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Textbook chapter reflections


Chapter 3 
After reading chapter three of the textbook  Teaching children science: A discovery approach written by Donald DeRosa I was extremely surprised at how important "discovery" could be to a science classroom.  The textbook states that " discovery is used as a way to engage students in the scientific process instead of them having to learn science second hand. By having students actively participate in the lesson they are able to gain a deeper understanding of what they are learning. The textbook also states that "Discovery suggest that we need to respect and value the learners their role in developing understanding" If we learned for our students we would not be doing our jobs as teachers. As teachers we should allow our students to make trial and error, we should allow them to make mistakes and get messy, we should also allow them to make their own discoveries because if a child discovers something without a teachers help he will be amazed at what he accomplished.


Chapter 4

 After reading chapter four of the textbook Teaching children science: A discovery approach written by Donald DeRosa. I was excited. I felt ready to start planning my lesson plan for Ms. Hoag's fourth-grade class but I was also very nervous. I was worried that I would freeze up and forget what I was supposed to say. But after reading chapter four I understood the difference between curriculum, unit plans, and lesson plans. The textbook defines curriculum as " a made-up sequence of units and lessons that address a primary subject" after reading the definition I realized that an example of a curriculum is first and second-grade math. An also realized that another way to say curriculum was a "whole unit of a subject." The textbook explains units as "sub-topics within a curriculum" once I understood what units were I realized they are pieces of information leading back to one specific topic. The textbook defines lessons as topics that "target certain learning objectives." with newly acquired background knowledge I believe I will be able to create a lesson plan that will help my students succeed and I will become a teacher who knows how to cater the curriculum in a way to benefit all of her students.

Chapter 5 
After reading chapter five of the textbook Teaching children science: A discovery approach written by Donald DeRosa.  I realized that as a teacher you may tend to tell your students more than they want to know. But that tactic may do more harm than good. The textbook states "that in order to do real science with children teachers need to talk less and use more creative strategies so students can learn on their own." If teachers are too involved students will not get hands-on experience that will get them excited about science. The textbook also explains that if a teacher is too involved then she or he is having trouble controlling the classroom. In order to regain control of a classroom, a teacher should create an environment where her students want to experience new things.

Chapter 6 
After reading chapter six of the textbook Teaching children science: A discovery approach I feel that I gained a good understanding of what assessments to use in order to help my students learn better.  Overall, there are three types of assessment a teacher can use. The textbook mentions that"A diagnostic assessment is a pre-test."A pre-test is used to determine the student's knowledge on what they know verse what they don't know. The textbook states that a formative assessment is used to assist learning. A formative assessment is an activity used during the lesson to help students understand the content better if they are confused.  The textbook states that a summative assessment "is used to answer the question what did students learn?" Another name for a summative assessment is independent practice. A teacher uses independent practice as a way to see what concepts the students have grasped and what the concepts students need to review. As a teacher, I will use all of these assessments when creating my lesson. In order for my students to get the best experiences possible. 







Chapter 7 
After reading chapter seven of the textbook Teaching children science: A discovery approach written by Donald DeRosa I understand what the "NGSS" or next generation science standards are and how to apply them to my lesson. The textbook states "that the NGSS are used to insight regarding the broad interrogation of science and engineering across disciplines." standard's are things that a teacher uses to plan her lesson. the standards are the goals the students are expected to meet at the end of the lesson.  by using these standards a teacher can create her lesson. As a teacher myself, I can use these standards as a way to make sure all of my students can complete the lesson I planned to the best of my ability. 




Chapter 8 
After reading chapter eight of the textbook Teaching children science: A discovery approach  written by Donald DeRosa I realized there are multiple ways I can integrate technology in a classroom setting.The textbook states "That technology can be engaging. It provides a window to a variety of virtual experiences that pique curiosity and can be used to inspire questions." technology can be used to increase background information on certain topics. Technology in a classroom allows for more interactive experiences. The technology used in a classroom can enchase the inquiry knowledge of students by using web quest, which uses the 5e's of inquiry which is engage, explore, reflect/explain, and evaluate or assess.


Chapter 9
After reading chapter nine of the textbook Teaching children science: A discovery approach was written by Donald DeRosa I was surprised at how many different ways science can be taught to a classroom of students of different cultures. The textbook states that "Your challenge as a teacher is to remember that you can use a child's success in science as a way to form a positive attitude towards school." Many ELL of English-language students has difficulty in school due to the fact that English is one of the hardest languages to learn. But science is not about the language it is about actively participating in something or having hands-on experience.  due to this barrier of languages ELL, students may be unable to understand the content of what is being taught so in order to make sure that the student doesn't fall behind it is best to invest in a peer tutor. A peer tutor is a student who is bilingual and can understand the content extremely well. There are also many other techniques a teacher can use to help her students succeed. One of these activities is to foster parent and classroom science connections. The textbook states "send letters to parents at the beginning of the year, explaining what science time for students will be like." You can send letters home in English and their native language. This allows the parents to know what is going on. As a teacher, I could send letters home in English and my students native language in order to form a connection to the parents. By sending letters home I could make sure my students don't fall behind. 


Comments

  1. Raiya IsaacDecember 13, 2018 at 10:59 AM

    I agree about what you wrote regarding ch.3. Sometimes it can be hard for teachers to step back and let students make mistakes but it is very important that we do so because it leads them to make discoveries.

    ReplyDelete

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