Mini-Lessons 6, 7, 8: Oxidation, Solid to Liquid, Coastal Food Webs

CONCEPT FOR THE DAY

The mini-lessons today called for students to focus on a teaching strategy called Attention Signal. Please, click on the hyperlink for more information. Also watch the video to see how it works in a classroom setting.
 

 

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MINI - LESSONS

Today Demi, Bella and Nicole taught lessons on the Oxidation Process, the transition from Solid to Liquid and Coastal Food Webs respectively.  Demi use an apple to demonstrate how oxidation takes place. Bella used chocolate to explain the transition of a solid to a liquid. Nicole used stickers to have students create marine food chains. The three of them show self-confidence when practicing their teaching skills, allow an environment of interaction among the students, and accomplished their diverse objectives.

Feedback

      Nicole

Bella did an amazing job with the resources she had and did a good job teaching life sciences.

     Irene

About Demi's:

What I liked about her presentation is she had a paper that had questions that apply to the lesson. That way students need to pay attention in order to answer the questions and keeps them concentrated on the lesson. 

About Bella's:

What I liked about her presentation is that she made a fun activity out of what can sometimes be a “boring” subject. By bringing chocolates and showing how a solid turns into a liquid by doing a classroom activity, makes the lesson more interesting and fun. 

About Nicole's: 

What I liked about her presentation was that she gave an informative video and then used a fun and creative activity to put into action what we learned. 

she did a pretty good job. 

       Andrea   

Demi: I thought Demi’s topic of decomposition was a good one and it was a clever idea that she actually brought the apple in so the class could see it. 

Bella: Best idea to bring in chocolate for us to eat. I thought this was a really great idea to show the different states of matter in a fun way.

Nicole: I really liked the video Nicole showed in the beginning. It was a good way to introduce the topic and sum it up. 

     Cameron

Lesson 1: I thought lesson one was a really creative project and could see it being really cool and insightful for kids to see how the Apple changed overtime everyday.

Lesson 2: lesson 2 was a really fun and exciting lesson on liquids vs. solids. Kids would love to participate in this. Especially since it was chocolate. Looking at how excited our class of college kids was to participate in this activity I can imagine how excited the age group this lesson was planned for would be. 

Lesson 3: lesson three did a really good job of using a visually captivating video and the sticker book. The stickers were so cute and making the food web was really fun. For kids of this age group the stickers and lesson plan would be perfect because kids could match each level with characters they already know from the movie. 

They all did really good! 

    Michaela

1st presentation: I liked how she encouraged us to use our senses to describe thus creating a visual definition of what decomposition is. 

2nd presentation: The interactive food part of this lesson was the best part. That was a very creative way to teach the difference between solids and liquids. 

3rd presentation: I thought the sticker book was creative and different. I liked how she showed the video. 

       Alyssa

1: I like that she brought in visuals for us to look at.  

2: I think using chocolate was a great way to demonstrate how states of matter can change. It was captivating yet informative. 

3: Her lesson was very informative and bringing the sticker book rather than having the students write it out really added a creative touch to the lesson. 

      Mina

Demi - i thought Demi’s lesson was very interesting and unique. It was also very informational and i learned a lot about decomposing organisms.  I also liked how we got to see how the apples are decomposing. 

Bella - i really liked Bella’s solid vs. liquid lesson. It was interesting about the perspective she used and she made it a fun but informational lesson by showing you how to melt the solid chocolate and then letting you eat it after. 

Nicole - i liked nicole’s marine animal food chain lesson because in every day class we don’t normally learn about marine life it was very interesting to me because marine life is super important to the environment. I liked how she made it hands on by letting us put animal stickers together so we can learn visually. 

      Danielle

Demi

I thought that Demi's presentation was extremely well organized and she did an excellent job of commanding the attention of the classroom. 

Bella

I thought that Bella did an excellent job of teaching an important concept in a fun and engaging way. Yummy treats always gets the attention of children, so it is super beneficial to maintaining their attention. I thought that she was very well organized and it was probably my favorite activity. 

Nicole

I enjoyed Nicole's activity a lot. It was super engaging because she used stickers to create an interactive activity to engage students rather than lecturing them.

    Sydney M.

