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Today is the beginning of a 4 day STEAM training that could or could not let me, let down my hair. Nature has allowed the natural curl to shrivel, however my day continued on in a hope to educate me about some great science.
The first tip to any great Professional Development is Art Supplies.
Sharpie oil based markers did not do the trick. I have yet to use them consistently and they were ready to be replaced. I really enjoyed the vibrant colors and the way they felt on the paper, tape, and they are very useful on canvas. I wanted to try a different product so I picked up the Chameleon Color Tones and Color Tops.
The day was interesting because we learned a ton about life science. This branch of science deals with living organisms and life processes. However, they had me at the word insect, I was totally enthralled from then on.
DEFINING LIFE
Defining life was an amazing feat. There were some interesting terms thrown around and the words that I found the most interesting were interchangeable and synonymic.
living = nonliving
aerobic = anaerobic
biotic = abiotic
Using words to create a new definition was a great way to open up and get our shout outs in place and order.
HULA HOOPS - To further extend our learning we placed hula hoops in some known spaces and to collect data about the soil, debris, plants, insects, and it would have been cool to get an animal involved, but none were there. This lesson was extended with a variety of questions and some summary about how the lesson could change or be upgraded.
First thoughts were about the sample location and how we chose them and they were not randomly chosen, so it did not give a true blind sample of the environment. We could further this by setting the project up before the students collect data to be sure that the all areas are represented in equal standing to present a better representation of the location. Next, dispersal of seeds in the area could be tracked overtime and information could be obtained to provide how the seeds are carried and how far they can be carried from one location to another in the given area.
LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
SCIENTIFIC NAMES TAXOMY
Always add a theme song. If at all possible.
SCIENTIFIC NAMES
-based in Latin or Greek derivatives
-Genus is capitalized
-species is not capitalized
= Genus Species
= Homo sapiens
-when handwritten underline = Homo sapiens
-when typed italicize = Homo sapiens
ECOSYSTEMS
Create a terrarium.
Supplies
-Container with a top
-activated charcoal
-bedrock or rocks
-soil
-land debris
-moss (optional)
-insects (optional)
-3-5 seed types
First, layer the bottom of terrarium with activated charcoal and bedrock.
Next, add soil, plants some seeds and lay some moss.
Then, find some debris and capture some insects in a potato trap.
Finally, mist with water, put a top on it, and and enjoy your terrarium.
WAYS TO SUMMARIZE
Crayon Box
1. Students draw a crayon box with a minimum of 6 colors.
2. Students name colors.
3. Student creates a slogan.
4. Student creates a safety warning.
5. Students summarize using 3-5 sentences.
1 Pager
1. Student use a title and border to focus idea.
2. Students writes about 5 essential terms.
3. Students utilize 4 visual images.
4. Students apply 3 Costa's level questions.
5. Students write 2 quotations.
6. Students state main idea.
Diamante Poems
1 noun
2 adjectives
3 -ing verbs
4describing nouns
3 -ing verbs
2 adjectives
1 noun
