The End of the Road for the Fall Science Methods class 2009

The end of the semester has been amazing with this group.  I cannot even begin to describe the amount of work they have put into this semester.  As a Capstone Project to the semester, each student had to create a Science Kit based on any theme they wanted.  The students had to follow a very large 7 page rubric to guide their kit, but the reults were their own creative take on teaching science to the K-6 groups. 

Each lesson plan in their Science Kits had to follow the Learning Cycle format.  I teach them that the Learning Cycle naturally mimics the way chicldren tend to learn, so it isn't simply a way to teach science but a wonderful way to teach anything. 

Their Science Kits are intended to be used for a 10 - 15 day time period.  They included connections to Math, Reading, and other content areas.  The students also had to ensure that they met at least 3 of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences in each lesson, and virtually all of them by the end of the unit.  The lessons are at the very beginning of becoming Differentiated Instruction lessons, but they are not quite there, yet:)  The lessons are all hands-on.  Students are not allowed to use more than TWO worksheets in any two week unit.  They are allowed to create their own tailored guides to a lab activity or to a any hands-on science lessons, but worksheets cannot be relied on.  Students need to DO science in order to LEARN science, and these future teachers certainly have created kits that guarantee just that.

I would like to thank the students for all they have taught me.  They were patient when I fell on my own face.  They were enthusiastic in almost everything we accomplished.  However, above everything else, these students showed the kind of energy, creativity, and dedication that will be wonderful in the classrooms they will teach after graduation.  So, without further ado. . .

CONGRATULATIONS!


You have successfully become an Official

McKeen Science McMethods

~ McMANIAC ~

You have each taught me more than I could ever hope to teach you. When you leave this class and pass through my doors for the final time, I want you to take away the most important lesson I could impart to any of you…

One hundred years from now,

It won't matter what car I drove,

What kind of house I lived in,

How much I had in my bank account,

Nor what my clothes looked like,

But, the world may be a little better

Because I was important in the life of a child.

~You all ROCK~

Week 4 Under the Sea

Week 4 of Science After School focused on the theme of the ocean. As soon as children started to arrive, there were masks waiting for them on their desks to decorate as Kelli and I waited anxiously for all to arrive. I began by reading a passage from the story of "Where The Wild Things Are" that dealt with Max sailing across the ocean.  Blocks were passed around the room to have the children guess as to which ones would sink and which ones would float. We proceeded with a sink or swim activity. Then I taught the children vocabulary using a matching game and they applied what they knew in our application activity. I gave the children a problem that they had to solve. Max was trying to go back home to his family but he wanted to bring back all of his "Wild Thing" friends with him to show his family. So the students had to build a boat out of materials out of their kits to hold the most "Wild Things" or pennies. The group that held the most won. The kids all really enjoyed themselves.

I drew and painted a huge mural for the back of the room that consisted of various animals under the sea. I also created different pictures to decorate the outside of the classroom. Kelli decorated the front of the room with seashells and fishing net. The place looked like you were really under the ocean.


This experience was definitely a lot of fun, and the kids were all great each and every week. 

If you would like to see a copy of the lesson plan we used, my partner Kelli posted it below.

Week 3 Survival in the Sahara continued

During week 3 of The Science After School program, Ms. Bango and Ms. Ice continued the safari of Africa, by taking the primary group to Where the Wild Things Are in the Sahara Desert. We were dropped off near an Oasis, out of water and out almost out of food. As our group began to explore, they found clues of the Wild Things that live in the Sahara. They found footprints, fur, things that the Wild Things eat, and even what the Wild Thing’s eyes look like. During the exploration, they learned that a camel, a striped hyena, and a frog were living near the oasis. Here are some of the clues that were hidden in the sand.

After the group figured out what was living in the area, they started to learn about the adaptations these Wild Things had in order to survive in the Sahara. They learned about climate and that the Sahara was one of the hottest places on earth during the day and also that the temperature could go below freezing in the shade and at night. They learned deserts of this kind are called non-polar deserts. Using their thermometers, they compared temperatures from Fairmont, WV to that of the Sahara.

The students learned about how the Wild Things went about getting their foods, whether it was by being nocturnal and getting their food at night or if it was by having large leathery mouths, like camels, so they could eat thorns from cactuses.

They also learned that even though the Sahara receives less than 3 inches of precipitation per year, it has an underground water supply that the animals can access through the oases.

In order for the students to demonstrate what they had learned, they were presented with 3 live animals, an aquatic turtle, a guinea pig, and a beta fish and were asked to draw the 3 animals with adaptations they would need in order to survive in the Sahara desert.

 At the end of the end of the lesson, we read a poem “Exploring the Desert”.

Our lesson plan


Name: Ice/Bango Date taught: 10/20/09 Time/Period: after school
Grade Level: k-2 Group size: 3 groups Content Area: Geology/Biology
National Standard: NS3K-4.3 Life Science
Content Standard SC.O.K.2.3:
observe and describe models of plants and animals in different environments (e.g., terrariums, aquariums, animals and plants in a forest, pond, or field).

I. Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:
1. Identify species that dwell in the Sahara Desert.
2. Describe how life survives in the Sahara Desert.
3. Describe the climate in the Sahara Desert.
4. Create a new species that would be able to survive in the Sahara Desert.


II. Assessment:
Method: Drawing and explanation of new species.

Mastery: Complete drawing with accurate explanation.

