2nd grade Water Scientists

There is a water unit in the adopted text for second graders. (The text was used to teach about the water cycle.) I decided to use UbD to plan a more thorough understanding water including how water can be reused.  (It was established early on that there is no new source of water, what we have is what we have.)    "How can water from our homes, especially the toilet be reused?"  Huge ick factor, creating great interest. (My commitment to provide experiences which broaden their horizons and empower them as scientists are underlying motives.)

As I often do, because of the information that I glean, I began with Think, Puzzle, Explore.

 

 

The girls started with learning about the scientific method, learning new vocabulary to describe the steps in our two major experiments:  1.  Can dirty water be filtered/cleaned so that it can be reused/drank?  2. How can we tell if water is evaporating from our classroom?

For experiment #1, step 1, ask a question:   Can we make this water clean?
Step 2, guess the answer:  Emily predicted yes, while Michelle predicted no.
Step 3, give a reason for your answer: Emily thought that the sand will make it.  Michelle thought that the sand would make it dirtier
Step 4, test your guess, how will you find out?  We are doing an experiment.
Step 5, Observe. Record what you see:  We poured the dirty water into the filter (paper filter, coarse and fine sand).  Water dripped through.  The dirt stayed on top. Now we have green water.
Step 6, write a sentence that tells what you found out.  E:We let the dirt settle.  The filter held the rest of the dirt.  M: We let the dirt settle.  The filter held the dirt on top.

(I transcribed their notes for those of you who don't read invented spelling.)

 

 

 

 

 

A mixture of dirt, sand, food coloring, and water was filtered through a coffee filter, sand and gravel several times so that, later, with a little help from activated charcoal, it appeared clear again.
One girl changed her hypothesis from no to yes.   Neither would attempt drinking it, but agreed that it could be.  (Obviously this is a simplified version of what our waste treatment plants do.  Perhaps, I will plan a tour and field trip of one next time.)

See next post for EXPERIMENT #2

EXPERIMENT #2 for Second Grade Water Unit

Experiment #2  EVAPORATION
Evaporation is a challenging idea for students moving from concrete thinking to abstract concepts. (Jon was instrumental in all of my experiments by loaning me the actual materials.  It is easier to imagine yourself as a scientist when you have actual beakers, cool thermometers, etc.)
My #1 backward design element was trying to show evaporation--other parts of the water cycle have been observed by the students in their lives. (Well, condensation can be exhibited in an easy experiment and/or brought to their attention by observing our weather, watching clouds form.)  The second was to mathematical and scientific concepts as well as incorporate temperatures, graph, degrees, thermometer, evaporation, evaporating, beakers, milliliters, and evaporate into our daily language.

This experiment had the added factor of hot (102 degrees) and cold (64 degrees) water at the start of the experiment.  The young scientists used thermometers to measure the temperature. We marked on the beakers to record the amount in milliliters and the temperature.  One girl was in charge of the "hot" beaker and the other recorded information about the "cold" one on graphs. 

 

 

The water was evaporating very much, a discussion ensued, and it was decided that maybe we should move it to a window.  Jackie was kind enough to let us use her sill.  The experiment continues, we usually check the amounts on Wednesdays.  Although they are still interested the impact wasn't what I had hoped for.  My lesson is that in using small necked beakers, there is less surface exposed, therefore slower evaporation.  Next year, I will use wide mouthed beakers to expedite the evaporation. I will most likely also use a warmer room.   

 

Nutrition in Middle School part 2

What I appreciate, in UbD, is the essential question so that we are not just "covering" material but really facilitating the students ability to think deeply and develop enduring understandings about life/the world.
In my program, I am charged with teaching the students to acquire proficiency in the English language in Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing.  I am fortunate to have the (WIDA) standards for grades K; 1-2; 3-5 ; 6-8 in each of those domains with 5 proficiency levels (entering, beginning, developing, expanding, and bridging) for each.

Like many of you, initially I felt that UbD was daunting!   My first thought was that I would need to develop essential questions for everything that I did with each of my groups.  Then, I realized that I can jump in and start with a unit of study for one or two groups (not all of my seven grade levels at once).  Whew!  That enabled me to take the initial steps.

As their teacher for several years, I can scaffold topics and extend deeper understandings over the course of more than one year.
I perused  my standards for 6-8.  These are the only grade levels that I teach that have standards for S, L, R, and W in five academic areas (the language of: Social Studies, Science, Math, Language Arts, and Social and Instructional).  Examples from Math are: data interpretation, estimation.  An example from Science is: body systems and organs.  I wanted to have the students develop a deep understanding of the importance of a healthy diet, incorporating math and science.

Part 2
The students will understand essential concepts about nutrition and diet.  The question remains: "what is healthful eating?"
The students then were assigned texts from the library to become experts in each of the four food groups. They brought back their notes from their reading and the others took notes on their reports.(They had to determine importance, take notes, present to their peers.)

After reading and discussing, they were ready to write a non fiction book for Kindergarten.  They synthesized their learning, created all the parts of a non-fiction book (title, sections, tables of contents, content, and an index).  They gathered pictures of food to illustrate their concepts. They made a mock-up of their future book. Edits and revisions were made by their classmates, with some input from me. 

 

(I soon realized that one of my students lacked keyboarding skills, so instead of laboring over the typing, he put his together without typing it.)

I found out at PDU that anyone can see our posts and repost on Pinterest.  I have removed the pictures of my 6th/7th graders reading to Kindergartners

 

 

 

They created an extensive rubric and then assessed each other's final work.  They were able to identify their strengths and areas of growth as writers as well as this content.
They were able to identify the attributes of healthy eating, walk the talk via the graphs, write about them, and present that information to younger students.

