I found this lab a little difficult. My students were patient and went through the process but I didn't feel like they were very enthused about the content. Maybe they just need more practice using their new terms and applying the new learning. perhaps I also need more practice with them. Im not sure how much this benefits my 6th graders as I don't have alot of time to spend continuing the dialogue. I too would be curious to find out if anyone was very successful.
Thu, 01/24/2013 - 18:32
Yes, I agree. My focus class is 7th graders and I don't think they truly grasped what the purpose of the activity was. Like yours, my students willingly went through this activity but I'm not sure how mentally engaged they were. One thing that helped me was giving them a relevant example (which fishing lure to use?), breaking it down into steps, and having them transition around the room like a 4-corner activity. Each corner of my room was a phase, and the middle of the room was Instruction. At some points throughout the activity, students were in various phases, and it brought about good discussion.
Mon, 01/28/2013 - 21:33
Cool idea using the 4 corners of your room to model the phases. I introduced the modes with my target class, 8th graders, and also my 6th graders. I think I'll try the corners of the room to intro the phases to the 6th graders and the activity as is wit the 8th graders as a comparison.
Thu, 01/17/2013 - 22:20
I agree with Nikki that the Phases and Modes of Scientific Practice was difficult for middle schoolers. My focus group class is multi-age 5/6th grade. They are just starting to use science vocabulary and the Activity questions seemed to better suited for older students who have had more science experiences.