Science Lesson Using Models

Last week I had the pleasure of implementing a lesson on the rock cycle using the candy airheads as my modeling clay. While the activity itself was fun and the students enjoyed working with the candy and seemed to develop a greater unerstanding of how the rock cylce works and of how rocks are classified, it struck me that there were a few pieces that I took for granted where the students were concerned. For example, the students were able to identify the types of rocks created but were unable to identify the process which created the rock. I found myself thinking how strange it was that they could not name the proceses but were able to name the rocks. It was not until I asked that I realized that they had used different markers to identify the rocks. They knew that if a rock melted and cooled it became an Igneous rock, etc. It was then that I saw clearly the difficulty that could ensue if one has students attach their own definition to essential vocabulary words. These students while they are learning about the objects, they struggle when they enter a standardized classroom/test room and find that the questions on their standardized test are not written for them specifically and as such does not provide answer options that they are familiar with.

Overall, I enjoyed working with the models for this activity as it allowed me to see students clearly attuned to their acivity and enjoying what they were doing. It also gave me insight into how/when to use the lesson and what needed to be changed to make it a great activity. I also learned very quickly that airheads tend to solidify very quickly when heated and should always handle with care, and that the spare airhead pieces should be picked up quickly so that the students do not have a faceoff over candy:) Oh, and yes airhead in its molten form is very, very hot and definitely behaves as magma being pushed to the surface where it hardens.

Creating Compassionate Science-Minded Individuals

The recent tragedies precipitated by the tornadoes in the south have brought out the best and the worst in some people. Even though I did not specifically teach Earth and Space Science I did take some time out of my planned lessons to go over the formation of tornadoes, the devastation it can cause and go over the safety tips again with my students (when you have a self-contained class you can tend to deviate from the planned lessons more so than in the mainstream classrooms). For the most part the students were very interested in not just what causes tornados but specifically what happens inside the walls of the tornado. We covered some of the misconceptions that they had (some gained from Hollywood movies) and also looked to gain a greater understanding of tornadoes themselves and the reasons they are so difficult to predict. We also looked at the current weather patterns across the region and tried to determine if there was a correlation to the weather and the number of tornadoes that spawned during that period of time. The students were also asked to research if there had ever been a similar event in recent history. We talked about what the effects would be on the local economy of the current disaster and what the continuing effect would be if more tornadoes occurred within the region. The students seemed to grasp the concept rather well as they began talking about agricultural loss as well as jobs from businesses being closed, etc.

I shared pictures of the affected areas with the students so that they could see the damage inflicted by the tornados. They were all moved by devastation that they saw and had many questions about how long it would take to rebuild the towns and who would do the rebuilding. I tried to answer their questions as best as I could and also made it relevant for them by asking them to think about the students their age who lost everything they had and could not go to school because it was no longer there. I also encouraged my students to actively participate in fundraising activities being organized by different entities in the school and within their neighborhoods, and to verbalize any ideas they had about assisting as well.  While most of my students are from lower income homes (we are a Title one school) they contributed what they could to the relief efforts and took pride in updating me each day on new events that related to the tornado or relief efforts.

As teachers I think it is imperative that we teach our students the scientific data that they need to be able to process the information about the world around them. However, while doing so we still need to impart some sense of humanity into what is being taught. Students need to understand that what is studied in science affects people and things do not happen in a vacuum or a lab. They have to be taught that what happens in the lab is in direct relation to the greater good of the human race. Without being these skills students, though brilliant, may not be able to see past the facts and figures to the real purpose of the dedicated scientist.