Week 4 - A Day in the Garage

Electrical and Atoms

"Energy is a fundamental concept in the study of science"

Chapter 10:

F O  C U S I N G   Q U E  S  T I O N S

. Have you ever explored the inside of a flashlight?*

. Does your home have fuses or circuit

 breakers?*

. Why does faulty electrical wiring cause fires?

. How many atoms can fit on the period at the end of one of these sentences?

 Vocabulary explored:

An electric circuit is a continuous pathway for an electric charge or current

to follow.

A series circuit is a simple circuit in which the flow of electricity has only

one path.

A parallel circuit is a circuit where the flow of electricity has more than one

path from the same power source.

Activity

"Make this light up"....

open circuitclosed circuit

It worked!!!

Actions that took place through inquiry:

problem solve, experiment, discover, generate ideas, test, change….

Next plan of action:

Extend the concept learned: design, plan, research, conduct….

….creativity and innovation

...make a game board, light up correct answers, incorrect answers don't light up

-review historical scientific methods…..give background knowledge for students to consider

-excite students with the unknown!

-encourage them to explore

INSPIRE!!!!

INVENT!!!!!                                                                                                       INVESTIGATE!!!

Week 3 - A Day in Town

Trees are:

 the most massive living thing: 500 blue whales or 6,000 tons

the tallest living thing: 362 ft tall, longer than a football field laid flat

the oldest living thing: 4,900 years old

                          

I didn’t know that…

-sap is made in the leaves

-leaves make food for the tree

Project learning tree (PLT) : moves students from awareness to action

-Not teaching them what to believe but how to understand/investigate

-bring outside world into the classroom

Inquiry Question: Which of these items came from a tree?

ALL OF THEM!!

~DIAPERS~

Inquiry Question: How many red solo cups will the diaper hold before dripping? –3 red cups!

So 6 cups. 48 ounces.

Findings: 

Made of Sodium Polyacrylate  --CH2--CH(CO2Na)—

This Polymer: can soak up 30x more than it’s weight

            Also used in toys that grow,

200+ years in a landfill

Changes over time:

-disposable (convenience)

-hybrid diapers (reusable and disposable)

-less diaper rash over the years

-swim diapers 

Textbook:

F O  C U S I N G   Q U E  S  T I O N S  

. What is the diference between a science 

activity and a science lesson?

. Do you prefer to learn independently or in 

small groups?

.How do you plan for the unexpected?

. How can you set up your science lessons if 

you have only forty minutes in a period?

. What is your own personal style when it 

comes to planning?

F O  C U S I N G   Q U E  S  T I O N S

. What science concepts should you explore?

. How do you personalize science content 

and make it your own?

. When you think of a system, what comes to 

mind?

. What is the dif erence between a book of 

science standards and a curriculum?

. Why is it important to infuse environmental 

science issues into standard science 

curriculum?

I've noticed the book and class emphasis in discovery, activity, and inquiry based learning instead of direct instruction and just a straight science lesson.  I look forward to continue to learn and teach in these form and I hope to employ this in other subjects as well.  Students learn by creating and teaching each other, as well as participating in constructive activities that form understandings and questions instead of beliefs.

Week 2 - A Day at the Ocean

Sand Dollar Facts

also called: “sea cookie” and “sand cake”

-Domed shaped allows water to flow over

-Structure: helps it survive

-Small ones suck up sand in order to weigh itself down

-Found close to shore in the low intertidal zone to as deep as 30 feet

-Live right next to each other in very large groups or beds

-Their bodies are covered with tiny appendages to capture food particles small and large. Tiny cilia (extra small hairs) on the sand dollar’s spines sweep up small bits of food

-Sand dollars reproduce by spawning; male sand dollars release sperm and female sand dollars release eggs into the water during spring

-An adult sand dollar is about three inches in diameter and lives approximately eight years (by counting rings on skeleton)

Through our ProScope microscope:

Similarities with us:

Structure                       Scale                   Function

Symmetry                                                Reproduce

Feet

Mouth/teeth

 We Dissected Squid!!

 Two long arms and eight tentacles, the spots are muscles 

 This is the beak, rough thick texture 

 This is where the squid releases water in order to propel

 This male squid (no egg sac) had a large ink sac (protective mechanism) that broke

 This is the cartilage that I pulled out, transparent and think

(I also pulled out the esophagus which resembled thin floss about the whole length of the body as well)

 We all brought ingredients to class

 Fried the squid and made calamari! Yummy!

Today we participated in 100% hands on activities.  I was able to determine my level of interest and learning was heightened by this engaging inquiry practice. We incorporated a variety of technology within the lessons as well.  We did group and individual searches.  Our class portrayed the "social science environment" well.  We all discussed content related topics and findings during class time.