III. Materials:
Colored Pencils/Crayons
Paper Colored pencils/crayons
White paper
Sand
Paints-green, tan, yellow, orange, black, brown, red, white
Paint brushes (medium and fine)
Roll of paper (white)
Masking tape
Magnets
Card Stock
3 trays

Preparation:
Paint desert scenery and hang around room (cactus, sun, palm trees, oasis). Prepare objects to go in sand(feet print, water, fake fur/skin, fake food, and different items pertaining to chosen species) .Fill the trays with sand and bury specie clues. Arrange desks into 4 stations.

IV. Technology:
Laptop, projector, and zip drive with PowerPoint presentation.


V. Vocabulary:
Climate- weather.
Desert- receiving less than 10 inches of rain or snowfall annually.
Nocturnal- animals that are active at night rather than during the day.
Non-polar deserts that are hot in the day and chilly at night.
Oasis- fertile ground in a desert where the level of underground water rises to or near ground level, and where plants grow and travelers can replenish water supplies.


VI. Instructional Processes:
Transition: Come on everyone let’s get back into the bus. Last week you talked about insects in Africa, let’s continue our safari and travel to a different place in Africa. A place in northern Africa.
Before we begin, do you remember the chant Ms. Sophie and Ms. Sarah taught you last week. 123 all eyes on me and you say 1 2 all eyes on you. Let’s try it and Ms. Mackenzie will help you out.
With a show of hands, can anyone tell me where the continent of Africa is located?


A. Introduction:
By this point of your tour you have ran out of water and you’re almost out of food, but fortunately you have been dropped off near an Oasis. An oasis is a like a big pond in the desert where water from underground rises up to the surface. You eat the little bit of the food you have left and drink some of the water from the oasis. Afterwards, you begin to wonder about the wild things that live in the Sahara and how they survive.


B. Procedures:
-Exploration
The students will be divided into 3 groups and to assigned a station. Each station will have an oasis that is filled of with clues pertaining to an animal that is located in the Sahara Desert. It will be the students’ job to investigate and discuss the materials in the sand and decide what animal their group has been assigned. The 3 animals that have been selected are a striped hyena, frog, and camel. The students will talk about the clues and explain how the materials are relevant to the animal that they think they have been assigned. They will discuss how their animal goes about getting the materials in their oases.


-Concept Development
During this session we will discuss the climate and the adaptations the animals have made in order to survive the varying weather. We will also discuss how the creatures go about getting food and water. The specifics our discussions have been included in an attachment.


-Application
Students will be introduced to 3 live new animals whose biome is not the Sahara desert. The groups’ job will be to describe the adaptations those animals would require in order to live in the Sahara Desert. The students will do so by creating an image of the live animal they have been assigned using colored pencils and paper.

C. Closure/Conclusion:
Once they have completed their work, the students discuss the adaptations made and how it assists their new species with survival. Teachers will also review specific survival tactics for each species.

Week 4: Camouflage!!

Week 4 of Science After School focused on camouflage and learning about the pepper moths. The kids did some different activities to help them understand the importance of camouflage and even created masks at the end of the lesson. They had to create a mask that they felt would blend into the environment in the book, "Where the Wild Things Are."

I had a great time working with the children and although I was teaching them they were teaching me as well. I was able to get a chance to work with the kids and help them enjoy science! There's so much that goes into planning a lesson, and even though Miss Traci, and I, Miss Megan, got off to a rocky start with planning to broad of a topic, once we had the camouflage idea everything else fell into place.

We created habitat pictures on a piece of construction paper the kids felt their animal would blend best with, we looked for pepper moths (newspaper moths) on a newspaper background, we read a story about the moths and why they changed colors,and we created the masks! Our room was decorated to resemble a forest and it turned out really cute! Science After School was such a great experience!

Thank you to all those who participated and all those who helped out throughout the weeks of Science After School!!

Week 4-Camouflage

Week 4 for the Primary group was on camouflage. The lesson dealt with moths that had adapted to their environment, by camouflaging themselves. At the end of the lesson the students were able to make masks to blend into their environment just like the monsters from the book. Science After School (SAS) was a great experience. However, like all great experiences you deal with hardships and victories. The hardship that I had to endure was finding the right lesson plan. I was originally thinking about topics that were too broad and common. Once I finally arrived at the right lesson plan, everything fell into place and my stress started to diminish. The victories that I dealt with were intuitive, attentive, and excited students who were willing to participate, this made the lesson a success. I experienced hardships and victories, which is what every teacher goes through. Science After School gave me an opportunity that I will always be grateful for and I can’t thank the parents enough for bringing their children to this event. Let’s keep Science After School going!

Here is a copy of Miss Megan and Miss Traci's Lesson Plan.
I. Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to: distinguish why an animal uses camouflage by creating a mask with 70% accuracy.

II. Assessment:
Method: Check list
Mastery: 5/7 satisfactory

III. Materials/Preparation:

§ Construction Paper
§ Pencils
§ Crayons
§ Markers
§ Glue
§ Magazines
§ Scissors
§ Feathers
§ Leaves
§ Pipe cleaners
§ Tissue papers
§ Cups
§ Paint brushes
§ Newspaper want ads
§ Activity Sheets

IV. Technology:
§ Picture of moth projected onto screen

V. Vocabulary:
§ Camouflage- to hide from an enemy by appearing to be part of a natural surrounding
§ Predators- an animal that lives by hunting for prey
§ Prey- a creature hunted or caught for food


VI. Instructional Processes:
A. Transition:
§ Flash lights to get students attention

B. Introduction:
§ Ask students:
o Based on the decorations of the room, do you think we are inside or outside?
o Are we in the desert or in the woods?
o What do you think we are going to learn about today?
o I guess you will have to wait and see!!

