Chinese Proverb

In preparing for my final post, I thought of a Chinese proverb that I think sums up this experience perfectly.

"Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I'll understand."

Powerful, right? And so true! Wow...I can't believe it's over! I really loved this experience. I will miss all the students, I will miss teaching science on Mondays, and I'll even miss being "Miss Rich" (which sounded so strange at first!). Our final lesson was nothing short of amazing, though. We walked into the classroom to find a huge pile of cards that the students had made for us. They had drawings on them and pictures, and they wrote the nicest things about how much they loved learning science with us and how much they enjoyed the experience. Wow...what a pleasant surprise, and something that I will always remember!

We had the students do one final science experiment this week, which was to see if sugar granules would dissolve quicker in cold or warm water. We asked them to write their hypotheses before beginning the big race. Most of the students correctly predicted that the warm water would win, and much to our delight, unlike last week, the warm water actually DID win, so it was a nice way to wrap up the unit.

Following the race, we played a game of Science Jeopardy with the students. We were being evaluated on our ability to assess learning, and we thought this would be a great way to do it that would involve the entire class and it would be fun and engaging at the same time. We split the class into two groups and had them work together to come up with the correct answers. Our categories included: "Science Process Skills," "Science Tools," "Science Terms," "Science Experiments," and "Science Vocabulary".

We had three questions in each category. As we progressed through the game, I was so surprised and proud that they were getting the answers right! It showed that we had actually taught them something, and I couldn't have been more proud. After each lesson, I felt a sense of accomplishment, but I think it was mostly because I was happy that we had managed to get through everything we wanted to do each week. When I started thinking about whether or not they had learned, I had my doubts! I even created a "cheat sheet" that had the answers listed in alphabetical order so that they would have something to help them along if they got stuck. We decided not to use the cheat sheet, and I'm so glad, because they didn't even need it. I almost cried with delight when they properly answered our question about "classification" as a process skill. We had mentioned it weeks ago, and it was clear that it was a new word for most of the students. And they remembered it!! Amazing!! The game ended in a nail-biter as the final team risked it all in their Double Jeopardy question. If they got it right, they'd win the game, and if they got it wrong, they'd lose and...they got it right! In fact, out of all 15 questions, only one question was answered incorrectly! How about that?!

For our final post, we've been asked to answer a few questions. I've always wanted to be on The Oprah Show, so I'm going to pretend I am...since it's her last season and all, and my chances of actually being on Oprah are pretty slim.

What was your overall impression of this experience?

Tremendous. I really got so much of of this experience...more than I thought was possible at the beginning of the semester. I was so nervous the first day heading into the classroom. I had stage fright about speaking in front of the class, and I did not feel ready to be teaching so early in the program, even though my partner, Megan, and I spent hours preparing for and discussing how we were going to approach the lesson. I felt like I needed more time with Michelle and Bindu because we really hadn't talked much about how to teach. We hadn't discussed classroom management, time management, materials management, etc. and even though we had these great lesson plans that were easy to understand and execute, and we were provided with beautiful, high-quality materials for the kids to work with, it still felt like I was being thrown in to the sharks. But, we did it! And I think we all did it really well. Perhaps my fears "upped the ante," so to speak, and forced me to do more preparation and planning than I would have had we eased more into the program. And I'm not sure what I expected would be different. Being in front of the class and leading a lesson really isn't something that can be taught. It has to be learned by doing, which is just how it happened, and why, I think, I got so much out of the experience.

What did you learn about teaching science?

First and foremost, I learned that kids really love it! It allows them to be hands-on and interact with learning in a way that they don't get to do very often. The lessons are designed to allow for a lot of individual exploration and experimentation, which lets the students use their prior knowledge to guide them through the experience. I also learned that science programs are being cut from many curriculums in place of more reading and math programs. Seeing first hand how much the kids enjoy it and how much they learn from it, it makes me feel very sad and frustrated at the same time.

Was the weekly feedback you received from your supervisors helpful?

Yes, it certainly was. What a better way to learn then to be observed and helped by experienced teachers?! The only thing that was odd was that due to scheduling (the observers having to observe two classes in the same day), we were often not observed on the skill we were supposed to be observed on because we would address the skill at the end of the lesson, for instance, when our observer had left the room already. Not sure how this could be remedied, but something to think about going forward.

How did the classroom teacher help you learn about teaching science? What did you do with this information?

The area that our classroom teacher helped us the most was with classroom management. Particularly in the first few lessons. There were times when the noise level would start to get loud, and she demonstrated some of the techniques she uses to get things under control again. Once we saw her successfully use clapping or "thumbs up" to get students' attention, we used those methods in the future with success, as well.

Do you feel that your content knowledge about your topic increased?

