Part A The Slime Lab lesson from Lesson Plans, Inc. (2014) exemplifies the danger in downloading a lesson plan from the internet without first comparing the appropriateness to meet national or state educational standards. While the students find the exercise fun concocting a gooey mixture and testing their recipe for stretchiness, the lesson plan does not meet the standards. The lab shows weak alignment to national or local standards and pedagogical strength.
National standard alignment National Science Educations Standards A through F from the National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment, National Research Council (1996) was compared to the lesson plan to determine alignment. The lesson plan does meet one criterion,
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Therefore, it can be expected that most students will not mix the correct quantities or continue adding small amounts until they get it right. What students learn is the correct amounts of items to mix to make the desired result and not the scientific principles behind it. This conclusion does not align with any standard or reasonable scientific objective. A third weakness is that the students are asked to come up with an hypothesis with no teacher guidance and no points are given to coming up with an hypothesis in the final presentation. This implies that the hypothesis is not an important part of the investigation.
Part B
Two recommended changes to improve alignment with national science standards. Many changes should be made to the lesson plan to align it with national standards. I will outline two changes that need to be made, but additional changes will need to be made to make this lab not only meet national standards but also to make it pedagogically stronger.
Change 1. The first change to improve alignment with national standards is to introduce the lab with a stronger introduction. First, the teacher draws on existing student knowledge by showing three types of materials they are probably familiar with:
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32).
Focus and support inquiries while interacting with students.
Orchestrate discourse among students about scientific ideas.
Challenge students to accept and share responsibility for their own learning.
Recognize and respond to student diversity and encourage all students to participate fully in science learning.
Encourage and model the skills of scientific inquiry, as well as the curiosity, openness to new ideas and data,and skepticism that characterize science. This meets National Teaching Standard D (National Research Council p. 43).
Structure the time available so that students are able to engage in extended investigations.
Create a setting for student work that is flexible and supportive of science inquiry.
Ensure a safe working environment.
Make the available science tools, materials, media,and technological resources accessible to students.
Identify and use resources outside the school.
Engage students in designing the learning environment. This meets National Teaching Standard E (National Research Council p. 46).
Display and demand respect for the diverse ideas, skills, and experiences of all
* What is the intent of the lab? What issues are addressed? Why is it important? What are the goals?
As a part of the HBCU Alumni Alliance’s Higher Education initiative program; Alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are concerned about the inadequate representation of minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related professions. Consequently, DCHBCUAA STEM professionals have designed and organized an instructional hands-on STEM workshop for students in grades 10-12, to enlighten them on the different facets of professions available in the sciences. As a part of our community partnership with Kaiser Permanente, we have a workshop scheduled for Saturday, April 29, 2017, from 800 am-5:00 pm, at 2101 Jefferson Street in Rockville, Maryland.
Alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are concerned about the inadequate representation of minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related professions. Consequently, DCHBCUAA STEM professionals have designed and organized an instructional hands-on workshop for students in grades 10-12. The workshop is designed to increase their awareness of the exciting opportunities available in the sciences and to provide an opportunity for students to talk to subject matter experts currently working in STEM occupations.
Standard: K-2, Science is a way of knowing… Science knowledge helps us know about the world.
The WebQuery, the 5E lesson plan, and the field trip guide, are examples of through which students engage in investigations that enhance learning and that helps them meet the NGSS. These artifacts also indicate my ability to develop lesson plans that promote the learning of science; that align content to the NGSS; that demonstrate the use of assessment to ensure that the students are meeting the standards; and that showcase the use of literature to support grouping strategies and lesson rationale
\item The teachers always want their lessons to be interesting and they introduce the real life problem before they can go deep into the content of the subject.
In part 2, I will provide a critical reflection on my own teaching practice during recent placement by making detailed connections to an appended lesson plan.
The learning outcomes are important. There has to be a reason on why something is being taught, and how it will be useful to the students future. Throughout the paper, I’m going to give you an example of a lesson plan I
I asked my observation hostess, “Mrs. A-G,” about the diverse make-up of the class. She could not give me an answer. “Mrs. A-G” has taught for over thirty years and she stated that she does not see anything beyond the fact that she has nineteen students. I have observed the class for roughly twenty hours, and I have noticed that although
The Module 2 is covering Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Standards’ Standard #7: Planning for Instruction. Oh, I have a long list of questions related to objectives and lesson preparations. How to determine which parts to teach? When should I teach them? Are there any guidelines? Will I be able to choose books to use for the unit? Do I decide what is necessary and what is not? Planning is part of the job. I have no problem with it because I thrive from precision and planning. However, the amount of planning is excessive – to a novice. I have to check with the curriculum of my school district and the State. Also, I will have to ensure that my lessons abide the federal/state laws. But, that does not stop there. I have to acknowledge my students’ needs. There are several steps to validate my teaching.
Through this standard, teachers will engage all students in science by setting goals for students that correlate to state and national standards. Through various strategies (i.e. learning activities, instructional settings, technology) students will achieve the goals set by the teacher and fair assessment strategies will be used to determine if the goals were met. Through the use of laboratory/field settings and various technology, students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of science. Teachers will also design lesson plans that provide opportunities for active inquiry in which students can collect and interpret data in order to develop and understand various scientific processes. Fair assessment strategies will also be used to evaluate students and their preconceptions and understandings that have been
Mrs. Lawrence: When planning a lesson, I start with the objective. What is it I am supposed to be cover. Once I know, I start with a hook. I access their prior knowledge then I move on with either an example or model. All along I ask questions to make sure the students
way. It is hard for the teacher to get into solving these issues because often they are
The National Curriculum for Science (2013), anticipates to advance all pupils’ scientific knowledge and conceptualise understanding through the segmented scientific approaches; biology, chemistry and physics. In addition, pupils should have an awareness of the nature, processes and approaches used within science, through the various scientific enquires that enable pupils to answer questions related to the world and life. Finally, the aims of the science curriculum also consider that children must have the resources to fund the knowledge that is necessary to use science in the, present and future tense states the Department of Education (2013).
Students are considered to be scientists in the inquiry process. Children will view themselves as scientists as they learn. They look forward to science, demonstrate a desire to learn more, seek collaboration with their classmates, they are confident in doing science, and willing to take risks. Students are readily engaged in exploring science. They have curiosity, ponder observations, move around to get the materials they need, and have the opportunity to try out their ideas. Students are able to communicate using various amounts of methods. They express their ideas in journals, reporting, or drawing. They listen, speak, and write about science. They communicate their level of understanding of concepts and ideas. The students propose explanations and solutions based off their data. They use investigations to satisfy their own questions. They sort out information that is needed and important. They become willing to revise explanations and gain new knowledge. They raise questions, use questions to lead them to investigations, and students begin to enjoy using questions to ponder ideas. Students begin to observe rather than look. They see details, detect sequences, and notice change, similarities, and differences. The students begin to make