C. Procedures:
-Exploration
§ Go through old science or nature magazines in search of cool pictures of animals, insects or reptiles. Choose one of the pictures and carefully cut away the background so that only the animal remains.
§ Next, glue the picture on a similar color of construction paper.
§ Then create an environment that your animal will feel safe to be in. You can use colored markers, colored construction paper and/or textures cut from magazine illustrations to create your animal's habitat.
§ When your picture is finished, show it to a family member, classmate or friend to see if they can easily find the animal in your picture.

-Concept Development
o Ask students:
§ What is it called when an animal blends into its environment? (Camouflage)
§ Why would an animal need to blend into their environment? (Hide from predators or prey)
§ What is a predator?
§ What is a prey?
o To begin the lesson, tell the class that you have a page of paper moths under the sheet. Their task will be to look at the paper for 10-15 seconds and estimate the total number of moths and the number of different kinds (colors) of moths.
o Pass out the student activity sheet.
o Remove the sheet and allow students to observe for 10 seconds. Recover it with the sheet.
o Have students complete the first section by recording their estimates of the number of types of moths and the total number of moths they saw. Discuss their estimations.
o Uncover the paper and count the actual number of types and the total number of moths. Record this data in section 2 of the activity sheet.
o Discuss how the predictions and results compared.
o Complete section 3 by having the students count and record the number of each type of moth.
o Complete the bar graph by asking the students to raise their hands when you call out the color of the moth that was the easiest for them to see. Record this data on the board and have the student color the graph accordingly.
o Discussion Questions
· Which moths were the most camouflaged? The least?
· What would happen if the background had been red? Black? White?
o The moths that you looked at on the board have a relationship to the pepper moth.
o The pepper moths that lived in England were light colored so that they blended into the light colored bark of the surrounding trees.
o Before 1850 most of the moths were light colored.
o But by 1894 many of the moths were dark colored.
o This was because of the industrial revolution.
o The local factories were burning large amounts of fuel that produced air pollution.
o The trees and plants became coated with this pollution and turned darker in color.
o The light colored moths became highly visible on the darkened trees and were easy targets for their predators.
o In 47 years the moths had changed their color to adapt to the darker environment.
o Luckily, now that we are burning cleaner fuels the light colored moths are making a comeback.

If Extra Time:
o Cut out moth at top of activity sheet
o Tell students that they are going to choose a spot in the room to tape their moth.
o Each student will select a place and color their moth so that it blends into that location and is camouflaged.
o Students leave the class and reenter one at a time to tape their moth to its location.
o Moths cannot be placed under anything. Must be in plain sight.
o All students return and look around to see how many moths they can see.


-Application
§ Now, just like those Wild Things in the book, the children will create a mask that let’s other animals know they are dangerous J And then we will let the Wild Rumpus start ~
D. Closure/Conclusion:
So, let’s review:
What does it mean to be camouflaged?
What is a predator?
What is a prey?
What happened to the pepper moth a long time ago?

Week 4 The Ocean!

Week four

In this final week of Science After School Cady Radcliff and myself only found it appropriate to go on a voyage through the ocean! So watch out for those waves, and critters Max, because it's going to be smooth sailing from here on out! The classroom was set up into group tables of four with the mask for the wild rumpus set as a placement so the eager students could get to work immediately! In front of the room we had a visit from our guest fish, set on top of a fishnet surrounded by seashells and our fish tank filled with water. Between our mural in the back of the room and ocean music playing in the background it was the perfect mood! Our exploration was with the classic sink or swim activity, the students loved participating and making an educated guess about what would happen. To help with vocabulary the matching game was great, it really helped the students stay involved and not get distracted. We used colored Popsicle sticks to give group roles and used the table placement as the group. This was very important in helping us maintain our time management. Once the vocabulary game was finished we sailed on to testing out the students’ knowledge of density by playing another game based around the liquid water and density levels (refer to lesson plan for more detail). Now that the students had learned about density and buoyancy it was time to put their knowledge to good use by proceeding to a classic application. Working together as a group, students were given a box full of materials ( foam, clay, bubble wrap, aluminum foil, tape, one popsicle stick) see lesson plan for quaintly. In a time frame of 15 minutes each group had to use their knowledge to build a boat that would successfully float. To test which boat worked the best we placed wildthings ( pennies) on the boat in the fish tank filled with water. It was a supper success, in fact one boat held 64 pennies! I was so impressed in the way the students worked together, stayed on task, and gave positive feedback to each other! As I reflect on this lesson, I would try to have incorporated more hands on activity and visual demonstrations. Such as when we played the density game, I could of brought in real life visual and tested them opposed to just having the picture. This is a lesson I am very proud of and plan to use in my future classroom!

 

FAIRMONT STATE UNIVERSITY

School of Education

ELEMENTARY LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Name: Cady Radcliff & Kelli Hickson Date taught: Week 4 Time/Period: 60 minutes

Grade Level: 3-6 Group size: Whole group/three groups of five

Content Area: Science

Content Standard:

• SC.O.3.2.05 relate the buoyancy of an object to its density.

• SC.O.5.2.12 through experimentation, identify substances by their relative densities

I. Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:


• Identify basic vocabulary through playing a whole class match game.


• Apply knowledge of density and buoyancy to make the most affective boat that will with stand weight in water.






