Rational for Lesson Plan Re-design:

Transcription

1 Rational for Lesson Plan Re-design: For this assignment I chose to re-design a project that I give to my students at the end of third quarter. The original lesson is to have students build a model volcano and poster board explaining the workings of a volcano. I chose to re-design this lesson for several reasons. The first reason is that though building models is part of my Earth Science curriculum the building of a volcano model is laborious and often redundant from elementary projects. Also, students are able to learn the concept of volcanoes and how they work through less laborious means. The most important reason for the re-design is that I can better meet my state earth science standards by allowing students to develop their own models and experiments. The original lesson is based on the cognitivist theory. It was designed to add novelty to the concept of volcanoes. It asked students to create a model so that I as the evaluator could pinpoint errors and target my instruction. It was a culminating project to tie in everything we had learned about volcanoes and give the students one more exposure to the content. It also allowed the students to become experts on one particular type of volcano. The re-designed lesson is based on a constructivist model. Students will be expected to choose a topic or experiment that they would like to discover. Students prior knowledge will help to guide them to a topic in earth science that they would like to explore. Students will decide how to go about their own research/experiment. Students will build models and experiments based on real world phenomenon. Their learning will be collaborative, they will be able to draw from the expertise of others and will also be presenting their project to their peers. Students will be assessed based on their own self-evaluation of their project, productivity, and process. I have chosen to follow the constructivist model of instruction for this project because it better aligns with my standards. The science standards suggest and lend themselves to a model of inquiry.

2 Original Lesson Plan: Overview: Students will construct a model of a volcano and create an informative poster. Standards: 8-9.ES Develop models to explain concepts or systems. 8-9.ES Use observations and data as evidence on which to base scientific explanations. 8-9.ES Formulate scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence. Teacher Provided Materials: Variety of Earth Science Textbooks, Library books on volcanoes, materials for creating a paper mache model, paint, poster board Student Materials (optional): Model materials, tri-fold presentation board Daily Procedure: Day 1: Introduce Project to students by reading through instructions (see Appendix A). Students will start to research volcanoes and decide which volcano type they would like to focus on. Day 2: Students will create a rough draft/sketch of how they plan to build their volcano and what information will be present on the poster. Rough draft/sketch will be presented to teacher for approval. Day 3-5: Students will do all necessary research and create their poster and model. The finished product will be due at the beginning of day 6. Assessment: Projects will be assessed according to a check off sheet that analyzes whether the students have appropriately completed all the tasks given on the instruction sheet. Please see check off sheet in Appendix B. Teacher: Monique Gafford Grade Level: 8 th Subject: Earth Science Lesson Title: Volcano Project Time: 5 class periods of 50 minutes

3 New/Improved Lesson Plan Overview: Students will design an experiment or a model which explains an Earth Science phenomenon. Standards: 8-9.ES Develop models to explain concepts or systems. 8-9.ES Use observations and data as evidence on which to base scientific explanations. 8-9.ES Formulate scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence. Teacher Provided Materials: Variety of Earth Science Textbooks, Library books on Earth Science, Library books on Science Fair Projects, website resources, materials for creating a paper mache model, paint, laboratory materials (beakers, thermometers, meter sticks, ect ), poster board Student Materials (optional): Model/visual representation materials, tri-fold presentation board Daily Procedure: Day 1: Introduce project by reading instructions (See Appendix C). Students will look through available resources to decide what they would like to do for the project, or they may come up with an original idea and present it to the teacher for approval. Day 2: Students will fill out planner and daily log and present it to the teacher for approval (See Appendix D). Day 3-7: Students will conduct necessary research and experiments, create a model or visual representation, and create a poster. Project will be due at the beginning of day 8. Teacher: Monique Gafford Grade Level: 8 th Subject: Earth Science Lesson Title: Earth Science Inquiry Project Time: 7 class periods of 50 minutes Assessment: Students will submit and be assessed based on a selfevaluation checklist (See Appendix E). Project completion and presentation should align with how the student selfassessed. If project completion and presentation do not align then a teacher-student conference should be held to accurately assess the student.

