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!

We presented our lesson plan today!

10/30
Today Natalie and I were the last group to present our lesson plan! We were given 5 minutes to present our lesson compared to other groups who had 10 to 15 minutes! So with the time that was given we had to run through our lesson plan very quickly. I was a little disappointed that we had to run through it so fast, but we had a lesson that tied in with Halloween and light safety so we wanted to present it during Thursday’s class rather than next Tuesday’s class. Overall I thought our lesson plan was great and covered numerous safety concerns for 1st graders. I really wished we had more time to present our lesson, but what can you do, right?!? I’m looking forward to presenting our next lesson plan!

10/28

10/28
Let’s continue our lesson plan presentations! Yeah! We had a little difficulty getting started today because Dr. E’s computer and overhead did not want to work properly. It took us a half an hour to get booted and squared away, but the wait was well worth it because we got to see and hear more excellent lesson plans. I was hoping that Natalie and I would get to present ours today, but with the mishaps at the beginning of class I guess we have to wait until Thursday. I think our class is so talented! We have had so many great lesson plans and presentations it makes me really excited to get out in the field and teach!! Whoo Hoo!

10/23

10/23
Today in class we started our lesson plan presentations! I was really excited to come to class today because I always enjoy hearing and listening to other group’s lessons. We have presented lesson plans in other classes and I have nothing but good things to say about it. I think presenting lessons in front of the class is way better than just handing our lessons into the teacher. This way all our classmates are able to listen to new ideas and maybe use them in the future. Some of the highlights from today were the mixture presentations done by Becca and Catie and also Brooke and Megan. During these presentations we got to physically mix together different mixtures. It was neat to see that oil and water don’t mix ! Even though I already knew this it was great to enforce it! During class today, we didn’t get through very many presentations so we are going to have to continue Tuesday of next week! Can’t wait to present ours!!!