Materials 6 for Middle School Science

May 24, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

Amanda Felts

You Tube

www.youtube.com

7th Grade Science studying severe weather

 

I would use this video to provide the students with an introduction of tornadoes.  This video would I believe spark interest and questions which would in turn lead to being an interesting class. 

For EC students, I think that this video would bring to life what is happening in class and it also shows all the weather that is assocaited with a tornado. 

The video would allow students to see the damage associated with a tornado as well as the other weather conditions that are sometimes associated with these storms.  I would have the students write down at least tree questions or concerns that they have so that we could have class discussion on tornados.

Comments (3) »

Materials 5 for Middle Grades Science

May 24, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

Amanda Felts

Name of Site:  Middle School Science

Site Address:   http://www.middleschoolscience.com

Author:  Liz LaRosa

Group:  7th grade Science

I would use her lab book to organize the labs for the year.  I may not use all of her labs, I would have to use some from other sites, but I think that she has many well-organized ones.  Some of the Labs that she has would fit into the 8th and 6th grade too. 

For the EC student I would select the things that they would be responsible for, and have them only to answer those questions. 

I would use this site so that I could be prepared to teach my classes.  I think that being organized is a big step to being a successful teacher.  I also think that the more that I am prepared I would be setting a high example for my students to follow.  In being more prepared and organized, the classroom structure would allow students to learn better, and feel as if they can do anything.   

Comments (3) »

Materials 4 Middle Grade Science

May 24, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

Amanda Felts

Name of Site:  Life Science Connections

Site Address:  http://vilenski.org/science/humanbody/hb_html/skin.html

Author:  Roger Ludlowe Middle School, Fairfield, CT

Group:  Seventh Grade Science Class

I would use this site as a web quest and as a way for students to study for their test. 

This material on this site is easy to move through and understand.   The worksheets on this site are very simple to do and very fun looking.  I think the only modification that would have to be made for these student s would be in the work load so that they do not get overwhelmed.  The online notebook would allow for the EC students to get their notes if they miss a day, to catch up or to even be used as an advanced planer.

I would also use their online notebook.  Also a project tab allows the students to be a doctor and answer questions that a patient might have.  This assignment would aid students is applying what they know.  The worksheets can be given as homework or class work, but they are very easy to understand and use.  Another thing about the worksheets is that they look fun.  This site also even has games for students to review what has been learned for example it has Who Wants to be a Millionaire for Life Science. 

Comments (2) »

Materials 3 for Science in the Middle Grades

May 23, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

 http://www.thefutureschannel.com/dockets/realworld/lightning/

Amanda Felts

Name of site:  The Futures Channel

Link to Resources:  http://www.thefutureschannel.com/index.php

Author:  Unknown

This site would be good for almost any subject, but I am just looking for middle grades Science. 

Description:    This site has many different videos that really can illustrate the importance of a topic that you may be teaching in science, or any subject.  I personally would use these videos to show students what jobs take what knowledge.  I think that a short little two minute movie clip as an introduction to what is being studied that day in class is a great tool to entice a student’s interest.    

I could use the movie clips as an introduction to what is happening in class, and have the students write down one thing they learned, one thing they found interesting and one thing that they have a question about.  As for the EC students, they would get a chance to prepare themselves for what is coming that day in class, and possibly spark a personal interest.  Some of the videos showed how things worked in real time, so that would allow EC students a chance to see in real life how something works.

I would use this material to keep my students interested and excited about the many fields that science has in it.  It is also a wonderful way to let them see the different jobs that use science and how science has improved our daily lives.  The students will learn the topics better because they will be able to see for themselves how something works.  It will also show them that there is more to science than just sitting in a laboratory. 