4 Appendix A: Model: o Create one type of volcano: cinder cone, composite, shield, or a famous volcano from history. o You may use whatever materials you would like, some suggestions are paper mache, clay, Styrofoam, food, ect.. o Your volcano can be active, dormant, or extinct (it can erupt, or not erupt) o Must be between 8 and 24 in height and width o Your model can show the inside of the type of volcano you have chosen OR you may have a diagram of the inside on your poster. The magma chamber, pipe, vent, ash layers, lava layers, side vents, and crater must be labeled (note: your model may not have all of these parts depending on the volcano you choose). Poster: o You can have a diagram of the inside of the type of volcano you have chosen OR your model can show the inside of the volcano. The magma chamber, pipe, vent, ash layers, lava layers, side vents, and crater must be labeled (note: your model may not have all of these parts depending on the volcano you choose). o You should have a diagram of how a volcano erupts. Your diagram should include labels. o You should have a list of the steps a volcano goes through in order to erupt. o Tell at least 5 quality facts about the type of volcano you have chosen to model. These can be historical facts if you have chosen to model a historical volcano. o Tell us about you model, how was it made, what materials were used. o Within the information about your volcano you should have a minimum of five vocabulary words, which have been used correctly in the context of the sentence. Quality: o Spelling and grammar counts o Creativity, organization, and color count o Handwriting counts, if you have bad handwriting than type it. ***I will provide poster board, green and brown paint, and paper mache materials. ***If you want to do paper mache with me I will be doing it after school on Monday and Tuesday.

5 Appendix B: Name Points /50 pts possible 1. model (1pt) 2. poster (1pt) 3. poster has a title that properly explains your volcano (2pt) 4. poster and model are about 1 type of volcano (3pt) 5. poster only has pictures of the 1 type of volcano you have chosen (3pt) 6. model correctly shows the type of volcano you have chosen (3pt) 7. model is an okay size, approximately 8-24 inches (2pt) 8. you have shown what the inside of your volcano looks like (3pt) 9. you have labeled the parts showing the inside of your volcano (3pt) 10. diagram of how a volcano erupts (3pt) 11. diagram has labels (3pt) 12. list of the steps a volcano goes through to erupt (3pt) 13. you have five quality facts about your volcano (3pt) 14. you tell us what your model is made up of (2pt) 15. you tell us the steps you took to make your model (3pt) 16. you have properly used at least five vocabulary words (2pt) 17. your spelling is correct (2pt) 18. your grammar is correct (2pt) 19. your poster and model show creativity (2pt) 20. your poster and model show organization (2pt) 21. your poster and model have color (1pt) 22. your poster has nice handwriting or is typed (1pt)

6 Appendix C: Earth Science Inquiry Project This project is intended to stretch your scientific inquiry/problem solving abilities. By the end of this project you should show through a poster and model/visual representation that you are able to develop models to explain concepts or systems, use observations and data as evidence on which to base scientific explanations, and formulate scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence. The big idea is that you will create a display explaining an Earth Science phenomenon. You may choose your topic. Your topic can be a question you want to experiment to find the answer to or it can be a phenomenon that you would like to model. Your display should include a poster of information you found through research, experiments, and/or surveys and a model or visual representation of your project. In other words there should be something 3D/tangible for others to view. Resources Available: I have compiled a large selection of Earth Science textbooks, Earth Science topic specific library books, Science Fair library books, and websites for your use. You may also use the internet to search for select topics, however, be cautious not to spend all of your time searching the web (if you are having difficulties finding what you are looking for please come and see me). ***I will provide poster board, paint, paper mache materials, and what I have available for science materials (beakers, thermometers, meter sticks, ect...). ***If you want to do paper mache with me I will be doing it after school on Monday and Tuesday.

7 Appendix D: Planner Name Date Period General Topic to Explore: Things I already know about this topic: Subtopics I might want to learn more about: Three questions for each of my subtopics: Professionals I might interview: Experiments or surveys I might conduct: Materials or supplies I need for my project:

8 The part of the project I will complete at home/afterschool (optional): Daily Log Today s Date What I Plan to Do During Today s Work Period What I Actually Accomplished Today

9 Appendix E: Self-Evaluation Checklist I selected a topic that held my interest. I worked well independently. I asked for help when I needed it. I created an interesting question or model I had someone look at and edit my project before creating a final draft I had someone look at and edit my project before presenting it to the class I am able to explain what I learned to others My project was attention-grabbing My project was well organized I am able to answer questions about my project clearly My project shows that I can develop models and explain concepts or systems My project shows that I can use observations and data as evidence on which to base scientific explanations My project shows that I can formulate scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence

10 References: Jonassen, D.H., Land, S.M, (2000). Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Winebrenner, S. (2001). Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom. Minnesota: Free Spirit Publishing Inc.