11/25

I was not able to attend the science fair judging experience. I heard it was a great time and a wonderful learning experience in so many ways. Danielle, Elly, and I are working together to come up with an exciting activity to make up the hours we missed for the science fair judging. The three of us and Dr. E meet briefly before Thanksgiving break to talk about our upcoming event. We are planning an event at the Vermillion Public Library to celebrate the Year of Science. We are hoping to get squared away with the time and location so that we can get started on the activity. Danielle had a couple good ideas and she said she was going to talk to the manager at the library to get the details we need to get started. I think this experience will be fun and exciting for the children. I’m looking forward to next semester when we actually get to get involved a little bit more.

11/20

Today was another work day for Science Methods. Today we were introduced to the Final Project in which i think sounds really neat. I like Dr. E’s idea of tying all the groups and lessons together. My group members are Megan, Brooke, Natalie, and myself. We picked 3rd grade unit on measurement to focus on final project on. Our group has been working together over the course of the last 2 weeks to complete and turn in our final project! Boy does it feel good to get towards the end of the semester with all our final projects. We should be done with our final lesson soon!

11/18

Today class was canceled due to circumstances out of Dr. E’s control. We were given an extension on our lesson plan and quiz at this time. The timing for the extension was helpful because of the stress load this week. I hope things turn around for Dr. E and her family…. Thinking of you.

11/13

Today in class we had time to work on our lesson plan #2. I thought this was really nice of Dr. E to provide us classtime to work on our lesson plan because our cohort has been overwhelmed with homework lately. Any extra time that we get to work on our assignments really help the stress level! So thank you Dr. E and I look forward to presenting another lesson plan. I really enjoy presenting our lesson plans because our class works wonderfully with whoever is presenting.

Assessment Cont....

Over the course of the last couple weeks we have been talking so much about assessment. I am currently enrolled in the EDER 415, Educational Assessment, and we just had an exam over Performance Based tests on Monday. What I have learned in EDER 415 correlates well with our discussion topic for this week in Science Methods. The question asked, what is the “Key” to designing a successful performance assessment? I answered this question like this: I believe making decisions about scoring is “key” to a successful performance assessment. When creating performance assessments it is very important to decide what scoring tools are appropriate for the assessment’s purpose. Creating and implementing rubrics are great for performance assessments. As a teacher you should hand out the rubric before the assessment is given therefore students are able to see what is expected of them. If you engage students in the scoring process, they become more aware of the criteria and how that criterion is used to assess their work. I like how I can relate what I already learned in another class and carry it over to science methods. I like being able to make connections when I learn and I have done so here!

Assessment Powerpoint

Today in class we learned about assessments that are used in the elementary and middle school classrooms. Dr. E presented a PowerPoint that was very informative about assessments. Some of the information I took from that PowerPoint is that teachers should be flexible while addressing different learning styles. Teachers should also use a variety of assessment types in the classroom. For science related assessments, teachers should focus on performance and authentic assessments. It is understood that science learning is so hands on and that is important to note when deciding how you are going to assess your students.

The 5E Model

Today I am blogging about the new model I learned about called the 5E Model. The 5E Model consists of Engaging, Exploring, Explaining, Elaborating, and Evaluating. Engaging is focusing the student's attention on the context and concepts of the material being presented. Exploring provides numerous opportunities for students to explore through experiences and experiments. Explaining covers the language, terms, and models in the unit. Elaborating allows students to apply and extend their ideas to new framework and situations. Evaluating encourages students to assess their knowledge of the subject matter. The 5E Model is essentially what teachers should use when instructing their students. This model is great because it covers every part of a lesson. From the beginning to the end it is a great model to follow. I hope to follow and incorporate this model when I teach Science in the near future!