I thought that today's presentations were very interesting and fun! I thought it was ironic how each presentation was on a different aspect of science. Not only do I feel as though I learned a lot today, but I also had a lot of fun doing it!

Demi's presentation on decomposition was informative and interactive, which made it really fun and exciting. I do not usually think about decomposition on a daily basis but it is important to realize that it is happening all around us all the time. 

The presentation on different states of matter was my favorite of the day! We learned about how an object can go from a liquid to a gas by melting chocolate and then dipping fruit in it for a snack! This presentation was informative and delicious. 

Nicole's presentation on the dynamics within the ocean between the animals was equally as interesting as the last 2. We learned about the food chain and the life cycle of different marine animals by using stickers to create a food chain!

    Alex

Demi: I really enjoyed Demi's lesson. I think it would be more interesting and thought provoking in a classroom where you could watch it every day. Because we only saw one stage of the decomposition we couldn't get the wholistic idea but I really enjoyed the concept. 

Bella: I thought Bella's lesson was extremely well done. It was engaging with the worksheet and the food aspect enticed everyone to pay more attention. 

Nicole: I enjoyed Nicole's lesson because it was interactive with making the food webs and she provided a good video to introduce us to the topic. 

      Kyle

All three activities were great. I think they made topics that some students may not have an interest in and made it into a very fun and easy way to learn. I honestly dont believe I would change anything in these activites.  All three activites were great. 

       Julia R.

I really liked the way Demi let us look at the apples first before we commented on the decomposition or knew what we were supposed to do. It let us create our own opinions.

I really liked the way Bella showed us the melting process with chocolate, it made it fun, interactive, and delicious!

I really liked the way Nicole showed the video because it gave a good background to what we were learning. 

      Julia C.

Demi's lesson plan was great because she taught an aspect of life that will effect people forever. Decomposition is a part of everyday life whether you are in second grade or 50 years old. 

Bella's lesson was amazing. She knew she had a reward to give to the class and she communicated that reward fluidly. Her visuals allowed the class to completely understand the point of her lesson and relate it to an everyday activity. 

Third Lesson:

I think the video was very beneficial and educational. It allowed me to get a very good understanding of the point of her lesson, which helped with the diagram at the end. 

        Brian

I liked the apple demonstration because it is something that any kid can do at home as well.

Making our own food web was fun with the stickers so I'm sure kids would love it too. 

      Stoni

I like that all three lessons included tangible items that we could see and relate to the lesson. For example from the first lesson we were able to see the rotting of the apple, in the second lesson we are able to see the Hershey bar go from a solid to a liquid, & in the third lesson we were able to see how a food web works by creating our own. 

        Julia N.

I liked Demi's presentation because it was simple and effective in demonstrating decomposition. Bella's lesson on solids and liquids was well organized and she had a delicious demonstration. I liked the marine presentation because it was cute with the stickers and the video was informative.  

        Chloe

Demi: I thought this lesson was a really good way to introduce the topic and very straight forward

Nicole: I loved using the stickers and learning about the food chain through the video shown 

Bella: chocolate is always fun to work with and I thought that was a great way to interact and get the attention of the students. It had an extra benefit at the end of completing the lesson.

        Becca

decomposition:

she engaged the class well, allowing the students to lead the conversation.

solids to liquids:

I loved how she kept us engaged and was really passionate about her topic. She was really great at being interactive. 

food chain:

interesting about how she was able to integrate such an important/serious topic in a fun way

       Megan

Demi's presentation was informative and had the opportunity to be a cool experiment over time. 

Nicole's presentation was cool and fun to get into a group to create a food chain. 

Bella's presentation was a really cool and fun way to involve science and food. 

        Laryssa

I think that using the sticker book to create our own food webs was very realistic and helpful especially for the grade level the lesson was intended for.

I thought it was great how one of my classmates used melting chocolate to teach the difference between liquids and solids. This would definitely keep younger students involved and engaged in the lesson plan… especially since they get a treat after they learn!

       Bella

Demi: Demi really knew her material and helped us learn about decomposition. I like how she took the lesson into the future by asking us what it would look like tomorrow and the week after. 