II. Materials/Preparation:


• Fish Tank


• Aluminum foil


• Coins (pennies)


• Clay


• Cushion Wrap


• Felt


• Cork sheet


• Nu-foam


• Kit boxes (could use shoe boxes)


• Density Blocks


• Print out of Vocabulary and definitions


• Magnet strips


• Pictures ( ice, Oak wood, gold, air, bricks, aluminum, water) and density levels


• Decorations for mask ( stickers, jewels,


• Markers


• Popsicle sticks


• Glue gun to glue sticks to mask


• Paint fish mural


• Fish net with sea decorations


• Blow Up Globe










III. Vocabulary:


• Density- How tightly atoms are packed together in a given space.






• Mass- the amount of stuff (matter) contained in an object.






• Volume- the amount of space taken up by the amount (quantity) of matter.






• Buoyant force- the ability of an object to float when placed in water


















IV. Instructional Processes:


A. Introduction/ Exploration:


Have a blow up globe and toss the globe around the room to the students, individually. Ask them where their thumbs land (most likely on water). When the globe has been passed from student to student, tell the class that 71% of the Earth is covered in water.






A. Intro: Cady will introduce with a short reading from the passage with max being on the boat to tie in the theme of our lesson which is “Ocean.” Placed in front of the room we will have our fish tank filled half way with water.






Exploration: (sink or float) In the front of the room there will be density blocks. Cady will pass the blocks around the class so that every student gets a better chance to observe the two. As the students observe the blocks Kelli will engage them with questions to think about such as: what do you notice are different about the two blocks? What is alike about them? After everyone feels the blocks Cady will then take a class poll of each block asking if they think it will sink or float. Then we will proceed with the activity to see which blocks will sink or float.






B. Concept Development:


• Kelli will then ask students questions to draw a conclusion about the why some blocks sank and the others did not. New vocabulary will be introduced to the class by asking each materials manager from each of the 5 different groups, (these have been pre-chosen and will have blue Popsicle sticks) to come up and pick up a random card that has a term on it. Then they will take it back to their group, and the group will have to decide on the correct definition that is placed on the chalkboard. Cady will then have the reporters (chosen with a red popsicle stick), bring their term up to the board and match it with the definition that their group decided on. She will then go over all the vocabulary as a whole class, and fix any that needs corrected, and mainly focus on the “rule”.


• On the board there will be two categories: Sink or Swim. Kelli will pass out pictures to each group, and let them decide if their picture sinks of floats. We will then have the facilitator (yellow popsicle stick) of each group come and bring up their groups picture and put it where it belongs. At this time we will then explain to the children that there is sometimes an exception to the rule. We will tell the children that if you have a piece of steel and just place it in the water it will sink. However if you take it and pound it out to where it is flat or forms like a boat then it will float. We will then show an example using a piece of balled up foil, when dropped the foil will sink. However when flattened out the foil will float, this will reinforce the exception.






C. Application:


Cady will begin by telling the children that Max from the story is going back home and wants to bring back as many wild things as he can on his boat so he has to have the boat that will float the best! She will then proceed to give directions as Kelli passes out the kits. The students will have to make a boat out of materials in their kit to see how many “Wild Things” or pennies their boat will hold. After ten minutes is up the facilitator (yellow stick) from each group will come up one at a time to test their boat. We will keep score by writing the total amount of pennies on the board. After each group’s boat has been tested, Kelli will go over why each boat floated, or sunk, and why the certain materials did what they did, this will be done by calling on the students with the blue Popsicle stick to tell how they made their boat. If there is any additional time students will continue to decorate the mask. We will also stamp the passports with boat stamp for the ocean.










D. Conclusion:


Since this is the week of Halloween we will have treat bags for each of the students to take home! Let the wild rumpus start!

Welcome to the Australian Outback!

G'day, mates and ankle biters!  During the third week of Science After School, Miss Bailey and I, Miss Teter, took the intermediate group on a wild adventure to the continent (and country) of Australia.  The journey began with some of the students exploring the different stations we set up.  They had to observe and describe different things that they saw.  I was impressed with the questions and observations that they had!  They are wonderful explorers :)

After our quick tour, Miss Bailey taught us some cool facts about Australia.  Did you know that there are about 750 different types of reptiles that live there?  That's more than any place on the planet!  Also, the seasons there are opposite from ours because they are located in the Southern Hemisphere.  While we are experiencing fall weather, the weather conditions there are more like springtime.  Crikey!

Our next leg of the journey took us back to the first learning station: "Wild Animals".  At this station, the students learned about eight different animals that live in Australia: kangaroos, emus, dingoes, kookaburras, crocodiles, koalas, duckbill platypuses, and frill-necked lizards.  What make these animals awesome are their unique traits.  For instance, koalas have fingerprints - just like us!  My favorite fact, however, is that when a baby kangaroo (a.k.a. a joey) is born, it is only 2cm in length.  That's the same size as a lima bean!

After we learned about animals, we moved on to the next part of our adventure: "Aboriginal Cultures".  The Aborigines are the first group of people to have lived in Australia.  Unlike most Australians, Aborigines speak a different language.  However, their culture is very fascinating.  They are very religious and use music and dance in their everyday lives.  We introduced the students to three different Aboriginal instruments: a didgeridoo, a djembe, and clapsticks.  At the end of this learning station, I taught the students how to do an Aboriginal dance.  I must say, the students did an amazing job!

