Mar30

Classification

Science and Children cover
Classifying Classification describes how a team of first-grade teachers examined their own instruction in classification and how it related to their state standards. Check out the rubric they created and how it could be adapted for older students. They also have a continuum for classification activities: matching, sorting, categorizing, and interpreting. I wonder how many teachers of older students repeat these activities without knowing what the students have done in the younger grades? Are we challenging students along a continuum or doing the same level of activities again and again?

The SciLinks database has some good resources and lesson ideas on the topic at the K-4 level. Websites for the middle grades and high school can be accessed by entering classification as a keyword for lists of websites related to classification systems, classification of rocks, and the basis for classification.

The students' activities described in Shark Teeth helped them to learn that scientists classify for a purpose. And the authors describe how the students also learned how to use the graphing feature of Excel (with which many adults struggle!). The SciLinks keyword sharks has websites listed for grades 9-12, but you can preview and select any that would be appropriate for your students or as background information for yourself.

We often think of classification in terms of living things, but Does Light Go Through It? shows that even very young children can describe patterns and characteristics. I think that even older students would understand vocabulary such as opaque, transparent, and translucent if they have some hands-on experiences to explore the concepts.

The February issue of Science Scope has a "Classification" theme also. Many of the activities in that issue could be adapted for younger (or older) students. I've found that with any of these classification activities, the point is not for students to get a "correct" answer. The real value is in the discussions students have about the similarities and differences of the objects and in the teacher's guidance through the processes. You can learn a lot by listening and guiding when necessary as students develop their skills in observation, description, measuring, graphing, summarizing via their journals, and making connections.

My experiences at an Orioles game will never be the same after reading What Makes a Curveball Curve. Check out SciLinks for websites describing and investigating the science behind many sports.
Published: Mar-30-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Mar22

Data Collection, Display, and Analysis

Science Scope cover Cockroaches, fast food, roadkill, rainfall -- the articles in this issue of Science Scope show that middle level science students and teachers can use inquiry skills in studying almost any topic. Collecting, organizing, and analyzing data are important components of inquiry activities and these articles have great teacher-tested examples of how students can organize their observations and findings.

The article Chow Down describes studying the diets of Madagascar hissing cockroaches. I've been in classrooms that had these interesting insects, but most students didn't go beyond the "Ewww" or "Oh Wow" observations. This article has some great ideas and resources for ongoing inquiry activities. These can be supplemented through the SciLinks topic Insects. I especially like Bugs from Museum Victoria in Australia. (I used to get concerned about the use of the word "bugs" until I worked on a project with a research entomologist who used the term all of the time!)

To supplement Big Macs and Healthy Teens? check out Calorie Count from About.com (if you don't mind a few ads). This searchable site has nutritional information on individual food items as well as on menu items from fast food and chain restaurants.

OK, so your state does not have the roadkill records that the students in Roadkill Data Analysis could access. You could replicate this type of investigation with other data sources such as eBird.

SciLinks can provide additional data resources, with websites on a variety of topics such as Collecting Weather Data and Presenting Scientific Data. One of my favorite online tools is Create a Graph from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Let's not forget that we collect data in order to answer questions. The article A Land-Use-Planning Simulation Using Google Earth shows how students investigate questions with state-of-the-art data, and the simulation could be customized for anywhere.

Record Keeping in Science was the theme of the January 2009 issue of Science Scope. Some of the ideas in this journal may also be appropriate or adaptable for older students.
Published: Mar-22-09 | 1 Comment | 0 Links to this post

Mar14

Bits and Pieces

Happy pi day (3.14)! I'm clearing out my mailbox and "to do" lists before heading to the NSTA Conference in New Orleans.

Here are some items of interest:
  • Teachers' Domain announces a new new Adolescent Literacy Special Collection: Inspiring Middle School Literacy: Reading and Writing in Science and History. According to the information sent by WGBH, "These self-paced classroom activities are designed to enhance the literacy skills of struggling readers in grades 5-8. Each activity uses videos, interactive activities, notetaking, reading, and writing to present students with an engaging science or history topic. All 15 activities promote a range of literacy skills including monitoring comprehension, synthesizing, asking questions, developing vocabulary, connecting prior knowledge to new learning, and developing a topic in writing." I've found that Teachers' Domain is a wonderful resource for a variety of topics in science (and other content areas), and the science topics in this literacy collection include Continental Drift: From Idea to Theory, Exploring the Everglades Environment, Newton's Third Law: Action-Reaction, Reproductive Strategies, Snake Jaws: A Lesson in Evolution, Surviving Winter, and Transitional Fossils.
  • I've heard about a new documentary called Naturally Obsessed: The Making of a Scientist. According to the website, this film follows the research of a group of graduate students and addresses the reasons people become scientists and the challenges they face. I haven't seen this yet, but I understand that it is showing at various film festivals.


It's hard to get away for a conference. But here's an offer you can't refuse: Since I am a free agent, I can plan my own conference schedule. If you can't make the conference, but there are hot topics you'd like to suggest, let me know and I'll focus my energies on a few of them and report back through the conference blog site, with session summaries and resources. Just add your suggestions through a comment below!
Published: Mar-14-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Mar09

Science for All

Science Teacher cover Reading this issue's articles on English Language Learners (ELLs) -- Challenges and Solutions for ELLs and Making the Connection -- brought back memories of many students in my classes, but especially of Philippe, who moved to my town from Haiti. Philippe spoke a little English, but no one in our school spoke French or Haitian Creole. He must have felt very lonely and isolated. But one day on a field trip as we were collecting and studying aquatic arthropods, his eyes lit up and he began to share his experiences with crabs and other marine animals. Science provided a connection between Philippe and the other students.

I wish I would have had more resources to share with Philippe -- but this was BI (before the Internet), so we were limited in what materials we could access. This is not the case in 2009! For example, the libraries at Visionlearning have resources that would supplement science units on a variety of topics -- and this website and the resources are available in both English and Spanish. Spanish teachers may be interested in this site, too, to provide reading materials for SLL students (Spanish Language Learners).

And for students who struggle with reading, try searching for topics in SciLinks at a lower grade level. For example, if you're looking for sites for a high school course, also search for the topic at the middle school or upper elementary levels. Many of these are very appropriate for any age group in terms of readability and interest.

Language diversity is not he only kind of diversity in our classrooms. The article Teaching with Multiple Methods in Mind describes ways to address the various learning styles and preferences that students have. There is also a topic in SciLinks with resources on working with Learners with Disabilities.

SciLinks also includes resources for reading and writing in science (although most of the sites at this time deal with reading). For example, LabWrite guides students through the process of writing lab reports. But the article Reflective Writing discusses the use of writing to help students to go beyond lab reports to reflect on what they are actually learning. This type of writing is often recorded in a Science Notebook.

As a sidebar, also check out SciLinks for Dichotomous Keys to supplement the article Classification and the Dichotomous Key. For example, the website What Is the Key to Classification? has more suggestions for helping students to create (as well as use) these keys.
Published: Mar-09-09 | 1 Comment | 0 Links to this post