Science Lesson

Today I taught my first full lesson from start to finish. It was a science lesson from a FOSS investigation kit, so that was exciting. The lesson involved how water moves through different earth substances (gravel and soil) and what implications that has for groundwater, plants and animals. This is a copy of my basic procedure:

Activity:

- Show the students the two earth materials that they have to work with, gravel and soil.

- Have students observe the different earth materials with their magnifying glasses.

- Ask the students what they think will happen if they added water to the soil. What would happen if they added water to the gravel? Will the water absorb?

- Have one student put a filter in each of their two plastic cups with holes.

- Have another student pour dry soil into one of the filter paper cups and gravel into the other.

- Have the students compare the weights of the two substances in the cups by putting them on a balance and seeing which one is heavier/denser.

- Have students place each of the smaller cups with holes into the larger cups.

- Use the syringe to squirt 50 ml of water in each soil sample.

- Students should observe for about 5 minutes what happens as the water filters through the two soil samples.

- After 5 minutes have students take their small plastic cups out of the large plastic cups and weigh them again on the scale. Which is heavier now? Why is that so?

Materials Per Group of 4 Students:

2 Large plastic cups

2 Filters

2 Small plastic cups with holes

2 Plastic cups

1 FOSS balance

1 Syringe (50ml)

2 Hand lenses

Water

Paper towels

Trays

Soil

Gravel

Overall, the lesson went very well and the students responded positively. One suggestion that my cooperating teacher (CT) gave me before I started was that I should designate a color to the four students in each group and call out instructions for people of each color. For example, “blue students, get the trays” or “yellow students set up the small cup with the soil”, etc. This turned out to be a great suggestion because it gave every student an equal opportunity to participate within their group.

Because this was such an interactive lesson and it involved lots of students working together, classroom management was a concern of mine. I had one student (who we’ve nicknamed “no bones” because he flops around like jello) with a syringe in his hand flailing around and almost poking other student’s eyes out. I had another group with two students who knocked their balance over with both cups in it, spilling their gravel and soil all over the table. I had one student trying to put the gravel in his mouth and another group fighting over whose desk the materials should all be on. Thankfully, I’ve been working with my CT on learning management skills and by silently moving around and dealing with situations; I was able to keep the lesson going without disrupting their learning.

I was so nervous for my first day of a full lesson that I almost threw up this morning. Now that it’s over and I have some things that I can work on, I’m more confident than ever that I can do this and be a leader in the classroom. Thank goodness for small confidence boosters.

Don't Judge

Don’t judge a student by their performance in school; you don’t always know where they’re coming from.

One student was complaining that their stomach hurt. They clutched it and doubled over in pain. I asked them what was wrong, where the hurt was and if it just started or if it had been hurting. The student explained that it hurt inside their stomach and that it had started out earlier in the morning but had only recently gotten worse. I informed my cooperating teacher (CT) about the situation and they said that we should reassure the student that everything was alright, but that we had better wait to see how they felt later.

As the day went on and we were heading to lunch, I noticed that none of my students brought lunches, had money or have lunch passes. I also noticed that for the two days that I’ve been there, the students didn’t have a snack time. As my CT and I were sitting at the writing center eating lunch I asked about the lack of lunch/snacks in the room. I brought up that when I was in elementary school we had snack everyday to curb our hunger until lunch, especially if we had the last lunch wave like my class does now. My CT informed me that all of the students that attended this elementary school were on free lunch and that there was free breakfast available from 7:30 to 7:55 if they got there. I sat there and thought for a moment about the amount of poverty and the resources the families of these children lacked if it was enough for the principal (or whoever decides things like that) that the whole school needed to be on free lunch.

My CT nodded at my amazement and then stopped and looked at me harder as a light bulb went off in their head. “You know our little buddy with the stomach ache? I had them wait until after lunch to see if it goes away because the majority of the times, their stomach aches turn out to be hunger pangs. Sometimes, if we have time, I feed them snack that I buy and keep in the room, but sometimes we don’t have time with all of this testing. Every minute is valuable, you know?” I nodded.

As I reflected back on my day today, I realized how privileged I was to grow up and go to school where I did. One of the reasons that I was able to learn so well, was that all of my basic needs were fulfilled. I had a roof over my head, three meals a day, a comfy bed to sleep in, and space that was my own to play in. So many of the students that attend this urban elementary school, don’t have basic needs that all children should have so learning isn’t always the first thing on their mind, and who can blame them? Perhaps, the reason that students act out, don’t do their work or surprise us with their behavior (like that student we had act out on the first day!) can’t be judged for the face value of their actions alone, because you don’t always know where they’re coming from.