Batteries, Bulbs and Wires

Question: How many wires for one bulb and one battery do you need to light up the light bulb?
-two wires, one connected to each end cause you need both sides of the battery to make other electronics work.

Correct Answer: You only need one wire to light the light bulb. You have to have one end touching the bottom and the light bulb touching the battery and you have to have the wire touching the side of the bulb. As long as the circuit is complete the bulb will light, no matter how many wires and batteries you use.

Pink Lab:
Strengths: Gives the students ideas to try and to see if they can get them to work. It also gives them a chance explore their own ideas.
Weaknesses: It will be hard for the students to understand what a correct circuit setup consists of, and like us they might struggle with the descriptions that were given to them.

Yellow Lab:
Strengths: It is easily set up so that the students can figure out the correct set up of the circuits and what is supposed to go into each one.
Weaknesses: It resembles an Activitymania project, where there is no room for student exploration and only one answer is needed. Their is no inquiry in the process for the students to apply the concepts that they already know or have just learned.

Standard:
Physical Science: Content Standard B
- Light, Heat, Electricity and Magnetism

Benchmark:
Electricity in circuits can produce light. Electrical circuits require a complete loop through which an electrical current can pass.

Learning Goal: 
Students will understand how and why a wire, battery and a light bulb is able to create an electrical circuit.

Learning Performance: 
When given diagrams with different forms of circuit layouts students will be able to decipher and create which ones will successfully light the light bulb.

BB&W Reading:
After reading the story about Ms. Stone's class, I realized that learning about electricity and circuits can be extremely boring to students. As she is teaching, all of the students are becoming restless, especially the ones that aren't actually working with the materials. In her lesson there was no room for inquiry from the students. They were given specific directions to follow, and definitions to focus on and write down. I do agree that students do need the major definitions for the topic, but she should have incorporated them into the lesson better than just putting them on the board for the students to copy. If Ms. Stone would have let the students play around with the materials, the students would have learned the topic in a more meaningful way. They would have been less restless and more excited about learning the material.

Lesson Plan:
When searching for lesson plan ideas it was hard to find any other way to teach that electrical circuits require a complete loop through which an electrical current can pass. I would have taught it almost the exact same way as we did in class. I've only ever been taught that way, which is what makes it harder to figure out a new way to teach it.

To begin my lesson I would like to give my students a similar question to the one we used in class, but give diagrams that they can choose from that either show a working circuit or one that doesn't work. In a sense I would like to give my students a pre-assessment to see what they might already know about the electricity. This way I can better tailor my lesson to what the students want to learn or don't know yet. The question will mainly focus on "how do we make a full electrical circuit with a wire, a battery and a light bulb?" In this process we will have a class discussion about how students think that the light bulbs work with the wire and battery. I want some students to go to the board and draw an example of what they think a full circuit looks like and others to draw their ideas on the worksheet that they will be given. This will not only help them explain their ideas, but help me understand their thought processes. After we have discussed as a class, (every student would have a battery, wire and light bulb, and holders for both light bulb and battery ) I would like the students to try their own explanations and to record whether they worked or not. Then in their groups they would discuss what they think works and other ways, using all the materials that the students have, that they could figure out to get the light bulb(s) to light. I want to encourage the students to challenge themselves and try to use the least and most amount of materials to light the light bulbs. In the end we will have a classroom discussion about the correct way to get the light bulb to light, how a light bulb works (much like the explanation we had in class), and how many light bulbs they were able to light. I would ask the students individually to do a small free-write (drawing, etc.) in their Science journals about what they learned from the experiment and how they now understand electrical circuits. I would also encourage them to include questions about what they still don't understand. Then they will turn their journals in for me to look through and I will be able to bring answers to the questions that were most frequent and we can discuss them in the next class.

5-E Criteria	Part (s) of lesson that addresses this inquiry criterion	More teacher-directed or student-directed?  Explain.
Engage	Allowing the students to look at their own explanations, as well as, challenging themselves to create other circuits	Student-directed; they are working out their own ideas to see if they work before they are taught the correct way.
Evidence	Students are given a light bulb, battery, a wire and holders for both the bulb and battery and are encouraged to discover what it takes to light the bulb.	Student-direct at first; they are given the materials to find the answer out, then are given the answer after they have worked it through themselves.
Explain	They explain with the groups their findings and in a classroom discussion.	Student-directed and Teacher-directed; students give their own explanations based off of teacher questions
Evaluate	Students evaluate their findings by working with more materials and their groups to figure out what else works to light the bulb.	Student directed; they are evaluating as a group their findings by attempting to work with more materials
Communicate	They communicate in their science journals what they learned and what they still don’t understand.	Teacher-directed; they are answering to somewhat of a prompt.

