When I began teaching I acted like I knew everything, and asked for help when I was completely lost. Now I see that I have lost out on many valuable resources. Although I am only in my fourth year of teaching, I still like to act like I know everything just so I can show my students that I have it together. As for science, I would have been completely lost if it were not for my mentor teacher. She had this big binder full of science ideas and lessons. I was able to copy it and add it to my resources. This has allowed me to help others in my building with science ideas.
I have been moved grade levels two times. I began teaching first, then second grade for two years, and now I am back to teaching first. Because of this I really have only been able to talk and assist those two grade levels with science materials. I have gave others incite into lessons, and we talked about what would be ways to expand upon concepts into future lessons. I did have a colleague copy the book from me and she moved schools. This meant she was able to share my knowledge with her next school.
I had though about saying that I would do a science presentation at a staff development, but I am not sure what I would do. If any one has ideas I would love to hear them. My school receives a kit 3 times a year with science materials. This makes having teachers want to expand outside the kits to be really hard. Once teachers see things done one way "the easy way" they usually just go with it at my school because we are loaded down with so many other tasks. I overcome this by doing some lessons not in the kit with another teacher. When they see how much the students enjoy it they usually try to do the next lesson outside the box. Even if it is just 2 lessons done without the kit it is something.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Thomas E. Friedman reaction
All I can say to the article that Friedman wrote is wow. He has it right on many aspects. I agree that we are defined by the steps we take and the actions we make. Our leadership has taken us in many different directions, and now all it seems to be doing is making us more in debt. Many people do not believe we should still be over in the Middle East fighting on a war that has almost lost its point. It has come to the point where it seems education is on the "back burner" and sending troops to fight for "our freedom" is what life is all about. This is clear with all the cuts being made to education, and more troops being sent overseas and into battle.
Friedman mentions how Al Qaeda is threatening to "bankrupt us" (2010). This is happening as we speak; oil costs are going up, our economy is in shambles, and unemployment is on the rise. True, it does seem like we are recovering a little but it is not as much as some had hoped for. Growing up we all thought that by the year 2000 we would be driving around in hover cars and everyone would own a jet pack. Obviously science has been placed behind war. The more guns we have, and the stronger our army is the better.
If we look at education, China is far above us. They also have more advances in technology and engineering. Just look at all the structures in Japan that are still standing after the earthquake. Then compare it to damage that was seen in California after the past earthquake. Friedman put it best when he said that Americans need to look and figure out what should we really be focusing on (2010)? Obviously there are problems here in America we need to be looking into more than the problems that are overseas. They have people who can do that, there should be no reason we are trying to do it all! We need to focus on us and not them. That is the only way we will succeed.
References
Friedman, T.L. (2010, January 17). What's our sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)]. p. WK. 8.
Friedman mentions how Al Qaeda is threatening to "bankrupt us" (2010). This is happening as we speak; oil costs are going up, our economy is in shambles, and unemployment is on the rise. True, it does seem like we are recovering a little but it is not as much as some had hoped for. Growing up we all thought that by the year 2000 we would be driving around in hover cars and everyone would own a jet pack. Obviously science has been placed behind war. The more guns we have, and the stronger our army is the better.
If we look at education, China is far above us. They also have more advances in technology and engineering. Just look at all the structures in Japan that are still standing after the earthquake. Then compare it to damage that was seen in California after the past earthquake. Friedman put it best when he said that Americans need to look and figure out what should we really be focusing on (2010)? Obviously there are problems here in America we need to be looking into more than the problems that are overseas. They have people who can do that, there should be no reason we are trying to do it all! We need to focus on us and not them. That is the only way we will succeed.
On a side note as for Reid, he opens his mouth too often to say horrible things. I tried to get him out, but it was either him or Angle. He was the less of two evils. He makes stupid comments like trying to make prostitution illegal in NV when he has friends who run brothels. If he were to look at the facts, he would see the benefits of keeping it around. Sorry, this was just a side note and he was mentioned in the article as commenting on Obama's skin color. Reid is the least of anybodies concern. There are better things to focus on than him.
References
Friedman, T.L. (2010, January 17). What's our sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)]. p. WK. 8.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Earth... is it like an onion?
So I just got done watching Shrek (the first one), and he talked about having many layers and then compared himself to an onion. This week for my lesson we discussed how the Earth has layers.
My lesson was great. The students really enjoyed it, and they seemed to learn the names of the layers. At the same time though it could have been that they just remembered the names because they wanted to eat their food. Either way, when they left my room they could identify the layers of the Earth.
I was not able to go to school the next day, and so I could not ask them what they remembered. However, I plan on asking them on Monday. This will be the true test. Then I will know if they information had truely sunk in.
