Mary Vance

Week 9

Summarize
Today the students participated in an experiment that we will conduct for the next few days. We gathered two leaves from the same tree and put them in two separate sealed containers. We are going to keep one inside and one outside. One goal of the activity is to get the children to make predictions about the leaves based on their differing environment. Other goals of the activity are to make observations of the leaves each day to see the changes, if any, and then to make observational drawings of the leaves each day as well. In addition we will make a chart to show the leaves that we were drawn each day to document the changes the children observe. We asked the children a few questions: What do you think will happen to the leaves? Do you think the inside leaf will change colors? Do you think the outside leaf will change colors? The students made predictions and also drew the leaves using green because they both are green right now. As the days go on, the children will hopefully notice the change in color of the outside leaf and display this knowledge through their drawings.

Reflect I think that some of the children got restless during our discussion because we were talking for a longer period of time than normal. I would have changed this part of the activity by breaking up the discussion into parts so that the children would be more interested in the discussion when it was taking place. I think the children will benefit from the experiment because they will get to see the changes that occur each day, draw them, and then post them in a chart displayed on the wall. After the week is done or once we fill up the chart, we will discuss the outcomes of the experiment. The multiple steps, including the lead-in questions that we asked and the discussion we will have to conclude the experiment, create a fluid thought process that the children can visualize because we wrote down their responses and displayed their drawings. This is advantageous because their thinking will be visible.

Evaluate
The children showed some interest in the activity, but they didnt seem particularly enthusiastic about it. When we were talking about the questions during group, some of the students seemed to lose interest because they were talking or moving around on the rug. Interest in the activity will hopefully grow when the outside leaf begins to change colors. Based on the students responses to the questions we asked, not all the students thought the outside leaf would change, and some thought the inside leaf would change, so it will be interesting to see how they react to changes they observe. We achieved our goals because the children made predictions and drew the leaves.

Mary Vance

Week 9

Summarize
One of the activities the students did today was to measure a twig. They used pinecones, stars, and pencils as units of measurement. They chose a twig from among a pile, set it down on a piece of paper, and then one by one used the pinecones, stars, and pencils to determine how long their twig was. After figuring out the length they would write (sometimes with the help of a teacher) how many of each unit they used to equal the length of their twig. One goal for the students was to become familiar with the concept of measuring. To go along with this goal, we hoped the students would practice counting and writing numbers. The activity allowed for scaffolding because the pinecones only required the student to count to 4 or 5, whereas the stars were much smaller, making the student count to 10 or more. The pencils allowed for a little bit of deviation from the norm and a little creativity because the students could use a combination of the items to measure wit. This was because the pencil wasnt quite long enough to equal the twig, but two would be far too long.

Reflect
I think the activity helped the children to learn about measuring in a way they could relate to. They have been learning all about twigs and leaves, and this allowed them to become even familiar with them by measuring them. By using the pinecones, stars, and pencils the unit of measurement was something that was meaningful to them (instead of using a ruler that they had never used before). The part of the activity that stood out to me was when the students were measuring with pencils because they ended up using a pinecone or stars in addition to the pencil to equal the length exactly. The students reasoned that two pencils would be too long, so they added a pinecone or a star or two to complete the measurement. One addition would be to compare and contrast the students results. This would make their learning more visible because we would discuss the results from their measurements. Also the students could more clearly see that twigs arent all the same length.

Evaluate
The students werent quite sure what to do at first, but then I modeled how to do it for them, and that seemed to help. They smiled as they were participating in the activity and almost all the students took part in it (which they didnt have to do because there were many other choices they could have done instead). They understood to line up the pinecones, stars, and pencils next to the twig and then count the amount. We kept the activity as a choice for the remainder of the week, and next week we plan to add leaves as an item to measure. We met our goals because students began to grasp the idea of measuring and practiced writing numbers to identify the amount of each unit.

Mary Vance

Week 9

Summarize
We had an expert visitor come speak to the class. This was the second expert they had come talk to them. Noras stepdad knows a lot about different types of trees, so he came and led us around the school grounds explaining the trees we passed along the way. The main goal was to learn about different trees and compare them. At each tree he would ask the students to look for a leaf, acorn, etc and then explained how these things can be used to identify the tree. He also explained that trees are sometimes called by their Latin name, and he told the students the Latin names of all the trees we passed. The children asked questions about why the leaves were different and why some leaves changed colors but others didnt. Afterward we asked the students things they learned from him.

Reflect
The children were given the opportunity to learn lots of information. However, I think that this expert visit could have been improved if we had discussed more questions to ask him beforehand. It seemed like the students were not always listening because they were moving around, talking, and not looking at him. If he had done more of a discussion with the children, rather than just spewing out information, the children might have listened more closely. Another way the children could have gained more knowledge from the visit would have been to gather leaves from each other trees and compare the characteristics of each leaf next to each other (off the tree). This might have made the difference between the trees more clear to them. Afterward, we could have discussed the differences and done observational drawings of the leaves.

Evaluate
The students learned about four different types of trees on the trip around the school, and Noras step dad discussed the differences between each one. The students became more familiar with oak, maple, pine, and magnolia trees. They examined the leaves and the bark of each one. They compared the leaves of the different trees through discussion. There were times when some students were moving around and talking to each other. Based on this, they seemed to not be entirely focused. Noras step dad was often talking to the children rather than talking with them. The goals were met be cause the children learned about different trees and compared the trees parts such as the bark and leaves.

Mary Vance

Week 9

Summarize
Today the students were able to make an observational drawing of a small tree in a pot that was brought into the classroom. The students were allowed to gently touch the tree and use magnifying glasses to look more closely at it. I asked the children what they noticed about the tree. One by one I asked about the individual parts of the tree: its leaves, its branches, its trunk, and even about the soil. The students responded in a variety of ways to these questions and asked a few questions of their own. I gave each student a sheet of paper and colored pencils to draw with. Some students wanted to draw the entire tree, while others drew certain parts such as a leaf or the trunk. One goal of this activity was for the children to practice using the names of parts of a tree and how to describe them. Another goal was for students to make observations and record them through drawing.

Reflect
I think that the activity was successful. The children engage in observational drawings often, but usually just of smaller items such as leaves or little branches. The fact that the object they would be drawing was a whole tree (even though it was relatively small compared to a tree outside), and that it was in the classroom with them seemed to excite them. I think that talking about the parts of the tree helped the children in their drawing. In Art 201, we have discussed that discussion of an object allows one to recognize more details that he might not have noticed before. I think that the activity could be improved by allowing for more time to just observe the tree and all its parts. By allowing more time to explore the tree and really look closely at it, they would be more familiar with it before they start to draw. I could increase the awareness and knowledge of the individual parts by asking the students to focus on just one part of the tree each day and have them draw that individual part.

Evaluate
The children demonstrated interest in the activity by opening their eyes wide when they saw the tree, and some children opened their mouths wide as well. They also made comments and asked questions about the tree. The students made comments like We have a tree in our classroom! and asked questions such as Can we touch it? Because we have been talking about trees the whole semester, they knew many of the tree parts. When they started to draw, the children used colors that they saw on the tree such as brown, green, and yellow. Some drew detailed drawings while others scribbled as they looked at the tree. The goals were met because the students named parts of the tree and drew them.