Hello again all!
Sorry for the lack of posts in the past weeks. It has been a very busy time for us interns with teaching our lessons for a very big and important graduation project.
Since I have finished teaching my unit to be observed in order to graduate, I can now return back to my research project.
This past week we finished a reading unit that involved both fiction and non-fiction text. Next week, we start our reading inventory test. So what to do with those awkward few days between a unit and a test? Find engaging readings and work on our literary elements of course!
In order to prepare for our reading inventory test, I had students review how to compare and contrast text using a Venn Diagram. This gave me the opportunity to use my own selection of materials. So naturally, I went ahead and picked some articles that involved science. The topic we focused on is "Our Sun".
First, I had my students dig for some prior knowledge. I asked students what do they already know about our sun? I received answers such as "it is a star", "it is the center of our solar system", and "It is hotter than 20 ovens combined". It seemed to me that my students had pretty basic understanding of our Sun.
Before we read the articles, I had my students play vocabulary match up with the following terms: solar cycle, solar wind, star, sunspot, and Coronal Mass Ejection. This helped the students to understand the terms they would be reading so that when they did come across it in our text, they wouldn't have to go and search for what the term meant. With each vocabulary term, I extended the definition and gave an example of each term. For example: Coronal Mass Ejection (CME's) are bursts from the sun that send a lot of charged particles towards Earth. Needless to say when I was saying all this, I was pushing my arms way to show the power of the ejection. I think some of my students may have not been expecting me to "burst" because their faces dropped. I then explained that the particles that get through the magnetosphere are what causes our Aurora's. Once I mentioned Aurora's, the lightbulbs started to go off in their heads. They were eager to share with me everything they knew about these beautiful lights in the sky.
From there, I head my students first read "Sun Catcher" in National Geographic Explorer (May 2012 Edition). Students wrote down in the left side of their venn diagram important details and information from the article. I then had students share the information they collected and wrote their information on the board.
Next, I had my students watch the video "Our Sun, A Real Star" from NASA eClips. They took notes during the video and afterwards filled in the right side of the venn diagram. The students then compared the information from the two sources and saw what was the common information.
The students seemed to enjoy reading and seeing the information about the Sun rather than start their new text book. It may be that the students just don't like the other book, but it really seemed the students enjoyed reading the science articles and talking about the science content.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Week 5
This past week I started my trade book unit for reading. We are using the book The Last Safe House. This book includes both fiction and non-fiction portions about slavery and the Underground Railroad.
For this book, my class will spend three days on each chapter. The first day they will read the non-fiction pages to give prior knowledge of the types of events/places that are mentioned in the fiction part of the chapter. The second day, students will read the fiction story of the chapter and discuss the chapter in either groups or as a class. The third day, students will create a slide using powerpoint to summarize a certain aspect of the chapter. (Ex: What important details are in this chapter?)
The great part of the non-fiction pages is the type of information that is included. At first glance, one would not think there would be any science involved in this type of literature. However, I found that to not be true.
In chapter 2, the non-fiction pages talk about how the runaway slaves used stars to navigate. I thought that this would be a great point to focus on. Before my students read the story, I had them complete the following activity.
Activity:
Before class:
Before the day starts, place either cut out circles or stars around the classroom. I put about 40-50 stars around my classrooms in random formations. I also placed the big dipper and little dipper on the walls of my classroom.
During class:
First I asked my students, "How do you think slaves were able to navigate their way north? Instantly I had about 6 students raise their hands. The students said things like, "navigated by stars, moss on a tree, paths, people, etc..."
I then informed students that the slaves did indeed use the stars to navigate their way north. I then asked students, "who else used the stars to navigate?" The students responded by saying sailors did. They learned this during their last social studies unit.
I then asked students, how did the slaves know how to navigate by the stars to find north? After several responses, I stated that by word of mouth, the slaves knew that a star called Polaris would help them find north. So how did they know which star this was? They looked for the big dipper. I then displayed a picture of the big dipper. I asked students if they had seen this constellation before. They all said yes. I then informed students that the slaves would look for this in the sky to help them find the north star. They would use the star on the right side of the pan, go straight from there and find the biggest, brightest star in the sky, Polaris. This star is the tip of the handle on the Little Dipper.