Comments (2) »

Materials 2 for Science Middle Grades

May 23, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

Amanda Felts

Name of Site:  ExplOratorium

Link to Resources:  http://www.exploratorium.edu/

Author:  Does Not Say

Any Grade, Science

This site has potential to be used for almost any grade level.  The site is mainly for the science teachers and students.  The overall description of the site is colorful, attractive, and very well organized by topics.  It even includes a link for just after school activities, digital library, and webcasts.  As a teacher I was most impressed with the hands on link, because in it I found many different activities to do all of them were organized in topics.  A majority of the labs that I clicked on I found worksheets and directions on how to perform each lab.  All the directions were well written and very easy to understand.  In the Human Body category, they had listed very specific labs which were put together as booklets which included:  making a mummy, exploring the human body, DNA, the nose knows, build a hair hygrometer and the brain explorer.  This site is truly loaded will all sorts of things. 

The materials on this site can be used for labs and demonstrations.  I thought it was neat when I looked at the link for science in sports.  It had a breakdown of why things work for skateboarding and why skateboards are made the way that they are. The site also has a educate tab that is just for teachers and there it has different snacks you can make for what you are studying in class.  It also gives detailed links to sites for students or teachers exploration and grade level appropriateness the best part is they are all FREE!!

All of the material would be good for EC students, just because all of the activities are hands on and exciting.  The site though did not have anything labeled for the EC student, but with all the resources, that they have it would be hard not to stumble upon something. 

The materials on this site will bring what we are talking about in class to life.  I think that when students can see how something works they can learn and retain it better than just reading about it and doing worksheets.

Comments (1) »

Response to Six Science Sites

May 21, 2008 · Filed under Materials

NC Wise Owl

            I was impressed with NC Wise Owl, because it would be very easy to create a web quest and many other things with it.  The site is laid out to be very user friendly.  I was really excited about how you could use many different resources all at the same time.  When I looked at the body systems, which is in the seventh grade curriculum, I was amazed at how everything was broken down into sections that discussed each organ and their function within that system and the body.  It was also neat that it showed at the bottom of each page how to cite the article.  The tabs on the side of the page would enable students to look at things closer and see how that they apply to them. Overall I would rate the site a 8 on a scale of one to ten with ten being the highest.  I chose eight because I wish that there was a more interactive approach, so that students that learn visually could see how things work. 

 

Discovery

            I was not as impressed with Discovery as I was for NC Wise Owl.  When I tried to find something on the body systems I could not find anything as easily or as interesting and user friendly.  I did however like what Discovery offered for weather, which in part of the seventh grade course of study.  They had a unique link that allowed you to click on each of the levels of a tornado and see pictures and descriptions of the damage that, that kind of tornado is capable of.  In this same link I was able to see a diagram break down of the parts of a tornado, and a description of each of them.  There was also a place where students could take a quiz.  I liked the videos that were on weather; the one that I looked at had many different types of weather and had very unique and interesting facts.  Overall I would give this site a 6, just because there was not much information, just videos and games, but what was there would be something to really bring weather to life for the students. 

 

SAS in Schools

            I was thought that it would have more on it than what is did, I also thought that since it was made for North Carolina that it would have a breakdown of each grade and their requirements.  So the site was not what I thought it would be, but I did like the links and lesson plan materials that it had.  When I searched for stuff on the human body, I did find a s guided tour through the different body systems and each of the organs functions.  That was the neatest thing that I found, just because it would be good for both auditory, reading learners, and visual learners, because the tour showed food going through the system and told what each function of the body and organ was with in that system.  As far as weather goes it took me a while to figure out weather was.  I found it under earth science the third or fourth time I looked.  I was used to everything just being there, so I did not think this site was as user friendly as the others were.  So I am going to rate this site a 5, because it was not as user friendly, and did not have a place to just search for a topic.  On a good note though it does have a lot of links to sites that could be used many different ways. 