Below are pictures of my students having fun learning about the layers.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Ask a Scientist
After visiting Ask a Scientist I must say I am disappointed. I thought that it would have been a little easier for elementary students to use. I teach first grade and this would not be something I would suggest to my students. If I was teaching middle or high school, then I might have my students use it. However, I submitted my question because it was not answered already. Well, I am still waiting for a response. I figured that I would have had something by now. I did submit my question as a teacher though and not a student. I wonder if they answer faster if they know it is for a student.
I submitted the same question I posted on the discussion board, and was more pleased with the answers I received from that than what I am receiving from the scientist. I do not know if I have just gained the patience of my first graders, but if I were doing a major project on this and gave them 2 weeks to answer the question I do not think my project would do very well.
However, after looking through some of the questions that they did answer they seem to give a very through answer.
Resources
Howard Hughes Medical Institute. (2010). Ask a scientist. Retrieved September 26 from http://www.askascientist.org
I submitted the same question I posted on the discussion board, and was more pleased with the answers I received from that than what I am receiving from the scientist. I do not know if I have just gained the patience of my first graders, but if I were doing a major project on this and gave them 2 weeks to answer the question I do not think my project would do very well.
However, after looking through some of the questions that they did answer they seem to give a very through answer.
Resources
Howard Hughes Medical Institute. (2010). Ask a scientist. Retrieved September 26 from http://www.askascientist.org
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Web Tools Eval
I never realized how many presentation tools are out there for people to use. I tried to spend some time this week looking at each one that was under the resources tab. I found some to be just too confusing to even deal with. For example, I was looking at Vuvox and I could not find any directions on how to create a page. I am the type of person who needs to have step by step directions if I do not know what is going on otherwise I just get overwhelmed and I shut down.
There were two programs though that I liked above all others. They were Prezentit and Prezi. While I was searching for a program to use, if it said it cost money I said forget it I am not paying. I am currently having money problems and well, with a wedding being about 10 months away I am not going to pay. I think that is why I like Prezi so much. It has an educators feature that allows students and teachers to create programs for free. It is also seems like it is an easy to use program after watching the demo and trying to mess around after creating an account. It also allows the user to do things which could not be done in PowerPoint.
The program Prezentit seems to be very similar to PowerPoint. This is very comforting for someone like me who tends to "spaz out" with new concepts. This program is also free which is a great feature in my mind. With both programs they are accessible anywhere. All I would have to do is log in from a computer and I would have the ability to work on my project.
However, after looking into both programs I think that Prezi is a little bit better because it seems to be able to hold more data, and it is capable of using various multi-media in the presentation. I know that if I wanted to be safe and keep my composure I would go with Prezentit. However, I think that Prezi would give me enough assistance and it would allow me to create a stronger presentation.
There were two programs though that I liked above all others. They were Prezentit and Prezi. While I was searching for a program to use, if it said it cost money I said forget it I am not paying. I am currently having money problems and well, with a wedding being about 10 months away I am not going to pay. I think that is why I like Prezi so much. It has an educators feature that allows students and teachers to create programs for free. It is also seems like it is an easy to use program after watching the demo and trying to mess around after creating an account. It also allows the user to do things which could not be done in PowerPoint.
The program Prezentit seems to be very similar to PowerPoint. This is very comforting for someone like me who tends to "spaz out" with new concepts. This program is also free which is a great feature in my mind. With both programs they are accessible anywhere. All I would have to do is log in from a computer and I would have the ability to work on my project.
However, after looking into both programs I think that Prezi is a little bit better because it seems to be able to hold more data, and it is capable of using various multi-media in the presentation. I know that if I wanted to be safe and keep my composure I would go with Prezentit. However, I think that Prezi would give me enough assistance and it would allow me to create a stronger presentation.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Week 4 blog
So this week we did an experiment with water and heat transfer. I thought it was quite interesting to see how the temperature of water can change based on what you cover it with. I was wondering how this would change if you used a travel coffee mug and instead of covering it with the lid used the objects we used in the experiment.
The objects I used to cover my coffee mugs were aluminum foil, wax paper, Saran wrap, and a paper towel. The foil had the hottest temperature at the end of the experiment. The paper towel and Saran wrap had the coolest temperature.
However, this not what my blog is about. I am writing about what other items would be interesting to test using this concept. Living out in Vegas we all know it gets hot over the summer. My school used to be year round and once those 100 degree temperatures hit there was no turning back. One experiment that a colleague told me about was a hot dog in shoe box. Well what you do is line a shoe box with aluminum foil, place the hot dog inside and in a matter of hours under the hot sun you get lunch. After thinking about the hot dog experiment and the one that was required this week I began to think about what would happen if we tried lining the box with other materials other than foil. Student could compare the temperature of the hot dogs after being outside for a few hours. The experiment would begin in the morning by setting the boxes outside, and then in the afternoon bring them in to find out the temperatures.
The students would be able to choose the materials that they would like to use, and give a reason as to why they think it would work or would not work. This experiment would be able to be applied to second graders because we can discuss how certain objects are insulators and others are conductors. It would be in simplified terms, but it would still get the point across.
