By Camille T. Stegman

Changing Primary Teachers’ Perceptions of Science

By Camille T. Stegman

Allie Brolsma

Sonja Hicks

Margy Schieberl

The purpose of this presentation is to assist teachers in changing their perceptions of how science is taught in the primary classroom. The ideas discussed here should not only help you develop lessons, but also help you create a collaborative group that will work together towards designing the best lessons possible that reach the performance expectations in the Next Generation Science Standards.

Lessons Shown:

Nature Walk

Sand Models

Taking a Trip and Making a Map

Slow and Fast

Designing Barriers

Water Everywhere

Water and Ice

Other Activities within the Unit that were not shown in this presentation

BrainPop – “Landforms,” “Fast Land Changes,” “Slow Land Changes,”“Solid, Liquid, and Gas”

Books – Mapping Earthforms Series by C. Chambers and N. Lapthorn (for reading to students, age level is upper elementary)

Assessment Probes: Uncovering Student Ideas in Primary Science by P. Keeley. Use Probe #20 – What Makes A Mountain? Will assist in guiding your lessons towards the most successful outcome.

Nature Walk, Sand Models, Taking a Trip and Making a Map

Performance Expectations: Develop a model to represent the shapes and kind of land and bodies of water in an area (Assessment Boundary: Does not include quantitative scaling in model)

Science and Engineering Practices:Developing a model to represent patterns in the natural world

Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns in the natural world can be observed

Disciplinary Core Ideas:Maps show where things are located. One can map the shapes and kinds of land and water in an area

Materials:

Expansive View

Pictures of Expansive View or internet photos of different landforms

Large poster paper

Sand

Bins

Spray bottles with water

Colored pens, pencils, or crayons

Writing paper/Science Notebook

Engagement:

Take the students for a nature walk and raise questions about what landforms are called, how landforms the see might have developed, encourage students to talk and discuss what they see. Point out runoff, cliffs, man-made and natural landforms. Ex: Children, what might be the different between the hill over there and that mountain?(CCC – Patterns)What might have made this area where the sand and dirt are higher on two side and lower in the middle?

In the alternative, if there is no ability to take a nature walk, use the internet to find pictures of multiple types of landforms. Proceed with similar discussion.

Exploration:

Have students list all the landforms they saw on their walk and have pictures ready to show any landforms they may not have seen (ocean, cliff, and riverbed). Chose 8-10 landforms that the students will model in the sand. Leave bays or rivers or anything with lots of water till the last part of the activity, otherwise you have too much water to do any other landform.

Using bins and sand, get the sand damp. It should be moldable. Allow students the opportunity to create landforms that they saw.(SEP- Developing a Model)

Explanation:

Have the students begin to explain or define what makes one landform and what makes another landform. Ex: What did you make? – A cliff. Why is it a cliff? It is steep (sharp, missing) on one side.

Students do not need use the correct words at first for you to see evidence that they are learning. As the student’s progress in their understanding, the teacher may introduce new vocabulary.

Elaboration:

Students will make a map(DCI – Map where things are located)and write a story about a trip they will take through the landforms. This phase helps student apply previous learning and helps them acquire the new language to build on for future lessons.

Allow students to work in groups and have each group choose 3-5 landforms for their map and trip. Allow students to be creative and name their landforms. After students make their map, have them use the map to create a story of a trip they will go on soon. Their stories must include the name of the landforms on the map and they should be describing the landform in their story. Discuss how their map will help others take the same trip. Ex: I walked up Mount Adams, it was tall and pointy. When I went up the mountain I crossed small hills that were round and short.I crossed a river at the bottom of the hill.

Students should share their stories with other groups and use their map to show others where they went on their trip. Observe the retelling and showing of the maps to ensure students have understanding of a maps many uses. (DCI - Maps can show many things)

Evaluate:

Evidence Statements

Slow and Fast Movements

Performance Expectations: Use information from several sources to provide evidence that Earth events can occur quickly or slowly

Science and Engineering Practices:Make observations from several sources to construct an evidence-based account for natural phenomena.

Crosscutting Concepts:Things may change slowly or rapidly

Disciplinary Core Ideas:Some events happen very quickly; others occur very slowly over a time period much longer than one can observe.