Absolutely. Prior to this experience, I didn't really know much about solids, liquids and gases and certainly could not have articulated the difference between a mixture and a solution, for instance, but now I can! (A mixture is when two substances are combined, but they maintain their own properites - like salt and rocks, and a solution is when two substances are combined, but one substance combines completely with the other substance - like salt and water!) I would feel very confident teaching this same lesson in the future now that I've had success with it through this experience.

What did you learn about process skills?

I learned that it's really important for students to understand that each science experiment uses a different set of process skills and that understanding the purpose of each skill will lead to more successful investigations. I also learned how important is it for us, as teachers, to make sure we properly introduce, define, and model each skill so the students can understand and employ the skills properly.

Do you feel that your level of confidence has changed as a result of this experience?

Most definitely. As I mentioned earlier in my post, I was really nervous going into the first lesson. I was afraid I would not come across with enough credibility and that the students would ask me questions I wouldn't be able to answer. I understand, now, the importance of being properly prepared for each lesson through careful planning and research which reduces that tension and helps with confidence. I understand that I won't always know the answer to every question but if I'm honest with the students, they won't expect that I will always have every answer, and that it's OK. I learned that if I'm enthusiastic, upbeat, and high-energy, the students will feed off of me. I also really appreciate something that Michelle taught us early in the semester...that we need to treat each child with dignity and respect and that we should never talk to them in a demeaning or condescending tone. She mentioned that if you wouldn't speak to your neighbor in a certain tone or with certain language, you shouldn't speak to your students like that either. I really love that reminder and will take it with me into every classroom in the future.

Did you feel that blogging was useful? Do you feel that you'll continue using a blog? Why or why not?

This is a difficult question for me to answer. While I do appreciate the archive I now have because I created and maintained an experience blog, I will admit to dreading it each week. I've never been much of a writer and don't enjoy the process. It feels like a chore to me, and I'm never sure what I'm going to say to make it interesting while meeting the requirement. I loved reading the blogs of my classmates because I was always able to get useful ideas for what I could have done differently, and I felt like we created a collegiate community of sharing. And it was definitely a more interesting method than the online discussion boards. So overall, yes, I think it was and will continue to be useful, and I'll admit that just because I didn't enjoy it, doesn't mean it wasn't worth my time and effort!

As far as continuing in the future, I probably will not. Simply because I lack the discipline to make myself do something I don't like to do if I don't have to do it. I will try, because I see the value in it, but I can easily see my posts becoming less and less frequent. But who knows. I may miss it once it's gone!

Do you have any suggestions for doing this again?

Without a single hesitation, I would absolutely recommend that you continue this program. I feel very fortunate to have had such a tremendous experience so early on in my program. As nervous as I was about it going into it, it could not have been more enjoyable, educational, or rewarding. I am amazed at how well we were able to connect with the students and how well we progressed from week to week. I enjoyed Mondays (and really, who enjoys Mondays) so much because I had the science lessons to look forward to. I am amazed that Megan and I actually taught the students so much during our short time with them. The experience completely exceeded my expectations, and I am so grateful. I cannot wait to get back in front of the students, and it really makes me enthusiastic about my future.

I also want to mention what a pleasure it was working with Megan on this assignment. Megan is always prepared and has really great ideas for how to make the lessons even better. She's very collaborative and easy to work with, and the students really like her. Megan, thank you for helping to make this such a great experience! I hope to be able to co-teach with you in the future!!

Ready, Steady, Go!

Lesson 6 with the kids was a blast. This week we had the kids racing to see which they could melt faster: sugar cubes or sugar granules. Before we could get to the fun part, we had to go over the serious science stuff. We wanted to introduce "hypothesis" as our science process skill of the week, so we reviewed the definition of a hypothesis and gave them a couple of examples of hypotheses we had actually made in the past to get them thinking. We then asked them to make their own hypothesis about which they thought would melt faster. They struggled with it a bit. They wanted to be right, and many of them were afraid to take a risk and make a choice. We explained to them that it wasn't important for them to be right or wrong, that the purpose of forming a hypothesis is to conduct an experiment that will either disprove their theory or support their theory. We also explained that they needed to use their prior knowledge to make their decision and asked them to think about some of the materials we've worked with in the past that might be similar to the two types of sugar. I heard many of the students discussing how the granules were similar to salt that they had melted in the past and that the cubes were similar to the effervescent tablets they used in the first lesson, and I was really impressed and happy with those discussions. It showed they were really thinking about it and using their past experiences to help them.

Once the hypotheses were formed, We started the race. Any time we can make learning fun for kids, they're going to enjoy it, and they definitely did. But what we thought would happen didn't exactly happen. I felt a little bit like "poor Sarah", that video we watched when the teacher's experiment went wildly wrong. I conducted the race three times myself at home, and each time, the sugar granules melted much quicker than the sugar cubes, so I thought we were safe. When we got into the classroom, the majority of sugar cubes melted before the sugar granules! Megan and I couldn't believe it. We had to have a moment to regroup in private when we started seeing those results! We used it as an opportunity to explain to the students that when you're in the lab, things do not always happen they way you think they will.

