writing about the process, why it worked, why it did not work, predicting if you will have success and why, etc.
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Successful Example
The first trial of this experiment only had one successful group, but never stop at one trial. Always give your students an opportunity to move from failure to success by offering a redesign stage. When you give children a chance to redeem themselves, they will not be afraid to take risks, and they will learn that mistakes are not always your worst enemy.
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Questions, Comments, Concerns?
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Once all designs were created, Dr. Thomas gave students one last chance to ask any questions they had and wrote them on the board. Once this session was over, he did not answer any more questions because he was forcing us to ask everything prior to building made us think ahead and really contemplate our design. If we knew that we could ask questions later, we would not have taken this time as seriously.
Redesign Incorporating MathOnce we had done the first trials, we were able to redesign our rafts and implement some math into the lesson as well. We were given a list of extra supplies and had a budget that we were able to spend. The goal was to make a successful raft using the least amount of money possible.
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Our Redesign SuccessOur group decided to buy a cup, 4 straws, 1 foot of duct tape, and 1 foot of plastic wrap. This cost our group a total of $1.65. Our design consisted of a cup with straws around it to keep it upright and plastic wrap around it to keep it air tight. Although our design was not the cheapest of the class, it was successful.
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The Engineering Design Process
The engineering and design process is created to bring a natural cycle of steps to the engineering process. It allows students to understand the task and work through the designing process in a structured manner that allows for both success, failures, and second chances.
You can also assist your students in learning the process by asking them to create a story as a way to help remember the order of events in the process. This will help them remember, while also incorporating the Language Arts skills. |
Book Stand ActivityWhen we first began this activity, we were told to stack as many books as possible using only a paper about two inches from the table. It took us quiet a few minutes to get a single book to stand off the table, let alone multiple. Halfway through our exploration, he challenged us that we could easily stand twenty books using this little piece of paper and we thought he was crazy. However, then I made this star like structure and began balancing more and more books onto it. Soon, someone created a cylindrical structure and was able to stack 62 as the new record for stacking books in this way. Once we had completed this task, he told us about how cylinders are best for this activity because every crease in the paper weakens it slightly. He also informed us about the physics behind it and how the weight is equally distributed by pushing out in every direction. He also stated that the larger the circle, the more area it will contain, therefore, the stronger it will be.
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~Amusements, Inc.~
First TryOur very first attempt we had a file folder resting about a foot off of the ground. The idea was that the folder would provide resistence and would slow the ride down. However, it stopped it completely. When given the option to try again, we took the folder off of the pipe completely and the ping pong balls bounced out.
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~Pop Fly~
This one lesson is able to incorporate levers, fulcrums, forces, simple machines, and more.
Our Helmet LauncherOur first attempt did not have tape over it and was simply about trying to get the ping pong ball to become airborne. However, the redesign challenged us because we were given the stipulation that it had to land in a target area. This made us pay more attention to detail and think more critically about the task at hand because we had a more specific goal to work towards.
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By Golly By Gum
This activity was intended to see what the mass of gum was after being chewed for ten minutes. We took measurments and mass of the gum prior to chewing it, and then took the mass every two minutes after we began chewing. We stopped measuring at ten minutes. Prior to the experiment, over half of the class assumed the gum would gain mass due to the gum collecting saliva. However, the gum continued to lose mass as the time went on. This is because the sugar and other ingredients within the gum was being swallowed as we chewed. This activity would be good to introduce the idea of calories and enzymes.
While you are completing the activity, students would be asked to produce these journal entries before, during, and after the activity.
Record Class DataAfter you have completed an activity, collect class data so that you have something to compare to. Students will be more able to see the big picture ideas and be able to determine if they have any major errors based upon the results of their classmates. You can also require students make inferences based upon the data collected.
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~Bubble, Bubble~
A 5E Lesson
Engage
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At the beginning of the lesson, students were drawn into the topic by having the freedom to simply blow bubbles. In a real classroom, I would reduce the mess by taking the students outside. This also serves as a way to engage them by getting them out of their seats and in the fresh air for a while. I know that when I was a student, anytime we were able to take learning outside, I was instantly more engaged with the activity.
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Explore
Explain
This stage of the lesson design focuses on reviewing content. The teacher will need to clarify any misunderstandings as well as explicitly teach the topic. In this lesson, students were able to read a book to get some of the information, but the teacher still must address the topic. One way students can verify they understand the concept is by drawing a picture. In this instance, the teacher would be looking for students to show that the movement of air causes the bubble to be formed. You are looking for students to understand that air is matter.
ElaborateNow that the students understand how bubbles are created, they were given various shaped wands to verify that they will always take the shape of a sphere. It doesn't matter if students use a circular wand or a turtle shaped wand, students need to recognize that it will always produce a sphere.
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Evaluate
We did not do the evaluate stage in class, but if you were implementing this lesson in your classroom, it is essential that you evaluate your students. This section would need to be completed with a summative assessment of some kind. It could be a quiz, a drawing, a worksheet, an exit ticket, and much more. There is multiple ways this lesson could be assessed, but you need to have some way to collect data that you can use to determine student comprehension.
~Foldables~
Make a TemplatePrior to asking your students to build a foldable, make a template so that they know what to put on every page. You can do this by physically building one, or by typing an example on the board. You want students to be able to write down everything they need, while putting their information on the correct page, so they need to have an example so you do not have to answer "where does this go" more than once.
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Four - Door DioramaUses:
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A Suggestion for Future Reference:
Regular school glue does not work with foldables. However, this glue is both effective and can be bought for fairly cheap.
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Cartoons in the Classroom
Cartoons have the capability of engaging learners by peaking their interest in what they mean. Teachers can also use cartoons to determine the level of student understanding of a topic. For example, do they understand that air is matter, which means the glass is full. Students could also have the opportunity to show creativity and knowledge by creating their own cartoon or graphic novel.
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