This experiment would be relevant to their lives because my students love to eat. Any time there is food mentioned in my room they are quiet and their eyes light up. The area I teach in is lower class and many have been laid off or have horrible pay. So any chance I give my students to find alternative ways to cook their own food and for little money would benefit them. I have students who have to make their own meals because the parent(s) is off working two or three jobs.
Sadly now my school is nine month, but it still is hot sometimes in May and the beginning of June. This is something I will think about doing next year.
Temperature is a concept that my students tend to struggle with, and so after teaching about tempertature this would be a great review lesson.
The objects I used to cover my coffee mugs were aluminum foil, wax paper, Saran wrap, and a paper towel. The foil had the hottest temperature at the end of the experiment. The paper towel and Saran wrap had the coolest temperature.
However, this not what my blog is about. I am writing about what other items would be interesting to test using this concept. Living out in Vegas we all know it gets hot over the summer. My school used to be year round and once those 100 degree temperatures hit there was no turning back. One experiment that a colleague told me about was a hot dog in shoe box. Well what you do is line a shoe box with aluminum foil, place the hot dog inside and in a matter of hours under the hot sun you get lunch. After thinking about the hot dog experiment and the one that was required this week I began to think about what would happen if we tried lining the box with other materials other than foil. Student could compare the temperature of the hot dogs after being outside for a few hours. The experiment would begin in the morning by setting the boxes outside, and then in the afternoon bring them in to find out the temperatures.
The students would be able to choose the materials that they would like to use, and give a reason as to why they think it would work or would not work. This experiment would be able to be applied to second graders because we can discuss how certain objects are insulators and others are conductors. It would be in simplified terms, but it would still get the point across.
This experiment would be relevant to their lives because my students love to eat. Any time there is food mentioned in my room they are quiet and their eyes light up. The area I teach in is lower class and many have been laid off or have horrible pay. So any chance I give my students to find alternative ways to cook their own food and for little money would benefit them. I have students who have to make their own meals because the parent(s) is off working two or three jobs.
Sadly now my school is nine month, but it still is hot sometimes in May and the beginning of June. This is something I will think about doing next year.
Temperature is a concept that my students tend to struggle with, and so after teaching about tempertature this would be a great review lesson.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Marbles and Momentum
I choose to do the experiment where you need to see how momentum is effected by different surfaces. I found that the rougher the surface the less momentum an object had. The surface with the greatest momentum was a table top. Then came the carpet. In last place was a wicker basket. This is what I expected because I know that with a rough surface an object would have a hard time moving and so its velocity would slow down.
What worked well for this experiment is the fact that I had all the supplies I needed. I had to tip my laundry basket on its side (it is laundry day so it is empty!) but it worked out just fine. I also had a folding end table that I used to place a ramp off of. This way the ramp would be the same height the entire time, and the results could not be skewed by me pushing the marble with different forces. What did not work very well for this experiment is the fact that I had to lift the end table up on my table, and it was not a very safe environment.
As for modifications, I would have different squares of surfaces that can be placed on the ground and used instead of using the actual items themselves. It was hard to do, and since I did not do it in the classroom that was fine. I was unable to do it in my room this week due to state testing and other various end of the year assessments this week. I would like to do this with my class so using the squares would make it easier. To make this experiment more fun for the students I might have them place a Lego person at the end of the square and have them time the marble to see how long it takes to knock down the Lego person.
To make it more relevant to the students we could discuss trucks and how it takes longer to deliver objects over a rough road than a smooth one. I am not sure how else to make this relevant with my students.
I would like to have students learn about what velocity and momentum is. They know that objects can go fast but they do not know that means velocity. So overall, I would like them to know the vocabulary. Also that there are things that can interfere with the velocity and momentum of an object.
What worked well for this experiment is the fact that I had all the supplies I needed. I had to tip my laundry basket on its side (it is laundry day so it is empty!) but it worked out just fine. I also had a folding end table that I used to place a ramp off of. This way the ramp would be the same height the entire time, and the results could not be skewed by me pushing the marble with different forces. What did not work very well for this experiment is the fact that I had to lift the end table up on my table, and it was not a very safe environment.
As for modifications, I would have different squares of surfaces that can be placed on the ground and used instead of using the actual items themselves. It was hard to do, and since I did not do it in the classroom that was fine. I was unable to do it in my room this week due to state testing and other various end of the year assessments this week. I would like to do this with my class so using the squares would make it easier. To make this experiment more fun for the students I might have them place a Lego person at the end of the square and have them time the marble to see how long it takes to knock down the Lego person.
To make it more relevant to the students we could discuss trucks and how it takes longer to deliver objects over a rough road than a smooth one. I am not sure how else to make this relevant with my students.
I would like to have students learn about what velocity and momentum is. They know that objects can go fast but they do not know that means velocity. So overall, I would like them to know the vocabulary. Also that there are things that can interfere with the velocity and momentum of an object.
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