We made one final stop on our journey.  The third station, which was titled "Boomerangs", provided information on what a boomerang is used for (hunting and entertainment), how it is similar and different to a Frisbee, and how to properly throw one.  Something that's interesting about a boomerang is that you can use it by yourself because it comes back to you after it's thrown!  It takes a lot of practice to perfect throwing one, but it's a lot of fun trying!

After we were done at the last station, the students broke up into three groups.  Each group went to a different station.  At the first station, the students used different materials to create "Wild Things" that were similar to the ones in the book "Where the Wild Things Are".  However, the ones that were being created had to have characteristics that would help them to adapt to Australian habitats.  At the second station, students were able to use instruments and create Aboriginal music and dancing!  The third station had students creating a boomerang out of Play-Doh.  They had to make sure to shape it so that it would be able to fly.  These stations allowed the students to use their creativity - and boy were they creative!

In the last part of the lesson, the students got to play a game that is similar to "Bingo".  However, since we were learning about Australia, this game was titled "Dingo".  The Dingo boards had the names and characteristics of the animals we learned about, and when one of those answers were called, the students got to put their chips down on the square that had the answer.  It was a close game, but Ezra came out on top as the winner!  Congratulations :)

Overall, our journey into the Australian outback was a lot of fun.  Hopefully all of us will be able to visit there someday and use our knowledge that we received!

Here is the lesson plan that Miss Bailey and I followed:

Name: Amanda Teter and Brittany Bailey Date taught: October 20, 2009 Time/Period: 3:30PM; 60 minutes

Grade Level: 3-6 Group size: approx. 14 students Content Area: Science: Biology and Physics

National Standard: 1) NSES; K-4; Content Standard C: All students should develop understanding of the characteristics, life cycles, and environments of organisms. 2) NSES; K-4; Content Standard E: All students should develop abilities of technological design

Content Standard: 1) SC.O.3.2.3: Students will compare physical characteristics and behaviors of living organisms and explain how they are adapted to a specific environment (e.g., beaks and feet in birds, seed dispersal, camouflage, or different types of flowers). 2) SC.O.4.2.21: Students will relate motion of an object to its frame of reference.

I. Instructional Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:

• Know and describe basic facts about Australia
• Describe many of the animals that inhabit Australia, as well as their living conditions
• Understand and describe Aborigine cultures (including food, shelter, forms of entertainment, means of survival, etc.)
• Describe the physics that make a boomerang not only soar through the air but come back to the person throwing it.

II. Assessment:

Method: Informal assessment will be used throughout the lesson, especially during the application time.

Mastery: Since there is not a formal assessment being used, the instructors will judge how well the students understand the material.

III. Materials/Preparation:

• Computer with Internet hookup
• 15 Dingo boards and 15 bags of chips (containing 16 chips each)
• 3 sheets of poster board (2 for road signs and one for the Australian flag)
• Paint for the backdrops, learning stations, etc (red, brown, green, black, blue, and yellow)
• Plain plastic boomerangs for throwing and decorating (15 for decorating, 4 for props in the classroom, and 2 for throwing outside)
• Decorations for boomerangs in case weather is not good for throwing them outside (tape and paint)
• Shower curtain and paint (for creating a map of Australia
• Beach ball that depicts a globe
• Wooden boomerang
• Frisbee
• Didgeridoo
• Sticks for Aboriginal dancing (dowel rods)
• Djembe (or shoebox if a djembe is not available)
• Materials for creating a “wild animal” (one bag each of feathers, pipe cleaners, cotton balls, and plastic eyes, six Styrofoam balls, five sheets of felt, two pairs of scissors, two containers of Play-Doh, and two bottles of glue
• Six containers of Play-Doh (for creating a boomerang)

IV. Technology:

There will be a lot of hands-on activity in this lesson. Students will have the opportunity to create animals or boomerangs, as well as learn and develop an Aboriginal dance (depending on which learning station they are in). They will also be given the chance to throw a boomerang outside (if weather permits).

V. Vocabulary:

• Duckbill platypus: an aquatic animal that resembles a beaver by its body shape and contains a bill, webbed feet with claws, and a flattened tail.
• Emu: a large, flightless bird that resembles an ostrich but is smaller in size
• Dingo: a wolf-like wild dog in Australia that usually has a reddish- or yellowish-brown fur
• Frill-necked lizard: a lizard that has a large ruff of skin folded back against its head and neck
• Kookaburra: an Australian bird that is known for its harsh cry that resembles a laugh
• Aborigine: a member of the dark-skinned people who were the earliest inhabitants of Australia
• Didgeridoo: a musical instrument of Australian Aborigines made from a long wooden tube that is blown into to create a low sound
• Djembe: an Aboriginal drum played with bare hands; also used in African cultures
• Boomerang: a bent or curved piece of wood used by the Aborigines as a throwing club; when thrown it flies out and returns back to the person who threw it
•  Various Aussie words posted around the room such as “bonzer,” “ankle biter,” “billabong,” etc.

