A Day in the Park

As You Walk on By...

Today we spent the day in the park.

Well actually, the arboretum.

Which is BEAUTIFUL.

"Science comes alive when you think of it as a way to explore nature in your own backyard," (145).

Nature is all around us.

All you have to do is look.

Science is a way for students to explore the world,

their surroundings,

and their ideas,

while still having fun.

Paint With All the Colors of the Wind

Science has gotten such a bad wrap.

But really I just think that it requires out of the box thinking,

which can be scary to a multitude of teachers.

But what I have come to realize,

is that if you take it one step at a time,

then it can turn out to be extremely educational,

and super fun!

"Connecting science to students' own lives--in a way that encourages them to explore their own questions--both engages them in using science process skills and validates their sense of themselves as scientific thinkers," (145).

As a teacher, it is our job to make sure that we do everything in our power to keep the students engaged, learning, and understanding the content.  If we correlate the content to their prior knowledge, then it gives us, and them, opportunities to relate better and fully understand the concepts. Another way of having science be memorable through activities is creating or finding the ones that require the students to work together.

As a class we played "Find Your Balance"and had to create a circle of people that eventually to chairs with one another.  We also played "Deer vs. Environment" which is kind of like a full body rock, paper, scissors but just using different factors such as water, food, and shelter.  Both of these games allowed the class to interact with one another, work together, and learn science while still having fun.  These games were a clear and constant reminder of how important and essential everyone and everything are to one another in any environment.

Its Got Mountains, Its Got Rivers, Its Got Sights to Give You Shivers

The great outdoors is a wonderful place to give students the chance to connect with their inner-self as well as with their surroundings.

I like when the activities allow students to create from their own mind; it is activities like these that bring out the deepest thoughts and creativity of a child.  

Today we did a bunch of activities dealing with the trees that were around us.

My favorite activity was "poet-tree."

We had to find a tree that spoke to us, learn about it and write a poem.

This is my tree:

 

Cypress.

Life.  Character.

Trickling water near.

Skyscraper view. Carefree Childhood.

Stories.

 

I loved this activity.  I was given the ability to freely choose and create what I learned, my thoughts, and how I felt.  

Move Along, Move Along, Like I Know You Do....

As we move on from our class and our science experiences, I want for my students the experiences I had.  The kitchen, ocean, town, garage, family science night, forest, classroom, and the park were all wonderful places to visit, each with a load of memories I will cherish in my own education.  I would like to take my students through a scientific journey in the same fashion as the one I am now bringing to a close.  

Remember to explore,

to engage,

to experience,

and to enjoy!

Best wishes on your own journeys!

Peace, Love, and Science ;)

-Ms. V.

A Day in the Classroom

Revolution in the Classroom

Sometimes teachers are too comfortable in the four walls of their classroom.

Students are used to the flow of a classroom and normal routines.

But change can be a good thing.

And so can incorporating change.

Consistent differences to keep students on their toes.

Giving them more than one chance to express what they've learned.

Create in Me

"Understanding how students learn science provokes us to find teaching strategies that honor students' ideas and create safe, open spaces in which they can create their own meanings," (Koch 91).

Giving students the ability to experience and learn information on their own allows students to expand their ideas on a subject as well as tap into their creative side.  

Using science journals in the classroom ensures that students take notes and observations about what they are discovering, but it also doesn't discriminate against drawing their conclusions either.

"Teaching science requires both information and guidance from the teacher in order to help students learn," (Koch 91).

Handing the students a science journal is a wonderful way to record their notes, but how will a student know what is important to write down?

Using prompting questions on the board or vocally guides students in the direction of what they should be taking notes of.  These questions also open doors for inquiry and other intriguing questions.

Science blogs are also a wonderful tool.

Not only do they ensure a student is exploring the technology world,

but they allow a student to express themselves and their thoughts.

This could also be a way to track their progress as well as a live version of a science portfolio.

