Review of Kidz Science: Flying and Falling Kit (Developmental Studies Center)

Examined the first three lessons of this unit.

The first lesson starts by asking, “How can we slow down the fall of a binder clip?”

“This lesson prepares the children to understand the idea of air resistance, which they will learn about in session two… The children also learn that scientists investigate by making observations and performing tests.” 

While many scientists do investigate by making observations and performing tests, that isn’t the only way things are done and to say so limits student thinking.  Some scientists don’t perform tests or experiments other than the ones in their own mind.  I would also be hesitant to use the question cards that use the words “air resistance” before we’ve discussed what that is.  It’s educationally inappropriate to use vocabulary that students may not understand and to wait until a later lesson to explain terminology.  I would give either give a brief description of what “air resistance” is or to perform the experiment and then talk about the vocabulary.

Later in the lesson, gravity is mentioned in passing.  It is also stated that gravity isn’t the focus of the lesson.  Then why mention gravity at all?  To avoid that confusion, I think it would be better to avoid the topic of gravity all together and not ask why objects fall to the ground unless gravity has already been discussed in a previous lesson.

The end of session one focused on working together and exploring instead of actually having answers, a great example in looking at the nature of science instead of simple processes.

Session two focused on air resistance and parachutes.  Instead of demonstrating the making of a parachute for students, I think it would be better to show a video of parachutes in action and then ask students to make their own parachutes with the materials provided.  It would show more constructivist thinking to get the students to build and create with their own ideas with the teacher as a guide.

Session three did a good job of including video clips and focusing on the social nature of science again.  However, instead of making a rocket for them and explaining why to make rockets a certain way to improve performance it would be better to give students the materials and allow them to make their own rockets and then go through the process of revising them.  Revising work and making changes is a part of the nature of science and an integral part of actually being a scientist. 

You can buy the Kidz Science kits HERE.

Historical Science Story - History of Matter (2nd Grade)

A few weeks ago one of my teachers told me a story about “stuff” and what it’s made of.  Now, here in this class, we are also learning about “stuff” which is also called matter.  My teacher’s story was really good, but a bit confusing, especially for second graders, so I thought that I would write something similar, especially for you.

Once upon a time; a long, long, long, LONG time ago there were people just like us who wondered what things were made of.  Not just that a desk is made of wood or that cement is made of rocks, but they wondered, “What are the trees, air, water, rocks and everything else made of?”

·         What do you think all those things are made of? 

One man thought everything was made of water, and another thought everything was made out of something in the air.  One man went a little further and said that everything was made of one or more of the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water.

Time went by and many people thought very hard about nature, life, and what made.. everything.  Sometimes they worked and thought by themselves, but many knew each other and could talk together to try and learn more.  Some of their ideas fought and did not agree at all.  People argued for many years about what stuff was made of but nothing ever seemed to fit.  Still, people kept trying to understand stuff down to its smallest pieces.

·         Has there been a time where you didn’t like someone’s ideas but you kept working with them because you didn’t know the answer either?

·         How can working as a team help solve a scientific problem?

Eventually, there was a scientist who had the idea that right now we CAN’T know what stuff really is made of yet.  We know a lot about the different pieces of matter but we don’t actually know what matter is.  Maybe someday you will find out! 

·         What do you do when you can’t answer a problem? 

·         All the people I talked about in this story were scientists.  They did not do traditional experiments, but they all thought a great deal about the world.  They did experiments with their minds and imaginations, not their hands.  What is something you want to know more about but would be hard to experiment with or touch?

Pre-Assessment

For my science practicum this semester I am doing a lesson on matter and how it changes.  The class is made up of second graders.  What the teacher is working on is solids, liquids, and gases as well as the scientific method.  However, she is being very flexible and liked my logic flow that I mentioned previously.  For a pre-assessment I am asking students to answer some questions a few days before we "change" the selected objects.  I will bring in examples of these objects before they are "changed" so that students can see and feel these objects in their natural state.

What do you know about matter (stuff) and how it changes?

What would happen if we put an object like carrots, eggs, rocks, water, or Dove soap into a freezer?

Would each item change in the same way?  Why?

What would happen if we heated an object like carrots, eggs, rocks, water, or Dove soap in a microwave?

Would each item change in the same way?  Why?


EDIT:  11-12-12 

Did this pre-assessment today. The students were pretty ignorant of everything covered but I'm very happy with how they did. The teacher started her unit on the types of matter today and I will do my first lesson/observational experiment on Friday. I think it will be really interesting to see how their ideas develop.