Week 11 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge)

 Week 11 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge)

April 13, 2025

                   Figure 1                           Figure 2                           Figure 3
                    Figure 4                          Figure 5                           Figure 6

  1. What did you learn this week?
    • This week, we learned about 6 different science phenomena by doing hands-on experiments as elementary students. We were challenged to think about the "why" question throughout each activity. In Figure 1, we tested to see which cans would float and which would sink. In Figure 2, we placed M&Ms on a plate with water to see what would happen. In Figure 3, we used our five senses to see what happens when you add baking soda to vinegar. In Figure 4, we took out an ice-cold 7-Up and watched as it was in a room-temperature space. In Figure 5, we conducted an experiment where we plunged two different surfaces. Lastly, In Figure 6, we melted an ice cube on two different surfaces. During the lecture, we touched on the NGSS while also talking about the definition of mass. 
  2. Which parts did you find clear and which were confusing?
    • For about half of these experiments, my hypotheses were correct, while the others were incorrect. Regardless of whether my educated guess was correct or incorrect, I was still left with the question: "Why did this happen?" This question came up a lot throughout this process, which was confusing. The clear parts of this, however, were the chemical reactions, such as the experiments in Figure 3 and Figure 4. These phenomena were slightly more clear as to how it would end up, but I am still confused as to why it happened. 
  3. How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future?
    • I believe that I can apply what I have learned to my future teaching by simply letting the students test things out and develop questions along the way. I think this type of hands-on group activity is great for all ages. Also, this is a great way to test hypotheses and see if you are correct or incorrect. Regardless of getting it right or wrong, students will still have the question of "why," which will hopefully spark their creativity and interest throughout the lesson.

Below are my notes from Wednesday:


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 1 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge)

Image
Week 1 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge) January 25, 2025 What did you learn this week? During the first week of class, we learned about the course syllabus and a little bit about our professor, Dr. Hyesun You. During the discussion section, our class learned about the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) and why it is important to use it as an elementary teacher. We also did an activity with a partner to create our dream classroom (picture above). During our first lecture, Dr. You talked about the specific characteristics of DNA.  Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew? I am able to relate the characteristics of living things to my previous knowledge. I remember learning about this in elementary and middle school, so I got a nice refresher. Talking about the NGSS was new to me, but I remember being a student and noticing the patterns of the standards. For instance, " I can do a,b,c while demonstrating x,y,z," remembering the wor...
Read more

Week 4 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge)

Image
Week 4 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge) February 16, 2025 (Figure 1) What did you learn this week? This week, I learned about the 5 Modeling Activity (5E Model) and what it stands for. The 5 Modeling Activity is a research-based model that helps students engage in the material by thinking through it with the 5 Es: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. I also learned how you can connect the 5E Model with the correlating standards.  How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future? I can apply this to my future teaching when my students are doing research-based projects, especially for science. I learned I can use this method across many other subjects so my students can really grasp the given content.  What are new or remaining questions?   A couple remaining questions I have are how can I make each section sound equally important to one another and how will this support my diverse learners' needs? Reflection questions: a....
Read more

Week 3 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge)

Image
  Week 3 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge) February 6, 2025     Figure 1                                     Figure 2                                     Figure 3 What did you learn this week? This week, I learned about the life cycles of insects, plants, and foods. In the lecture, I learned more about photosynthesis, cellular respiration, the carbon cycle, and modeling. After reviewing those materials, we jumped right into LS2: Ecology, which is the study of organisms within their environments. We talked about biotic factors, like fungi, bacteria, animals, etc., and also talked about abiotic factors, such as the air, soil, temperature, etc. Continuing with ecology, we learned the difference between environment and biome. An environment covers the land, animals, humans, and all t...
Read more