So why use this star? I informed students that the star known as the North Star is directly above our north pole. Stars stay positioned in their spots while our world rotates. The star will always be in the same place. Therefore, the North Star stays at 0 degrees North.
I then asked students to take the piece of paper in front of them and roll it into a telescope. I turned off the lights and asked students to look for the Big Dipper just as the slaves would have. Once students found the Big Dipper, I asked students what they would do next? They answered look off the star on the pan for the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper. They then turned their telescopes towards the Little Dipper and were able to find our North Star in the classroom.
Lastly, I asked students what would they do if there were clouds and they couldn't see the stars? I stated that one of our classmates had already mentioned it. I then asked that student to repeat herself. "They used moss on the trees." I then explained that moss grows on the north side of a tree, so that even if they couldn't see the stars, they were able to still navigate north.
Simple activity? Yes, but it gets students thinking, helps them learn a new concept, and has students learn new information in a different way. Could I have simply just said all the information rather than have the students look for the star and navigate as if they were a slave? Yes, but having students take part in the experience themselves helps to solidify new informtion.
This particular lesson, I was being observed by my professor. What she observed matched with exactly what I saw while I was teaching. The students were engaged, they loved being able to navigate the stars, and they were intrigued to find out how slaves navigated with/without clouds. My students loved the information we talked about. Once the first couple of students gave responses, every other hand shot up. They all wanted to share. When I revealed step by step how to navigate, I would hear "ooh's and ahh's" around the classroom. This seems to be a common thing that happens whenever I integrate STEM materials/activities into a lesson. The students were engaged and excited throughout the entire lesson. So far, there has not been an activity or material that the students did not react positively to.
Please feel free to comment with your feedback, experiences, or activities you may have done in the classroom!
For this book, my class will spend three days on each chapter. The first day they will read the non-fiction pages to give prior knowledge of the types of events/places that are mentioned in the fiction part of the chapter. The second day, students will read the fiction story of the chapter and discuss the chapter in either groups or as a class. The third day, students will create a slide using powerpoint to summarize a certain aspect of the chapter. (Ex: What important details are in this chapter?)
The great part of the non-fiction pages is the type of information that is included. At first glance, one would not think there would be any science involved in this type of literature. However, I found that to not be true.
In chapter 2, the non-fiction pages talk about how the runaway slaves used stars to navigate. I thought that this would be a great point to focus on. Before my students read the story, I had them complete the following activity.
Activity:
Before class:
Before the day starts, place either cut out circles or stars around the classroom. I put about 40-50 stars around my classrooms in random formations. I also placed the big dipper and little dipper on the walls of my classroom.
During class:
First I asked my students, "How do you think slaves were able to navigate their way north? Instantly I had about 6 students raise their hands. The students said things like, "navigated by stars, moss on a tree, paths, people, etc..."
I then informed students that the slaves did indeed use the stars to navigate their way north. I then asked students, "who else used the stars to navigate?" The students responded by saying sailors did. They learned this during their last social studies unit.
I then asked students, how did the slaves know how to navigate by the stars to find north? After several responses, I stated that by word of mouth, the slaves knew that a star called Polaris would help them find north. So how did they know which star this was? They looked for the big dipper. I then displayed a picture of the big dipper. I asked students if they had seen this constellation before. They all said yes. I then informed students that the slaves would look for this in the sky to help them find the north star. They would use the star on the right side of the pan, go straight from there and find the biggest, brightest star in the sky, Polaris. This star is the tip of the handle on the Little Dipper.
So why use this star? I informed students that the star known as the North Star is directly above our north pole. Stars stay positioned in their spots while our world rotates. The star will always be in the same place. Therefore, the North Star stays at 0 degrees North.
