In this particular project, I tried to incorporate a variety of math skills such as basic operations, measurement conversions, and time.
So enjoy, and Happy Valentine's Day!
Give Project Based Learning a Try!
It's been a while since I posted; a busy start to 2017 for me! In an effort to spread the good word of Project Based Learning, I'm sharing a free download so you can give it a try. Project Based Learning is such an engaging and relevant way for students to practice skills they are learning in school within a real life scenario. This freebie is just a mini version of what Project Based Learning has to offer, but I thought it would give you an idea of what is involved.
In this particular project, I tried to incorporate a variety of math skills such as basic operations, measurement conversions, and time.
In this particular project, I tried to incorporate a variety of math skills such as basic operations, measurement conversions, and time.
There's More to a STEM Challenge than Meets the Eye
Engineering standards are a new part of science curriculum. The Next Generation Science Standards include standards and practices specifically for engineering. The challenge teachers are facing is teaching their students about engineering when they have not had much experience with engineering themselves.
Many teachers are turning to STEM challenges to get some engineering into their science curriculum. Unfortunately, many of the STEM challenges out there don't teach much about engineering or the engineering design process.
In engineering, there are several key pieces that teachers should consider when designing challenges for their students. First, engineering addresses a problem. Clients hire engineers to address a problem by designing something specific to solve a problem. Clients often have a variety of constraints that must be adhered to. Some common constraints include budget, materials, and time.
Once a specific prob;em is identified, engineers go through a specific process called the Engineering Design Process. This process involves several steps within a cycle. The first step involves addressing the problem by asking a question. Next, engineers use their creativity to imagine what a solution to the problem might be. After they come up with an idea, they make a plan. Often this step involves drawing or sketching ideas on paper. Once ideas are planned, it's time for the engineer to create a model or prototype. This model or prototype can be tested out and then improved. The process is cyclical, so engineers often go through several iterations of this process until they have a solution to the problem.
One of my newest products includes an editable power point that offers background information on what engineering is, different types of engineers, as well as the steps in the engineering design process. I also include teacher and student pages for 3 different engineering design challenges.
Check it out:
Cooperative Groups: A Job For Everyone!
Using cooperative groups in the classroom has become more and more popular in recent years. Research supports social interaction as a means to boost conceptual understanding. We all know that some of the best teachers out there are the students themselves. They are able to explain things to each other in ways that make sense. Having the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other is also a benefit to working in cooperative groups.
Of course, we've all experienced the pros and cons of cooperative groups. Sometimes, strong students end up pulling the weight of the group. Other times, bossy students take over and don't let everyone contribute. One solution to these issues is assigning specific jobs to students with detailed duties. When students have specific roles, everyone is involved in the lesson and has a vested interest in the group.
Check out this freebie from my TpT store. There are 7 jobs total, so you can pick and choose which ones work best for your particular activity. One of my personal favorite jobs is Ambassador. This job allows students to visit other groups to ask questions and see ideas from other groups. Enjoy!
Of course, we've all experienced the pros and cons of cooperative groups. Sometimes, strong students end up pulling the weight of the group. Other times, bossy students take over and don't let everyone contribute. One solution to these issues is assigning specific jobs to students with detailed duties. When students have specific roles, everyone is involved in the lesson and has a vested interest in the group.
Check out this freebie from my TpT store. There are 7 jobs total, so you can pick and choose which ones work best for your particular activity. One of my personal favorite jobs is Ambassador. This job allows students to visit other groups to ask questions and see ideas from other groups. Enjoy!
Teaching 5th Graders: Always an Adventure
I had the opportunity the other day to teach a science lesson to a bunch of 5th graders. This may not seem like that big of a deal, and it probably wasn't. But after being away from teaching 5th graders for 4 years, I have a new appreciation for them. Here's what I can confirm about 5th graders:
This one is true of all learners in my opinion, but I especially appreciated how well they responded to my questions. Perhaps this is a practice used by their teacher so they are used to it; but not one student balked at my questions, even when I answered their question with another question...one of my favorite sneaky moves.
Who doesn't?!! One thing that helped with this was having the students in a cooperative group with assigned roles. For this activity one student was the materials manager, another was the task manager, a third was the recorder, and the last was the reporter.
All in all, I had an amazing time! It really made me realize how much I miss teaching this grade. That being said, there are many occasions when my college students remind me a lot of fifth graders!
1. They are eager to learn.
Looking around at the 26 pairs of eyes that were virtually eyes of strangers, I could see that they all had a genuine interest in the activity they were about to partake in. It may have had something to do with the engaging hands on science activity I was presenting to them, but nevertheless, it was genuine.2. They still need their teacher to model what they are expected to do.
I thought my directions were pretty clear for the first part of the activity. They were to write a list of properties of 4 random objects. Initially they all just sat around with very little pencil moving going on. I had to walk around and prompt each group with what to do. If I had it to do over again I would have done the first one with them so that they knew exactly what was expected.3. They respond well to probing questions.
This one is true of all learners in my opinion, but I especially appreciated how well they responded to my questions. Perhaps this is a practice used by their teacher so they are used to it; but not one student balked at my questions, even when I answered their question with another question...one of my favorite sneaky moves.
4. They occasionally get distracted and like to goof around.
Who doesn't?!! One thing that helped with this was having the students in a cooperative group with assigned roles. For this activity one student was the materials manager, another was the task manager, a third was the recorder, and the last was the reporter.
All in all, I had an amazing time! It really made me realize how much I miss teaching this grade. That being said, there are many occasions when my college students remind me a lot of fifth graders!
