The group tried to decide on a song to put into the strawberry DNA extraction iMovie. We had fun picking a song. Then Patrick and Rebecca tweaked the movie.
We also verified what supplies and our group PLC description for our showcase.
I recently did the DNA extraction in my class, so I am excited for the kids to have the adults do it. I think it will be fun. I just hope the adults don't complain like my kids. The kids did not like swishing salt water in their mouths. We tried the experiment with dyed, room temperature alcohol and with cooled alcohol. It worked about the same, but I think the kids like the died alcohol because it looked neat. I think I will do the activity with strawberries next year.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Group blog 4-3
We filled out the PLC information sheet and talked about our presentation. Peter also demonstrated his activity for his the showcase.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Jasmyn 3-27
Tomorrow Ms. Coleman and I are going to do an epidemic simulation. The kids will each receive a test tube with a weak acid. One of these tubes will have a different acid and will be the infected person. The students will trade fluid and we will record it in a Google doc. After each student has traded three times, we will test the tubes. If they turn yellow, they are not infected. If they turned pink, they are infected. The students will then have to analyze the results and see if they can determine who was the original infected person. I hope it goes well. I will let you know next week.
Ross 3/27
My physical science classes recently did the inquiry I use for introducing chemistry- figuring out what causes universal indicator to change colors. As usual, this didn't go quite as well for physical science as it does for chemistry- these students don't have the biology background to understand how to create extra carbon dioxide, since that's usually a test the students decide on doing. It may be worthwhile in the future to extend the activity for a day for some guided background research once the class decides to look at CO2.
Chemistry has been doing more mini-inquiries. Tomorrow they get to choose an aspect of ionic compounds to investigate by making their own changes to a lab we start by doing together. With a more linear inquiry like this, I hope to leverage the deeper content knowledge of the members of this class.
Chemistry has been doing more mini-inquiries. Tomorrow they get to choose an aspect of ionic compounds to investigate by making their own changes to a lab we start by doing together. With a more linear inquiry like this, I hope to leverage the deeper content knowledge of the members of this class.
3/27 - Kluthe Blog
My environmental science class has been working on a collaborative biome research project. Each group chose a biome to research and present as a vacation package to the rest of the class. Each group member had a certain job (zoologist, botanist, geographer or meteorologist) and specialized in a certain aspect of the biome research. They'll present their projects tomorrow and we will vote on the best vacation package.
My biology class will be building models of DNA and using techniques to observe strands of their own DNA! On Friday, we'll be acting out the process of DNA replication and going through some online tutorials.
My biology class will be building models of DNA and using techniques to observe strands of their own DNA! On Friday, we'll be acting out the process of DNA replication and going through some online tutorials.
March 27th
This week our focus is on DNA, how it replicates and makes proteins. On Monday we built a model of DNA to see the structure. We watched a video to discuss the structure and how they replicate. Our next step to use a critical thinking activity to find how DNA to RNA to Proteins happens inside of our cells. The first days are to build background information to allow them use that knowledge to apply to a larger idea of translation.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Rosie and I are working on an iMovie about Student led investigation and active engaged learners. Rosie is learning how to create an iMovie. We discussed all the things we have done this week as far as actively engaging our students.
I had a student teach a class in my Computer Graphics. He learned a lot of lessons.
I had a student teach a class in my Computer Graphics. He learned a lot of lessons.
Jasmyn 3-13-13
We were able to dissect frogs in my zoology class. I had the students complete a virtual frog dissection. As they did the dissection, they completed a worksheet and then they were to use this worksheet to do the real dissection. I thought this worked out really well. I was not in charge of telling them what to do, they had to watch tutorials online and take notes. I was there to walk around and observe and help out if necessary. I was also able to do this because we had already completed one dissection. The kids behaved really well for the most part. I also had the students gather their own supplies. My class is extremely small, so there was not a lot of chaos and I was able to have them work at different paces without problems. I would try this again.
