"Experience is the best teacher!"

This week’s lesson on describing the color of minerals went extremely well! Ben and I made sure to incorporate a writing portion and use technology to make this lesson a little different from our previous lessons. The students were surprised to discover that some of the colors of each of the minerals they observed last week made a different color when they performed the streak test on either the black or white tile. The students really enjoyed this lesson and we did too!

When we arrived to the classroom, Ben and I had to quickly clean all of the white and black tiles with soap and water. I then put all of the materials the students would need on the back table while Ben wrote out our agenda, goals, and question of the day up on the overhead. We usually write these things on the white board but we thought it would be a nice change to use the overhead and use the technology the classroom had to offer. After writing our agenda on the overhead, our teacher was kind enough to help Ben and I make a quick sheet on the computer about “How to be a rock”. She then made 25 copies for us to give the students so they could do their writing assignment.

                     

When the students came back from recess, their teacher had them sit down immediately so Ben and I could get started. It was so great to see all of their smiling faces again! When it was quiet, I began our lesson by welcoming the students back from recess. I then went over our agenda, goals for the day, and the question we wanted them to be thinking about while performing the streak tests on the 12 minerals. The question asked was, “What are the differences between the observable color of the 12 minerals and the streak tests color of the 12 minerals?”

Next, we had them look at the “How to be a rock” sheet that was placed on each of their desks before they came back from recess. Ben explained they were going to use this sheet to help them write a seven line poem about “How to be a rock” including facts they have learned about rocks. Ben then told the students we were going to go over each line together as a class and we would write down three things they could use in their poem per line or they could come up with their own if they weren’t able to mention it in the discussion. Ben and I called on the students to see what they wanted to put on each line. By completing this poem as a class, Ben and I were able to assess how much the students know about rocks and the rock cycle, and they know a lot! We are very impressed with how much they have learned from the lessons in this unit.

Here’s an example of one students’ poem:

How to be a Rock:

Don’t breathe

You can change form but you’re not alive

Don’t have a heartbeat

All rocks have observable properties

You are made up of minerals

You can do field tests on me

All life relies on me

After students were finished with creating their poems on “How to be a Rock”, Ben explained how they were going to be doing field tests, like geologists do, and performs a streak test on each of the 12 minerals. Ben demonstrated the streak test on mineral A and recorded it on the big sheet of paper we had from last week so they would know how to record their observations. Students were to scratch each mineral on a white tile and then a black tile and record the color (if any) each mineral left on them. The streak tests would help them to answer our science question about the differences between the minerals’ observable color versus the minerals’ streak test color.

After showing the students how to do the streak test activity, I asked that one partner pick up the minerals, wet paper towel, and two hand lenses, while the other partner picked up two gloves, a tray, and a black and white tile from the materials table. The students had about 15 minutes to do this activity. Ben and I walked around to make sure they weren’t spending too much time on one mineral and answered any questions they had. I found many students surprised by the results of their streak tests and they couldn’t wait to share their observations with their peers at the end.

A few minutes before Ben and I had to leave, we had to get the students attention by telling them to put their hands on their heads and to look at us. I told the students they were all doing a great job and we wanted to hear about some of the differences they found between the observable colors they recorded last week and the streak test colors they recorded today. The students were eager to share their findings with us but unfortunately we only had time to hear a few of them. One student mentioned one mineral had an observable color of turquoise while the streak of the mineral was black. This was a major difference. Another student told us that the observable color of another mineral was the same as the streak test performed on the white tile which was black. This student did not see a difference between the observable color and the streak test of that mineral.

After briefly discussing the science question and writing a few of the students’ observations on the overhead, Ben and I sadly had to leave. We told the students they all did a wonderful job today and we would see them next week. This week’s lesson was a blast and our teacher was pleased with our lesson and told us we did a great job. I am going to be very sad to say goodbye to these amazing students in a couple of weeks. This whole experience is really incredible and we are learning so much!

 

"Practice makes perfect!"

This week’s lesson on observing and describing each mineral’s appearance, texture, and smell went great! This was definitely Ben and I’s best lesson yet and we couldn’t be happier with how we have been improving week after week.

When we arrived to the classroom, Ben started filling small cups up with water and I wrote our agenda, goal, and science question on the white board. We then worked together to make sure all of the materials were set up on the back table. We had eleven egg cartons filled with the 12 minerals labeled A through L, eleven small cups of water with a dropper in each cup, gloves, hand lens, and trays. The students had indoor recess in their classroom on Monday but luckily, we were able to get everything all set before they came in for recess.