 

MarcoPolo

            Marco Polo is a very organized site.  I liked how I could look at it as a student and as a teacher to find things.  I also liked the feature that allowed me to tell it to find different types of information, for example if I wanted an audio clip of something I could just put in the topic, grade level, and media clip and that is what it would bring back to me.  I thought that it was also neat how it showed where and to what the audience is, and on some of them showed where the link related to a states standard course of study.  When I looked at weather I was kind of disappointed, because it did not have as much as I thought that it would.  When I looked at the body systems though, there was a lot of things to see and learn from whether you were a teacher or a student.  So I would rate this site a 8. 

 

National Geographic Xpeditions

            This site has several different things that would be a help for student and teachers planning lessons, by grade levels and topics.  When I looked at weather it took a while to find anything that I would use, but I did stumble upon a neat link on the activities part that showed and explained how the green house effect works, and it also gave me to opportunity to explore more.  The Explore more part showed different spots and how global warming is effecting that area, and even showed pictures and examples.  This site though did not show that much for body systems that I was impressed with.  So I am going to rate this site a 7. 

 

Life Science Connections

            I was excited when I found this and the site started to come up, because it was just cool.  I felt like I was in the future, then the site came up and was disappointing graphics wise.  I did like how the site had an online science notebook, which could be put up for notes for a class to take.  In the notebook it also put some worksheets for review up too.  I also thought that this was a neat site, because it is created by a teacher for her science class.  The site even had music when you clicked on different links.  The site was exciting for me, so it would have to be that way for a student.  Even if you got lost within the site, it had a place to click that said lost, and that would bring you to a index for the human body.  The site was not as colorful as I would have thought it to be at first, but it was clean and very easy to maneuver through to where the information would just jump out at you.  There was not anything there for weather, but I am still going to rate this site a 9. 

Comments (4) »

Materials for Science Class

May 20, 2008 · Filed under NCSCOS

Content Area Materials Overview Worksheet 

Amanda Felts 

Name of Site: SAS In Schools 

Link to Resources:  http://www.sasinschool.com/

 

Author: Unknown

Identify the population of the students (grade, course):

I looked at this site for 7th grade science and found things for the following:

·       Diseases’

·       Genetics

·       Weather

Give a brief description of how the materials would be used:

The materials found on the website for Diseases’ and Genetics was a web quest.  They had an interactive site that allowed for the students to look at different things.  The genetics part was pretty cool because student could mate things and figure out what the chances were for the animal to have certain traits.  They students could also see how viruses and diseases spread.  I was disappointed though about weather, I could not find anything on the site for weather. 

 

Identify other material that you could use with this material to augment instruction, especially for EC students:

This site would allow me to pair EC students with a regular students so that they could understand these concepts better.  The EC students would be able to see how something works and be able to understand the concepts the way their classmates do. 

Explain why you would use this material with your students. How will the material help your students learn the topic?

I would make this a class work assignment and have the students take the roll of a scientist in trying to figure out how much of the population would be affected by a spreading disease.  I would also let them play the role of a scientist in figuring out how to make plants or animals produce more adapted offspring. 

This material would help the students learn the material by them practicing how to apply their problem solving skills and use what we have done in class to solve a problem.  This activity would allow the students to realize that what they have learned is used every day by some people and their decisions affect their lives. 

 

Comments (5) »

Reaction to Readings Unit 1 Amanda Felts

May 14, 2008 · Filed under Readings

“You Can’t Learn Much from Books You Can’t Read”

 

            This article addresses how well our students can read and the way that their textbooks are written.  It also addresses the fact that the United States students rank top in grades K-4 but when they get to the fifth grade and above their scores drop to average.  That is the major difference and it is said to come fore the miss matched textbooks and there is not much instructional support.  Many textbooks are written one to two grade levels above the grade that they are assigned to.  Textbooks are also not a one size fits all things.  I did however like this article because it gives good examples on how to compensate for the text and the dropped reading levels.  One of the ideas was that when student’s needs were being met by a teacher adapting to that child’s way of learning.  The second was when students were given choices it motivated them to learn more.  I like these ideas and it all boils down to if you teach the whole child and not just the NCSCOS you don’t have to worry about standardized tests. 