Walk it Out

Due to some unfortunate circumstances I was unable to make it to class today.  I heard that we did a "walk around museum" and I really like that idea, but it has inspired me to do something a little bit more flashy.  Museum to me presents a connotation of quiet and reserved, but in past classes we have discovered that science is something extremely social.  In my classroom, I would like to do a walk of fame.  I would move the classroom into two sides, so that there would be a walkway down the middle. The group would be given time to think of their three main points that would sell us to inquire more about their project.  The group would be able to strut their stuff and give us a quick overview of their points and pictures.  From there the rest of the audience would be allowed to discuss with their side anything that they were inquiring about.  Each side of the "red carpet walkway" would be allowed to ask two questions to find out more about the stars' presentations.  Each groups' presentations would be viewed and discussed.  

This Place About to Blow

Alka-Seltzer

Water

and 

a Film Canister.

Add them all together and get ready for an exploding good time!

Watch!:

http://youtu.be/fzsWD9X9pzI

 

Fill up the canister 1/2 way with water.

Add the tablet(s).

Turn the canister upside down.

STAND BACK!

The alka seltzer tablets contain two types of ingredients:

sodium bicarbonate (a base)

and

citric acid (an acid).

When the two are in the tablet, they do not react.

Once water is added,

the two ingredients react with one another.

This reaction causes the product of carbon dioxide, a gas.

The amount of gas in the canister grows as the reaction of the two dry (now wet) continues to fizz.

Once the canister reaches a certain amount of gas and the pressure becomes too strong,

the lid shoots off the canister and propels the rest of it high into the air.

The spots left on the ground show that there was an exploding canister, 

and the contents of that canister are present on the floor.

I think that this experiment is really fun and can show students exactly how fun science can be!

Come back next week as we take a walk in the park!

-Ms. V

A Day in the Forest

Just Around the Riverbend

"Your deepest roots are nature.  No matter who you are, where you live, or what kind of life you lead, you remain irrevocably linked with the rest of creation."
-Charles Cook

Everywhere we look nature stares us back in the face---we just have to take the time to notice it.

Everybody Talks

Today we spent a day in the forest.
We learned that everything in the forest,
each tree.
each leaf,
each animal,
tells a story.

"Part of your role is to guide students in their understanding of what can be explored through direct experimentation and what may require research from outside sources." (Koch 197).

Our exploration in education today occurred in centers.
Each center had something to do with a product of the forest.
As students during this exploration, we were guided with what to explore, but not told specifically how, why, or what specific notes to take.
I really like this approach to centers because the few guidelines given allows the students to explore and actually experiment in discovering information about the topic.
This style of teaching promotes inquiry learning and ensures that the students tap into their prior knowledge as well as their creative side.

Jump on it!

Each center had something engaging and exciting for us to do and we were anxious to get started!

A simple piece of blank paper can serve as a writing journal for each station.

Technology can be used in centers as sources of education, exploration, and visual aids. 

 

iPads and worksheets are helpful to research information and begin discussions about parts of trees.

 

At any age, books can be used to engage students, enlighten them of new information and spark interest in new ideas.  A simple paper plate can serve as the basis of creating one's own life story like the trunk of a tree.

 

Tree cookies can be used to demonstrate the growth patterns of trees and tell a tree's story.

They can also be used to incorporate a child's imagination and artistic ability into a name tag or a special memory for the future.

 

Owl pellets, if you can get over the gross factor, are an awesome way to let students explore the circle of life.  It was interesting to figure out exactly what type of rodent an owl had for its meal.

 

The proscope technology allows the student to further explore the bones of animals they have discovered on a larger scale.  

Family Science Night

After a fun day in the forest we had to prepare for our school wide family science night. 

This type of event promotes science but also allows students and their families to openly try experiments and become excited about science.

Our experiment for the event was exploring bubbles.

Our materials were simple:

straws

tubs

black construction paper

bubble solution

Sometimes the most exciting experiments have the simplest ingredients.

With our tools, we were able to play and create bubbles.

We also were able to demonstrate how to predict when bubbles will pop.

 

When you look really closely at a bubble, you will see that there are colors inside swirling around the structure of the bubble.  There are also little black dots that float around in the swirling colors.  When those little black dots come together to form a singular black dot on the top of the bubble, the bubble is just about ready to pop.  If one is watching the bubbles extremely close, one can even time exactly when it will pop.

 

All in all, my day in the forest and night with science and the families was so much fun!

I wonder what will happen next week when we take a look at a day in the classroom!

-Ms. V