Nov. 25 Class

Today in class we traveled to Elk Point Jefferson to judge the middle school science fair. My group judged the 6th grade physical science presentations. There were many good projects, but there were only a couple stand out projects. There were also some students who didn't put very much effort into their project, and it was very evident. As I was judging, it made me think of all the questions that I could ask the students to make sure they knew what they were doing their project on. Also, I learned a lot about working with a group of people in deciding what is a good project and what is not. The main thing I think I will take away from this experience is what I thought about as I looked at the projects from a teachers perspective. I thought about what I would tell those students who didn't have the motivation to push themselves to do a great project, or what I would tell those students who did a good project to make it a great project. After reflecting back on the day, I think it was a very good experience and I think it will help me in my own classroom as well as in the future if I every have to judge a science fair again.

Nov. 20 Class

Today in class we discussed our final project. We got into our groups and decided our topics. After that we met with the groups that were the grade level below and above our chosen grade level. We found ways to make our lessons and their lessons hook together so that our presentation would flow from one to another. We found all the standards and much of the information needed for our presentation and final lesson plan. The main part we have left is putting it all together. I'm glad we had a work day to put together everything and work with the other groups so that we could correlate our lessons to help them flow.

Nov. 18 Class

We did not have class today, but reading through the syllabus, I noticed we are supposed to blog about 5 different assessment types we would use and how we would use them. Formative assessment happens during the instruction. This can be used in my future classroom by asking students questions during the lecture or presentation. Also, this can be seen through the students doing worksheets during the lessons and the teacher walking around and checking to see the student’s progress.
Summative assessment provides documentation of the students learning at particular points in time. This usually happens at the end of a unit study. This could be used in my future classroom by giving the students a test at the end of a unit to see what knowledge they have gained about the subject matter that we have been learning, like a science unit.
Informal assessment is often embedded in instruction and sometimes are not scored or graded. I would use this in my classroom when we are going over a new subject and I have the students complete a worksheet during class time, but with my help. I wouldn't grade the worksheet, but I would want them to complete it so I could see if they understand the material we are covering.
Formal assessment is typically announced to students as such, is scored, and is graded. Again, this would be used to assess the students at the end of a unit or a point in time in which I would want to grade the students work I would use this with a mid-exam halfway through the unit to make sure the students are understanding the material before the final exam, or it could be their final exam that I will be graded. But, the students will be given a warning so they know to study if they need to. Lastly, an embedded assessment is something I would use. This occurs within and is often indistinguishable from instruction. I would use this during my day to day class lectures because as I go through the lesson I can be asking my students questions about what we are learning to assess whether or not they are understanding the content. The students don't realize they are being assessed, but they are being asked questions that help me as the teacher find out what I need to recover and what they understand. These are the five assessment types that I would use and how I would use them within my classroom.

Source: Abell, S.K & Volkmann, M.J. (2006). Seamless assessment in Science. A guide for elementary and middle school teachers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Nov. 13 Class

Today in class we had a work day. We were asked to work on our second lesson plan that we will be presenting this coming week during class. By working on these during class is allowed us to ask specific questions about what was required within our lesson plan. Also, but working on the lesson in class, it made it very easy to work with our partners because they were already there and we didn't have to try and find a different time to get together and work on the project. Even though some of the students may not have gotten completely done with their lesson, we all got a good start on our lessons and got some feedback from Dr. E about what we should do differently and what looks good within our lesson plan. I was very grateful for the work day we were allowed in class and think that it was very beneficial to the projects start.

Nov. 4 Class

Today in class we continued to talk about the 5 E's. We talked about how to apply these to help our science teaching. One of the goals of the class period was that we would be aware of the resources in the book and elsewhere. I think that if as a teacher you apply the 5 E's to your teaching, you have to be aware of all the resources around you. To effectively teach, I don't think it can all come out of the textbook. You have to find sources from elsewhere so the students can gain a broader knowledge about the subject information and how to apply it to their lives. So, through the lecture I learned how to apply the 5 E model in my classroom in designing a lab during the class period. But, also I learned that you have to look else where for information on subject material to help enhance your students learning.

Nov. 4 Class and the 5 E's

Today in class we discussed some different types of assessment methods. Also, we discussed about how the assessment should be designed and how it should be varied. I think that the 5 E's that have been discussed fit into the assessment discussion very well. The five E's are the following: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate. These should all be included in instruction because they all help make connections with prior knowledge. During the engaging stage, students are accessing their background knowledge and making connections with what is going on in the classroom. Exploring is when the students work directly with the materials based upon the topic. The explain stage the students will turn their findings in the abstract thought and begin talk about what they are learning. In the elaborate stage should be elaborating on their thoughts and be able to change their views. Evaluating is the last stage in which the teacher decides if the students have learned anything and understand the material. A teacher should use these five strategies because it helps the students learning and addresses different levels of learning. These five strategies can held the teacher with instruction as well as assessment.

Oct. 30 Class

Today in class we listened to more presentations. We learned about force, tornadoes, and mixtures. Each presentation was very informative and very well presented. The labs also demonstrated very well what the group was trying to talk about throughout their presentation. I learned about what makes up a tornado and also about the senses that we have on our tongue. This presentation was very interesting to me, because I didn't know that we had the different senses on our tongue. Otherwise we didn't do much else today in class besides listen to the presentations and figure out ways in which we would want to use them within our own classrooms. Which I think that I would use some of these activities in my own classroom because they demonstrate the content in which they were trying to cover very well.