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Slime Lab Lesson Report

Decent Essays

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, …show more content…

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: …show more content…

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

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