VI. Instructional Processes:

A. Transition:

Greet the students at the door. The instructors will be dressed in bushman shirts and headgear (either a hat or an aboriginal headband) and possibly speak in an Australian accent (depending on how well we sound). Each student will receive a headband to wear upon arrival. After the students have had time to get situated, gather them around the open area of the room (between the desks and learning stations)

B. Introduction/ Exploration:

The instructors will let the students know that they are continuing on the path of finding out “where the wild things are,” and their journey has landed them in the Australian outback. There will be three different learning stations set up in the back of the classroom that cover the three topics of Australia that will be taught: animals, aboriginal culture, and boomerangs. Take the students around for a tour and instruct them to look at a few things from each station (such as the boomerang that we will have available at the boomerang station). Ask them questions such as “what kind of physical characteristics do you see in the animals?” After the tour, we will come back together as a group and discuss what we saw. Guided questions will be asked after each characteristic named (such as “Why do you think a boomerang is shaped that way?”). Let the class know that these unique characteristics are just a touch of what makes Australia a very exciting place to visit!

C. Procedures:

Concept Development:

• Describe facts about the country of Australia. This should include its size, location, and other interesting facts (such as the differences in weather “down under” as opposed to here in the United States, it’s the only continent that is made up of one country, etc.). There will be a map of Australia available for them to look at, as well as a beach ball that resembles a globe.
• Everyone will move to the first learning station. This is where the first area of science, biology, will be discussed. Students will learn about the different “wild” animals that inhabit Australia, such as kangaroos, crocodiles, emus, duckbill platypuses, koala bears, etc. They will also learn about the animals’ environments and how they have adapted for survival purposes. After learning about the eight different animals, the students will sit at the tables located near the front of the classroom and play a game called “Dingo,” which is similar to Bingo except animal names and characteristics will be used instead of numbers. After a name or characteristic is called, the instructors will ask questions such as “Do you remember which animal has fingerprints?” with the answer being koalas.
• Aboriginal culture will be the next learning station that the class visits. Students will learn about and understand the Aborigine culture and how it is different from not only our own cultures but from other cultures in Australia. The students will also be introduced to Aboriginal music, instruments (didgeridoo, djembe, and clapsticks), and dances. The instructors will then play aboriginal music and teach the students a basic aboriginal dance. They will get to use dowel rods as clapsticks during the dance.
• The class will then move to the third learning station. In the USA, children have either played with or been exposed to a Frisbee. Australian people, on the other hand, have a different flying toy they usually play with: a boomerang. This is where the second area of science, physics, will be discussed. Students will learn about the physics of how a boomerang not only flies but comes back to the individual who threw it. They will also understand how boomerangs are both similar and different from Frisbees, and the instructors will show them how to properly throw one. In addition to a leisure activity, boomerangs are also used as weapons to hunt animals (such as kangaroos).

Application:

Students will be broken up into three groups, and each group will go to a different learning station. In the first learning station, students will be shown pictures of “Wild Things” from the book “Where the Wild Things Are. They will be instructed to give characteristics to one of the animals so that it could properly adapt to Australian habitats. They will show with materials that are provided how it is modified and describe how its characteristics are essential for survival. The second learning station will encourage the students to create an Aboriginal dance. They can use the dance that was demonstrated in the concept development as a basis, and they will have access to the didgeridoo and other instruments that might be available to give it an authentic feel. In the third learning station, students will apply the knowledge they received from how a boomerang is constructed to create their own boomerang using Play-Doh. The students will describe how their boomerang will not only be able to fly but also come back to them. Each group will spend approximately 10 minutes at each station, then they will move to a different one. This will give all students an opportunity to show their creativity in all three stations!

D. Closure/Conclusion:

The students will come back to the open area of the classroom. The instructors will mention how much fun they have had on their adventure through the Australian outback! A quick review of information that they have learned would be beneficial. To show their appreciation, the instructors will take the students outside and let them practice throwing plastic boomerangs! This will give the students a chance to apply the knowledge they have received. If the weather is not conducive for throwing, the instructors will have boomerangs available for the students to decorate. Thank the students for “tagging along” on the quest for finding out “where the wild things are!”

VII. Strategies for Differentiation:

The instructors can adjust the way the content is taught based on the different learning styles (tactile, visual, auditory, etc.). For students will special needs, instructors can help them in the application portion of the lesson by guiding them along in whichever station they are in. For example, an instructor can help the student come up with ideas for making a boomerang.

VIII. Reflection: (This will be filled in once the lesson has been taught.)

1. Pedagogy: (Reflect on instructional methods used. What worked? What could be done differently? What problems arose?)
2. Aggregated Results: (Aggregate assessment results, and summarize overall student performance).
3. Student Learning: (Based on the results, did students learn? What percentage? What evidence supports these conclusions?)

Week 3 at Science After School

Survival in the Sahara.

Taught by Miss Mackenzie and Miss Vanessa 

During week three of Science After School, Vanessa and I taught the pimary grades all about the wild things of the Sahara Desert. We focused on three main animals, they were the Camel, The Stirped Hyena and the Desert Frog. Yes frogs do live in the desert, and as our students learned, they live near the oasis.

Below is a picture of our homemade oasis.

 

We started our lesson with the exploration.

 Here the students got yo dig around in the sand around their oasis to find clues that would link them to the three animals we are going to learn about. the clues had to do with the animals survival in the climate of the sahara, The cluse showed the animal's foot print, their eyes along with their skin/fur. Also in the sand was burried pictures of what the animals ate.

The first thing we talked about after the students got a change to dig and talk about what they found, was the climate of the sahara. We then campared that climate to what we experience around here, especially during the hot summer months. The students learned that the Sahara is a Non-Polar Desert, which mean it is really hot during the day and then it get really cold at night.

