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EDTE 316 Science Methods Fall 2007

Module 4 (Weeks 8,9 & 10)To properly navigate through this

PowerPoint, go to “View” and click on “Slide Show”

Overview of the next 3 weeks

Over the next 3 Thursdays the 6 groups will be taking turns to present/teach your units to each other. Here is what will be expected: As a group:

Provide an electronic copy of your unit plan via TaskStream

Present/teach the unit to your classmates Individually:

Post a reflection within 3 days after you have taught your unit

Post feedback to the presenters within 6 days after they have taught their units

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Organization of this module

This module comes in 2 parts: Part 1: This part provides the logistics for

teaching the unit, reflecting on it, and providing feedback to the presenters.

Part 2: This part provides suggestions for the lesson plans you submitted so that when you teach them on “Science Day” at Jed Smith you will be as prepared as possible.

Both parts complement each other and should be worked on simultaneously.

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Part 1:Teaching Your 5 to 6 activities

OK, the unit is planned, you have elaborated as necessary on individual lessons, now for your final checklist

What preparations are necessary to carry out each activity?

Do you have all necessary materials? How will the materials be set up and

managed? How will you explain the purpose to your

students? How will the discrepant event be taught? How will the classroom teaching be

organized? What questions will you ask during teaching? What teaching strategies will be used during

the lesson? How will the students in the class be

organized? How will you check for student

understanding? How will materials be managed? How will students be managed?

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Part 1 – Teaching the Unit (con’t)

Each group has one hour to “teach” the unit.Review Module 3 for a discussion of setting up the 5

to 6 stations.Prepare with your group to set up the stations.Determine ahead of time how you will put people into

the 5 to 6 groups.Once the groups are set up establish the ground

rules, then begin with an introduction to the unit and the discrepant event.

Allow approximately 8 minutes per station.There won’t be much time for in-class follow up, so

we will do this online in our discussion postings.

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Part 1 (con’t) Post your unit plan & reflections

After teaching the unit log onto Module 4 discussions on TaskStream and find the link for your unit.

One of you should attach a copy of your group’s unit plan.

Each of you should choose 3 of the 7 questions on the right and post your reflections.

1. What do you think went particularly well in the unit or activity that you facilitated?

2. What did not go as well as anticipated?3. What would you do differently to engage

all students the next time you teach this unit?

4. What would you adjust or improve in the unit/activity to be sure to encourage exploration and student explanation of events?

5. What would you do to adjust or improve the extension activities for the lessons next time you teach them?

6. How were you able to tell if students mastered the learning objectives?

7. What classroom management issues came up during the lessons?

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Part 1 (con’t):Post your feedback

Post feedback to each of the units that were presented to you (this means 5 feedback postings over the next 3 weeks):

In your posting, choose at least one of the following:1. How well do you feel the unit went? (e.g., Were you

pulled in? Did you know what was expected of you as a participant? Could you engage in inquiry? What did you learn?)

2. What burning questions would you like answered about this unit?

3. If you were going to teach this unit to your students, what aspects would you replicate and what would you do differently?

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Part 2: Your lesson plans

As long as you submitted your unit/lesson plans on time, you will be receiving feedback during the first week of this module.

In that feedback I may very well make some suggestions on areas for you to elaborate on.

While these are just suggestions, the hope is that you will use what applies to improve your lessons for Science Day at Jed Smith.

Refer to the lesson plan template as you review the elaboration suggestions.

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Suggestions for “Materials/Set-up/Safety” Create a list of whatever materials you will need to do this

activity/lesson. As an example, review the egg in the bottle discrepant event you did in Week 3 (Module 2 PowerPoint)

Discuss the set-up of these materials (will it be a demonstration? How will the students gather around? Will it be something small groups of students do?) The description should be explicit enough so somebody else could follow your directions to set up the activity.

Think through and write out necessary safety considerations. Click here or copy and paste this web address into your browser: http://membership.acs.org/c/ccs/pubs/K-6_art_2.pdf .

Print and read this document. It is only 9 pages and will guide you in establishing safety procedures for all your lessons.

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Suggestions for “Procedures”

The general rule for procedures is that they should be detailed enough so another teacher could successfully follow the steps from “introduction” through “concluding”.

Incorporate whatever elements of the 5 Es apply to each section of the procedures (Introduction, Developing, Concluding)

Also incorporate analytical, creative, and practical aspects into your procedures.

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Suggestions for “Adaptations and Extensions” If there are any adaptations you need to make so the lesson will

work better in your situation, address them here. For example, when you did the egg-in-the-bottle discrepant

event, what would you have done if your principal said no fires in the classroom? An adaptation might be bringing the activity outside, it might be heating the bottle with hot water instead of burning paper.

Also provide possible extensions to your lesson. Work through the guiding prompts for EXTEND in Chapter 3, p.21. Read through the sections on “concept application,” and the 9 tactics for “conceptual change” as well.

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Suggestions for “Special Management Considerations” What management preparations are necessary to carry out this

lesson? This will include gathering and managing all necessary materials

and addressing your materials management plan. Anything else?

Based on the list of the materials you will need, how and where will you get them, and how you will manage those materials and how you will assist students in accessing and managing the materials they will use.

How will you organize and manage your students’ behavior? Revisit each of the prompts you addressed for Stage 1

(Classroom Community Profile). Address what management considerations should be made in light of the conditions you outlined for each of these prompts.

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Suggestions for “Accommodations for Special Needs”Review Chapter 1, p.24-26, Students with

Special NeedsGo to this link:

http://secure.edc.org/ncip/workshops/science/mastropieri.htm Find the special needs links that correspond to your students, then briefly outline how you will accommodate your lesson to meet their needs.

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Suggestions for “Accommodations for Advanced/Gifted Students”Review Chapter 1, p. 26-28, Gifted and

Talented.Review Chapter 5, p. 17-19, Instructional

Strategies/Tasks to Support DifferentiationBriefly outline how you will differentiate the

lesson to meet the needs of your advanced/gifted students.

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Suggestions for “English Language Learners”Review Chapter 1, p.22-24, Language, Thought

and Culture.If you did not identify English learners in Stage 1,

go back and do that now.Go to this link:

http://acad.chaminade.edu/faculty/djelinek/ED680/Resources/Science%20for%20English%20Learners.pdf

Read #1, Academic Language Through Science Instruction; # 8 and Appendix II, Sheltered Science Instruction Observation Protocol.

Briefly outline how you will modify the lesson to meet the needs of English learners.

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Take a breather . . .

The only major thing left after posting your final reflection and/or feedback is teaching the unit on Science Day at Jed Smith on December 6th.

We’ll be talking about the logistics of how this will work and you’ll be asked to participate in helping to make sure things go smoothly, but this is not something you have to do now.

Instead, take a breather, then share revision ideas with your unit team members, and send me your thoughts and questions.

Have a restful Thanksgiving and be ready for a week of final preparations beginning Nov. 26th.

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