Maggie Conrad's Elementary Science Methods Blog

 This week, we talked about mutation and what it is. Mutation is changes in genetic material. It can be caused by mutagens radiation, chemicals, and other infectious agents. Evolution and mutation can go hand in hand.   We did two different activities. The first one was called Preying on Beans. We acted like predators searching for prey with three different traits. The goal was to demonstrate the process of adaptation and selection. Our group used a spoon, a fork, and then two knives. We had thirty seconds to collect as many beans as possible. We then counted each bean and figured out the percentage of beans that were left over. The person that had the least amount of prey(beans) died and then got to pick a new trait(utensil) to use. We ended with three forks and one spoon.   The final activity was a Peppered Moth Simulation. The goal was for it to simulate changes in moth population due to population and predation, and observe how species can change over time. ...

 This week we did a review of what we did in our class last week. We talked about cell to DNA, DNA structure, DNA to protein, and our baby lab. We shared our babies with the class. It was fun to see what their baby looked like and how different each one was. We also talked about the differences between DNA and RNA structure. DNA has a T and RNA has a U. We then moved into mutation. A mutation is a change in the cell's structure. This could be from deletion, insertion, substitution, and rearrangement. We also talked about codons which are a DNA and RNA sequence of three nucleotides that encode a particular amino acid.        For an activity, we did a mutation superhero worksheet. We saw how the different mutations affected Dr. Johnston. He was either normal, a supervillain, or a superhero. We discovered that mutations in DNA are both advantageous and disadvantageous. This is because depending on the mutation they can affect the chromosome structure positively or ...

 In class this week, we did two fun activities. For the first one, we created a double helix with Twizzlers, Dots, and toothpicks. We used the red Dots as A and green Dots for T, orange for C, and yellow for G. Once completed we twisted the model to show an accurate visual of the double helix.      The next activity was a lot of fun. With my table partner, we flipped a coin to determine what features our baby would have. We flipped the coin to also determine the sex of our baby. Ours was a boy and we named him Daniel and he call him Danny. We started by flipping to see if our genes would be dominant or recessive. Based on our genes that's how we created our genotype to determine our phenotype. Once we finished with all the traits, we got to draw what our baby would look like.       I think these activities are great examples of what I can do in my future classroom! They were fun and helpful to visual learners. Also, my fast plant finally has flowe...

 This week we talked about flowers in class. We talked about what makes up flowers. Some parts are stigma, anther, filament, petal, and sepal. We checked on our fast plants and used dried bees to help pollinate. My plant is much sadder than everyone else in my class. Our as you can see from the picture is very small. We did get to observe someone else use the bees. They kinda grossed me out.   Our fast plant    We then did a fun activity in class surrounding sea turtles! We got to read a book called Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! This book talks about different obstacles sea turtles have to go through throughout their lives. Some facts I learned about sea turtles are that they take three days to get to the surface from their eggs, they have a special tooth to break their eggshell, they follow the light from the moon to get to the sea, and 1 out of 1,000 turtles survive to adulthood. We then switched to a game called fortune teller. With this, we listened to ocean so...

 This week we talked about ecology, which is the study of the relationship between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. We also talked about biomes, habitats, and ecosystems. Biomes are large areas with similar climate conditions and dominant types of plants and animals. A habitat is a specific place where a particular community of organisms lives. An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living things that intersect with each other in a specific environment. We then created a food web on Jamboard about the forest!      I can use the idea of creating a food web/chain for my future class. I think it is a fun way for them to learn about different ecosystems by using different technologies like Jamboard.   Our group's Jamboard  We also checked on our fast plants! We are staring to see more growth, but it's still not a big as everyone else's in our class. I also noticed how each square was at a different stage in its gr...

 This week in discussion I learned about the 5e model of science instruction.  I can use this in my future teaching by helping me plan my lessons, and it can help me be organized. The 5e model is made up of engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate.   Engage:  Accesses the learners; prior knowledge and helps them, with a new concept through short activities that build on their prior knowledge. These activities should promote curiosity and help them make connections between past and present learning experiences.   Explore:  Students actively explore the new concepts through hands-on activities allowing them to make their own observations about the new concepts.   Explain:  This is the phase where students can ask questions based on their exploration, and the teacher can clarify these questions. This can be a time for students to share what they already know so the teacher can make sure the information is accurate.  ...

 This week we talked about different life cycles! We talked mainly about butterflies and mealworms.  The life cycle for butterflies is egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly. The life cycle for mealworms is egg, mealworm, pupa, and beetle.  We then in partners created a life cycle out of play dough. My partner and I chose to create a turtle! We also planted fast plant seeds. We will be observing them for 40 days to see their growth and development. I can apply what I learned this week to my future classroom by using models and fun activities to help with my students learning. By doing fun/creative activities, it will make learning more fun and can make them excited to learn science. It also will help them remember the content.   Life Cycle of a Turtle  Hatching Stage Adding Water to our Fast Plant Seeds