In my environmental science class. I passed out laminated copies of different population charts and graphs. Then in groups of 2 or 3 they analyzed the information to share with the class. I projected the graphs on the screen as the kids talked about it. I did notice I had to prompt them quite a bit. They do not seem used to sharing and they are a little timid. I think if I continue encouraging them to speak up this will get better.
After spring break we are going to start in on human health. I am really looking forward to this chapter and I hope the kids find it exciting. Ms. Coleman will be coming back in also.
In my environmental science class. I passed out laminated copies of different population charts and graphs. Then in groups of 2 or 3 they analyzed the information to share with the class. I projected the graphs on the screen as the kids talked about it. I did notice I had to prompt them quite a bit. They do not seem used to sharing and they are a little timid. I think if I continue encouraging them to speak up this will get better.
After spring break we are going to start in on human health. I am really looking forward to this chapter and I hope the kids find it exciting. Ms. Coleman will be coming back in also.
Ross 3/13
Both of my physical science classes recently finished their final projects of the semester. In Chemistry, we've been doing a lot more writing and thinking as well.
All classes have shared an introduction to peer editing of individual work. I've been hoping that, especially in the context of student-led assignments, peer editing will help students think more deeply about their own work. It seems to have helped somewhat, though the first example for each class was noticeable for having students amazed that I graded more strictly than their peers did. Part of the help seems to be that students care a little bit more about how their peers see them than they do about their grades.
My block physical science class was notable for producing the best thought-out experiments that I've yet seen in my classroom. Our new brainstorming techniques seem to be helping, and the two stage deliverables (individual writing and group poster) give a lot of time for reflection.
I'm still having a little trouble with group dynamics when my other physical science class designs experiments, but rearranging groups worked really well for another class, so I've rearranged and split up this class, and we'll see how this affects results.
All classes have shared an introduction to peer editing of individual work. I've been hoping that, especially in the context of student-led assignments, peer editing will help students think more deeply about their own work. It seems to have helped somewhat, though the first example for each class was noticeable for having students amazed that I graded more strictly than their peers did. Part of the help seems to be that students care a little bit more about how their peers see them than they do about their grades.
My block physical science class was notable for producing the best thought-out experiments that I've yet seen in my classroom. Our new brainstorming techniques seem to be helping, and the two stage deliverables (individual writing and group poster) give a lot of time for reflection.
I'm still having a little trouble with group dynamics when my other physical science class designs experiments, but rearranging groups worked really well for another class, so I've rearranged and split up this class, and we'll see how this affects results.
13 March 2013, Steve Di Obilda
Students completed the U.S. History Summative Test Quarter 2 and most did very well with several students scoring in the 90's and one student scoring 100%. Students were actively engaged, challenging some of the questions and arguing their point of view. It was stimulating.
Students completed the U.S. History Summative Test Quarter 2 and most did very well with several students scoring in the 90's and one student scoring 100%. Students were actively engaged, challenging some of the questions and arguing their point of view. It was stimulating.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Jasmyn 3-6-13
In my zoology class we are going to dissect a frog on Friday or Monday. We are going to do a virtual dissection first and then the real dissection after. I hope the virtual one will be a good tutorial for the class.
In our environmental class we watched the population video and answered the questions. I was a little disappointed in their answers. They did not think critically about the answers. Then I tried to encourage more critical thinking through discussion. I think this helped, but I wish they could have taken more time to answer the questions. Ms. Coleman came to our class on Monday and built on human populations. I really enjoyed that the kids looked at population data and had to analyze and interpret it. It also tied into geography. I am still continuing this lesson hope that the students understand that human population is affected by more than just using or not using condoms.