Materials:

Sand

Bins

Water (spray bottle to wet sand)

Water (in cups for “rain”)

Cups with holes (one with lots and one with few, labelled Fast and Slow)

Plungers (used to pump up balloons)

Rulers

Wood spacer (something to support the bin about 2-4 cm.)

Engagement:

Take students out to the playground where there is some erosion – perhaps a rivulet or stream.

Alternatively, show pictures of riverbeds that are “cut” deeply.

Ask students if they have ever seen the wind blow so hard that it knocked things over. Ask them to explain what happened. Alternatively, show pictures of damage caused by a windstorm. Ask if that is something that happens quickly or slowly. (CCC- Things change fast and slow)

Ask students what they do in an “earthquake drill.” Ask them to explain why they hide under their desks or in a doorway. Ask them if they know what is happening

Exploration:

Divide students into three groups. Each group will have a different task. One group will work

with rain, one with wind, and one with land movements. Students will be switching groups and

will have been in all three at the conclusion.

Have students create a land form that is their favorite (Hill, Mountain, Cliff, Riverbed, etc.) using water to carve the sand into the shape they want.

Rain station:

In this station, students will be comparing fast and slow amounts of rain and the effects on a landform.(SEP – Making observations)

Students will place the spacer under their bin on the short side so that the whole bin tilts.

Students will place two rulers at the one end of their bin and will place the “slow” cup on top of

the rulers. They will slowly add water to the cup so that it drips onto the land. Watch that they

do not overfill the cup. Students should repeat the process 3 or 4 times, reshaping after each time. You may need a bucket to empty out excess water. Students will “record” their observations (this can be done as a drawing, writing, or even verbally with older students assisting).

Students will switch to the “fast” cup on top of the rulers. They will slowly add water to the cup so that it drips onto the land. Watch that they do not overfill the cup. Students should repeat the process 3 or 4 times, reshaping after each time. You may need a bucket to empty out excess water. Students will “record” their observations (this can be done as a drawing, writing, or even verbally with older students assisting).

Wind station:

In this station, students will be comparing fast and slow wind movements and the effects on a landform.(SEP – Making observations)

Ask students how they can observe the effect of wind on their landform using a plunger and how they can pretend the wind is going fast and slow. Students should quickly recognize after playing with the plunger – that they can make the air move fast or slow.

Help the students practice with the plungers so that they understand a slow “wind” and a “fast”

wind. Plunge quickly against their partners hand for fast wind and slowly for slow wind. Explain that they should try to do it the same way every time they attempt to “blow” on their landform.

Students will create their landform. They should place the plungers about 2cm away from the landform each time they make the “wind blow.” They should blow slowly first several times and students will “record” their observations (this can be done as a drawing, writing, or even verbally with older students assisting). After blowing slowly, students can reshape their landform and blow quickly on their landform, same distance about 2 cm. Students should repeat the process 3 or 4 times, reshaping after each time. Students will “record” their observations (this can be done as a drawing, writing, or even verbally with older students assisting).

Earth Movements station:

In this station, students will be comparing fast and slow movements and the effects on a landform. (SEP – Making observations)

Students will create a landform; hills, mountains, and cliffs work best. Students need to practice slow and fast movements with their arms using empty containers if you have enough.

For the slow movement, have students slowly tip the sand bin from side to side, not moving more than a few centimeters in each direction.

For the fast movements, have students tip the sand bins in each direction quickly – take care to make sure they understand where “too far” is – so that sand does not fall out of the bin.

Using a timer, have students shake their landforms side to side gently for 3 seconds. Have the students reshape their landform and repeat the activity. Students will “record” their observations (this can be done as a drawing, writing, or even verbally with older students assisting). After a few repetitions, have the students reshape and this time allow the “shaking” to occur for 8 seconds. Repeat a few times. Students will “record” their observations (this can be done as a drawing, writing, or even verbally with older students assisting).

