The Last Day of Class is Here!

These past three weeks have been a crazy combination of fun and exhausting. We have learned and relearned so many wonderful tools and methods of how to teach science effectively. I have seen first-hand the importance of using hands-on activities with kids. Also, I have seen the benefits of having fun, informative guest speakers come to speak.

As a future science teacher, I hope I can remember all of these fun ways that made learning science fun for me! I plan to really dig deep, find my students interests and run with them. I want my students to feel like they are in control of their learning, while at the same time I can still make sure I am covering all of the standards!

Hats off to a fun, crazy filled Maymester where lots of science knowledge was learned!! I can't wait to apply all of these to my future science classroom!

Hubba Bubba Blow Your Bubble

Last night we did a fun activity using bubble gum and statistics. This fun activity could easily be differentiated depending on what grade you teach. We relearned the components of statistics education which are: question, collect data, analyze data, and interpret results. Each of the questions we had to come up with had to relate to statistics in some way, and allow for data to be collected, analyzed and a result to be found. 

I was in a group with Holly, Kim, and Paula and we decided on the question, " Which gum blows the most bubbles in two minutes?" Our hypothesis was that we thought Bubble Yum would blow the most bubbles in two minutes because it was not filled with a chewy center. Our independent varaibles were Bubble Yum and Hubba Bubba Max. The dependent variable was the amount of bubbles blown in two minutes. 

Our direcitions were:

1. Chew the gum for 1 minutes and 30 seconds.

2. Blow as many bubbles as you can in 2 minutes.

3. Tally, compare, and then average together the number of bubbles made with each kind of gum

Our results were: 

Bubble Yum averaged 16.5 bubbles in two minutes

Hubba Bubba Max averaged 22.75 bubbles in two minutes

............. so the winner was

~HUBBA BUBBA MAX!~

Our hypothesis was wrong, but that is totally okay and something that as a teacher, it is important to let the kids know- your hypothesis is just your EDUCATED GUESS!!

   

Should We, or Should We Not Teach Evolution in the Classroom?!!!

Teaching evolution has become a hot and heavy topic to many in the education world. Should we teach it, or should we just "x" it out and pretend like it's a topic that doesn't exist?! Well, the truth is it is a topic that exists, and a topic that somewhere along the way kids will hear about and wonder about. Yes, it is a very controversial topic, and a topic that people either strongly agree or disagree on. We all know what evolution is, the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth. In science, especially in upper grades, science vocabulary such as Darwinism and natural selection will make an appearance and if students don't understand what evolution is, they will not understand Darwinism and natural selection.

As for me, I am 110 % on board with children (at the proper age) being introduced to evolution. I agree however, that it is one of those units that the teacher needs to have done thorough research on and approach from a neutral point of view. I believe by educating children on how to think critically and to develop their own thoughts and opinions we can open doors to new things/ opportunities. As a society, I think we sometimes try to pretend certain topics don't exist just to ensure we don't offend anyone. If we understand that individuals can develop their own opinions and have their own thoughts regarding a topic we can make it a lot further in the science world. :)

Is A Diet Coke Really Better For You??!!

We have become a society that will go to McDonald's and order a Big Mac, large fry and a Diet Coke, We believe that we are making a "healthy" choice by ordering a Diet Coke, however this is not true. We have developed a huge misconception on drinking diet drinks. They are not at all healthy for us, perhaps they could be harming us more than helping us not gain those "few extra calories" we are worried about. Here are a few very important facts regarding diet drinks that need to be brought to every one's attention, especially kids who are growing up in a world where image is so important.

The effects diet drinks have on our bodies:

1) The artificial sweeteners in diet drinks actually triggers insulin, which sends your body into fat storage mode and leads to weight gain.

2) Increases the risk of type 2 diabetes

3) The artificial sweetener can actually trigger headaches.

4) The artificial sweeteners have more intense flavor than real sugar, therefore over time diet soda can dull the senses to naturally sweet foods like fruit.

As you can see, diet drinks play a very negative effect on our body. There is no nutritional value and no positive outcomes of drinking these drinks, that are so full of artificial sweeteners. Since this is a huge misconception for young teens, as a teacher we must help guide children to realize the effects of these types of drinks. We must educate the children to see what artificial sweeteners, along with even regular sodas do to our bodies. Helping crack these misconcetptions can lead to doing countless science projects on how diet sodas and regular sodas harm our bodies.

A Little Quote Pondering...

While reading chapter 3 in our textbook Foundations Inquiry, I stumbled upon a quote that really made me stop and think. The quote said, " Standard documents do not change educational outcomes. People do." What does this quote mean to you?

To me, this quote led me to brainstorm ways in which I can change the educational outcomes of my future students. I began to think of things we had discussed in class as well, such as using real world examples along with working with students' prior knowledge. I thought about the different workshops we had been a part of, Project Learning Tree and Project Wet and thought about how much more children can learn through these programs than just sitting in their desks taking notes, memorizing information, and then taking a test.

This quote just makes so much sense and seems so black and white, so then why is our society still constantly basing education on standardized documents? I hope that as more research is done, that education can be seen differently and teachers can teach based on what it is their students need in order to be successful.

Importance of Making Science Meaningful

When I was in school, science class was the class you would dread allllll day. It would consist of nonstop taking notes from the time you entered the classroom until the bell rang. I saw science as nothing but memorizing fact, after fact, after fact and drawing and labeling models. This became the norm from year to year- the only difference each year was that the material you were learning got a little more in depth.

