Let's Develop Some Concepts!

Concept Development is a great way to introduce a new topic, and do a pre-assessment to see how to guide my lesson planning.

1. Ancient Rome - What do you know about Ancient Rome?
Using answergarden.com, with a partner, have students brainstorm everything they know, or think they know, about Ancient Rome. Put those ideas into categories with my help. Label these categories. Now make a new padlet and regroup them, seeing if they can put them into better categories. They will need to turn in both. Synthesize what the big idea is, what we want to, and will, learn about Ancient Rome. Have them synthesize in one or two sentences on their padlet. Share with the class. Turn in.  Look at their padlets to find out what kids already know, and what they really want to learn.

2. Seasons
Using answergarden.com, with a partner, have student discuss what they know, or think they know, about why we have seasons. Give the students some categories. Have students put those ideas into the categories. Now make a new padlet and regroup them, seeing if they can put them into better categories, or just show a different way to group them. They will need to turn in both. Synthesize what the big idea is about why we have seasons. Have them synthesize in one or two sentences on their padlet. Turn in padlets to make sure they did both groupings. Look at their padlets to find any misconceptions I need to fix during the unit. Have the students make a one page ppt with their one or two sentences and share with the class.

3. Heat, Light, and Sound Waves
Brainstorm ideas about what heat, light, and sound all have in common. Have pairs list them on padlet. Have students put them into categories. Label the categories. Discuss these categories as a class. Have students make a new padlet and put them into new categories that might work better, or just show a different way to group them. Have them synthesize in a sentence or two on their padlet. Turn in padlets to make sure they did both groupings. Look at their padlets to find any misconceptions I need to fix during the unit. Have the pairs make a glog about their big idea and share with class.


Notes to self for future references
Steps:
Listing (brainstorming, prior knowledge)
grouping (identify characteristics)
labeling (can combine/switch steps 2 and 3)
regrouping (other ways to group) (have students turn in both, the original group and regroup)
synthesize (summarize the big idea)

Use for a pre-assessment, assessment; when something might have lots of parts to it.
Benefits include deeper understanding; learn students' background knowledge; see that there are many different ways to group things
Disadvantages - time, glitches with tech
Grouping students - put high and low level kids together; do on paper first then make one on padlet

***This also might be good for introducing Phases of the Moon***

Concept Attainment

This is a good model for teaching conceptual knowledge. I already do something similar to this when iintroducing microorganisms, but I can see how I can expand on it and use this model for introducing more topics.

1. Categorizing

On a power point, show a screen with "example" and "non-example." Have the kids try to guess if the items are examples or non as I show them. I will put the first few in the correct column, then have them guess with the rest. Have them think about what my rule might be. Discuss as a class what it might be. Write down ideas on ppt. Talk about all the ideas, then decide on one (with my guidance). Write down the correct hypothesis on ppt. With your partner, draw a web on paper. Use poplet.com to make the web and turn in.

2. Microorganisms - the characteristics of a living organism (made of cells, use energy, grow and develop, reproduce, respond/adapt to environment)

Put students in groups of 2 or three. Give each group a bag with random items (each group has the exact same items) that have some examples living and non-living organisms. Have students put them into groups. Have students use padlet.com and list the items; then put them in categories. Have each group tell the class what they did and explain why they put them in the categories. Discuss what the items have in common and don't have in common. Fix categories. Label the padlet Characteristics of All Living Things and turn in.

3. Hemispheres - Introduce the Globe (before teaching hemisphere and seasons)

Show many different spheres: globe on stand, soccer ball, baseball, earth blow up ball, basket ball, 4 square ball.

Show students all examples and have them put them into two groups on padlet. Discuss why they chose the groups they did. Discuss what they have in common and don't have in common and talk about different hypotheses. Guide them to the correct hypothesis. Then talk about what the globe and earth ball have in common. Discuss the close in characteristics of the globe and ball: sphere, land, blue, other colors, border lines, latitude/longitude lines, stand, axis pole, etc., and write those on padlet. If the equator hasn't been brought up, introduce it, and have a small discussion about the northern and southern hemispheres. Have students turn in their padlet activity.

***This would also be a great model to use for introducing classroom rules.***

Precision of Language, Please!

Today's blog is about a type of learning I've always wanted to incorporate in my curriculum but never have. I have always been interested in Greek and Latin roots, and why our language is like it is. When you understand the root of words, the English language makes so much more sense.

Lesson 1: Introducing a new unit.
Microorganisms
1. Have the students write and define the word "microorganism" in their Science Journals without consulting with their neighbor.
2. Have a class discussion about their spellings and definitions.
3. Explore the word: micro (small; too small to be seen with the human eye) and organisms (any living thing). Discuss what words we know that have "micro" in them (microscope, microphone, etc.) and talk about those words. How do these words relate to "microorganism"?
4. Look up "microorganism" in the dictionary. Talk about its etymology and morphology (we use the dictionaries a LOT in my class!) Read some snippets from the book The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty where microorganisms is discussed.
5. With a partner, make a glog about microorganisms, as far as they understand the word and its definition thus far. We will be learning about it much more in depth with the unit. At the end of the unit, the students will make a new glog and compare their knowledge growth from the beginning of the unit to the end.