When recess was over, the students were asked to take out their reminder binders so the teacher could go over everything they had to do for homework so they could write it down. When they were finished, Ben and I began.

I started our lesson off with welcoming the students back from recess. I then went over our agenda, the goal of the day, and the question we wanted them to be able to answer for us by the end of today’s lesson. I told them to make sure they were constantly thinking about the question while they did the activity. The question asked was, what do each of the 12 minerals feel like, smell like, and look like?

Next, Ben briefly discussed what minerals are while explaining the misconception that rocks don’t have anything to do with minerals. After talking about minerals for a couple of minutes, I briefly explained two common minerals, feldspar and sulfur to the students. These two minerals are mentioned in their science workbooks but we just wanted to mention them quickly so the students know they are important. Ben then discussed what a field test is because a field test is what the students were about to do on each of their 12 minerals. After we mentioned some important vocabulary words, we told the students that we were going to hand out to them a vocabulary sheet with words that should already be familiar to them because we went over all of them at some point in our previous lessons. I told them they would be having a quiz on the vocabulary on Friday and that they would need to practice them at home. We also had them put a star next to any vocabulary words they were still unsure about so they could practice them more.                                                   

                              

                                                                                           Sulfur

The last thing Ben and I had to do before letting the students begin the activity was to demonstrate how they were going to fill in their mineral pro-file sheets. Earlier, Ben had drawn one big mineral sheet on the big paper that looked exactly like the 12 mineral sheets the students have in their workbooks. Ben then explained what they were going to do for each mineral. We used mineral A to show them how they would be recording their observations. Ben explained that in the first box labeled mineral A, the students were to draw mineral A and to then explain the observable color. The next box labeled, feel, would be where the students explained what mineral A felt like, and the last box they would fill out would be the box labeled smell. The students would use the water and the dropper to put one tiny drop of water onto each mineral and then waft to determine if the mineral smells at all and if it does, explain what it smells like. We then had the students fill in the 12 sheets where it had a blank box next to the word, mineral. The first profile sheet would be labeled mineral A; the second profile sheet would be labeled mineral B, and so on until the last mineral which was L. After answering any questions the students had about what they were going to be doing, we asked one partner to get the minerals, hand lens, and two gloves, and the other partner to get one cup of water with the dropper in it and one tray.

                                                         

Thankfully, Ben and I only took about 12 minutes to explain everything so the students had the full 30 minutes to do this activity. The teacher told us to not worry about ending this lesson because she always gives her students more time than usual to complete this activity because of how time consuming it is. As the students were working hard to record their observations, Ben and I walked around answering many questions they had for us. We also had to make sure they weren’t spending too much time on one mineral and that they were talking to each other about what they were observing.

Ben and I were very pleased with this lesson and so was the teacher. She told us it was our best lesson yet which felt great! We made sure we talked about content vocabulary and identified a common misconception that has occurred during this unit. The flow of the class also went very smoothly and we made great time so the students had a lot of time to do their activity. I had such a blast last Monday and I am feeling so much more confident than before. I guess it is true what they say, “practice makes perfect!” I can’t wait for next week’s lesson and neither can Ben!

Introducing.......The Magnificent Minerals!!!!!

Lessons four and five combined were a challenge for Ben and I. When we arrived to set up, we put the 12 minerals labeled A through L in the 11 egg cartons and put the 12 rocks labeled 1 through 12 on the eleven trays. Then I wrote our agenda on the white board as well as the process skills the students would be using today. While I was writing those things, Ben was setting up the KWL chart for minerals and then made a Venn diagram so we could finish talking about the physical properties of rocks.

Ben began our lesson with discussing the physical properties of the 12 rocks we observed last week to do a quick wrap up of rocks. Ben wrote the physical properties the students mentioned while I walked around calling on the students to answer our questions. The students had so many physical properties they wanted to share that we did not get to all of them. We realized that next time; we have to make sure we write bigger on the sticky notes because the properties were difficult for students to see.

After our Venn diagram activity, Ben gave a short lecture on minerals. Unfortunately, many of the words Ben mentioned went over the students’ heads and they were confused. We learned that next time we have to use more appropriate vocabulary for fourth graders.

After the “sophisticated” lecture, we had the students help us fill out the KWL chart on minerals. The students told us what they know about minerals and some things they would like to learn about minerals. When we finished the chart, we told them they were going to be observing and writing down the physical properties of 12 minerals with their partners. We also asked the students to write down if they saw any of the minerals in the 12 rocks we looked at last week. We explained that they would be using their hand lens to carefully observe the minerals and to then write down what they see in their science workbooks.