I then asked students to take the piece of paper in front of them and roll it into a telescope. I turned off the lights and asked students to look for the Big Dipper just as the slaves would have. Once students found the Big Dipper, I asked students what they would do next? They answered look off the star on the pan for the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper. They then turned their telescopes towards the Little Dipper and were able to find our North Star in the classroom.
Lastly, I asked students what would they do if there were clouds and they couldn't see the stars? I stated that one of our classmates had already mentioned it. I then asked that student to repeat herself. "They used moss on the trees." I then explained that moss grows on the north side of a tree, so that even if they couldn't see the stars, they were able to still navigate north.
Simple activity? Yes, but it gets students thinking, helps them learn a new concept, and has students learn new information in a different way. Could I have simply just said all the information rather than have the students look for the star and navigate as if they were a slave? Yes, but having students take part in the experience themselves helps to solidify new informtion.
This particular lesson, I was being observed by my professor. What she observed matched with exactly what I saw while I was teaching. The students were engaged, they loved being able to navigate the stars, and they were intrigued to find out how slaves navigated with/without clouds. My students loved the information we talked about. Once the first couple of students gave responses, every other hand shot up. They all wanted to share. When I revealed step by step how to navigate, I would hear "ooh's and ahh's" around the classroom. This seems to be a common thing that happens whenever I integrate STEM materials/activities into a lesson. The students were engaged and excited throughout the entire lesson. So far, there has not been an activity or material that the students did not react positively to.
Please feel free to comment with your feedback, experiences, or activities you may have done in the classroom!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Week 4
As the end of the first week of state testing begins, a break is in high demand for my students. In order to relax the minds and make an ordinary writing lesson more exciting, I decided to spice up my lesson by integrating science materials into writing.
This past week, I started the opinion writing unit for my class. In order to prepare my students for writing opinion pieces, I had to teach students had to use an opinion organizer. Instead of using the suggested article for students, I decided to pick an article that connected to a topic the class showed interest in, space.
I began by introducing a pro/con organizer to my class. I modeled how to use the organizer by using last weeks article on Beluga Whales. I used this article in order to have students be familiar with the content rather than throwing something new at them after they worked all week on their state assessments.
After modeling how to use the organizer, I had my students pair up and reread the article and search for pros/cons. After searching with a partner, I had students share pros/cons they found in the Beluga Whale article.
The next day, in order to see if they understood how to use a pro/con organizer, I had students work independently to fill in the organizer. This time, I gave students a new article. The article the students read is titled "End of an Era" (http://www.sciencenewsforkids.
As I walked around to see student progress, I noticed that a lot of students were very engaged in the article. Usually when I give students a assigned reading, they tend to get distracted or simply "stare off into space". The articles usually do not seem to hold the interest of the students. I usually end up having the use focusing tactics to keep students on track with their work. However, as I walked around, 21 out of 23 students were continuously engaged and kept focus on their assignment. It is a great thing to see this not only as a teacher, but a student intern. When that many students are focused and actively showing that they are enjoying an assigned reading, it tells you that you are indeed doing something right.
I collected the students organizers to check for understanding and completion. Every student, which is hard to say most of the time, understood how to use a pro/con organizer and were able to provide detailed pros/cons to support their opinion statement. This is great because from here on out, students will be able to continue with the writing process and start drafting an introductory paragraph for their opinion pieces.
At the end of this lesson, I had students complete an exit survey. Every once in a while, I plan to do this in order to gather student feedback to support my theory of STEM materials. After reading the surveys, what I observed about student engagement seems to be consisted in the opinions of the students. Below are a few examples of student responses.
Q: "Did you like reading an article about science and space rather than an article that was not about science. Why?"
A:
"I think science articles are better because I like science a lot. I think it is fascinating."
"Yes because I learned a lot more than I would and I thought it was really exciting."
"Yes, I am interested in space and wanted to know why they stopped launching space shuttles."
"I liked it because I feel like having a variety is a good thing than sticking with 1 subject."
