Effecting Change at School and District Levels

To go above and beyond, I have an early morning help session for all 7^th grade science students. During those times I tutor students, answer questions, provide reinforcements, and give students time to work on computers. I am also involved with the Youth Department at my church. I plan trips for them and I offer help sessions on Wednesday nights.

A challenge I face when working with others is lack of time. Because everyone is so busy, it is hard to find time to schedule meetings with other colleagues. Especially those in different districts. To overcome that obstacle, I have set aside specific time to meet with other teachers. The people I work with meet once a month. During that time we think of ways to help the students.

Keeping Up With Global Competition

"The Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957 captured the attention of Americans like no other event of its time. It convinced the United States of the need to greatly enhance science education at all levels to ensure that we would never again be caught off guard in an area so critical to our national well being (Friedman, 2010)."

In the article, What's Our Sputnik, op-ed columnist Thomas L. Friedman calls for a shift in national priorities and offers his perspective on what the United States must do to sustain its competitive edge in the coming years. 

I agree with Thomas Friedman. On a local, state, and national level, we need to increase the emphasis and need for science education. Educators need to integrate STEM into their curriculum. Therefore, there needs to be an increase in the financial investment in science education. 

The United States needs a new Sputnik-like event to spark attention and commitment to science education reform to bring it back to the forefront of global competition. Other countries are already emphasizing the importance of science education. This helps them to remain competitive with other countries.

Friedman, T. L. (2010, January 17). What’s our Sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p. WK.8.

Edible Earth Layers

My students worked in small cooperative groups of four to complete the investigation. My strength was providing an engaging activity for my students. The students had to compare and contrast the layers of a chocolate covered cherry to the layers of the Earth.  At the completion of the investigation, the students were allowed to eat the chocolate covered cherries.
An area I need to improve on is my content knowledge of Earth Science. I currently teach 7^th grade science. In my state and district, Earth science is taught in the 8^th grade. I have never taught Earth and Space Science.
A lot of students did not eat chocolate covered cherries. I thought more students would have eaten the candy.

Natural Disasters: Be Aware and Be Prepared

Natural Disasters: Be Aware and Be Prepared
In my classroom, I would make sure my students were educated about all of the different types of Natural Disasters.
I would focus on the disasters that could affect the area where my students live, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding.
I would also educate my students on natural disasters that could affect other areas of the world, such as mud slides, wild fires, and tsumani.
I would also teach them how to be prepared if a natural disaster would happen to them or in their area of the country. I would have them create a Natural Disaster Preparation Plan and share it with their families.
I would develop projects for my students to offer relief and aid to victims around the world so that they can learn to contribute and help others during disasters.

Energy Tranfer Activity

The title of the lesson was Energy Transfer. The established goal was to understand how energy passes from organism to organism via food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids. The goal of my lesson was met by the students. At the completion of the lesson, they understood how energy was transferred. I know that students understood the lesson because they were able to create a flipbook that illustrated the transfer of energy. They students were also proficient in the formal assessment they were given at the end of the unit. The students created flipbooks to demonstrate the relationships and interactions of organisms within an ecosystem and to illustrate the flow of energy.

Periodic Table of Elements

Periodic Table of Elements

http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/index.html

http://www.simplek12.com/edtech21-topics-tools-and-skills-21st-century

http://theconnectedclassroom.wikispaces.com/Classroom

www.enchantedlearning.com

www.brainpop.com

These websites provide opportunities for the students to engage in games, puzzles, information, and other tools while they make discoveries about the Periodic Table of Elements.

I would have the students create a pamphlets, PowerPoint slides, or brochures about different elements of the periodic table. Students would have to have access to the internet to research the elements. This activity would allow the students to actively engage in learning about the elements.

A challenge would be students not having access to the internet.

Heat Insulators

If I were to repeat this experiment, I might choose to test notebook paper, toilet tissue, jean material, and an aluminum pie pan. I predict that the jean material would be the best insulators. Insulators prevent heat energy transfer. Materials that are excellent insulators will absorb heat slower than materials that are not good conductors. Examples of suitable insulators include dry cotton, Styrofoam, fiberglass, wool, and other nonmetals. The jean material is the thickest material and it is also a nonmetal.