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.