Erica Kawamura

HI

Living in the Weather

Tue, Nov 06, 2012 4:09 PM
Review on Living in the Weather

This SciGuide covers 3 different themes. 1) Predicting the Weather 2) Weather and Climate Basics 3) Weather, Climate, and Humans. Even though this is a SciGuide for middle school aged students, I find that there are some activities that elementary students would be able to participate in too. I like that one of the lessons had the students keep a log of the weather in their neighborhood. The students used vocabulary that they learned in class in their observation logs. In my elementary classroom I would have the students record their data in school and encourage discussion amongst their peers. One of the extension activities in the lesson plan for Predicting the Weather teaches us how to create a little cloud in a 2 liter plastic bottle. I think that all students of all ages will enjoy that experiment! Another lesson that I enjoyed was having the students record data of climate in a few states. The students used the data they gathered to rank the states in order according to which state they would like to live in. I am looking for more ways to incorporate hands-on activities in my classroom and found that there were too many worksheets in this SciGuide. It would be great to read about different experiments or labs that the students could participate in and have them keep logs to record any data or observations and make conclusions by using their data.

Energy Resources

Tue, Nov 06, 2012 1:55 PM
Review on Energy Resources SciGuide

This SciGuide covers 4 different themes. 1) Applications of Technology 2) Impacts of Energy Use 3) Non-Renewable Energy Resources 4) Renewable Energy Resources. There are a few lesson plans in this SciGuide that promote critical thinking skills and application to the students’ real lives. One lesson plan asks that students to complete a home energy audit. By having students create a long term plan of how to incorporate energy savings into their own home gives students the opportunity to share what they learned with their parents. This allows the students to feel empowered to share their findings with others. I would use the same lesson plan but conduct the audit on our school’s energy use. We are always looking for different ways on how to reduce our energy use. The students in my class would also be able to present their project with the school’s administration. Some of the websites that are on this SciGuide are outdated or are no longer accessible. For students to take an interest in what they are learning about, I think that listing websites that are more visually appealing will help students as they navigate through the different available web resources.