Think Puzzle Explore Dental health in primary

In my determination to meld good health practices, science, math, and the acquisition of English (specifically, writing), I conducted a Dental Health unit for my primary students.   I have been concerned about it on many levels, most glaring were the shiny caps that I see daily as I work with them. Using UbD, the essential questions were: are teeth important? why? do you need to take care of baby teeth? why? what should a person do to take care of their teeth? are some foods/drinks/substances better for teeth than others? why?

K and 1st each offered their thoughts on what they thought (Think) they knew, what Puzzled them, and what they wanted to explore about teeth. (I find many answers to guide me in guiding them as I use this routine, they often surprise me with their schema or the lack thereof.)

I read/they read with me many books that I checked out from DPL.  They learned many new vocabulary words and the accompanying concepts (incisors, molars, enamel, plaque, flossing, brushing, floss, gums, roots, decay, cavity, invisible, teeth, dentist, permanent).

3 major things happened to facilitate their learning:
1.  As scientists they rinsed their mouths with colored water and looked in the mirror to find that the plaque in their mouths kept the color!  I had purchased toothbrushes and toothpaste, so they then brushed their teeth and voila! the color was gone.  They continued to brush daily at school for over a week. I sent the new toothbrushes home with them.
2.  Brenna offered me the name of her dentist, explaining that she would come and instruct the students in good oral health.  In fact, Dr. Preet Clair was very willing to accommodate our schedule and was so comfortable talking with the children. They were very engaged in listening and asking higher level questions.  Dr. Clair was impressed with the depth of questions asked. For example, "How do they put in the metal/fake teeth so they stay in?" "What happens to the crown/metal tooth when the permanent tooth starts to grow in?"  "When a crown/metal tooth is put in, is the glue hot?"


3.  We conducted an experiment using shells (enamel) substituting for teeth and four liquids: water, milk, orange juice, and pop (Dr. Pepper).  They inspected them visually (with magnifying glasses) and tactilely before we placed them in the solutions.  I sealed each jar and kept all in the refrigerator for the duration of the experiment. 

We checked them weekly, comparing our notes and photos of the enamel. Predictions were made.

We also investigated the sugar content of all of the liquids (0 in water, 12 in milk, 22g in orange juice, and  40g in Dr. Pepper.)  We asked, can sugar be good for teeth?

 

 

Comic strips were drawn and illustrated from the viewpoint of the tooth by First graders.

We had an additional experiment to demonstrate decay. I took a fresh apple and they poked a nail into it.  Over the course of weeks, we observed the changes to the initial hole.  They were able to imagine what happens when plaque breaks through the enamel to cause a cavity.

 

through their experiences and experiments, they were able to answer our questions (are teeth important? Yes. Why? Because we need them to chew and talk all of our lives.  Do you need to take care of baby teeth? Yes.  Why? Because you want to have healthy teeth and a healthy mouth.  What should a person do to take care of their teeth? Brush and floss, and be careful of sugar because plaque is our enemy!  Are some foods/drinks/substances better for teeth than others? Pop is bad!! Why? Because we saw what it did to the enamel!

Healthful Eating in Middle School Chalk Talk

 

I have been mulling over how to apply UbD and essential questions to my groups.  My essential questions come from the four ESL domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.  “Can they clearly, effectively communicate (in all domains) in all academic, personal, and (future) professional areas?”   A very big task—reminding us of our Focus work Friday, January 24.

My concern about the long term health of my English Language Learners led me to adapt and utilize the You Are What You Eat unit developed in our book.  (According to the CDC, Hispanics and African Americans are at risk of Diabetes and its debilitating effects [heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and amputations].  Diabetes tends to strike Hispanics at younger ages than the non-Hispanic white population. Among adults aged 18 to 44 years, 3.2 percent of Hispanics had diagnosed diabetes compared with 1.3 percent of non-Hispanic whites in that age group. Lifetime risk estimates for developing diabetes is higher for both Hispanic men and women than for other ethnic groups. Hispanic women born in 2000 [one of my students fits this profile] have a 52.5 percent risk of developing diabetes in their lifetime while Hispanic men have a 45.4 percent risk. That compares to a 31.2 percent risk for non-Hispanic white females and 26.7 percent risk among non-Hispanic white males and a 49 percent and a 40.2 percent risk among African American women and men respectively.)

I used Chalk Talk (what is healthful eating?) as our entry question.  As you can see, the two students present that day, have a pretty good grasp of the concept, with room for clarifications.  The next logical question is “Do I eat healthfully?”

 

The students then delved into the second essential question, “Are you a healthful eater? How would you know?”   They began keeping a daily intake journal.

 From that, they labeled the food as Protein, Dairy, Fruits/Vegetables, Grains, Water, and Junk Food and then charted the items on a daily class graph.   Initially, I began with just the four main food groups.  I decided to add Water as a category because I believe that it is essential for good health and tracking it makes us aware of that.  Junk food became a category when we wondered where to put several entries in all of our journals.

 This is a sample of day 1 of the graph.   It is color coded: red for protein, yellow for dairy, green for fruits/vegetables, brown for grain, blue for water, and black for junk food.  At a glance, you can tell how healthily you are eating.

As the weeks progressed, we noticed that we were drinking more water and eating less junk.

We analyzed our observations and discussed the short term impact on our health.  There was some discussion about long term implications but, as teenagers that proved more challenging.

See Part 2 to read more about this unit.