After the students learned about the climate they learned about the three different animals that they discovered using the clues from their osasis. First came the Camel and what he looks like and how he gets his food. The students learned about his long eyelashes and the tough skin on his knees. Next was the Frog that obviously relies on the Oasis to keep it moist, and how they are cold blooded, so theri body temperature changes as the air temperature changes. The final animal was the Striped Hyena, the students learned that it must stay in the shade to stay cool during the day, but it comes out at night to hunt for its food, therefore it is Nocturnal.

After the class learned about the animals look like, they learned about how they animals went about getting foor and water. The learned that the Camel eats almost anything and since it has leathery lips (that aren't too kissable) it can eat the cacti that most other desert animals would stay away from. The Frog relies on the Oasis for its survival and the Striped Hyena feeds at night and it is a scavenger so it eats things that have died.

From the Exploration we went to the Application.

During this part of the lesson the students looked about creatures that live here in WV, and had to draw adaptations they would need in order to survive in the desert. The animals the students looked at were; a fish, a guinea pig and a turtle. There were about three students at each table, and each table had a different animal to look at and create an adapation for. Most of the students who were at the fish table simply drew the fish in the oasis, because they knew the fish has to have water to survive. For the turtle those students put him near the oasis, so that he could be in quick reach of the water he needs to survive. When it came to the giunea pig, the students came up with a few more ideas such as giving it tough fur like the camel had on its knees. Both the turtle and the pig table wanted their animals to be able to eat cacti, so they gave thier animals leathery mouthes. 

Once we were done with the body of the lesson, we reviewed the vocabulary that we had learned that day. Those words were: Desert, Oasis, Climate, Nocturnal, Non-Polar Desert.

After the vocabulary review the class learned a poem called Exploring the Desert. For the poem we echo read, with Vanessa saying it first and me with the class repeating in back to her.

When we were all done the students finally got to go look at the animals like they had been waiting to do all evenign.

Here is our Classroom

Week two at Science After School

Bugs, bugs, everywhere!

Taught by Miss Sarah and Miss Sophie

*African music playing in the background*

          As the children came into the classroom, we pointed out our discovery table that had many different kinds of bugs on it. There were displays of butterflies, walking sticks, beetles, spiders, ticks, ants, bees, and even live hissing cockroaches! The students were intrigued by the hissing cockroaches because when you petted them, they hissed. (It sounded like we were frying bacon.)

          Once everyone arrived we started out lesson. We told the kids that we were going outside, but we had some ground rules first. I taught them 1-2-3 eyes on me, which came in handy later.

         We rode our zebra stripped magic school bus from the doors to our bug hunting location. With our clipboard, pencils, and magnifying glasses in hand, we hunted for bus. My group had a little surprise with a slug. Miss Sarah’s group saw a beetle. Then we hopped back into the bus to go back inside.

          When we came back inside the students sat on the multi-colored puzzle piece mats. It is nice not to have to sit in a chair all the time. Next, we compared the types of bugs that we saw. Miss Sarah and I gave out plastic bugs to the students and one by one we talked about them. We counted their legs and body parts, and then placed them on the board, one side or the other.       The students were very smart. They knew right away that the bugs on the left were insects and the bugs on the right were not insects. Then we compared some African bugs. By this time, the children knew their stuff and breezed through the pictures of African insects and other bugs. Toward the end of this part of the lesson, the students started getting a little restless, but have no fear; we had something else for them to do!           We came back into our seats and changed a While Thing into an insect. The monster/insects drawing were quite impressive. Some had wings and others had big eyes. Some were looking at you sideways, and others were showed their white teeth.

         After they finished their drawings, we taught them an insect song. They really liked the ant verse where they got to get up and march like an ant.            Then we broke out the insect “eggs”. We put them in warm water and watched them hatch. But while they were hatching, we talked Miss Sarah into holding a hissing cockroach! The kids went over to pet it and to hear it hiss at them. 

          Once their insects hatched, they figured out what their insects were. We had flies, dragon flies, and ants, and even a butterfly.           There was a little bit of a surprise at the end of our lesson. We got to eat meal worms. They were BBQ flavored. To my surprise, all of the children wanted to try one. Then we pack up their things and sent them home. 

I can’t wait to see what they do next week.

Wild, Wonderful Eastern Woodland Indians!

Where exactly are those wild things we keep talking about?! 

    In week two, students learned all about where they might actually be able to find some wild things: their backyard!  Eastern Woodlans Indians settled all along the eastern coast and even here, in West Virginia.  In an attempt to find out more about the Eastern Woodland Indians and the wild things in our own backyards, we set out on a camping trip!

Classroom environment: We wanted students to be excited about our lesson and we could think of no better way than to transform our classroom!  With the help of a tent, campfire, and flashlights we were able to turn our boring, college classroom into a coloful West Virginia campsite. Setup in the back corner of the room was an exploration table and in the front was supply table.  We put an extra-large poster of West Virginia on the wall with the counties outlined so students would have a visual representation. (There was also a huge movie poster of "Where the Wild Things Are"!!)  Mr. Wolf and I also wore "Where the Wild Things Are" t-shirts for some added fun!

The entire hour was packed with activities for the students!  We split our time with the students into an exploration, 4 stations, and a closure.  We aimed to incorporate the Eastern Woodland Indian culture with the theme of "Where the Wild Things Are" in a fun, yet challenging learning environment.  My partner and I knew that keeping our students' attention was going to be essential to our success as first-time teachers.  Since students had already been sitting all day at school, we planned for very little inactive time in our lesson.