This past week, I started the opinion writing unit for my class. In order to prepare my students for writing opinion pieces, I had to teach students had to use an opinion organizer. Instead of using the suggested article for students, I decided to pick an article that connected to a topic the class showed interest in, space.
I began by introducing a pro/con organizer to my class. I modeled how to use the organizer by using last weeks article on Beluga Whales. I used this article in order to have students be familiar with the content rather than throwing something new at them after they worked all week on their state assessments.
After modeling how to use the organizer, I had my students pair up and reread the article and search for pros/cons. After searching with a partner, I had students share pros/cons they found in the Beluga Whale article.
The next day, in order to see if they understood how to use a pro/con organizer, I had students work independently to fill in the organizer. This time, I gave students a new article. The article the students read is titled "End of an Era" (http://www.sciencenewsforkids.
As I walked around to see student progress, I noticed that a lot of students were very engaged in the article. Usually when I give students a assigned reading, they tend to get distracted or simply "stare off into space". The articles usually do not seem to hold the interest of the students. I usually end up having the use focusing tactics to keep students on track with their work. However, as I walked around, 21 out of 23 students were continuously engaged and kept focus on their assignment. It is a great thing to see this not only as a teacher, but a student intern. When that many students are focused and actively showing that they are enjoying an assigned reading, it tells you that you are indeed doing something right.
I collected the students organizers to check for understanding and completion. Every student, which is hard to say most of the time, understood how to use a pro/con organizer and were able to provide detailed pros/cons to support their opinion statement. This is great because from here on out, students will be able to continue with the writing process and start drafting an introductory paragraph for their opinion pieces.
At the end of this lesson, I had students complete an exit survey. Every once in a while, I plan to do this in order to gather student feedback to support my theory of STEM materials. After reading the surveys, what I observed about student engagement seems to be consisted in the opinions of the students. Below are a few examples of student responses.
Q: "Did you like reading an article about science and space rather than an article that was not about science. Why?"
A:
"I think science articles are better because I like science a lot. I think it is fascinating."
"Yes because I learned a lot more than I would and I thought it was really exciting."
"Yes, I am interested in space and wanted to know why they stopped launching space shuttles."
"I liked it because I feel like having a variety is a good thing than sticking with 1 subject."
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Week 3
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This past week, I implemented STEM materials into my writing
lessons.
During the middle of the week, we finished up our poetry
unit and started to move into opinion writing. Our first lesson was on how to
write a hook. In order to learn how to write about hooks, I first modeled four
different types of hooks (question, fact, quote, and short story) using science
or technology articles I had read.
After showing my examples, I had students read on article on
whether or not Beluga Whales should be put in zoos or aquariums(http://www.timeforkids.com/news/debate/80636). Now I know
you’re probably think how does that relate to science? Many people when they
think of science only think about space or chemistry. There is another part of
science that is often overlooked, biology. Children at this age love to learn
about various animals and their habitats. I took that interest and geared it
toward an article that questions whether they think beluga whales should be put
in zoos and aquariums.
The next day, as a small group of students were finishing up
their poem books, I had a large group sit with me in the front of the class on
the floor and go over the hooks we created after reading the article on Beluga
Whales. I read aloud a random selection of hooks (keeping the names of the
students anonymous) and had students gauge with their thumbs whether is was
great (thumbs up), okay but needs a little work (thumb to the side), and eh
needs a lot of work (thumbs down). The students were eager to hear the hooks
they created and give their feedback as to what could make it a better hook. I
noticed that most students picked the fact hook. To me this is great because it
is cementing information into student’s minds about a science topic (biology).
The information that we tend to remember is information that we enjoyed or were
fascinated about when we learned it.