When I become a science teacher, this is NOT how I want my students to think of science. I want to make science fun and memorable, and something that children want to learn more about. I plan to teach my students to contantly question things and never settle for one answer. My goal is to teach the students the information they need to know, while allowingt the students to think for themselves and to create their own opinions. I will use hands-on activities to allow students the ability to apply what they learn in the classroom to the outside world.

Below is one of my FAVORITE quotes that I will have hung up in my classroom. I believe this one statement can change the world.

Weather Misconceptions Children Have

One of the things that have interested me the most during the short semester has been all of the misconceptions we have about science. One of the topics that children tend to have the most misconceptions about is the weather. As an adult I came to realize that even I have several misconceptions about weather! Here is a list of a few misconceptions I found online that tend to be the most common for young children to have:

•  Clouds are sponges that hold water.
•  Clouds are made of wool or cotton
•  Clouds move when we move. 
•  Rain comes from the clouds sweating.
•  Raindrops are shaped like teardrops.
•  Thunderstorms are really angels bowling.
•  There is only lightning when there is thunder.

Also, I found a really cute, catchy video that has to deal with each of the most common weather misconceptions! This would be a wonderful way to begin a lesson on weather! :)

Project Wet Workshop

The past couple of days we have had the opportunity to participate in Project Wet, which is a water science and education program aimed towards elementary and middle school students. The workshop taught us about the importance of conserving water and helping to improve the water quality. Through this program we were also presented a Project Wet curriculum book full of lessons and actives we can use in our own classroom! I absolutely love the layout of the book, along with how each activity allows the students to learn all about water through hands-on activities. I can definitely see myself utilizing this curriculum in my classroom in the near future. I feel that this program can help educate young students about the importance of conserving and helping eliminate pollution in one of our most precious resources!

Project Learning Tree

In class on Monday, Heather came to talk with us about the Project Learning Tree curriculum. I really enjoyed the two day workshop where we were able to learn about the different lessons and activities that are available for us to use. I really liked how each of the lessons incorporated the environment and provided lots of hands- on activities. The PLT science curriculum really helps students to see that science is not all memorization and facts; science does include doing fun things! I feel learning becomes so much more meaningful when the students are able to use nature and the outside environment!

When I become a teacher I will definitely incorporate PLT into my science curriculum. I love that it is so easy to use and that it is able to be differentiated according to the abilities of your students. The lessons are very clearly stated and provide wonderful activities to help your students learn and appreciate nature.

I am so glad we had the chance to be apart of the Project Learning Tree workshop :)

Tree Poem

In class last night we presented activities from our PLT book. I was in a group with Holly and Kim and we presented concrete poems and had our peers create a poem on a tree. Everyone was so engaged and loved our activity so much, that I decided I had to write a tree poem as well :)

                                             Look 

                                         at that tree

                                 So big, furry and green.

                                It's branches hang as 

                                  though they're free.

                            The tree is anything but mean.

                              It provides food and shelter

                                 to many little creatures.

                           It provides a sense of innocence

                                 to all that encounter it. 

                             I love to swing, play, and

                                       picnic there.

                                          Look 

                                          at

                                          that

                                          tree

                                        swaying

                                           in

                                           the

                                        breeze.

A Misconception of Mine

While discussing misconceptions in class, I got to thinking about all of the things I had been told when I was younger, whether by a teacher or someone I knew. I started questioning a lot of things I had previously thought of as "facts" to be possible misconceptions. The thought of possibly being told misconceptions in school really made me realize how important it is as a teacher to study your subject thoroughly prior to presenting it to your students.

The other night part of our homework was to take a quiz on misconceptions; however I did fairly well on it, but one particular question stuck out to me the most. The question said," Einstein, as in Albert, was a poor student." I quickly marked, "true" because I had always heard in school that Einstein did poorly in school, therefore make his inventions/ discoveries even more extraordinary. I was completely shocked when I discovered that this statement I thought of as a "fact" was actually a misconception I had had for at least 15 years!! Come to find out this idea is actually an "Urban Legend" and is a misunderstanding of the Swiss education grading system. As American's we typically use a grading scale of 1-4, in 4 being good and 1 being bad. However, in the Swiss 1-4 grading scale of 1-4, 4 is bad and 1 is good. This misconception really made me think about a lot. It made me see the importance of taking the time to investigate something before you just skim it over and say it's a fact.

When I become a teacher I plan to teach my students to constantly question. I also want to be the kind of teacher that if I don't know something I look it up-instead of being the teacher to just say something on the fly and move on thinking the children will not remember what I just said. I do not want to be the reason for any of the science misconceptions that my students might have.

About Me

I am totally new to this whole “blogging” thing and can’t wait to jump in and see what it’s all about! I am super excited about this new learning opportunity and look forward to reflecting on topics we have discussed in class, along with some of my own misconceptions in science. 

First off a little about myself:

– I was born and raised in small town Columbia, aka “Mule Capital of the World”.

– I am a HUGE southern girl that loves her big sunglasses, cut off jeans, and cowboy boots.

– I graduated from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development and Family Relations.

– I am a Graduate Assistant for the ALSI Doctorate program.

– I was married last October at Loveless Barn in Nashville.

– We have a precious little fur baby named Remi and she is literally our child and is SO spoiled.

-In the summer you will find me either at the lake or by the pool enjoying the company of my friends and family.

I can’t wait to hear some of your thoughts, ideas, and misconceptions regarding science!