Using a timer, have students shake their landforms side to side quickly for 3 seconds. Have the students reshape their landform and repeat the activity. Students will “record” their observations (SEP – Making observations)(this can be done as a drawing, writing, or even verbally with older students assisting). After a few repetitions, have the students reshape and this time allow the “shaking” to occur for 8 seconds. Repeat a few times. Students will “record” their observations (this can be done as a drawing, writing, or even verbally with older students assisting).(SEP – Making observations)

Explanation:

Working in groups have students discuss what all the stations had in common. Students should be able to explain that sometimes things happen to the Earth quickly and sometimes things happen slowly.

Have a collection of internet pictures from erosion both fast and slow ready to display to the student groups. In a group discussion, have students connect what they did in their activity to what they see on the overhead. (DCI – Some events happen quickly, some too slowly to see) For example, if you show a picture of an eroded river bank the students should be able to use their observations about the fast rain water to explain what might have happened. Begin to use the words “claims and evidence” to help students begin to understand that a claim is something they think is correct and the evidence helps provide support to their claim.

Elaboration:

Students can watch Brainpop, Slow movements and fast movements.

Evaluate:

Have students create a poster/drawing of what happens when wind, water, or the Earth move quickly and slowly.

Evidence Statements

Designing Barriers

Performance Expectations: Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind and water from changing the shape of the land (Examples of solutions could include different designs for dikes and windbreaks to hold back wind and water, and different designs for using shrubs, grass and trees to hold back the land)

Science and Engineering Practices: Develop a model to represent patterns in the natural world; Constructing explanations

Crosscutting Concepts: Things may change slowly or rapidly

Disciplinary Core Ideas:More than one solution to a problem; Wind and water may change the shape of the land.

Materials:

Sand

Bins

Water (spray bottle to wet sand)

Water (in cups for “rain”)

Cups with holes (one with lots and one with few, labelled Fast and Slow)

Plungers (used to pump up balloons)

Rulers

Wood spacer (something to support the bin about 2-4 cm.)

Manipulative blocks (to create a house)

Assorted items to build barriers – pipe cleaners, toothpicks, tongue depressors, straws, wire (electrical wire covered in rubber is good), string, rocks, gravel, just about anything that can be used to anchor something is useful.

Engagement:

Refresh student’s prior knowledge about activities done in “Fast and Slow.” As students to describe what might happen if there was a heavy rain or lots of wind or lots of earth moving around and a house was in the way.

Some video of storms might be helpful – be understanding of the fact that they are young students. However, erosion and destruction is a fact of life. The media elements should represent both water and wind erosion.

Exploration:

Have students brainstorm ways that might help stop erosion from occurring. If applicable, a nature walk around the school might show some areas of erosion and students can actively think of ideas that could stop that erosion on school grounds.

This activity is best when done outside. There is a lot of sand and water that is going to be everywhere.

Have students get into groups of about 2-4 students. Give students bins with sand (slightly wet so it can be molded into a landform (cliffs and canyons give the most dramatic results) (CCC - Things may happen quickly or slowly)

Students will need the cups with many holes (fast) and few holes (slow) to represent amounts of rain and a plunger for wind. Students will also need manipulative blocks (legos, Duplo) to build a small house that will sit on the riverbank, cliff, or canyon edge.

Have the students place their house on the edge of the landform and create their storm. The storm is created by pouring water into the cup with holes and plunging air towards the landform. (DCI – Wind and water change the land)

Ask the students to explain what happened with the storm and the house.

Tell the students their task is to design a barrier or protection so that the house does not get moved in a storm (problem/solution). Tell the students that they can have any of the materials they want to make the barrier/protection, but their final product may only use 4 items (constraint).

Explanation:

As students develop and test their ideas, stop the activity and have each group walk around and look at other groups ideas. Have one student stay behind in each group to explain how their design is working. After the visit, have the students spend a few minutes discussion other things they saw in each group with members of their group. Students may pick up a few other ideas and incorporate those into their design.

Allow the designs to continue being altered until success is achieved by multiple groups.

Elaboration:

Bring all groups together to explain each final design.

At the end of the explanations, ask the students what the similarities are between all the models and what are the differences. (SEP- Constructing Explanations, DCI-Comparing multiple solutions)

Ask what seemed to be a required (needed) item or piece for each solution (most likely it will be anchoring or somehow being tied down, other alternatives may involve putting rocks and gravel to stop the sand washing away)