After the group review of our hooks, I had students conduct
a writer’s workshop. In this particular writers workshop, students looked at
four images that I found on NASA’s Image of the Day (http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/iotd.html). In order to
give students a little background information, I went through each of the four
pictures. As I went through each picture I first asked students what they could
tell or what they knew about what was going on in the picture. I then gave
information as to what was going on in each picture. By having these two components
(student shared information and teacher shared information), students built
background knowledge that helped them to complete their task for today. The
task I had for this particular writers workshop is as follows:
“Look at the four images displayed
around the classroom. Pick 1 image and write about what is going on in the
image in either a poem style, narrative style, or other writing style we have
learned about this year. If you finish, choose another image and a different
writing style.”
The results were amazing! As I introduced each picture there
were a lot of “ooo’s” and “ahh’s” from the students. The loved the various
images that I brought. They were fascinated by the images and what they were.
Students were eager to start as I went through each of the images. When I sent
the students on their way to write about the image of their choice, students
had excited expressions upon their faces. Throughout the next 20 minutes, the
students were silent and deeply engaged in their writing. Seeing this as an
intern made me both proud and excited. I love when I see my students so engaged
in a topic to the point where everyone is deeply involved in their work. The
students wrote excellent pieces about their images (examples below). At the end
of class, I had to stop the students because they were deeply engaged in the
activity. This is usually not the normal. Students will usually finish and
start talking to their friends because they simply just want to “get it done”.
Observing the increased engagement of my students today supports my idea that
STEM materials and activities that increase engagement in the class.
As I read the students poems, I realized how much the images
really captured them. The poems and stories the students wrote were excellent.
They really captured what was going on in the image, used the background
knowledge to create their writing, and were able to do so in a way that hooked
me into their pieces. They showed me their curiosity for what was going on in
the images. My opinion is that if you find materials that really interest and
capture student’s attention like these images that I obtained from NASA did,
then you have the ability to produce fascinating, attention grabbing, excellent
writers.
***All students are kept anonymous for the protection of
privacy.
Laser
Laser up
Up
Up
Keep going to space
Until you come back
I’ll be waiting
Even though now you want be a laser
You’ll be a shuttle
Earth in Space
Earth in space is really amazing
But everyday and every night,
All our electricity is just wasting.
You are bright and even unused,
And you even have the nerve to get everyone else accused.
Even though your hair may be curled,
There’s no excuse for hurting our world.
Rocket Launch
Flames shoot through the end,
Of a rocket,
As it takes off into space.
SHOOOO!
Flying up, up, up!
To see the sun, the moon,
The stars.
Stars
Stars
Clusters of them
Shining, gleaming
In another Galaxy
Are there lots?
Are there little?
Are they strong?
Are they brittle?
Discovered by NASA
Not all though
There are still some hidden
To and fro
Stars Stars
Stars, Stars
How Bright You Shine.
Leading All To A Galaxy.
Millions upon zillions
In a pile you shape.
Waiting to be discovered
You sit still wondering.
How far is the moon from here?
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Week 2
Week 2 of my research study
This past week was a crazy one. Between benchmarks and preparing for the MSA's, there was not much time for other things. However, even the smallest of activities still can make a difference.
Challenge of the Week:
This weeks challenge has students graphing and predicting percentages. My students have been working a lot with fractions and drawing their fractions. I wanted to students to get practice displaying data in a picture form such as graphs in order to show answers and data. I also wanted to use a question that would make students think beyond about things that they would not normally pay attention to.
Q: The following gases are found in Earth's atmosphere: Argon, Neon, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Helium, Oxygen, Water Vapor, and Ozone. Select 5 gases that you think are the biggest percent to make up the atmosphere. Create a bar graph of the percentages of each of the 5 gases you pick. The total does not have to equal 100%. Ex: Neon = 20%; Nitrogen = 15%; Oxygen = 10%; Oxide = 5%; Helium = 1%
I gave my students until Friday to solve the problem. I advised students to take all week to solve the question and conduct research. I noticed that most students took 2-3 days to answer the question and others would complete the question in 10 minutes. I noticed that the students who answered in 10 minutes seemed to make a guess based on prior knowledge. Students who took 2-3 days to answer seemed to have researched the topic.
