Elementary Science Methods 1

  What did you learn this week? This week I learned about ecology. Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, humans, and their physical environment. I also learned about a bione. A bione is a large area that have similiar climate conditions and similar dominant types of plants.  Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew? Yes, I learned about tundras, rainforests, and grasslands in my natural disasters class at uiowa. We conducted a similar activity to what we did in class with choosing a scale, then a big factor changing the environtment and we had to figure out how to help the ecosystem while monitoring change.  What are new or remaining questions?  What are examples of engaging activites that students can do to understand the concept of ecosystems and how organisms interact with each other within their ecosystems?

  What did you learn this week? This week, I learned about the 5 E model. Which consists of a steps to allow students to have a better understanding of the concept through different phases. The 5E model consists of engage, explore, elaborate, explain, and evaluate. This is a good process for teachers to use to guide their lessons to make sure they are covering every area.  Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew? Yes, I have learned how important it is to have a 5E model within a classroom, it does not just have to be for science but could be used for any subject. These phases provide a great way for students to learn better, and helps teachers stay more organized.  What are new or remaining questions?  When thinking about the 5 E Model, how can it be used for a reading lesson, what exploring can students do? 

  What did you learn this week? This week, I learned about the different stages of life that living things go through. For example, the lifesyle of a butterfly or a strawberry. A lot of living things begin as either an egg or seed. I also learned that the concept if a virus is living or non-living is a big debate in the field of biology. A virus could be considred non living because it is not made of cells.  Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew? I remember leanring about the life cycle when I was in elementary school. It was nice doing the playdough activity to refresh my memory.  What are new or remaining questions?  Why would someone consider a virus as living vs non-living?  How can a Virus travel so fast if it is non-living? 

  What did you learn this week? This week, I learned about the 8 characterisitics of life.      -Made of Cells      - Living things produce energy ( Metabolism)     - respond to environment/stimuli      - maintain homeostatis      - genetic information      - movement      - reproduction      - growth and change  2.  How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future? I can apply what I learned this week in the future by teaching my students what the 8 characterstics of life are. I think it is a great reminder to go over these at the beginging of the year since these are a basis for biology and it explains why we do/what we are/why we respond/live, within our environement. 3.  What are new or remaining questions?  After learning about NGSS, a question I have is how to implement these standards in a school district that may not have...