In our environmental class we watched the population video and answered the questions. I was a little disappointed in their answers. They did not think critically about the answers. Then I tried to encourage more critical thinking through discussion. I think this helped, but I wish they could have taken more time to answer the questions. Ms. Coleman came to our class on Monday and built on human populations. I really enjoyed that the kids looked at population data and had to analyze and interpret it. It also tied into geography. I am still continuing this lesson hope that the students understand that human population is affected by more than just using or not using condoms.
Ross 3/6
I've made some progress over the last two weeks in my depth of inquiry for student led activities. In my year-long class, for each project I identified extra background research that would help understanding, and each group is going to use the results of that research to plan an extension of their project. I began this because I identified that the groups were not thinking very deeply about WHY they were doing a given project.
In my semester physical science class I'm hoping to increase depth of thought, along with writing and thinking skills, by having students edit and critique each other's project reports. In our district meetings we've been discussing how to use writing to improve thinking skills, and multiple edits and peer-editing were mentioned as possible strategies.
In my semester physical science class I'm hoping to increase depth of thought, along with writing and thinking skills, by having students edit and critique each other's project reports. In our district meetings we've been discussing how to use writing to improve thinking skills, and multiple edits and peer-editing were mentioned as possible strategies.
Group Blog 3/6
Today we discussed the PLC Shindig. We're looking at two different activities that will show others what sort of student-led activities we do in our classrooms. The first is a demonstration of the isolation of DNA, for which we're preparing to order supplies. This will be facilitated by the biology teachers and Troyer. The second is an inquiry-based chemistry activity on the changing colors of indicators, facilitated by Ross. DiObilda and Maloney are also going to be providing an informational presentation about the benefits of student-led learning.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Jasmyn Ostmeyer 2-20-13
In my environmental science class we are getting ready to talk in depth about human populations. Later this week we are going to watch a video that Population Connection created. It shows a map with dots to represent 1 million people. Then it shows how the population has changed over the last 2000 years. It also talks about the different events taking place during those times. The students will be answering some questions about the video and I hope it sparks some good conversation. This is a great way to tie in history. I will blog my results.
In my zoology class we dissected a dogfish shark last week. This was great. I gave the students a packet to provide them with some additional info and some diagrams. Each student had their own shark and it was really about discovery. The students looked for and located different organs and structures. I was there to help them, but they were encouraged to explore, while being humane. I could tell how much the students enjoyed this activity. We hope to dissect a frog in a few weeks.
In my zoology class we dissected a dogfish shark last week. This was great. I gave the students a packet to provide them with some additional info and some diagrams. Each student had their own shark and it was really about discovery. The students looked for and located different organs and structures. I was there to help them, but they were encouraged to explore, while being humane. I could tell how much the students enjoyed this activity. We hope to dissect a frog in a few weeks.
Feb 20, 2013
Last week in Biology we began discussing energy and how that relates to Photosynthesis. There were many questions across the board about how we harness the energy for electricity. I assigned the students to investigate the major forms of energy and create mini-projects to share with their classmates. They had to pick a form of energy; hydroelectric, solar, wind, fossil fuels, or biofuels. After selecting a topic they had to say how it works, benefits and drawbacks. They shared their findings and discussed how we can help our current situation. It was a chance to open the class for discussion about current issues.
Steve Di Obilda: 20 February 2013.
Students were requested to use computers to investigate WW1 technology, 1912-1920 and report on how the technology compares to today. Students were fascinated by airplane tech and how rapidly the airplane was modified in the 20th century from a pleasure craft, to a war machine, to transporting people around the world. Friday, 22 February a field trip to the WW1 Museum in KCMO is scheduled for those students in American History classes.
Students were requested to use computers to investigate WW1 technology, 1912-1920 and report on how the technology compares to today. Students were fascinated by airplane tech and how rapidly the airplane was modified in the 20th century from a pleasure craft, to a war machine, to transporting people around the world. Friday, 22 February a field trip to the WW1 Museum in KCMO is scheduled for those students in American History classes.
