Brittany Hatcher

Pollution Collection

Thu, Apr 26, 2012 12:08 PM
Great Collection!!

I really love that you decided to do the collection on pollution. It is one of the major problems that we face in the United States and all around the world for that matter. It is current and relevant to a student’s life which means that it will have more meaning to them than something that does not impact them the way that pollution could. The journal articles are amazing. I especially enjoyed “The Air Up There,” article because it was based on a unit that was created around an specific town for a specific group of students. By doing this, the kids were able to see what the effects of pollution were having on the town where they actually lived. The SciGuide had a TON of interesting classroom activities that I really feel could be beneficial to all age groups of students. I also really enjoyed the podcast because it allows for the use of technology in the classroom and the group of students that are in school now really relate to technology. I think that this increases the chance that students are going to pay attention or show interest in a given topic. I do wish that there was a SciPack available for pollution that you could have included in your collection. However, it is not your fault that there was not one available through NSTA. I would also have enjoyed seeing some artifacts in your collection brought in from outside of NSTA. Overall, I feel like this collection will be very useful to somebody creating a lesson or even a unit on pollution.

Pollution Collection

Thu, Apr 26, 2012 12:08 PM
Great Collection!!

I really love that you decided to do the collection on pollution. It is one of the major problems that we face in the United States and all around the world for that matter. It is current and relevant to a student’s life which means that it will have more meaning to them than something that does not impact them the way that pollution could. The journal articles are amazing. I especially enjoyed “The Air Up There,” article because it was based on a unit that was created around an specific town for a specific group of students. By doing this, the kids were able to see what the effects of pollution were having on the town where they actually lived. The SciGuide had a TON of interesting classroom activities that I really feel could be beneficial to all age groups of students. I also really enjoyed the podcast because it allows for the use of technology in the classroom and the group of students that are in school now really relate to technology. I think that this increases the chance that students are going to pay attention or show interest in a given topic. I do wish that there was a SciPack available for pollution that you could have included in your collection. However, it is not your fault that there was not one available through NSTA. I would also have enjoyed seeing some artifacts in your collection brought in from outside of NSTA. Overall, I feel like this collection will be very useful to somebody creating a lesson or even a unit on pollution.

Energy Collection

Sat, Jan 21, 2012 10:34 AM
Overall: Pretty Good!!!

The Energy SciPack that you chose is very detailed and the animations will really help students to capture some of the things that are covered in the GPS. The Science objects are a great resource for explaining the different types of energy and clearing up common misconceptions. The one that I found to be the least useful was the Useful and Not so Useful Energy section. It was less interactive than some of the other SciObjects and would therefore not be as "fun" or meaningful to students. The Sci-Guides that you chose (especially the one titled: Energy) had GREAT lessons and activities. The assessments looked pretty good too. The one titled: Living and Working in Space- Energy seems like it would have activities that are more fun for the students and will help them apply what they have learned to real life situations. Overall, I think that this collection is very good and will be very beneficial while planning can creating activities for your students.