Catherine Garland

TX

Thu, Apr 16, 2020 1:35 AM
Easy and helpful read

I took a look at this article because I knew as a teacher the phases of the moon was something that I was going to have to teach eventually. For what I have looked at, TEKS about the appearance moon show up at almost all elementary age grade levels. Although, I did find that the phases are specifically mentioned in the forth grade TEK 4.8(C). I think this article could be helpful in classrooms for several grade levels. It is a quick read for sure, but it gives you a lot of insight on how to teach this topic. I know that before reading this, I never even considered daytime moon observation as something I could and maybe should do with my students for example. It actually opened my eyes to that possibility. I think this article gives a good basis for how to teach the subject, and provides a good sample of ideas thats diversity could help a lot of students should one method of teaching not quite click.

Thu, Apr 16, 2020 12:36 AM
Easy to do and enjoy while doing it.

This article interested me because, during my experience working with kindergarten students, I have found that introducing students to concepts like air being a substance can be a little tricky. I had once has a little girl outright tell me once that I was lying when I said that, as the title says, air isn't just nothing. I think that the activities in this article are great for helping introduce this concept to young students, and in a lot of simple ways I didn't think of. For a quick read, I actually learned quite a bit about how to approach this topic. It works great with the TEKS too, since in, 1st grade for example, 1.8(D) covers this exact topic. Students would probably really enjoy these activities, and they provide concrete evidence that the air all around us isn't just nothing. I love that this article gives us not just one, but several activities we can do with students, and after reading it I definitely agree that the early years offer so many opportunities to explore topics like this one.

Wed, Apr 15, 2020 10:59 PM
Great ideas! But I'm not so sure about the jar.

This article caught my eye because it offers students a chance to be hands-on in investigating what makes up an ecosystem and because I am a bit of a sucker for opportunities to have students interact with animals. If there is an excuse to bring animals into the room, it is at the very least going to pique my interest. I really liked the information on how the first 3 steps of a 5E lesson plan can be integrated into this topic, and I think that this article offered me a lot of insight into how I can have students actively engage in learning about ecosystems and what they are made up of. Being from Texas, this activity goes great along with the 3rd-grade science TEK 3.9(A), and I can see how several process TEKS could be integrated as well. Particularly 3.3(B), as this activity allows for students to construct a model of an ecosystem and see how they work on a much smaller scale where it is far easier to identify it's parts. I also think this is a fantastic opportunity to introduce students to the concept of biotic vs abiotic components of an ecosystem. There are several great ideas in this article, and I believe it would be an excellent source to come back and reference when teaching students about ecosystems. My only real complaint is that the set up for this is, well, in a jar. I realize that guppies are known to be hardy fish and that this activity is only meant to last for two weeks, but to me, a one-gallon jar doesn't seem appropriate to keep fish in for more than a few days at most. Especially without any kind of filtration or establishment of a nitrogen cycle. Plants and snails can only do so much as far as clean up goes, and this set up allows for very little gas exchange. I personally would try to use a larger container or a small tank if possible, and make use of a testing kit to make sure water parameters aren't getting out of hand during this investigation. That being said, I still think the overall ideas in this article are fantastic, and I appreciate that teachers are encouraged to take responsibility for these animals.