Abby Borth- Elementary Science Methods

  1. This week in lab we went over what matter and properties are again and added particles. My group defined particles as atoms or molecules. Following this, we did the plunger push again. This time we focused on what is happening to the particles as we suction the plunger to the surface. We learned that when we push the plunger down, it creates a vacuum. This means that some particles are trapped inside while others escape and this is why it sticks. We were removing air from a space. After this, we did simulations online on how particles move depending on the temperature they are at and how they react with other particles depending on this. I learned that you can determine what state of matter something is in depending on the amount of bonds and how spread out the particles are. We determined that as they spread out more they transition for a solid, liquid, to a gas. We also made two flip books where we learned about condensation as well as insulators and conductors.  4. I c...

  1. This week in lab, we learned more about matter, properties, and density. Our group discussed how matter is anything that takes up space and properties are characteristics of matter. One of these properties is density. We continued to learn more about this through an M&M investigation. It was similar to the activity that we did in the previous week but instead we had a control group, a group with hot water, and groups with either sugar or salt water. We found that the color of M&Ms will spread out the fastest in hot water and the slowest in sugar and salt water. I learned that the color will spread out the fastest in hot water because the increase of temperature increases the amount of energy and causes the molecules to move quicker. I learned that the color will spread more slowly in sugar and salt water because these particles can get in the way and act as a roadblock.  4. I can apply what I have learned in lab to my teaching in the future. I would like to use th...

  1. This week in lab, we learned more about what matter is and the different properties that matter can have. We touched on how properties change when objects are broken into pieces through our experiments. In lab, we experimented with density, volume, mass, conducting electricity, and attraction to a magnet. I learned that if you change the appearance of something, you are not changing the properties. This is why when we did each experiment with a whole object and the object broken up in pieces, that results were the same. I also learned that the reason to why something sinks or floats is due to density. If the density of something is less than water, it floats. If the density of something is more than water, it will sink.  4. I can apply what I have learned in lab to my teaching in the future. I would like to use the first activity we did in lab in the future. This was the 3-2-1 activity where we wrote three things we learned, two things we found interesting, and one questi...

  1. This week in lab, we discussed what matter is and did several different experiments. This week I was able to revisit what matter was and refresh my memory. I learned that matter is basically anything that takes up space. I was also able to start learning about different concepts through our experiments. In the ice cube experiment, I learned what conductors and insulators are and how this affected which ice cube melted the fastest. I learned that the metal pan is a conductor and this is why the ice cube melts the fastest. I also revisited the idea of a vacuum and why the plunger stuck to some surfaces better than others. I am still wondering why the large coke sunk while the rest of the cokes floated. I am predicting this has something to do with the density in each can.  4. I can use what I have learned in my teaching in the future. This week in lab, I learned that it can be beneficial to allow students to explore concepts and ask questions and come up with predictions. T...

 1. This week in lab, we focused on technology and evolution. We started by brainstorming the types of technologies that we prefer as students. My first thought on this was laptops and Google. I was able to learn about new technologies that can be used based on answers from peers. I also learned about the positives and negatives of simulations online. We talked about how simulations can be beneficial for students because it allows them to learn at a speed that works for them in a hands-on way. They are able to manipulate the simulation as they would like. A negative could be that it is not an accurate representation. After this, we looked at the NGSS and examined more Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Cross Cutting Concepts. Our activity today was creating our own short story based on evolution for third graders. We decided to make a story about the evolution of dogs and I was able to learn more about this along the way. I also learned what DALLE-2 is ...

  1. This week in lab, we started by reviewing the NGSS and the performance expectations, crosscutting concepts, science and engineering practices, and disciplinary core ideas. We specifically looked at these concepts for biological evolution. We then started talking about natural selection and I was able to review what this is. I learned that natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotypes. We were able to learn more about this through a natural selection bean lab. We did a simulation where different types of utensils represented predators and beans represented the prey. We developed two hypothesis with one being if you use a fork you will get the most beans and if you have a knife you will get the least beans. We also learned that there are predominant traits caused by natural selection.  4. I can use what I have learned in lab to my teaching in the future when teaching about natural selection. I would like to u...

  1. This week in lab, we first checked on our fast plants. They had reached the last stage in their life cycle. I was surprised to see some purple in the flower's color. After this, we reviewed our reading reflection from the previous week as well as what we did in lab. I further learned about the difference between phenotype and genotype and inherited versus acquired traits. Following this, we did two DNA mutation simulations individually. I was able to learn how mutations impact proteins. I learned that there are three types of mutations: point, insertion, and deletion. We continued to learn about mutations with a superhero activity. We were able to learn how mutations can be both positive, negative, and neutral.  4. I plan to apply what I have learned to my teaching in the future when teaching about DNA and DNA mutations. I would like to use the simulation activities that we did online with my students so that they are able to play with it on their own and learn in a hands...