Alex Storts

Earth Structures

Mon, Nov 19, 2018 1:09 PM
Earth Structures

These lessons are good examples of student-centered instruction. The first lesson does a good job of informing the students how a geologist works. The lessons are easy to follow, and the links convey the ideas in a simple way--these lessons could be adapted for middle school easily. My only suggestion would be for more elaboration on plate tectonics.

Living in the Weather

Mon, Nov 19, 2018 12:53 PM
Living in the Weather

This SciGuide is a great introductory lesson for weather. The lessons start out covering weather predictions, then moves on to weather/climate, and finally the impacts weather has on humans and vice versa. The lessons themselves do a good job in identifying misconceptions the students may have. These are identified in every lesson in the Engagement phase. The lessons are easy to follow for teachers, and they include rubrics for grading assignments. These lessons teach science-skills as well as content. Students work in groups every day and collaborate with each other. They also work on graphs and research the information on their own, which satisfies an inquiry-based approach. The only downside of these lessons were the out-of-date links; however, most of them worked and were wonderful websites.

Evolution Collection

Mon, Nov 12, 2018 3:43 PM
Evolution Collection

First and foremost, it is important to note that multiple national science associations recognize evolution as a unifying concept in biology. Science educators must teach the subject to the best of their abilities. These articles go into detail of important distinctions, problems, and solutions of teaching evolution. There are many counter-claims about evolution. The "Evidence for Evolution" article goes into detail on how scientists can accurately date rocks and confirm the age of the Earth. However, it is not science-educators' place to argue and debate with their students/parents--their role is to teach. "Evolution: Don't Debate, Educate" explains this well. The article also goes into detail on how teaching nature of science and inquiry activities can help students accept evolution on their own. The next article, "Incorporating History" goes into detail explaining how teaching the history of the subjects helps the students' inquiry skills. "Research and Teaching" has data explaining how Identity Protective Cognition can make for a challenge teaching evolution. The article could do a better job in giving pedagogical advice to counter Identity Protective Cognition. Lastly, "Why Theories Do Not Turn Into Laws" has great activities for nature of science. The article makes a strong case for teaching these before teaching evolution. After doing the activities suggested in this article, students shouldn't doubt evolution just because it's a theory.