Week 6 Blog Post

1. What did you learn this week?

This week we learned about about baby turtles and their mortality rate as well as the circumstances is which they live or die. We learned that only 1 in 1000 turtles live after being born. We also learned about the difference of natural vs human factors that either help or hurt the turtles through a game. Some of the natural factors could be seaweed covering the turtles from predators or a raccoon getting to the turtle. A human factor could be picking up trash on the beach to help or driving on the beach which hurts them. On top of this knowledge, we also learned how to cross pollinate our flowers with dead, dry bees. 

2. How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future?

I can apply what I learned about turtles through the book we read as well as the game we played to help teach my students about the life cycles of turtles as well as how we can improve the birth rate and decrease the mortality rate. This will allow students a way to learn about the factors while also having a fun competition in the class. 

3. What are new or remaining questions?

One question I have is what substitution can we make to the dead dry bees? Is there a more child friendly way to complete this part of the activity?

Week 5 Blog Post

 

1. What did you learn this week?

This week I learned about the difference between ecosystems, biomes, and habitats. I also learned about food webs and chains as well as how energy flows between the producer and the consumer in these webs and chains. One thing I thought was interesting to find out during this lesson was the 10% rule for food chains. 

2. How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future?

One thing I can use in the future is the use of examples to provide more knowledge. I can do this by showing videos of different habitats like we did in class and then have students pair and share about what they learned for each habitat. Another thing I can do is have my students use posters or Jamboard to further their knowledge and exploration of different ecosystems. 

3. Which parts did you find clear and which were confusing?

One thing I found confusing was the food chain vs food web. They are so similar to each other so it took me a little bit to be able to differentiate the two different things. One thing I found clear was the difference between an ecosystem, a biome, and a habitat. What was done in lab this week really helped me know the difference and what to look for in each one. 

Week 4 Blog Post

 1. What did you learn this week?

This week I learned about the 5E model. This model provides 5 ideas that should be included into a science lesson. The first idea is engage which is all about getting the students' attention and having them think about their prior knowledge. The next idea is explore. Explore is when the students use their prior knowledge along with completing challenges to come up with new ideas. The third idea is explain which is when the students explain what they learned and what they know. Fourth is elaborate. This idea means that the students will apply their knowledge towards new challenges. Lastly is evaluate which is just as it sounds. The students will reflect on what they learned as well as be tested on the content to see how much they learned and how much they still need to learn. 

2. How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future?

I can use each of these 5 steps that I learned about in unique ways to ensure I am adequately allowing my students to learn different things. I can do this by providing hands on activities or experiments with knowledge they already knew, but will continue to adapt and learn about. An example of this is a hands on activity about life cycles. Students would already know a bit about life cycles, but to further understanding and learning, a student could complete a project of a lifestyle on an animal or insect they do not know much about. 

3. What are new or remaining questions?

A question that I have is, how can I make sure as a future teacher to equally touch on all 5 ideas and not just one or two?

Week 3 Blog Post

 1. What did you learn this week? 

This week I learned about seed germination and the process of how the plant grows from a seed. We went over this process by germinating lentil seeds in a fast light box. Something else I learned this week was the differentiation of dormant and active as well as a few examples of what this could look like. The last thing that I learned this week was life cycles of different things such as a caterpillar, a lima bean plant, and even a lemon tree. 

2. Which parts did you find clear and which were confusing? 

An idea that was confusing to me was the dormant vs. active states of a seed. This was confusing to me as we talked about the idea of if a seed was living or nonliving and how a seed in a dormant state seems nonliving instead of living. However, clear ideas that I learned was the germination process as well as the different life cycles that we talked over. 

3. How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future?

One thing that I know I will apply in the future is the play doh life cycle project. I think that this is such a cool way for students to apply what they've learned about life cycles into a physical object. It also is a way for each group of students to focus on one specific life cycle and then be able to give key ideas of that life cycle to the other classmates when doing a class presentation.