This past week I had 10 students answer the challenge. 2 of the students had the correct answer and the correct percentages. It seems that these two students researched the answer. The other answers generally contained the same five elements (water vapor, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ozone). My conclusion is that these other 8 students solved the problem solely on prior knowledge. The students seemed to be really interested in this weeks challenge. I had students come up to me all throughout the week showing me their answer and explaining what they did and why. I loved that the students wanted to share with me their thinking because it showed me how engaged they were in the problem. In conclusion, always connect the content or problem to something that the age group would really enjoy.
This week's challenge of the week was from a Pre-Service Teaching Institute I attended at the NIA in Hampton, VA. Thanks Becky Jaramillo, Sharon Bowers, and Gay Reilly!
Activity of the Week
For the activity this week, since there was benchmarks and other test preparations, I am going to share an activity I used last semester.
Topic: Reading - Text Features
Part of the reading unit I was teaching involved text features. The students worked in groups to read the article and find text features. The original article used for this lesson was a standard article that the curriculum suggested. In order to connect the lesson to the students, I decided to use a different article.
I used the article Two Suns in the Sky from Science News for Kids. (http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2007/05/two-suns-in-the-sky-3/). The students used an organizer of their choice in order to find the text features in the article. The students had to find at least 3 text features and state what that specific text feature tells us about the article. For example: "The picture tells me that the some planets orbit two stars instead of one."
Reflection:
The students loved the article! They never thought about the fact that there was a possibility that a planet could orbit two stars instead of one. They were fascinated with the content in the article. Since the students were intrigued by the article, they were able to complete the task at hand in a more engaging way. Students were not misbehaving in their groups, but having lively discussions about the article and what the text features told about the article. This is what I aim to do with every lesson. Have the students engaged in a lesson that might normally have been not engaging at all.
Follow STEMegration on Twitter at www.twitter.com/STEMegration
This past week was a crazy one. Between benchmarks and preparing for the MSA's, there was not much time for other things. However, even the smallest of activities still can make a difference.
Challenge of the Week:
This weeks challenge has students graphing and predicting percentages. My students have been working a lot with fractions and drawing their fractions. I wanted to students to get practice displaying data in a picture form such as graphs in order to show answers and data. I also wanted to use a question that would make students think beyond about things that they would not normally pay attention to.
Q: The following gases are found in Earth's atmosphere: Argon, Neon, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Helium, Oxygen, Water Vapor, and Ozone. Select 5 gases that you think are the biggest percent to make up the atmosphere. Create a bar graph of the percentages of each of the 5 gases you pick. The total does not have to equal 100%. Ex: Neon = 20%; Nitrogen = 15%; Oxygen = 10%; Oxide = 5%; Helium = 1%
I gave my students until Friday to solve the problem. I advised students to take all week to solve the question and conduct research. I noticed that most students took 2-3 days to answer the question and others would complete the question in 10 minutes. I noticed that the students who answered in 10 minutes seemed to make a guess based on prior knowledge. Students who took 2-3 days to answer seemed to have researched the topic.
This past week I had 10 students answer the challenge. 2 of the students had the correct answer and the correct percentages. It seems that these two students researched the answer. The other answers generally contained the same five elements (water vapor, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ozone). My conclusion is that these other 8 students solved the problem solely on prior knowledge. The students seemed to be really interested in this weeks challenge. I had students come up to me all throughout the week showing me their answer and explaining what they did and why. I loved that the students wanted to share with me their thinking because it showed me how engaged they were in the problem. In conclusion, always connect the content or problem to something that the age group would really enjoy.
This week's challenge of the week was from a Pre-Service Teaching Institute I attended at the NIA in Hampton, VA. Thanks Becky Jaramillo, Sharon Bowers, and Gay Reilly!
Activity of the Week
For the activity this week, since there was benchmarks and other test preparations, I am going to share an activity I used last semester.
Topic: Reading - Text Features
Part of the reading unit I was teaching involved text features. The students worked in groups to read the article and find text features. The original article used for this lesson was a standard article that the curriculum suggested. In order to connect the lesson to the students, I decided to use a different article.
