Emily Davis
Wright State University
OH

Dress for the Weather

Sat, Feb 13, 2016 4:08 PM
Climate and Younger Grades

While this article identifies the lesson is planned for grades 5-8, I believe that with a few modifications and perhaps by extending the activities over the length of a few days this lesson could be applied to the younger grades. Specifically, this lesson would fit in wonderfully with the NGSS for third grade and perhaps, with vast modifications, even for kindergarten. It is refreshing that this lesson involves an experiment/demonstration, and I think that that is critical for students learning about why temperature differences occur across the world. An expansion of this lesson for third grade could be to come up with or evaluate possible solutions to ameliorate the impact of weather hazards in areas where they are rampant.

Insects

Sat, Feb 13, 2016 3:56 PM
Bug Zoo

This book chapter includes a variety of insect-centered lesson and activity ideas for both the primary and middle grades. The chapter begins with an activity that would easily enthrall any curious student: the creation of a classroom bug zoo. This activity seems particularly interesting as it offers the opportunity for instructors to get their students outdoors to collect their own insects for the zoo. Students are then tasked with observing the insects and noting/comparing their observations. The concept of what living things, or in the case insects, need to survive could easily be incorporated into this lesson. This resource provides everything an instructor would need to teach this lesson (barring the bugs and the containers to catch them in), including the assessment/organizing worksheet and considerations that must be kept in mind for all students as well as those in the primary grades.