Magnets

1. What are some real life applications of magnetism?

At garbage dump, when they are separating the metal from the non-metal (like in toy story 3); in certain screwdrivers; magnets on the refrigerator; clippy magnets

2. what experiences have you had with magnets in your life?

playing with magnets in class, using a magnetic screwdriver,

3. what ideas do you have about the science of magnets?

positive and negative attracts; positive and positive don't attract.

Standard B - Physical Science
- Light, Heat, Electricity and Magnetism

Benchmark : Magnets attract and repel each other and certain other kinds of other materials.





--If I was a teacher how would I help a student that is stressing or overwhelmed:

This past week was a very tough week for me. I had many things going on not just with school, but with my personal life that I let affect my school work. I am so thankful to have such understanding teachers and I hope to be that type of teacher to my students. I would expect most assignments such as this blog to be done on time like most teachers, but as teachers we need to understand that sometimes life takes a turn for the worst and is overwhelming for our students. If I had a student who was struggling in school because of things that are going on in their lives that they don't have control of, I would be as understanding as I possibly could. Students need to know that the classroom is a safe haven for them and that their teachers are a source of support that they can come to when issues arise. I truly feel that making myself available to my students in more than just the classroom is an important aspect of being a teacher. Things happen in life that nobody can control and we need to be as understanding as we can so that our students can succeed in not just our class, but in life as well. When things happen in my life, I pray that my teachers understand why I couldn't get homework done on time and many teachers don't, which is not only aggravating, but adds to the stress that is already there. I hope to be that one teacher that makes a difference in my students lives because I was understanding to their situations.

Activitymania

Before I started reading the article, I was thinking that this was going to be about ways to make activities apart of the curriculum. I wasn't expecting the title Activitymania to mean that there are packages of activities that teachers recieve that are able to teach science, but have nothing to do with one another. As I read more of the reading I discovered that the article was really about science as inquiry-based learning.  This picture below is from the article and I really liked the quote. I think that comparing science to the student's lives gives the students something to be interested about. It involves there lives and makes them want to learn and explore the different concepts.

 I like that the article gives ways to use the activities in the classroom and making them inquiry by giving questions that teachers should ask about the activities, so that the students understand the concepts as well as get to explore the concepts.  Another part of the article that I liked was the chart that explains the differences between activity and inquiry based learning. Before reading this article, I assumed that they were the same thing. But now I know that activity is shorter, can be pre-planned and has a definite answer. The section in the chart that discusses "Teacher Feelings" I thought was a great addition. It gives once again some idea of how i should feel as a teacher, while I'm teaching this to my kids.

Added:
- Activites aren't related
- just because the kids are having fun doing the activites doesn't mean they are learning everything that they are supposed to be.

Challenge Me

Before the class began, I was somewhat dreading teaching science. I like science, but was never very good at it and having to teach it was something I was worried about. As a result from watching the movies and doing the posters that we did in class, I feel that my thoughts about teaching science have changed in some way. I do feel like the way I was planning to teach any subject has changed. Through these activities, I am learning better ways to focus my lessons on the students and learning how the students are going to respond to me as a teacher. Getting the insight of how students think and how they are going to respond to the lessons is something that all teachers need, and something that I have been given in this class. I know that even though I'm not that great in science, teaching it won't be as hard as I expected. I know now that its okay to learn with my students, when I don't know about the subject.

I really liked the activity we did about the National Science Education Standards and I personally like them better then the Iowa Core Curriculum for science. Instead of splitting the different science subjects and giving them one standard to teach, having a list for all of them is a lot nicer. The standards make a lot of sense, and not only will I use them in science, but in other subjects as well. Science seems like a subject that is going to be a ton of fun to teach, because of the inquiry based teaching that is needed. I'm excited to watch my students learn and explore with science.

Teaching Standard D :)

Teachers of Science design and manage learning environments that provide students with the time, space, and resources needed for learning science.


Structure the time available so that students are able to engage in extended investigations.

Create a setting for student work that is flexible and supportive of science inquiry.

Ensure a safe working environment.

Make the available science tools, materials, media, and technological resources accessible to students.

Identify and use resources outside of the school.

Engage students in designing the learning environment.

Iowa Core Curriculum Website

In my time in the TEP here at the University of Iowa I have been exposed to the website quite a bit. I actually really like this website. I like that they split up each grade and each subject into multiple sections. It makes things so much easier to navigate through.