Science and Engineering Practices
Whether your school district has adopted the Next Generation Science Standards or not, the 8 science and engineering practices outlined in NGSS should not be overlooked. The NGSS brings together 3 dimensions for teaching and learning science and engineering. One of these dimensions includes these eight practices. Teachers should be working towards giving their students opportunities to engage in these practices while learning science and engineering concepts. It may seem a little overwhelming at first, but these practices are very doable with students as young as kindergarten.
One thing teachers should keep in mind when trying to incorporate the practices into lessons, is that it's just about impossible to include all the practices within one lesson. The idea behind these practices is to provide students opportunities to engage in the practices over the course of a unit. For example, in my Space Unit, students may be engaging in analyzing data and performing mathematical computations when investigating the relative distances of planets. On another day, students may be planning and carrying out investigations when investigating the impact gravity has on different sized objects. When designing my units or mini units, I try to get to all of the practices, but not necessarily in one lesson.
Of course, some practices are more difficult to implement than others; we all will have our favorites. Check out the NGSS Appendix F found here to get ideas on how you can provide opportunities for your students to engage in practices that are used by real scientists and engineers. There's a breakdown included to show teachers how the practices progress from Kindergarten through Grade 12 that I think you will find very useful.
One thing teachers should keep in mind when trying to incorporate the practices into lessons, is that it's just about impossible to include all the practices within one lesson. The idea behind these practices is to provide students opportunities to engage in the practices over the course of a unit. For example, in my Space Unit, students may be engaging in analyzing data and performing mathematical computations when investigating the relative distances of planets. On another day, students may be planning and carrying out investigations when investigating the impact gravity has on different sized objects. When designing my units or mini units, I try to get to all of the practices, but not necessarily in one lesson.
Of course, some practices are more difficult to implement than others; we all will have our favorites. Check out the NGSS Appendix F found here to get ideas on how you can provide opportunities for your students to engage in practices that are used by real scientists and engineers. There's a breakdown included to show teachers how the practices progress from Kindergarten through Grade 12 that I think you will find very useful.
Predict, Observe, Explain; An Effective Teaching Strategy You Should Try!
Through my job of teaching future teachers, I have researched and tested out a variety of effective strategies. One of the latest is the Predict, Observe, Explain strategy. Although I have seen literature regarding this strategy for students at the secondary level, I believe elementary students can handle this strategy as well.
Predict, Observe, Explain, (POE). is exactly what you would expect. Basically, students make predictions about what will happen in an experiment, observe the experiment, and then explain what happened and why. This is especially effective with science demonstrations. For example, if I want to mix baking soda and vinegar together in a demo, I would ask the students, "What do you think will happen when I mix these together?" Students would then take a few minutes to write down their predictions. Once everyone has had a chance to predict, discussion can take place where students explain their predictions and their rationale for them. This can uncover common misconceptions and help teachers direct their questioning appropriately. Next the teacher conducts the experiment and students observe. Students can record observations and then think about why the experiment produced certain results. Finally, students try to come up with their own scientific explanations. Teachers can then interject where necessary to make sure students have the correct scientific explanation.
In today's classrooms, we don't always have the time or materials for all students to be conducting experiments. This is a great alternative to make sure they are getting exposed to key scientific concepts. Predict, Observe, Explain also gives students the opportunities to engage in scientific practices such as engaging in argument, or drawing conclusions.
One of my more recent creations is a set of 10 demonstrations with Predict, Observe, Explain sheets for each one. Give them a try; you won't regret it!
Predict, Observe, Explain (POE) in a Nutshell
Predict, Observe, Explain, (POE). is exactly what you would expect. Basically, students make predictions about what will happen in an experiment, observe the experiment, and then explain what happened and why. This is especially effective with science demonstrations. For example, if I want to mix baking soda and vinegar together in a demo, I would ask the students, "What do you think will happen when I mix these together?" Students would then take a few minutes to write down their predictions. Once everyone has had a chance to predict, discussion can take place where students explain their predictions and their rationale for them. This can uncover common misconceptions and help teachers direct their questioning appropriately. Next the teacher conducts the experiment and students observe. Students can record observations and then think about why the experiment produced certain results. Finally, students try to come up with their own scientific explanations. Teachers can then interject where necessary to make sure students have the correct scientific explanation.
In today's classrooms, we don't always have the time or materials for all students to be conducting experiments. This is a great alternative to make sure they are getting exposed to key scientific concepts. Predict, Observe, Explain also gives students the opportunities to engage in scientific practices such as engaging in argument, or drawing conclusions.
One of my more recent creations is a set of 10 demonstrations with Predict, Observe, Explain sheets for each one. Give them a try; you won't regret it!
Back to School Time!
Back to School is almost here! Sometimes it's hard to find that energy to re-motivate when you've spent some lazy days around the pool. Here's a few tips to get going:
1. Get in your classroom! There's something about that smell and being there that gets the energy pumping!
2. Hang out on Pinterest for a few hours. There are tons of inspiring and awesome ideas out there!
3. Make a list of all the must do's before those kids arrive, and plan out when you will get them done.
4. Visit the Teachers Pay Teachers annual sale August 1st and 2nd. This is a great opportunity to find some great products to reignite your passion for teaching. With the promotion code you'll save 28% off most stores.
5. Finally, go shopping for some Teacher Clothes and find that perfect outfit for the first day of school!
1. Get in your classroom! There's something about that smell and being there that gets the energy pumping!
2. Hang out on Pinterest for a few hours. There are tons of inspiring and awesome ideas out there!
3. Make a list of all the must do's before those kids arrive, and plan out when you will get them done.
4. Visit the Teachers Pay Teachers annual sale August 1st and 2nd. This is a great opportunity to find some great products to reignite your passion for teaching. With the promotion code you'll save 28% off most stores.
5. Finally, go shopping for some Teacher Clothes and find that perfect outfit for the first day of school!