We also had a discussion with the students to ask them why they think we saw the results we did. The students' ideas included: the cubes were one piece and the granules were many pieces so it took longer for the granules; and some students noticed that the granules sunk straight to the bottom of the cup, while the cube floated, so it was more difficult to get the granules off the bottom of the cup. Megan and I discussed the results after class and think that it probably had to do with our tools. We gave each pair of students one spoon and one coffee stirrer, and chances are, the spoons created the faster melt. This was a problem that we didn't think about ahead of time, and I was dissapointed in myself, given that I had just done a presentation on controlling variables in class the week before! It just goes to show you how many things we need to think about when we're setting up our lessons. something as simple as a spoon vs. a wooden stirrer can affect the outcome!

However, we were able to use the mishap to our advantage. We were being observed this week on our ability to incorporate engineering and technology into our lesson, so we had put together a Powerpoint presentation that contained photographs of various types of labs. We gathered the students around the carpet and asked them to look at the pictures to see the different tools and technology that are used in the different labs. We also asked them to tell us what they think the scientists in each lab might be working on. It was a great way for them to see that science has many applications and that the tools we need to be successful will always be different. Megan did a great job tying the experiment and the discussion together by asking them what tools we could have used that might have changed our results. I thought it was a very clever way to wrap thigns up so the kids really understood.

I can't believe next week is our last week! It feels like we just started!

I Say Spaghetti, You Say Meatballs!

Now that our 5th science lesson is complete, it's so clear to me how important classroom management is. This week, we had a lot to accomplish in one hour. We did it, but it wasnt' easy. It required coordinated teamwork and paying careful attention to timing and pacing. Every teacher has his or her own technique for maintaining order in the classroom. Our classroom teacher typically does a rhythmic clapping sequence. When she claps it, the students clap it back and know that it means they are to stop what they are doing and look to the teacher. She also uses a "thumbs up" method to indicate when students are ready to move on to the next task. I know that some of our classmates have been using other methods such as the "red zone", using a xylophone, and even whistles. A friend of mine who teaches uses spaghetti and meatballs. When she says "spaghetti", her students respond with "meatballs" and know they need to listen. Whatever works is clearly the take-away here!

This week, I came upon a couple of students having a heated argument about whose turn it was to do the next step. My first instinct was to solve the fight and choose a student myself, but I quickly realized this wasn't fair to me or to the students, so I told them they needed to work it out for themselves. Instantly, they both started shouting their case back to me, and I calmly explained that they knew the rules and expectations of today's lesson and that taking turns was one of the rules and that if they couldn't figure out a way to work it out on their own, I'd have to take their materials away and ask them to sit out the rest of the lesson. The threat was enough motivation for them to come to an agreement without my intervention. I was relieved because I wasn't sure if it was going to work. I like these little learning moments. Now the next time it happens, and it will happen, I'll have a new weapon in my classroom management arsenal!

This week, we were observed on our ability to incorporate technology and writing into our lesson planning. Because we knew we had a lot of prep work to do for the materials up front, we decided to ask the students to write in their journals at the very beginning of the class. This gave them quiet, focused time to write while we set up. Our classroom teacher let us know that there is a variety of writing ability levels in the class, so we decied to use an open-ended question that would allow students to write at their own pace. We asked them to think about their favorite memory of the lessons we've done with them so far. I thought most of the students would write about the effervescent tablet lesson, because I think that is the one that I heard the most oohs and ahhs, but surprisingly, I think many of them wrote about the "Chubby Little Snowman" song that we did with them. I had to laugh when I heard them all talking about it because I did that part of the lesson that day, and I really messed it up. I kept getting the lyrics wrong (the kids kept telling me!), and my singing was horrible. Just goes to show you how important it is to ask for feedback now and then. Things we think are working/not working may be just the opposite!!

Once we began the lesson, it was time for us to really watch the clock. We had a lot to get done in a short amount of time, but we did it. The students were really great again this week. I continue to be surprised and proud about how well they do. We were working with "Prediction" as our process skill of the week, and most students successfully predicted that the gravel would be the easiest to separate from the water and the salt would be the hardest. Once we got through the experiment, we asked the students to think about what happened and to share their thoughts of what worked/didn't work and why. We also circled back to their predictions to make sure they understood that what they thought might happen, happened for a reason.