As I looked through the science section, I noticed that it was a lot smaller than most of the other sections. I'm not sure what this means, but it seems like maybe Iowa is not focusing as much on science than the other subjects? I decided to focus on second grade, but when going through each separate subject of science there wasn't much to look at. Life science seemed to be the longest, so I picked that because it had more to look at. After reading each of the essential concepts, I really thought that the ones they had chosen fit well with the age group. Many of the concepts if taught correctly could be a ton of fun for kids to learn. One idea I had was when teaching the life cycles, having the entire class act out the life cycle. It's a fun way to get the kids moving and learning through experience.

MOSART Website

I wasn't sure what I was going to get as I registered for this website. Normally when you have to register for a site there is some sort of money involved, but I figured since it was for class that wasn't the case. When the website fully opened I was a little confused as to what exactly I was supposed to do, so I basically clicked on a bunch of links to see where it would take me. When I finally found my way to the tutorials, I was not ready to sit for 45 minutes to read a website. I was pleasantly surprised that most of the tutorials until the last one consisted of a short video. As a visual learner it was easier for me to sit down and watch some short videos with light reading, than having to sit and read off of my computer which is not something I like doing. One thing that I liked that every tutorial did was ask us a question. It was like they were giving us a pre-test on the information we were going to learn and that got my thinking jump-started.

The first tutorial explains what a misconception actually is and the video that goes with it I found very interesting. When one student was explaining what she thought the shape of the heart, she explained that she thought it was like a traditional Valentine's Day heart, but after learning about it in class changed her misconception. I also found it interesting that some of the students knew more than the teacher had taught them and had learned it from their older siblings. Being the oldest in my family, I forgot how much of an impact I had on what my brother was learning.

The second tutorial explains that the test is different from every other assessment exams because they include questions from every level, including questions that exceed the level of the students. This is probably one of the smartest ideas for assessing your students. Why would teachers have exams that only focus on one of the three different sections in the Continuum of Understanding as MOSART puts it. It makes more sense to test everyone at every level to get true results, so that as teachers we can correctly teach the things our students are struggling with.

The third tutorial was based on how teachers should use the tests within there classroom, to promote learning and to help correct some of the misconceptions that the students may have. I like that the website gives reasons for why the test is constructed the way it is and that the tests are able to determine the whether misconceptions exist among the students. I thought the idea of pre and post testing with parallel exams was also a great idea because it helps the teacher determine how well the students actually absorbed the material.

The fourth tutorial, I am not a fan of, was about how to interpret the tests after you give them. It has nothing to do with the material because that part is exceptional. I just don't like reading on my computer. I actually liked the information that this tutorial specifically talked about. It gave a ton of graphs and tables with example information about how the different classes compared to each other based on the test. This tutorial, although the worst one to read, was probably more beneficial than the others.  By giving teachers the most ways to use the tests to not only our advantage, but the students as well.

This website I think is one of those that I will make sure to keep in my bookmarks and one that I will probably use as a teacher. Are there any other tests like this for other subjects?

Keely Reading

This reading was a great way to show us how to correctly assess our classrooms. I really liked that this reading gave definitions for a some of the words. Its hard to read articles in classes sometimes, when I have no idea what have of the terms mean. This is one of the more insightful readings that I have had to read since being in the program. It gave me ways to bring up assessments, what the best ways are to assess my students which will ultimately help me be a better teacher. I also liked how the article gave examples and tables as well. It gave me a visual to look at which helps me learn. The section on probes was also very interesting. I had never heard of them before and now looking back I remember some teachers using them. This is also one of the readings that is not only talking about science, but it is helpful for all subjects. Being able to correctly assess my students will not only benefit me, but it will benefit my students. It gives me an idea about what my students are thinking about and what they want to know or already know.

Sweater Reading

I found this reading to be extremely interesting. It showed me how learning can change simply just by how the teacher begins a lesson on any subject. The way Debbie O'Brien taught her students was extremely different from the experience that I had when I was in fourth grade. We were only taught based on what the book told us, instead of being taught based on what we wanted to learn about or what our own perceptions of topics. A quote from the reading that caught my attention was, "Experience, that most deceptive of teachers, had to be met head on." I found this quote to be extremely true. I have never had a teacher use their students experiences to help teach a lesson. It is such a great way to get the students to learn something but, in their own way. The sweater experiment was a great way to get the students curious about heat and to see the way the kids thought about the sweater was really interesting. Using this form of teaching in my classroom will not only work for science, but for social studies as well. I like that I'm learning ways to teach all subjects and not just science. It is extremely helpful  for me to get multiple teaching examples for all different subjects. I also found it interesting that the children never changed their stance on how the sweater should make the temperature on the thermometer change. That gives me insight to how my own students will think about certain topics and that they will never give up on their own perceptions. My teaching will solely be about the students learning and will be inquiry based.