Katelyn's journey of teaching Science to digital learners

The edTPA and task When reading the edTPA handbook, I was extremely overwhelmed and very confused. Since I am only a sophomore, I never heard of the edTPA. At first, it was information overload. After reading the handbook a few more times, however, I was able to understand the text and its usefulness. 

 Fieldwork guidelines When reading the fieldwork guidelines, it all seemed familiar to what I had been instructed to do when teaching at Bishop Dunn, a Catholic school with high standards. As teachers, there is a certain level of professionalism we have follow, which includes looking like a professional. Looking like a professional includes covering tattoos and wearing business attire, such as button-up shirts and dress pants. I believe that when you dress the part you gain more respect from colleagues and students. I felt the first day of field work was extremely informative. Using the “get to know you” activity enabled me to more easily get know my students. The results of the pre-test were what I expected. The students knew some, but not a lot, of information about plant classification

 The difference between a unit plan and a lesson plan. The terms “lesson plan” and “unit plan” are often used interchangeably by teachers, but they are actually quite different. A lesson plan contains only one lesson, while a unit plan can contain up to five different lesson plans on one topic. Also coming up with a unit plan can be more challenging than coming up with one lesson plan. For a unit plan, you need to make sure each lesson follows the one that came before it.

 Creating the pre-test for field work I believe that creating an online quiz or test for my class can be a great way for me to integrate technology in my classroom. This is one of the reasons why I was so excited to create a pre-test using Google forms. It was challenging at first, but, once I got the hang of it, I found it to be easier to do than I first thought. I liked how you could choose questions that could be multiple choice, true or false, short answer or essay format. 

Blog #5: Digital tools for designing authentic assessment I was really surprised to discover all the materials a teacher can use to design authentic assessments. I was also surprised at how easy it can be to create a pre-test for Ms. Hoag’s.  fourth grade classroom. Chapter six in the textbook  Teaching children science: A discovery approach  defines authentic assessment as “a form of assessment where students are asked to preform real-life task using a prompt of rubric.” There are many ways a teacher can use authentic assessment, from using web quest which is an inquiry based lesson format, to having students write a letter.

 Unit plan lesson and design When creating a unit plan, there are multiple steps a teacher needs to take in order to be successful. The article “ Lesson plans and unit plans: The basis of instruction ” states that these steps are “Introduction, Foundation, Brain activation, Body of new information, Clarification, Practice and review, Independent practice and closure.” By using these steps, a teacher can create a successful lesson plan and help her students reach their full potential .  Chapter 5 of the textbook Teaching children science: A discovery approach  states that “a diagnostic approach is used to determine what the students already know, a summative approach is used to determine what the students have learned, and a formative assessment is used to assist learning or how are the students developing science practices.” When reading the article “Approaches to instruction,” I was surprised that there were so many different strategies a teacher can use in her cl...

 Start Here  book resources  I really liked all three book resources, but, overall, I would have to say that my favorite resources would be the “Start Here” resource book and the “Science Education” resource book.   I felt the books were a good way to explain what would happen at the start of the semester and what we should be prepared for in the coming months. I also liked how it was formatted. Yes, you had to search to find items you wanted to read, but everything was there if you needed it. Having these resources available got me really excited about this class. I felt they prepared me to face any challenge. I liked how, at the start, the resources contained the rubrics for future assignments. I liked how the “Science Education” resource contained multiple techniques we can use to teach. I also liked that in the teaching technology tab it explained how we can use technology in the classroom.

Classrooms online  Due to the weather on Thursday classes were canceled and replaced with online sessions. This was my first online educational experience. And it was very intresting I was surprised that we could all communicate threw a microphone. I was also surprised at how easy it was for group 5 to present their violent weather project. One of my favorite things about the online session was the webcam. When a teacher uses the webcam it makes it seem like we are actually in the classroom instead of sitting in our rooms. The textbook Teaching children science: A discovery approach written by Donald DeRosa  states "Other tools allow children to extend their abilities to make connections among a host of variables and imagine what properties emerge when they react with a unique time and place." Online resources such as an online classroom can have many benefits to a child's educational career. 

Earthquakes Plates sliding, Waves crashing, Land shaking Constant moving, Buildings breaking, People falling Earth quaking My reflection  There are many ways I can teach the unit of severe weather in my classroom. The textbook book   teaching children science: A discovery approach   states "Know that the NGSS represent one of the many guidelines available in order to determine what science to teach." The acronym NGSS stands for "Next Generation Science Standards. with this resource in mind, I realize that the best way to teach severe weather would be to use the second standard  in disciplinary core ideas. the Second standard in the NGSS standard explains "what natural disasters are and how natural disasters can result from can come from natural processes." When doing this lesson with my class I can explain what natural disasters are and how they could go from bad to worse. As a child in...

Katelyn McCormick Science-In-The-News Article Review Title of the article:  “ A rainforest plant shows its true color (blue) when in survival mode ” What is the science issue involved?  The science issue discussed in the article is the fact that plants we commonly see as green were not always green. Before plants evolved into the beautiful green color we see today, many were purple or blue because they had to absorb a different type of light. And some of those plants retain that purple or blue color. The article states “Begonia pavonina, or the ‘Peacock begonia,’ dwells in the dim rainforest of south-east Asia.” Due to the small amount of light it receives from the sun, the Peacock begonia can’t absorb enough sunlight to effectivity go through photosynthesis. Because the plant is unable to go through proper photosynthesis, the flower appears blue. Why did you choose this article? I chose this article because the topic seemed interesting. As I read through the arti...

Katelyn McCormick  Bre aking Science Stereotypes :    Research Article Review The article  Breaking Science Stereotypes,  written by Alec Bodzin and Mike Gehringer, begins by explaining a study they conducted on students’ perceptions of scientists. When asked to draw a picture of what a scientist looks like, most depicted an old man in a lab coat with glasses.  Even if that is the common perception of scientists, teachers want their students to see that a scientist can come in multiple shapes and sizes and that they have different roles in their profession.   The authors felt it was important to conduct their study because they wanted to see if a visit from a real-life scientist could change the misperceptions students have of scientists. To conduct the study, teachers were asked to have their students draw pictures of what they believed scientists look like. Then, during a two-day period that followed, the teachers had two ...