To conclude the lesson this week, Megan brought the kids over to the carpet and showed them a They Might Be Giants video that Michelle had shared with us the previous week. It's a fun, upbeat song about solids, liquids and gasses with great animation to go along with the words. The kids liked it so much they asked to view it twice! I thought it was an interesting way to incorporate technology into the lesson that I probably would not have considered doing if we weren't asked to! But it makes total sense. Today's students are very tech-savvy, and there's no underestimating the impact of the "cool factor" that slick computers and other technology can bring.

There's only two weeks left now! I'm sad to think the end is near, but I have really enjoyed the entire experience.

Gross and Disgusting are not "Science Words"

Today's science lesson centered around mixing solids and liquids. I think this was the most challenging to date because there were so many materials we needed to control, and there were many steps to complete the experiment. My partner, Megan, and I both agreed that our key to success today was going to be with classroom management and making sure the students didn't talk too much or move ahead on their own. To accomplish this, we dedicated precious minutes at the beginning of the hour to making sure that everyone understood the rules and expectations of the day. We stressed the importance of being good listeners and that everyone needed to stay focused and only talk when we asked them to talk with their partners. Much to our delight, this actually worked (for the most part!).

We were very explicit in our instruction today and broke the lesson down into very small, consumable parts. We walked the entire class together through each activity in the lesson, asking students to take turns doing the pouring or the mixing, etc. This process worked very well with these students. They really like to all be involved in the hands-on activities, so taking turns is a good, democratic way to make sure everyone gets a turn and stays happy.

Our observation tasks this week were: content vocabulary, flow of the class, and misconceptions identified.

We were actually happy to have vocabulary as one of the observations today, because it forced us to think about it more concretely and develop a method for ensuring that our students were being introduced to the new vocabulary words in a way that is meaningful and useful to them. I think we've done a good job in the past taking time to explain new words and review their meaning and importance throughout the lessons, but we took it a step further this week by creating a vocabulary hand out. We highlighted a few of the new words that we've been using in this unit (and will continue to introduce over the next couple of weeks), and we defined them in simple, easy to remember definitions. Each student received a copy of the handout, and we explained that they could keep these vocabulary sheets in their science folders and refer to them if they had any questions or didn't understand something. In addition, we created a "vocabulary word of the day" handout that provided more context and an example. Our word of the day was "solution", so we provided the definition and two examples of solutions. One example was mixing lemonade crystals with water to create lemonade, a "real world" example that most of the kids could relate to. Our second example incorporated the "effervescent tablet" experiment from our first lesson, which provided nice synergy across lessons. The students all remembered that experiment enthusiastically, so I was glad we were able to provide some more context around what we did and what became of that tablet after it "disappeared" into the water. Megan and I were delighted to hear one student at the end of the class sharing, without prompting from either of us, his ranking of which of the mixtures was the best solution in today's lesson. It was so wonderful to see that they had actually listened and that they had actually learned something from our lesson! I also think having some of my attention on vocabulary helped me to be a better teacher. As I was walking around the room during activities, some of the students would say things like "it's gross" or "it's disgusting" when I asked them to make an observation about the mixture. I was able to talk to them about how "gross" isn't really a good "science word" and asked them to think about how they could explain that in a more scientific way. It was fun to watch their wheels turns as they thought of more descriptive ways to convey their observations.

For flow of the class, Megan and I kept a very tight reign on the timing and the pacing of each step. We used a classroom management technique of "thumbs up and mouths closed" when each group completed each step. This is a strategy that the classroom teacher uses and shared with us in an early lesson. The students respond well to it, and it helps them to focus on what the teacher is saying. Our class is full of very enthusiastic talkers, so it doesn't take much to get them off track, and the room gets pretty loud pretty quick! Megan and I are very lucky to work really well together, and we worked together to keep things under control.

Identifying misconceptions was a little tricky. It's difficult to imagine what the students will think or question, but we did provide a list of possible misconceptions in our lesson plan, and we printed out a copy of that, as well as all of our handout/materials to leave with Dr. Gilmore who was observing us today. Provind the material ahead of time was a great way for Dr. Gilmore to get an understanding of what we were trying to accomplish and provided her with insight into our thinking and our planning. As were progressed through the lesson, we would ask students to record their observations on their record sheets, and by walking around the room during this time, we were able to directly address their misconceptions as they occured. In addition, in the recap at the end of the lesson, we asked students to share their observations with the class and could address misconceptions with the whole class as they came up. This worked really well today and in the past for us.

As we get more comfortable with the class and with the unit, I feel like it's coming together more and more each week. We're getting better about remembering to ask the "science question of the day", beginning our intros with a recap of what we did in the previous lesson to get their minds focused back on science, pacing the class and the activities so the students have ample time to enjoy the experiment while staying on schedule, and we're getting really great at recapping the lessons so that the students understand the purpose of why we did the particular activity and what it means from a science standpoint. This experience has been invaluable, and I really am learning so much from it.