Lesson 2: Learn new vocabulary in depth.
Polytheism (Mesopotamia)
1. Have the students write and define the word "polytheism" in their Social Studies Journals without consulting with their neighbor.
2. Have a class discussion about their spellings and definitions.
3. Explore the word: Read parts of Mesopotamia books I have in the classroom where polytheism is explored. Discuss the students' definitions again and what they now think the word means. Do they know of any other words that relate to poly or theisms? (Polygon, polygamy) What about opposites, such as monotheism and monogamy)
4. Discuss poly (many) and theism ("belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in one god as creator of the universe, intervening in it and sustaining a personal relation to his creatures," Google). Discuss the important role gods played in the lives of the Mesopotamians. Read more about the Mesopotamians belief in the many gods. What do most people believe today?
5. In groups of 3 or 4, using an iPad, record a short skit about polytheism. Present to class.

Lesson 3: Part of regular weekly classroom instruction.
Different forms of roots, such as ped, struct, spec, and dict
These lessons will be pretty much the same.
1. Introduce the new root. Brainstorm ideas of words that have the root in them, and have students write them and their meaning in their LA Journal without consulting with their neighbor.
2. Have a class discussion about the root definition and spelling.
3. Explore the root: Look up words to find their spelling and meaning. What other words can you find with the same root? Can you make up words using the root?
4. Discuss the Latin and Greek meanings, the correct ones, and use it in real world words.
5. With a partner, create a wordle with the definition and various words using the root.

I am really looking forward to implementing these lessons!

Direct Instruction at its Finest

I have many ideas about lessons that use direct instruction, since it is the easiest to use. The trick was implementing tech. At first I struggled to come up with any ideas. Then suddenly, BAM! Ideas abounding! Then the trick was to narrow it down to just three :) Here they are:

Lesson #1
How to use/read thermometers (3 days)
Materials: thermometer with Fahrenheit and Celsius; a bowl of hot water; a bowl of cold water; document camera; iPads
Day 1: Remind students about previous lessons of heat; a thermometer is a measuring tool, it measures heat; explain the need to know how to read a thermometer (basic, everyday skill...)
Show the red line in the thermometer (or silver) and the numbers up each side; identify the increments as well as the "C" for Celsius and the "F" for Fahrenheit. Read the current temperature on the thermometer. Put thermometer in hot water and watch the change; when the red/silver stops moving, read the temperature. Do the same with the cold water. Have students try this in pairs.
Day 2: Review the previous day. The pairs will take temperatures of places I have assigned outside and inside the school, recording the temperatures. They will take pictures and video of themselves with the iPads as they explore using the thermometers. When they are finished, they will start making a video detailing what they did, what they learned doing it, and how they can apply it to everyday life.
Day 3: Finish the videos and then present them to the class.

Lesson #2
The Scientific Method (3-4 days)
Day 1: Have students take notes in Science Journal about each step of the Scientific Method (problem, background, hypothesis, materials, experiment, data, conclusion). Come up with a mnemonic to help memorize the order and steps.
Day 2: Review steps and process of the Scientific Method; put into pairs; pass out paper strips with the steps written on them; have races putting the steps in order. Give a small treat to the fastest group. Continue until each group has finished and received a treat. With partner, start making a project on Scratch about the steps of the Scientific Method
Day 3: Review the steps and process of the Scientific Method. Continue working on presentation. Present at end of class or the next day.


Lesson #3
Six characteristics/needs of all living things (6 days)
Day 1: Take notes in Science Journal about the six characteristics of all living things (made of cells, grow and develop, respond to environment, adapt to environment, reproduce, use energy).
Day 2-3: Make a glog about any organism showing its six characteristics.
Day 4: Take notes in Science Journal about the six needs of all living things (food, water, living space, gas exchange, correct temperature, energy).
Day 2-3: Make a glog using any organism showing it's characteristics

My Goals for Summer, 2015

I know exactly what my goals for this summer are, but I have to go back to last semester to explain. When we were given the assignment of writing a scope and sequence, a unit plan, and a lesson plan, I was immediately overwhelmed by the fact that I had NO IDEA what kind of technologies were available to use. I asked around, googled, looked at Pintrest, anything I could do think of to find information and ideas. I finally hammered out what I thought were great ideas, only to get a c on the unit plan, because I didn't have enough tech. I was quite frustrated. I thought about going back and redoing it, but it was pointless, since I still had no idea what to do.

I have held on to the hope that this summer we would learn about different technologies that I could learn about, find a few that I felt really comfortable with, and learn them really well. Then I could start integrating them into my curriculum. Over time I could expand on that.

So, goals for this summer:

1. Learn about some new technologies
2. Choose three or four and learn them really well
3. Go through curriculum and figure out where I can best implement them

I know that kids are so adept at change and learning new things. I am sure that if I teach them a few, they can expand them and teach me things I hadn't thought of.