Kia Shields

GA

Sun, Nov 28, 2021 3:17 PM
Article Review

• Did you find it stimulating, confusing, biased, informative, or helpful? This article was very informative for teachers to learn how to implement the 5E learning cycle. I am currently teaching about Matter and Properties of Materials with my second graders and from this article I learned new strategies that I plan to implement to make the science unit on Matter more engaging for my students. Also, this article was helpful for teachers to learn how to teach the concept of Matter to students. Definitions, pictures, vocabulary, and a sample lesson plan was provided to help teach students about Matter and how to effectively assess student learning as well. • How does it apply to your own classroom and how would others use the information? The 5E learning cycle is a strategy that I already implement in my classroom. For science, I use the STEMScopes curriculum which includes lessons that include the 5 Es. I would definitely use the Properties of Matter app that was discussed in the article. Students used their iPads for the Matter app that had activities in which they explore the properties of matter, weight, and changes in states of matter (Adams & Feagin, 2017). Integrating technology such as iPads is a strategy that helps students engage with the science content. I plan to implement a similar strategy in my classroom using Matter stations. My students would have different objects to classify according to different properties such as texture, color, hardness, flexibility, etc and record their observations in a table along with illustrations. I would share the app mentioned in the article with my 2nd grade level team teachers. Since I already plan the science and social studies lessons, it would be easier for me to write in the lesson plans to let students access the app through their iPads or even Chromebooks. References Adams, K., & Feagin, S. (2017). Describing matter. Science & Children, 54(8), 52-57.

A Geometric Scavenger Hunt

Wed, Dec 06, 2017 1:26 PM
Math and Science in Nature

This article addressed bringing math and science outdoors. Students had to find to find examples of geometry in nature. This activity would really engage students because they get to make a real world connection with geometry.

Will It Float?

Wed, Dec 06, 2017 11:20 AM
Good information

The article I read was “Will It Float” by Dan Vincent, Darlinda Cassel, and Jeanie Milligan. The article begins with how the idea for the article came about. Fifth graders were sorting candy bars such as Snickers and Three Musketeers by predictions of weights. After weighing the candy bars, students were shocked that the Snickers bars weighted more than the Three Musketeers bar, even though the Three Musketeers bar is larger. The fifth graders found it mind-boggling that smaller objects can weigh more than larger objects. The authors of this article developed a lesson for students to learn more about mass, volume, and density. The activities that went along with the lesson incorporated the 5E Learning Model. The 5 “E’s” are: Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, and Evaluate. For the first “E” Engage, students went through four centers that allowed them to observe and feel items in order to make a prediction. They had to decide if the materials such as wood, pumice rock, steel spheres, and a Cartesian Diver (made from a two liter bottle and glass dropper) would either sink or float. Their predictions were to be recorded on a worksheet. The sinking of the South American tree wood, Lignum Vitae, let the students know that there are some types of wood that do sink (Vincent, Cassel, & Milligan, 2008). Next, students explored with an activity measuring eight different objects. Students had time to think by classifying into two lists which objects would float or sink. After students made their predictions, they calculated the mass and volume of each object and calculated the volume displacement. For Explain, students presented their data findings to the class. Students had to work with their group members to create a graph of the data and explain how they calculated mass, volume and density. The fourth “E” Extend was applied when the sink-or-float activity solidified student thinking. The last “E” Evaluate allows teachers to assess student understanding of the concept. Questions asked by the teacher let the teacher know which students had a hard time with the investigation. Teachers can use that information to reteach mass, volume, and density if needed. Reference Vincent, D. , Cassel, D. , & Milligan, J. (2008). Will It Float? Science and Children, February, 36-39.