Scientific Method Cartoons

Students analyze a problem and decide how to solve it by using the steps of the Scientific Method.  From these cartoons students use the iPads and the Educreation APP to make a presentation.

Presentatations
Not Mowing the Yard| Educreations
Scientific Method| Educreations

Twitter Center

After finishing our first quiz students were instructed to complete a white board for the Twitter Center.  I was very impressed with the variety of boards produced by the class.

The Scientific Method Cartoon

LINK: Example 2

Students use the Educreations APP on their iPad to create a cartoon to finish the story.  They must use all six steps of the Scientific Method.

1. Observation/Question

2. Hypothesis

3. Experiment

4. Analyze Results

5. Conclusions

6. Communicate Results

The Scientific Method

 

 

In the Interactive Notebook students watched The Scientific Method Paper-Slide video I created to complete a basic graphic organizer about the process of solving problems (right side).  Then I read the class a story from "How To Think Like a Scientist" and together we analyzed how a chicken farmer used the scientific method to explain an observation he made about his livestock.  We broke down the farmers situation into the basic steps we had discussed in class, and completed another graphic organizer to that mirrored the first one (left side).

The Scientific Method

They Might Be Giants: Put It To the Test
The Scientific Method Paper-Slide Video by Mrs. Candea

AVID Interactive Notebook

Today students finished setting up their AVID Interactive Notebooks.  This notebook is different than other notebooks because of the way it is organized.  We add an element of organization to the student notebook to improve students ability to remember content recorded in it.  On the cover students were instructed to draw a picture of themselves and write four traits that describe them.

Classroom Rituals and Getting to Know Each Other

The first week of school has been spent going over school rules, classroom rituals and spending time getting to know each other.  Students have started working on a biography sheet called "Who I Am" and  completed a Find-Someone-Who activity where they interviewed and recorded what other students did over the summer.

Resources:
Find-Someone-Who
Who I Am

Classroom Centers for the Early Finisher

This is the report week for the teacher of my district.  I have been thinking about ways to improve my classroom all summer.  One of those ideas was to add centers that the students could work on independently after they finish their science work, while they wait for their peers to catch up.  Below is a quick summary of each center.

READING CENTER

At the reading center students have a choice of three activities to complete.  Directions are posted on the side of the book case and extra direction handouts are available in the basket on the shelf.

1. Silent read a book or magazine to go towards their goal of reading 25 books this school year

2. Complete an AVID One-Pager on any article from a Science World Magazine

3. Complete 3 Reader's Response Questions about any article from the Science World Magazine

By completing and turning in 5 One-Pagers or Reader Responses students can earn a class coupon.

Resources:

Reading Center Directions

AVID One-Pager Directions

I got the Reader Response Questions from Mrs. Russ's non-fiction literacy center.

Twitter Center
At the twitter center students have a choice of three activities to complete.  Directions are posted at the top of the tweet shelf.
1. AVID Frayer Model on current vocabulary word
2. Write and draw about the current lesson
3. Complete a sentence frame about current lesson

Resources
Twitter Center Directions
AVID Frayer Model Example

Student Technology Center
At the technology center students have a choice of six activities to complete either on the student desktops or the class set of iPads.  Directions are on the counter.
1. Check Edmodo for missing work
2. View class blog
3. Be a guest Blogger
4. Upload a photo of their work to __ (still working on this)
5. Review class flashcards using Quizlet
6. Create an Educreation clip about a current science topic

Resources
Student Technology Center Directions