Before we had the students get their materials, Ben showed them the proper way to put on a glove that they would have to wear on their opposite hand they write with to handle the minerals. I then read the partners off and had each pair go to the table to collect their rocks, minerals, and hand lens.

The students were very engaged in observing the minerals. A lot of our students liked the minerals more than the rocks because they were different and more appealing to look at. Ben and I walked around asking them questions about the minerals and made sure they weren’t spending too much time on each mineral.

When the students were finished observing, we concluded our lesson by asking the students what they observed while looking at the minerals. We were a little better on time for this lesson however, their teacher still had to talk to them a little more about what they observed because we had to leave.

I definitely believe that we are improving with each lesson and we love the feedback we are getting from our professors. This lesson was the hardest for us because there was so much to cover. For our next lesson, we plan on talking less so they can spend a good amount of time on the activity. We had a blast and we are really looking forward to next week!

 

The Second Science Lesson in this Wonderful Journey!

Ben and I had another wonderful experience teaching rocks and minerals this week. I definitely feel that our lesson went much smoother this time. I opened the lesson by explaining what our goals for the class were. Ben wrote the goals and our plan for the order of the lesson on the board and then I went over them one by one. The goals were to review the rock cycle, explain the five senses, what physical properties are, observing twelve specimens, record observations, and then to share the observations. After I went over the goals, we all sang the Rock Cycle song together again which they really seemed to enjoy. After the song, Ben explained the Rock Cycle more in depth by showing how the diagrams in their science workbooks work. Ben also wrote some notes and drew pictures on the white board to help the students remember the rock cycle.

After reviewing the rock cycle, I asked them to remind me of the five senses. One student told me all of them and then added that we never use taste in science. I then asked them to remind me of what some physical properties are. As the students told us, Ben wrote them down on the board. I then reviewed the safety rules again. Before having them get their egg cartons of the twelve specimens, Ben showed them how to record their observations in their workbooks. Unfortunately, there was no chart for them to record their observations so we had them create a chart on a blank page by listing the rock numbers one through twelve. Ben then read off the partners and we had them get their egg cartons and two hand lens each. The students spread out all over the room to observe the physical properties with their partners. As the students were observing, Ben and I walked around asking them questions and making sure that they were working steadily because they didn’t have much time. This activity took about ten minutes.

After this activity, Ben and I had them look up at us so we could tell them what they were going to do next. We then talked to the students about sorting the specimens based on their similarities and differences. Ben showed them the chart they would have to create to record the groups in on the white board and did an example so they would understand. Again, we had to have them use another blank sheet in their workbooks. This chart had them record the physical property of the group they created such as color, the description of the physical property such as red, and the numbered specimens they had in that certain group. The students worked with the same partners and did very well sorting the specimens into groups. While the students sorted, Ben and I walked around asking them questions and giving them feedback on how well they were doing. Sadly, we ran out of time after the sorting activity and did not get to hear how they grouped the specimens and why. The teacher had to finish the end of the lesson for us.

The teacher gave us great feedback and she told us we definitely improved with this lesson. The one thing Ben and I have to focus on now is time management. I am nervous for the next lesson because we have to combine lessons three and four and we only have 45 minutes to do this. I think that as long as Ben and I work out a timed schedule then we will be fine. Time management is one of our big goals for next week. This lesson was a blast and the students really enjoyed it and Ben and I were happy that we improved from last week’s lesson. Let’s hope that we improve more next week!

My First Science Lesson - One of the BEST days ever!

I had an absolutely amazing time teaching rocks and minerals with Ben. As soon as Ben and I walked into the school the fun began! When we were walking down the hall to get to the classroom, the students were all outside of the room grabbing their lunches and noticed us. As soon as the students saw us they had the biggest smiles on their faces, jumping up and down telling us how excited they all were to learn about rocks and minerals. It was quite obvious how eager they were to come back to class to learn with us. I really don’t think the students, or Ben and I, could have been happier when we all saw each other.

While the students were gone, Ben and I talked with the teacher, Krissy, about our first lesson.  We had to check her rock kit first to make sure we had all of the specimens and materials we needed. Krissy then suggested that we should just put the trays together ourselves with the three specimens and two small magnifying glasses so the students could just pick them up. This would also save us a lot of time. After talking about what we were going to say to start the lesson etc. the students came back from lunch. When the students came back Ben told them that we would be going into the classroom next door to watch a Brainpop video on the rock cycle and then I was going to teach them the rock cycle song.