It's been really great so far, and it just keeps getting better and better. Especially after we were done today and we had accomplished everything we set out to accomplish. It was a challenging week, and we had out doubts, but with a lot of planning and communication, we were able to pull it off! Yay us!

Things are Really Gettin' Good Now!

This week, my teaching partner, Megan and I worked with the students on the next lesson in our Changes unit. Because this lesson had many steps, Megan and I were challenged to manage the classroom effectively. In our past lessons, there's been more independent discovery time, and students could pace themselves, but with this lesson, we wanted the entire class to progress from step to step together. It was tough, but our classroom teacher taught us one of her techniques which is to ask the students to give a thumbs up once they completed the task. This helped up keep the kids focused and was an easy identifier of the students that required assistance and/or more time.

Our friend who has shown a strong interest in pickles didn't let us down. While he was observing the properties of the sea salt, he noted that it "smelled like pickles". I had to laugh when he said that!

Megan and I also focused our attention this week on posing a "science question of the day", based on feedback we received in prior observations. Our question was "what is a mixture", and at the start of the lesson, the students were able to tell us that a mixture is something that is made of more than one thing, but following the lesson, having had a chance to create and separate their own mixtures, they showed a deeper understanding and were able to articulate that in this case, even when we took two substances and mixed them together, each substance maintained its properties, and each substance was clearly visible throughout the experiment. We even had one student ask what would happen if we added water to the substance, which is what we're going to do with the class next week, so it was a good preview, and it was so impressive that she was thinking about it.

Another element Megan and I worked on was introducing process skills. We explained that when we conduct science experiments, we use process skills and that this week, we were going to practice "classifying." When I asked if any students thought they knew what it was, one student said that it was like a secret. Like when someone has classified information. Although not the definition we were looking for, it was good that they thought about it and used their prior knowledge to form an answer. We continued asking for ideas about classifying, and one student thought it was a way to "name something".
I was quite impressed with the simplistic yet accurate description. I continue to be surprised at how smart these kids are!! We explained to the students that we wanted them to practice their classification skills during this experiment by organizing the materials into groups and identifying their properties. They were able to understand this when Megan gave them a good example of how most of our closets are organized into shirts, pants, sweaters, etc. It helped them understand the concept with a real world example that I thought was very effective.

Once the experiment was complete, we returned to the front of the classroom for a wrap-up discussion, asking the students if we saw any mixtures during our lesson today and asked the students to list some of their thoughts and experiences with the mixture. We captured their thoughts on the flip chart paper and reviewed any questions they had. For instance, one group thought that they salt had changed colors during the mixing. We explained that what they were seeing was probably a shadow and removed the smaller cup from the larger cup to show them it was the same color. We also had a few groups that thought the rocks had changed into sand because when they were mixing the two substances together, the friction agains the rocks caused them to break down a bit. Megan did a great job asking them to think about were they still the same color? Were they still rocks? And the students understood. It was a great discussion!

I continue to be very proud of the students and can't wait each week to return to the classroom to work with them again.

You're As Cold as Ice

Welcome back to my science blog! This week's "Changes" lesson focused on ice. At the end of last week's lesson, we had the students watch as we filled an ice cube tray with water. We told them we were going to go put the tray into the freezer and asked them to think about what they predicted would happen to that water by the time we came back one week later.

Our students are really sharp, so I was not surprised that when we started this week's lesson by asking what they thought happened to the water, they all knew that it would turn into ice.

Our instructors this week were observing us and providing feedback on the following criteria: Lesson introduction, materials management, and connection to frameworks.

Well, right off the bat, Megan and I got a little nervous. We had planned an introduction that summarized what we did last week and reminded the students about a few key concepts, skills, and new information they had learned, and just as we were about to begin, the classroom teacher started talking about exactly what we were going to talk about! It required us to think quickly on our feet and readjust what we were going to talk about. Megan picked up exactly where the classroom teacher left off, and we smoothly transitioned from introduction to safety reminders to rules and overview of the activity.

The lesson plan we had for this week asked the students to figure out ways to melt an ice cube as quickly as possible. We didn't want to give them too much information for fear of giving away the answer, which is that in order to melt the ice cube, we need to introduce heat. But we also wanted to make sure they understood WHAT they were doing and WHY melting was happening, so it was a fine line to walk. We decided that we would make sure they understood that the water from last week turned into ice in the freezer because we removed the heat. We hoped this was enough of a clue without providing the answer.

We continued with one of our methods of classroom management by assigning roles to each of the students. By assigning one "material gatherer" from each group, we control how many kids go to the material center, and it helps keep the activity and excitement levels manageable. We assign the other partner in the group to be the "recorder", and that student is responsible for writing down their observations and filling out the data sheet. We use different stickers to indicate each role, and the students really love it. A few of them saved their stickers from last week but were excited to see we brought new/different stickers this week.