Ross 2/20
In the past few weeks, I've continued to refine my student-led inquiry activities. With my physical science class, my goal was increase the amount of reflection students did during the experiment. To help this along, each group took a break at the beginning of the second day to reflect upon their data so far. The groups then split up and reorganized, so that students got a chance to get input from others on how to address any difficulties that came up. This seemed to help somewhat. There were some difficulties getting students to be open to conversation with people with whom they were not used to working, but there was some reflection shown, and the second day of experimenting went well. Similarly, for my year-long class, we're splitting the current experiment into two sections with an intermediate stage for additional research and narrowing of question. I'm hoping the second stage of the experiment will relate a little more closely to class content than the first stage did, and thereby show the students' learning.
I've also been incorporating some writing for thinking into the flow of the experiment. Our recent district PLC work gave some ideas on structuring writing, so I've been scaffolding the work for my students- having them start by answering simple questions, then working those answers together into a longer passage with more depth. My main difficulties come in convincing the students to think deeply about their work, though it seems that the ability of students to choose their own experiments is helping somewhat.
My next goals: continue to work on experiments that involve repeating and modifying technique, and continue developing thinking skills through writing. I'll address mixed-group uncomfortableness through other classroom activities. One technique I've used before that I want to reintroduce is having students design three experiments, then pick the most interesting to actually carry out. This seemed to make the students more interested in the final project that they chose.
I've also been incorporating some writing for thinking into the flow of the experiment. Our recent district PLC work gave some ideas on structuring writing, so I've been scaffolding the work for my students- having them start by answering simple questions, then working those answers together into a longer passage with more depth. My main difficulties come in convincing the students to think deeply about their work, though it seems that the ability of students to choose their own experiments is helping somewhat.
My next goals: continue to work on experiments that involve repeating and modifying technique, and continue developing thinking skills through writing. I'll address mixed-group uncomfortableness through other classroom activities. One technique I've used before that I want to reintroduce is having students design three experiments, then pick the most interesting to actually carry out. This seemed to make the students more interested in the final project that they chose.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Ross + Group 1/29
Group:
Our group today discussed what we're going to be doing for the next PLC showcase. Our current plans is to have a discussion of the evidence behind student-led activities and two example classroom activities that observers can try out. Two possible activities are the isolation of DNA and an inquiry investigation into what causes color changes in a solution.
Me:
My chemistry classes have been working on their projects to show orders of magnitude, and it has generally been more organized than the last time. Giving the students smaller "chunks" of projects to work on at a time has helped make immediate goals more obvious, and has seemed to somewhat increase student creativity, since they are more comfortable once they know what they're doing.
My next major project is measuring velocities with my physical science classes. They seem to be getting a good grasp of the ideas behind velocity and acceleration. My changes for this year will be to include more background research and brainstorming, as well as looking at the relative speed of different objects and phenomena.
Our group today discussed what we're going to be doing for the next PLC showcase. Our current plans is to have a discussion of the evidence behind student-led activities and two example classroom activities that observers can try out. Two possible activities are the isolation of DNA and an inquiry investigation into what causes color changes in a solution.
Me:
My chemistry classes have been working on their projects to show orders of magnitude, and it has generally been more organized than the last time. Giving the students smaller "chunks" of projects to work on at a time has helped make immediate goals more obvious, and has seemed to somewhat increase student creativity, since they are more comfortable once they know what they're doing.
My next major project is measuring velocities with my physical science classes. They seem to be getting a good grasp of the ideas behind velocity and acceleration. My changes for this year will be to include more background research and brainstorming, as well as looking at the relative speed of different objects and phenomena.
1-30-2013
Goal: This semester there will be more hands on activities for student-led investigations. Yesterday Mary Ann Coleman from Schlegel library came to help with a hands on lesson with microscopes. The objective was to introduce students to microscopes, how to use them and what microscopic parts looked like. Next week with plasma membranes and transport we will do an osmosis lab. Where students will observe the movement of water through membranes.
