Week 7 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge)

Week 7 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge)

March 9, 2025

          Figure 1                       Figure 2                     Figure 3                      Figure 4

                           Figure 5                       Figure 6                       Figure 7

1. What did you learn this week?

This week, we covered a lot of new and existing information, but ultimately, we discussed genetic material and how it is passed down to offspring. In Figures 5, 6, and 7, we did an activity with a partner to depict how genetics from two parents are passed down to a single offspring. In Figure 1, we created a model of a strand of DNA with candy. This would be a great activity to do with young students to help them understand the form of DNA! We checked on our fast plant (Figure 4), and it has been growing pretty well! Because we had some difficulties with our first fast plant, we also observed another group's fast plant to see the different stages they went through (Figure 3). Personally, my favorite part this week was getting to observe the butterflies (Figure 2). It was so interesting and cool to see them grow out of their cocoons. 

2. Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew?

When I think about relating what I learned to what I already knew, I think about the Baby Lab and how I did something similar in high school. So, it was a nice refresher when thinking about dominant and recessive genes. Something else I learned about prior to this week was watching the butterflies go through the life cycle. 

3. How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future?

I can apply this to make models, incorporate interactive activities, and provide examples of real-life things in my future teaching. I would love to do the DNA Candy activity with my students to show them what a DNA strand looks like. I would also enjoy providing interactive projects/activities, such as the Baby Lab, to help students understand the chance of genetics. Lastly, by having butterflies in the room, I can show students how butterflies go through the life cycle in real-time. These are all great and non-traditional ways to teach science!

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