 

“From Efficient Decoders to Strategic Readers”

 

            This article was interesting in the fact that it brought up two tings that we ought to do in schools but do not do.  This first one was why do we not have programs for students in middle grades and above for them to become more comprehensive and strategic readers.  The second was that all subject need to bring in reading and writing to reinforce these irreplaceable skills.  I did enjoy this article because it was informative about how well our student read and how to help them.  With all of the testing that we do, why don’t we focus more on reading than developing tests?  I was also shocked at how much more we’re are going to be depending on reading and writing in the years to come.  I also thought that the teacher using the graphic organizers was a genius.  They seem to be a fun way for students to share and process their ideas. 

 

Comments (5) »

Amanda Felts NSTA

May 13, 2008 · Filed under Professional Organizations

Amanda Felts

Content Area:  Middle Grades Science

Name of Primart Professsional Organization:  National Science Teacher Association

Web Address:  http://www.nsta.org

Journals Published:  Science and Children for Elementary Teachers, Science Scope for Middle Grades Teachers, The Science Teacher for High School, and Journal of College Science Teaching for College teachers. 

Contents on website:  The website itself was not the easiest in the world to navigate, but it has alot of neat information from how to assess students, web quests, can order booklets, take classes, information on the different grants available for science teachers for the classroom and for students, has links and ways for you to get involved in what goes on in congress and their decisions, and more.  There is everything from earth science to physical science to biology, this site literally covers everything that is science. 

Membership is as follows:  All this is from the National Science Teachers Association Website. 

Multijournal memberships are available for all categories of membership.

  1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years
Individual
One journal $74 $138 $200 $260 $322
Two different journals $108 $201 $292 $380 $470
Three different journals $144 $270 $393 $513 $633
All four journals $178 $330 $480 $625 $773
Student
(For students; proof of current registration and an instructor’s signature is required)
With one journal* $32 N/A N/A N/A N/A
New Teacher
(For teachers in their first three years of teaching; requires a copy of your teaching certificate or a letter from your administrator)
With one journal* $32 $64 $96 N/A N/A
Retired Teacher
(For teachers who have been NSTA members for at least five years)
With one journal* $32 $64 $96 $128 $160
Institutional
(Primarily for libraries, resource centers, and schools, this category includes discounts on NSTA teaching materials but noton NSTA conference registration)
With one journal $84 $156 $227 $296 $365
Two different journals $123 $228 $331 $432 $533
Three different journals $165 $309 $442 $582 $713
All four journals $202 $375 $544 $710 $877
Joint SCST/NSTA Membership
Includes membership in both Society for College Science Teachers and NSTA; publication received is the Journal of College Science Teaching.
Individual $89 $166 $242 $315 $340
Student $37 N/A N/A N/A N/A
International e-Membership
For individuals residing outside the United States (includes contiguous US, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and US Territories). This option provides benefits electronically via e-mail and the NSTA website. Visit the International e-Membership page for details. $35/yr.
*Additional different journals are $32 each.

Comments (4) »

Science Amanda Felts

May 13, 2008 · Filed under NCSCOS

When I looked at the NCSCOS for Seventh Grade Science, I thought there would be more on it.  I thought that the Competency Goals were too wordy for me, personally I like for people to just get to the point, instead of making it sound so confusing.  In the seventh grade students are supposed to understand the following: Rules of Scientific inquiry and lab safety, advantages of technology, Earths atmosphere, understanding of the human body and how it works together, heredity and genetics, and build an understanding objects and their force and motion. 

The coolest thing that I found on DPI’s website was the NCSCOS Science Resource Pagethis page was just designed for middle school science teachers, It has worksheets, lab ideas, gave you websites for worksheets a simpler way to put it is North Carolina’s textbook on-line for teachers.  I like how these documents were very much to the point on what these students should know and ways to teach it. 

Comments (5) »

« Previous Page — « Previous entries
Next entries » — Next Page »