Blog Week 6

 This week in lab, we first checked on our fast plants. Ours has grown a lot since last week, but our plant was not ready for pollination. Then, we discussed organisms and their environment, specifically sea turtles. We listened to a book about turtles and then played a game using a fortune teller. We also did two worksheets after this game about the information on the fortune tellers. We learned about all parts of a plant, including male and female parts:

Female Parts: Pistil, which includes the stigma, style, and ovary. Stigma: The part of the pistil where pollen germinates. Ovary: The enlarged basal portion of the pistil where ovules are produced

Male Parts: Stamen, which contains the anther and filament.

Anther: The part of the stamen where pollen is produced. Another holds the pollen (sperm) of the plant.

Filament: The filament supports the anther

Petal: The parts of a flower that are often conspicuously colored

Sepal: The outer parts of the flower (often green and leaf-like)

I didn't have any questions about this material! I remember learning parts of plants when I was in elementary school!

Blog Week 5

This week in lab, we talked about Ecology. We checked up on our fast plants, and this week, our plant finally grew. We learned about biomes, habitats, and ecosystems. We learned how animals get their food from plants and other animals. We learned the difference between a food chain versus a food web and also the 10% rule of a food chain. We created an ecosystem with our group members, and our group had marine life. I didn't have any questions this week because I've learned this topic before, and the differences between all the terms of ecology are pretty clear. I didn't have any questions about this week's material! The food chain activity would be great for students!

 

Blog Week 4

This week in lab, we learned about the 5E Model of Science Instruction. This instruction was developed in the 1980s by Bybee at BSCS. It is a series of instructional steps designed to learn science concepts with understanding. Consists of 5 teaching phases, each titled by a word that begins with the letter "E." This instruction is a widely accepted instructional model for inquiry-based instruction when conceptual understanding is the goal. Aligns well with the aims and goals of the NGSS. 

1. Engage: student interest and build on prior knowledge to create connections

2. Explore: an opportunity for students to explore

3. Explain: teach new concepts, define vocab and key concepts

4. Extend (Elaborate): on more activities, application of new concepts

5. Evaluate: formative assessment, summative assessment: grades (scores)

We also checked on our Fast Plant Cycle Plants, and my partner and I had no growth in our plant, so we had to add more water in hopes that there would be growth next week. I wonder why our plant didn't grow because we thought we followed all the right directions? I remember growing these plants in elementary school.

Blog Week 3

 This week during lab, we learned about the key factors of life cycles and how they work. The characteristics of a life cycle include distinct stages and lengths of these stages that vary between species. Reproduction: a key component of many life cycles, as it allows the continuation of a species. Development: Life cycles often involve charges in physical characteristics, such as growth and maturation, as well as changes in behavior and habits. Adaptation: life cycles can be influenced by environmental factors. Pattern: all life cycles follow the basic pattern of birth, growth, reproduction, and death

We created our own life cycles using play dough and my partner and I did the life cycle of a frog:

We also planted our Fast Plants to see if there is growth by next week's lab. This would be a great activity to do with my future students, because it was very engaging and promotes a lot of learning!