Goal: This semester there will be more hands on activities for student-led investigations. Yesterday Mary Ann Coleman from Schlegel library came to help with a hands on lesson with microscopes. The objective was to introduce students to microscopes, how to use them and what microscopic parts looked like. Next week with plasma membranes and transport we will do an osmosis lab. Where students will observe the movement of water through membranes.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Kluthe - 1/23
In my environmental science class, we've been discussing the problem of human population growth. Students have been using the obituary section of the KC Star to collect longevity data on people in our area. They have been calculating average lifespans of people born in different decades and graphing survivorship curves of men and women. They've been asked to apply what they know of the time periods to try to figure out why the numbers came out like they did.
Ross 1/23
I plan on building on last semester's work with inquiry projects in the new year. I have a perfect chance to revisit last year's project organization and address the problems that came up before they reoccur.
My first two projects:
Chemistry is going to work as a group to present an informational graphic or video about scales in the universe. Last year I got some high quality work, but many groups had trouble narrowing down the options on topics. This year I'm going to increase guided brainstorming time, so that each group ends up with a little more detail before working independently. I also have past examples to show my students now, which should help. The students will also have more background in "Fermi problems," which we've been working on more strenuously, which will help to incorporate the project more firmly into the rest of our class content.
Physical Science gets to work together to examine various types of writing on science, analyze the reasoning behind them, and come to conclusion as to reliability. My main issue last semester was reading level- it was difficult to find writing samples that were not overly involved. I've found a few more since then, and I plan to do a little more guided reading in preparation for independent work.
Overall, the first revision I'm making to a lot of my student-led investigations is to provide a little more background and guidance before students start to work on their own.
My first two projects:
Chemistry is going to work as a group to present an informational graphic or video about scales in the universe. Last year I got some high quality work, but many groups had trouble narrowing down the options on topics. This year I'm going to increase guided brainstorming time, so that each group ends up with a little more detail before working independently. I also have past examples to show my students now, which should help. The students will also have more background in "Fermi problems," which we've been working on more strenuously, which will help to incorporate the project more firmly into the rest of our class content.
Physical Science gets to work together to examine various types of writing on science, analyze the reasoning behind them, and come to conclusion as to reliability. My main issue last semester was reading level- it was difficult to find writing samples that were not overly involved. I've found a few more since then, and I plan to do a little more guided reading in preparation for independent work.
Overall, the first revision I'm making to a lot of my student-led investigations is to provide a little more background and guidance before students start to work on their own.
Jasmyn 1-23-13
In Biology, I have been working with my students on the characteristics of life and the scientific method. After introducing the 8 characteristics, I gave the students a list of 18 "things". I also passed around a few of the items. They had to decide if they were living or not living. Then I had the class discuss each "thing". I did not tell them whether they were right or not. I just let them talk about them. Then after they went through all of the "things", I let them know the correct answers. It was interesting to get their ideas and have them debate a little bit.
We haven't done anything exciting in Environmental Science yet. Soon we will be heading to the more exciting chapters and I am looking forward to some new activities.
We haven't done anything exciting in Environmental Science yet. Soon we will be heading to the more exciting chapters and I am looking forward to some new activities.
Steve Di Obilda, 23 January 13. This semester the classes started out learning to take more effective written notes on classroom instruction, later to be used for essay writing and study for quiz and test's. Efforts are made to direct students on what is important to include in note taking and what to leave out. Students are engaged in writing and often ask the significance and importance of a historical topic.
In my Graphic Photography class my advanced students are using tutorials that they find or sometimes that I assign to create works of art. The students are using the internet to enter some of the pictures in contests and for scholarships.
My drawing classes are utilizing the internet for source material.
My media class are creating blogs about digital citizenship using Glogster.
My drawing classes are utilizing the internet for source material.
My media class are creating blogs about digital citizenship using Glogster.
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