Once the activity began, I was so impressed with the students' ability to not only work together really well, but to be very systematic in their approach to the problem. Although no one articulated directly to me that they needed to apply heat in order to melt the ice cubes, as I approached each group to ask what they were doing, I would ask them WHY it was working, and they all were able to tell me that it was because they were using heat. Some children sat on the ice cube, and they knew their body heat was what was causing the ice to melt. Other students rubbed the ice cube between their hands, and when I asked they why it was working, most said "because we're rubbing it". So I would ask them to put the ice down for a minute and rub their hands together really fast. I then asked them what was happening to their hands when they did that, and I could see the light bulbs going off in their minds as they realized their hands were getting warm, so that is why they were able to melt the ice cube. This also allowed me to introduce the concept of "friction", a term which many of them had not heard before.

We also had the chance to tie the lesson back to the frameworks and begin to introduce some process skills. Part of our feedback was that we weren't explicit enough in defining process skills and making it clear to the students that we were teaching them new skills (such as observation, prediction, and data collection) and that in future weeks, we should make this more clear and let the students know that we'll be watching for them to use their new science skills as they conduct their experiments.

Once again, this science lesson was a huge success. All of the students were successful in melting their ice cubes in a reasonable amount of time, and all of them understood that it was the introduction of heat to the ice cubes that caused them to melt. They were all very enthusiastic about the lesson and enjoyed being able to participate in their experiments, and they all gained a lot from the experience. I can't wait to return and work with the students on combining solids. I expect to once again, be pleasantly surprised at how smart and articulate the students are!

We'll Always Remember the First Time!

Last week, my teaching partner, Megan, and I taught our very first science lesson to our third grade classroom. We were both really excited and spent HOURS prepping for our 1 hour lesson plan with the students!

As we walked out of the classroom, out of breath and sweating, we looked at each other in amazement. While we both really enjoyed it, it was a lot of work, and it was stressful, nerve-wracking, and mildly exhausting! And we had only led one hour of one day...and we split the work! We were both surprised and humbled by the amount of work it took to "pull it off". I even had a bit of stage fright just before I had to get in front of the class to deliver the intro. I saw all their little curious eyes staring at me and felt like they were going to see right through me and realize I'm not the science expert they thought! But once I started talking and interacting with them, I was quickly put at ease by their level of enthusiasm and excitement for the lesson, and I was also incredibly impressed with the amount of prior knowledge they had with regard to the lesson topic.

For seven weeks, we are teaching a "Changes" unit, and each week, we have a new activity/lesson to work on with the students that relates to changes and states/properties of matter and aligns with the Massachusetts science curriculum frameworks. It's been really exciting, overwhelming, and fun all at the same time!

Our first lesson called for the students to drop an effervescent tablet into a cup of water and observe what happened. We started the lesson off by explaining the states of matter (solid, liquid and gas) and asked for examples of each. It was interesting to hear some of the answers. During our introduction, I had explained that a solid can be hard or it can be soft, and that liquids are usually poured. I realized by some of the examples that the students shared, that I probably confused them with that explanation. One of the students thought that flour was a liquid because it can be poured. Another student wondered what a pickle was because he knew it was hard, so it was probably a solid, but he also pointed out that when you bite into it, liquid comes out. I was impressed with his ability to think outside the box like that and know enough to question it based on the explanation I had provided. We later discovered this particular kid has a fondness for pickles...he mentioned them at least four times throughout the lesson! Maybe he had one with lunch that was particularly good?!

What also came out of the interaction with the students is the realization of how helpful it is as a teacher to ask questions of the students. It not only helps us assess their learning but allows us to recognize the areas that we need to do better next time. When you hear your words returned back to you and receive answers you weren't expecting, it it like putting a mirror up to reflect your words. I found that so interesting and helpful!

Each week, we're being observed by our instructors. Their observations and feedback are designed to help us become better teachers, and they are looking at how we handle certain criteria each week. For the first lesson, they were observing: Lesson Planning, Safety, and Teamwork.

I am lucky enough to have an incredible teaching partner who is diligent, creative, organized and really great with the students. We've developed a sort of cadence to our lesson planning in that one of us writes the intial draft of the lesson plan. The other reviews the draft, filling in any gaps that may have been missed, and fixes any errors. We then put it through a review process with our peers who help by sharing their ideas and/or pointing how we can approach things differently.

