Unit One: Introduction to Science is done as well as the fourth week of school! I saw less of this . . .
and much more of this . . .
So having a growth mindset is paying off! I didn’t just read the article I mentioned last week regarding disengaged students, but I took it to heart. I upped my game in just connecting to students. Sometimes through gritted teeth (not out of anger, just out of mild panic that we wouldn’t get through what we needed to get through), I let go of my best laid plans to just take time to listen and sometimes to just dance.
Some examples of the success
One, actually happened at the end of week 3. On recess duty, I called once, yes just once for students to line up. I didn’t need to call more often. They all ran to line up and within one minute were quiet and ready to go into lunch.
Two, at the end of the day on Monday, we had a bit of a crazy end as the entire school went outside to celebrate our Maintenance Man’s birthday – School Celebration! We had a few students covered in icing from other students’ cupcakes, but I walked into my classroom from outside to see my entire 3rd period with chairs stacked, floor cleaned, and all sitting quietly on top of their desks (our end of day procedure). I wanted to be frustrated because we actually had ten minutes to finish our lesson, but I had to stop – Growth Mindset – Wow! They were so excited to surprise me! They had worked together to make sure everyone (even our often and slightly confused students) were completely on task!
Three, Wednesday and Thursday we had a summative assessment. I had a good idea that students were on target, but I wanted to see if they could put it all together. See last’s weeks post for an idea of what Unit 1 was all about. In fifth grade, in Texas, (and what I’ve read from the Next Generation Common Core Science Standards as well) students are expected to do more than just follow the directions of an experiment, they should be able to start creating their own experiments. So we put it into practice!
They had to create a testable question specifically centered around how the record amounts of rainfall in North Texas last Spring affected ecosystems. I also supplied several choices to help some students get going. After showing me their testable question, they were to create a potential experiment so they could then actually test the question.
We discussed their plans, then they got online to research their question. They recorded their research and formulated a claim. As we had spent most of our time and effort making sure we could create a Scientific Explanation, this is what I graded. Their evidence, claim, and reasoning – why their evidence supported their claim. I was pleasantly surprised at the results. This is not to say that everyone got a 100 or even a 90. I had at least one 50, several 70s and 75s. But I could see that they were on the right path. We have all year to grow our Scientific Brains. 😉
It also was a perfect chance to revisit Growth Mindset. Friday, I shared a video created by students on growth mindset. We discussed why the video was connected to returning their grades and also the connection to their hero projects. You may recall that Week 1, I introduced our Who is a Hero? project. We’ve been working every Friday on it. This Friday was to be presentation day, but I realized most students needed more time. I gave a free 100 to those who had finished.
Instead of presenting, we created “tweets” on small circles answering Who is a hero? Students either wrote who their hero is and why or they wrote the definition of a hero. They colored and drew on their tweets as well. I actually gave them a challenge to keep it to under 129 characters (and explained what that meant). We then tweeted out their responses!
Check out some of their projects here and here! I decided to Periscope progress on our classroom today. For the un-initiated, Periscope is connected to Twitter and allows for live video. Before school, I was periscoping videos of the progress I was making with my classroom. Now that Unit 1 is done, our classroom looks “lived in” and you can see how well their “tweets” turned out from today’s periscope!
Fourth and final, our first homework assignment was on Google Classroom. I mentioned this as one of my favorite tools last week. Instead of spending time in class on our Unit 2 Physical Properties Matter Pre-Assessment, I had decided to put it online. This also allowed me to introduce Google Classroom . . . slowly! Giving students and parents time to adjust! Most students (and parents) have been overjoyed and have quickly gotten on board. I think this has gone far to promote engagement as it’s fun and allows students to work at their own pace. There have been about a handful who are still pushing back, but I think we’ll get there in the end.
This next week we will begin Physical Science – Unit 2 Physical Properties of Matter. Tomorrow, we’ll experiment on Ice Balloons. Wednesday we’ll read Dr. Seuss’s Bartholomew and the Oobleck and create our own tiny batches of oobleck with corn starch and water. We’ll also start a new month long project where students will create a new matter!
If you’re interested in any of the lessons or projects, please let me know in the comments! Thank you for reading!