I used the article Two Suns in the Sky from Science News for Kids. (http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2007/05/two-suns-in-the-sky-3/). The students used an organizer of their choice in order to find the text features in the article. The students had to find at least 3 text features and state what that specific text feature tells us about the article. For example: "The picture tells me that the some planets orbit two stars instead of one."
Reflection:
The students loved the article! They never thought about the fact that there was a possibility that a planet could orbit two stars instead of one. They were fascinated with the content in the article. Since the students were intrigued by the article, they were able to complete the task at hand in a more engaging way. Students were not misbehaving in their groups, but having lively discussions about the article and what the text features told about the article. This is what I aim to do with every lesson. Have the students engaged in a lesson that might normally have been not engaging at all.
Follow STEMegration on Twitter at www.twitter.com/STEMegration
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Start of Research
Hello Everyone!
This is week 1 of my research study.
This past week, I surveyed my students interests. A majority of the students showed a strong interest in science for a favorite subject in school (excluding specials). This showed me a positive start to my research and is consistent with what I polled with my classroom from my last internship.
After reviewing these results, I started to implement an activity for my students called "Challenge of the Week".
Challenge of the Week
This activity will be a weekly problem based activity that involves Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Math. A poster is displayed in the classroom near my desk with background information pertaining to the question and the question itself. Students are to complete this question during free time, before school, after school, or at home. The students are presented with the information and question on Monday and have until Friday at dismissal to turn in an answer. The problem will be related to a topic or skill that the students learned in the past week.
2/12-2/15 Question:
This is week 1 of my research study.
This past week, I surveyed my students interests. A majority of the students showed a strong interest in science for a favorite subject in school (excluding specials). This showed me a positive start to my research and is consistent with what I polled with my classroom from my last internship.
After reviewing these results, I started to implement an activity for my students called "Challenge of the Week".
Challenge of the Week
This activity will be a weekly problem based activity that involves Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Math. A poster is displayed in the classroom near my desk with background information pertaining to the question and the question itself. Students are to complete this question during free time, before school, after school, or at home. The students are presented with the information and question on Monday and have until Friday at dismissal to turn in an answer. The problem will be related to a topic or skill that the students learned in the past week.
2/12-2/15 Question:
A person uses on average 80 gallons of water a day!
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) use only 3 gallons of water
a day! Compare the two numbers. What percent of 80 gallons of water does an
astronaut use? Convert the percent to a decimal and a fraction. Create a
diagram of the fraction.
This particular problem relates to fractions, decimals, and percents. This past week, my class learned about how to convert a fraction to a decimal and a percent.
After giving the students two days to look over the question, I showed a video provided by NASA eClips entitled "Our World: Recycling on the International Space Station". This provided students with more information pertaining to the problem.
Out of my 23 students, 12 students attempted the challenge. Out of the 12, 1 student had the correct answer.
Reflection:
When I presented the "Challenge of the Week" the students jumped with enthusiasm. They wanted to start solving the problem that minute. Not only did the it pose the students with a challenge, but it was a topic that intrigued them. It connected to what they learned in math and a strong interest they have.
After looking through the answers, I saw that there was a common response. 10 out of the 12 students responded with 27%. At first I was confused and thought that maybe I had calculated the answer wrong. However, one student wrote how they solved the problem and I noticed what the students did. Instead of solving the problem as 3
÷ 80, the students solved the problem as 80
÷ 3. Therefore, the students received the answer 26.66 (rounded to 27). This informs me that students need further instructing into calculating percents and decimals from fraction form.
I feel that this is a good starting point. Even though the students did not quite get how to solve the problem, they did attempt it and showed knowledge that they knew what steps to take. They just need further instruction as to the order of the numbers when they are dividing. The students showed strong enthusiasm for the Challenge and I hope that more students will start participating.
A look into next week:
Next week, I will be co-teaching a lesson on using text features in a non-fiction article. I will be using a article that is science based and student friendly.
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