Wk 3: Melting Icebergs Experiment

I apparently think just like my 3rd grade students.  I honestly thought that when the ice cubes melted, the level of the water would rise and overflow onto the counter top.  To my dismay, I was shocked to see that the water did not over flow.  This did make me start to think, would that mean that if the polar ice caps melted, than the Earth would not get flooded?  This is true, only if the polar ice cap is solid ice already emerged in water.  If the polar ice cap is floating on top of the water, then the water level would in fact rise.

I truly enjoyed this experiment.  I would like to redo this experiment with my students to lead an investigation on global warming and the affects people have on the environment.

Week 2: STEM Reflection

There is a huge amount of joy and equal amounts of stress that comes with being an educator.  I know my responsibility is to help gear my students to have high academic growth in all subjects.  A recent trend has turned to the power of Science in the forms of Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). 

The idea of STEM is to help educators relate real-world concepts to help build students inquiry about science (Lantz, 2009).  When I think about this, I try to incorporate items that my students can relate to.  For instance, to help my students to understand a hypothesis; I used a common banana buy placed one in the fridge and the other on the counter top.  I had the students begin to inquire what will happen and discuss why.

The STEM concept also stresses that educators need to help students to become more inspired and interested in the sciences (Traurig, 2009).  Honestly, this is an area that I feel I struggle with.  I am currently attending school to help me further my own understand with the sciences.  When I become excited about a subject it is easier for me than to be passionate to teach it.  I desire for my students to become more confident in learning the concepts of science. 

more confident in learning the concepts of science. 

References

Lantz, H. B., Jr. (2009). STEM education: What form? What function? SEEN Magazine.

Used by permission of Knight Communications, Inc.

Traurig, A., & Feller, R. (2009). Preparing students for STEM careers. National Career

Development Association.

re confident in learning the concepts of science.  

wk 9: November 1-5, 2010

Welcome to November!  This week I started my new master's course, The Nature of Science.  I am hoping that this course will offer new ideas to the way I currently teach science. 

This week at school, it has been very busy.  I had a week of parent-teacher conferences.  I am very thankful for those parents that I talked with and we were able to come up with a game plan to help their child be successful.