Once we're both comfortable with our lesson plan, we share it with our classroom teacher, and then we assign roles for each of us. We split the lesson plan into chunks and assign "ownership" of the chunks between us. From them on, it's all about coordinated teamwork! Typically, one of us will lead the introduction, then hand off to our partner who leads the safety and rules discussion. Next is the overview of the lesson and explaination/expectations for the lesson. We assign roles to the students using different colored stickers (material gatherer, recorder, etc.), and then we begin the activity. At that point, we both walk around the room, working individually with the different groups. We make sure they're following the rules and safety guidelines and doing what is expected of them in the lesson. We help them with any questions they have, and we ask questions about why they're doing certain activities to try to strengthen their understanding of the lesson.

When the activity is done, we ask the students to sit on the carpet for a discussion. We've learned that for the younger grades, it's good to keep the students moving and change their environment from time to time in order to keep them engaged and attentive. While one partner talks to the group about the lesson and leads a short activity (such as a literary connection or a song), the other partner cleans up the materials and preps for the wrap up.

To close out the lesson, we ask the students to return to their desks, and then we go through the activity with the students as a group. We ask questions about what they observed, and what they did. What worked and didn't work and why. What they learned about or how they used prior knowledge to help them with the lesson. We ask targeted questions, tying in the introductory discussion to make sure they all understand the point of the lesson. We alternate roles and resonsibilities each week, so we each have experiences leading different parts of the lesson plan, and it's been working great for us.

I think we've done an excellent job working together, and it's so fun to see the students get so excited. They tell us they love science, and they cheer when we come into the room. It's been a very gratifying experience so far, and I look forward to future lessons!

Well, Kiss My Grits. Y'all.

Last week, I spent some time down in Georgia with my family. When it came time for meals, everyone decided it was about time the "yanks" had some good ol' southern home cookin, so we feasted on some traditional favorites. I'm lucky enough that my new sister-in-law is a southern chef, and I was assured that we were getting the full treatment. We had some grits, chicken fried steak, and biscuits and gravy, to name a few.














Now aside from the grits, I've had all of these things before, but not like this. You see, southern cooking isn't like the kind of cooking I grew up on. It's basically the same stuff, but it's made so differently, that it's hardly recognizable, and I couldn't help but think of the changes lesson that I'm about to teach to the 3rd grade students next week. If they can make steak look like fried chicken, morph grits into a tasty treat (but really, what isn't good when it's cooked with a pound of butter?) and call biscuits soaked in gravy "breakfast", they sure have discovered how to change things, and I discovered how truly good change can be.

Time to Meet the Students!

Last week, my partner, Megan, and I met the 3rd grade students we're going to be working with for our science class. When we first walked into the room, the teacher was busy with another activity, so she didn't get a chance to introduce us right away. As we made our way to the back of the classroom to sit in tiny seats made for six year olds, 23 little sets of eyes followed us curiously, and I couldn't help but think of the movie Kindergarten Cop when Arnold Schwarzenegger first enters the classroom and all the little faces just stared at him with looks of horror and amazement.

We're going to be working with the kids on a "changes" lesson where we help them learn and understand that all matter has properties and that the properties can change when they are mixed together. It should be fun.

Here's to hoping we don't end up looking like this by the end of the lesson!

Don't Know Much About the Science Books; Don't Know Much About the French I Took...

In a few short weeks, my classmates and I will be going into the classroom to teach a science unit to 3rd graders. We've been assigned a "changes" unit where we will be working with the kids to help them understand the properties of solids, liquids and gases and how these properties can change if they are combined with other matter.

Our lesson will center around dropping tablets of Alka-Seltzer into water and observing what happens. Anyone remember the old "plop, plop, fizz, fizz" slogan? Funny how times "change."


In order to lead the lessons, we're going to have to become the experts in the room on all things that matter...when it comes to matter. This is the first of many lesson plans we'll be teaching, so we need to develop tools and practices in order to properly prepare for each lesson. Here's what I plan to do.


First I thought about the lesson and tried to put myself into the shoes of the learners. If I were seeing this for the first time, as many of them will, what would I want to know? I would definitely want to know what happaned to that tablet! I'm quite certain I would think it disappeared right in front of my eyes. In fact, even before reading the lesson plan, I probably would have said it dissolved into the water, and that's not exactly true either. The real story is that it turned into a gas. But how do I explain that to a group of 3rd graders?

Um....well, how about Google?

1) How does Alka Selzter work?

After poking around on a few sites, I discover that the "fizz" is caused by the release of carbon dioxide when combined with water. Steve Spangler even teaches us how to make an Alka Seltzer rocket! Cool! Maybe for Lesson Plan 3?? *grin*

2) OK, so what is carbon dioxide? Isn't that what we breath?

Cardon dioxside: a colourless, odorless, tasteless gas that is produced when animals exhale (I was right!) and when fuels burn and is used by plans to make food. Cardon dioxide is a "Greenhouse Gas".

Well, that's a good definition, but really not all that useful for my purposes. Let me ask this a little differently.

3) What hapens when I put Alka Seltzer in water?