In the classroom next door, the other class was also excited to watch the video. The two classes watched the video on the rock cycle and were all extremely attentive to it. They seemed to really enjoy the video. After the video, I taught them the rock cycle song and then we all sang it together several times. They loved the song too and we all had a blast singing it! We wanted to introduce the video and the song first to make sure the students were familiar with the rock cycle. I think these two things definitely helped them.

When we all got back into Krissy’s classroom, we had all of the students sit on the big rug so we could talk to them about what we were going to do today. Ben explained how they were all going to be geologists and then I talked about the safety rules. After talking to them for a few minutes we then asked them to please go back to their seats.

While they were at their desks Ben and I told them they were going to be observing the physical properties of three specimens today. Every student looked so thrilled when they heard this. First, we had the students write down as many questions as they could about what they wanted to know about rocks. One boy wanted to know what the rock is called that you rub together to make sparks. The questions were so fun and creative! We also asked them what they already knew about rocks and if they knew examples of physical properties. While discussing these topics, Ben wrote their ideas down on the big grid paper and I called on them. It was so unbelievable how engaged every student was to this lesson! I think almost every single hand went up when asking them questions. The students were such a blast to work with and they are all so smart!

One thing that Ben and I had trouble with was when to have them get their trays. We tried having them get their trays before we described physical properties but Krissy told us to wait until we explained everything first, so now we know to do that for our next lesson.

After I read the partners off, the students grabbed their trays and had spread out all over the room. Ben and I then walked around, asking the students questions on what they were observing. The students then recorded their observations underneath the proper numbered specimen. Unfortunately, the students weren’t able to spend a lot of time observing because we were running out of time. Ben and I now know that for the next lesson we will have to cut our talking down so they have enough time to carefully observe each of the 12 specimens we have for them next week.

Before we had to leave, we wrapped up the lesson with a class discussion about the physical properties the students observed. Again, every student’s hand went up and I called on them while Ben wrote their ideas down on the big grid paper. We told them a little bit about next week’s lesson and then had to leave. However, as soon as we were finished the lesson, many of the students huddled around us to show us their books and rock collections. They still all had so many questions and we told them to write them down for next time. I literally felt famous in that classroom because of how difficult it was for Ben and I to leave. The assistant teacher pretty much had to shove us out of the room because the students wouldn’t leave us alone. Ben and I would have stayed all day if we could because the whole time with them was such a blast and they were all so appreciative.

I thought that Ben and I worked really well together. The students loved him and his upbeat personality! I see Ben becoming a teacher who motivates his students by making learning interesting and fun. He will definitely "make a difference"!  

I will never forget this first lesson because of how incredible the experience was for me. The students are so wonderful and Krissy is an amazing teacher and was so happy to have us there. Krissy will e-mail us to give us feedback and she will also talk to us more next Monday on some more suggestions to improve our lessons. I love this school and I would definitely be happy to work there someday if I am fortunate enough. It’s not far from my house too which is ideal. I cannot wait for next week’s lesson and to share that experience with all of you too! J

 

How do you prepare for learning the science content you need to know to teach your science kit?

I am so excited to teach fourth grade students the unit on rocks and minerals! I think that the students will love the rocks and minerals science kit that we let them use while teaching this unit. I really want to be as prepared as possible when it comes to teaching these lessons and I will be doing a lot of research to make sure that I know as much as possible about the content Ben and I will be teaching.

One of the first places I plan to look in is the Barnes and Noble teaching section. I love looking at all of the resource books on every subject in the curriculum that they have to offer teachers. I also plan to look in the children’s section of Barnes and Noble for books that explain to children all there is to know about rocks and minerals and why they are so important. I am hoping that there are lists in some of these books of children’s frequently asked questions along with the answers so I can be ready to answer questions the students may have.

The internet is also a wonderful tool I can use to find out information but I need to make sure that the websites are accurate so I don’t get any wrong information. One website I found, http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/rocks.html, includes links that you can click on that go into a lot of detail about rocks and minerals and their physical properties. Another website that I found lists more links that you can click on and has detailed answers to commonly asks questions which is http://www.rocksandminerals4u.com/. Thankfully, there is tons of information available online and in books about rocks and minerals and I know that the more prepared I’ll be in the content that I am teaching, the more successful I’ll be in the classroom! :)