Nicole: Nicole's video was interesting and well-informing. It didn't get boring as the lesson went on. Her activity with the sticker book also helped us learn about the ecosystem. I like how she made it personal by talking about her hometown and her activities. 

        Amy

Demi 

liked the 3d, real life aspect of the apple. could touch and interact w it

Bella

chocolate ! fun and cool way to introduce a science lesson

Nicole

i love the ocean and the stickers! made it fun and colourful for other students and exciting for younger children

       Demi

Bella: I thought she did very well with her activity and really grasped the classes’ attention by using chocolate and foods to further explain liquids and solids. Hands on activities are much more exciting for a class to do!

Nicole: I also thought she did very well and she seemed very prepared. I can imagine she had to spend some money on those sticker books! While her lesson was very educational, she also made it fun. 

        Cydney

I really enjoyed all of the presentations today. The first presentation with the apple was very organized and I could see this being an exciting lesson that goes on over time. I also really liked how the second presentation involved food which would excite students more and get them more involved in the activity. The video in the last presentation was very informative and I really enjoyed using the sticker book to create our own food chain using information from the video.

       Scott

I thought it was really cool we used melted food as a science experiment/ snack. 

         Bob

1: loved how they actually got a decomposing apple

2: I loves it being “exstra” it was so good kept everyone interested. 

3: loved the finding Nemo sticker book to build our own food web. 

         Jess

I liked that Demi brought a fun activity so we could see how science happens in person. 

Bella’s activity was really fun! i think everyone liked the food aspect. 

The sea activity was fun. I liked that she put a khan academy video on to incorporate various aspects. 

Student's Suggestions

For Bella: 

In a school that had a endless budget it would have been possible to have a couple of hot plates and let the students see the change from a solid to a liquid themselves.

Giving more information on the subject, maybe introducing the subject with a video or pictures and giving more explanation of what a solid and liquid is and maybe go into depth on the science behind it. 

Showing the melting process, explaining some terminology, its purpose and importance could further the understanding of the subject matter.. 

Including the students in the melting of the chocolate activity rather than it being done behind the desk, could have illustrated the transition process. 

The activity of melting the chocolate would be fun for kids to do. For this you could add a hypothesis section where the kids answer questions about what kind of changes they expect to happen from solid to liquid, like if it changes the taste of chocolate. 

Something to consider is tying in how humans effect the food web and what things we could do to help preserve the ocean and keep it clean and healthy. 

Going into more details when it came to the actual science of chocolate melting (for example that is it a physical change not chemical.

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For Demi:

Putting the apples in a few bags and leave them out for a varying amounts of time so students could see the varying effects of decomposition over a longer period of time and not just in one day.

Acknowledge every student and their answer even if they give the wrong answer, as a teacher we need to acknowledge each student and value their answers; just redirect them and help them with the answer. 

Explaining some terminology, its purpose and importance could further the understanding of the subject matter.. 

Observing a variety of items decompose over a longer period of time.

Controlling behaviors, projecting voice, challenging students answers, ,providing feedback. 

Explaining decomposition and what we could’ve been looking at- maybe just lead the class a little more directly to the actual observation process. 

Powerpoint or video could have helped the lesson to keep students even more engaged in the lesson as she was explaining the process of oxidation. 

Showing a ripe apple and one even more decomposed, if not in person then maybe in images on the screen. 

Showing chronological order of the process of oxidation. 

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For Nicole:

Having the students take pictures of their food web/map when they’re done and sending them to the teacher, so everyone can see everyone’s different creations. 

Explain some terminology, process,  and purpose of lesson and its importance

Provide more information, through video or powerpoint, about the stages of matter at the beginning of the lesson.

Explaining some terminology, its purpose and importance could further the understanding of the subject matter.. 

Looking at everyone's food webs at the end of the lesson would have illustrated the hands-on work of the students.

Use other means, rather than just the video to teach her lesson. Maybe the students could have been included through brainstorming, questions and answers, anecdotal narration of experiences with the ocean. 

Justifying the stickers activity by having students hold their work up and talk about how each has a flow. 

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In General

All three lessons should be 20 min., so that way the students are able to receive a more detailed and elaborate lesson. 

Work actively on getting the students attention. Project voice to command attention.

Require more people to share to increase class involvement.