This yielded differen results, including a link to "the Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy". Who knew?

A much more palatable answer:

One of the main ingredients of Alka-Seltzer is baking powder. Baking powder is a
combination of some acid (such as citric acid or tartaric acid) and sodium bicarbonate. When the tablet dissolves the components of baking powder (the acid and the base)react with each other and produce a gas (carbon dioxide).

OK, I see, so adding water to the solid, allows the solid to dissolve and react with the water, releasing the gas (a chemical reaction!). The gas makes the bubbles. The bubbles are the gas. So, in a chemical reaction, when two substances react together, they can form new chemicals or products.

I also checked out some of my classmates blogs for additional inspiration. Becky (along with many others) linked to our friends, Moby and Tim at Brainpop, and by watching this video, I learned a new term called "sublimation". This is when a solid changes directly to a gaseous state without ever becoming liquid. This term may be a bit advanced for the 3rd graders, but we can introduce the concept and make sure that what they take away from the experiment is that:

• all matter has 3 "states" (solid, liquid and gas)
• those states change due to changes in temperature and pressure
• it's a purely physical change becuase the chemical properties stay the same

Cool. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is.

How the heck am I gonna teach this science stuff?

As a "teacher in the making," I'm feeling a bit hungry for information and resources that will help me figure out how the heck I am going to teach science to children. As someone who is just coming to the understanding that I actually enjoy science, I'm feeling a little like I'm going to be learning and discovering cool stuff right along with the kids.


I do think this is good in somes ways, afterall, we want to show enthusiasm and excitement as a teacher so that our students will feed off our energy, but at the same time, I need to be able to credibly come off as an expert, so I'm going to need some help!


Here's a few sites I found on the web:

Activities, Worksheets, and Lesson Plans (Oh My!): This site is meant for upper elementary and middle school teachers. It contains some really practical, useful materials that are sure to come in handy.

Who doesn't love PBS? This incredible site is organized by grade level and subject but also includes a really great community where you can talk with other teachers, share ideas, get information about professional development, what's new and innovative, where to buy cool stuff, etc. GREAT site!

And just for some fun, I found the blog of Richard Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK. He's a psychologist, magician, and author and posts daily on quirky mind stuff. Have a look around if you're feeling the need for something inspiring and cool!

My Science Story

When I think about science classes when I was younger, a couple of images come to mind quickly. Dead frogs and microscopes. Beakers and petri dishes. Mr. Fohey and his Coke bottle thick glasses. What I don't remember is how I felt about science at the time. I don't really have a clear memory either way. I do think it must have been one of the cooler classes...because it sometimes involved hands-on experimentation and seeing things in a new way, rather than just reading out of a book or listening to the teacher drone on and on, but I honestly don't really remember much about it at all.


I don't think I was a particularly curious kid. I was more of a go with the flow kind of kid. I did enjoy playing outside, especially in the woods near my house. I collected crayfish from the brook because they looked like teeny lobsters, and I thought that was very cool. I had a thing for toads and turtles and always seemed to have one or the other in an old shoe box on the porch. In the summer, I collected fireflies and kept them in clear jars with holes poked in the lids. As a summer lover, one consolation I did have as fall approached was that it meant the leaves would be changing and falling from the trees. While I didn't necessarily enjoy the raking, I DID enjoy being able to jump into the leave piles when we were done. I thought of that old memory recently when I sent leaves off to my sister who now lives in Arizona. She misses the seasons we have here in New England, and I wanted to send her a little piece of home to enjoy.

Even with all of these fun memories and interests, I've never really thought of myself as a fan of science, but while thinking about what I would write for this blog, it occured to me that science is all around us, and, it turns out, now that I think about it...I'm actually quite fond of science!

I found this quote defining science that I think sums it up nicely:

"Science is an intellectual activity carried on by humans that is designed to discover information about the natural world in which humans live and to discover the ways in which this information can be organized into meaningful patterns. A primary aim of science is to collect facts (data). An ultimate purpose of science is to discern the order that exists between and amongst the various facts."

--Dr. Sheldon Gottlieb in a lecture series at the University of South Alabama

I think we're all scientists when you define it like that. Who doesn't want to discover ways to find patterns in the chaos? Who among us isn't constantly collecting facts in order to make conclusions about our experiences? Who doesn't want to understand more about the world we live in?

If you asked me even just a few weeks ago if I would have considered a career teaching science, I would have said "NO WAY!" My ideas about what "science" is were things like memorizing elements charts, looking at dead skin cells through microscope lenses, and storing dead animals in clear jars full of formaldehyde. Boring. Ick. No thanks. But now, even after having just one class and doing some quick web searches, I'm starting to understand that it doesn't have to be all about the boring and the ick. Science is cool, it's fascinating, and it can even be fun at parties!