Station #1: In the folklore station, we turned out the lights and got into a huge tent while students listened to the "Big Chief" read a folklore legend of Seneca Rocks with the help of some handy flashlights!  The students were very attentive during the story and surprised me with their previous knowledge of Seneca Rocks. 


Station #3: In the housing station, students were given the opportunity to explore a real, live tipi (see picture below)!  Students learned about the three tpes of housing that were associated with the Eastern Woodland Indians: tipis, wigwams, and longhouses and the evolution from a nomadic society to an agrarian society.
(See Mr. Wolfe's blog for Stations #2 and #4)

Other Activities:  To stick with our Native American theme, we incorporated many small details into the lesson to give it an authentic feel.  We used "Laws of the Council" as our classroom management plan.  Students used the sign of the Woodraft and referred to their teachers as "Big Chief".  During the exploration, students got a hands on look at animal tracks of some animals they might find in their backyard, such as a deer, fox, bear, etc. In pairs, students were challenged to match animal pictures with the corresponding animal tracks.  Four stations later, students got the opportunity to have their faces painted like traditional Native American warriors during the conclusion!

A special thanks! Thanks so much to everyone who helped us with our lesson!  It was a huge help to have everyone running last minute errands so we could keep things running smoothly with the students.  I'm so thankful to have such supportive classmates! :)

More picures to come!

A Creepy Crawly Lesson!

The crazy girl above holding a Madagascar hissing cockroach is me, Miss Sarah!

I held this creepy crawly bug during my Science After School lesson with the Primary students.  These roaches were part of a discovery table that my K-2 group of kids thoroughly enjoyed.

The goal of the lesson that Miss Sophie and I put together was to have our students be able to classify and identify an insect from a non-insect.  An insect has 6 legs and 3 body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen).  I'll now take you through the events of the hour we spent with the wonderful students:

• The students walked in and went to the discovery table.
• We told the students we would be talking about bugs.
• We took the students outside with clipboards, pencils, and magnifying glasses and had them draw bugs they saw (paying close attention to legs/body parts).
• When we came back inside, the students picked plastic bugs that looked like their drawings and we divided these selections into two groups on the board, but didn't tell students how we were classifying
• We then explained that they were grouped by insects and non-insects.  Here is a picture of me pointing to the non-insects:
  
  
  
  
  

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   After this we took example of African bugs (they're laminated and setting on the chalkboard) and held an insect and non-insect.  The students were to stand up if I was holding the insect or remain seated if Sophie was holding the insect.
  
  
  
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  The students then turned a wild thing into an insect.  It was a great application for the kids because they had to figure out how many more legs and body part the wild thing needed:
  
  
  
  
  

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  Once this was done we taught the kids the insect song which can be found here:  http://www.mrsjonesroom.com/songs/insects2.html.
  
  
  
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  Then we hatched "insect eggs."  We used pellets that turn into sponges in warm water as our eggs
  
  This is when Miss Sophie got me to hold the hissing cockroach (We were waiting for eggs to hatch.):
  
  
  
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  We then handed out spider rings which the students decided were not insects because they have too many legs.
  
  
  
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  Last but not least, we handed out an edible non-insect: barbecue flavored meal worms which the students surprisingly ate!
  
  
  
  Overall, the lesson was great!  I enjoyed the students and I really appreciate all the parents who brought their children to Fairmont State's Science After School Program.
  
  

Welcome to the Polar Region!!!

Science After School!!

Hello to all of the wild things out there! My name is Maria Alvaro, and I am going to talk about my week with the intermediate students at Science After School 2009. Kaylin and I started the week with a journey to the Polar region, exploring the wild things. We introduced the theme of the week by giving each child a crown with the name “Max” on it, symbolizing Max from the book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. The students decorated their crowns while waiting for the voyage to begin.

Once every child had arrived, we kicked off the lesson with a little help from our friends Courtney and Josh, the dancing penguins. They were great!! Any person willing to do the running man in a penguin costume gets my vote. After we warmed up, we read a few passages from the book to the students. We then began our exploration of the Polar Region. The students were so smart! I introduced the six wild things that we’d be discussing for the next hour. The wild things were as follows: a caribou, polar bear, arctic fox, arctic hare, snowy owl, and a walrus. The students knew more than I had imagined about these fascinating wild things. I would introduce each animal, and each student would tell me everything they knew about it. I filled in the gaps with each animal, giving them fascinating facts about each wild thing. Did you know that a domesticated caribou is actually a reindeer? That was their favorite fact of the day. Also, did you know that a polar bear has black skin? The students were so intrigued by this information! I love when students learn something new. We played a game about the wild things, applying our fresh ideas to the lesson.

After the game, we transitioned into Kaylin’s portion of the lesson, learning about the food chain and food web. The students learned about autotrophs, primary and secondary consumers and producers, predators, and so much more! The students were broken into two groups, one led by me and the other led by Kaylin. The intermediate students raced to put together two different food chains correctly. Once finished, the students had to place the consumers, producers, autotrophs and predators on the board to win the race! Both groups did a fantastic job! Following the races, the students formed a big circle and played a game with the food web using a ball of yarn. The students learned to apply their prior knowledge to a new and unfamiliar situation. The students realized that animals may become extinct, and if that happens, many other animals, insects, plants, etc. could be affected.

The students came to the conclusion that we need to keep our land safe and animals protected in order to survive the next 5 billion years! It was a successful day and I can’t wait until week two!!! Next stop: The Native American’s of North America!

-----Maria-----

Maria and Kaylin with the students! They love to learn!

Courtney the Penguin!