Activity #4

                                                                             Exploration of Science Education Standards


A.4.5 When studying a science-related problem, decide what changes over time are occurring or have occurred :  I have completed activity #1 in this class which involved us to solve three main questions which were determined by our experiments.  The freezing and boiling of water changed over time and I had to keep track of the time in which the water changed states.  Observing a change that happens over time is important because then you are a witness of how it is able to change, and you can see it first hand with your own eyes.

B.4.1 Use encyclopedias, source books, texts, computers, teachers, parents, other adults, journals, popular press, and various other sources, to help answer science-related questions and plan investigations: I have experienced this throughout high school with the many research projects that we did.  For our Advanced Science class we had to come up with a presentation to teach the class a chapter from our book.  In order to make it interesting we had to find a lot more information to keep the audience involved in our slideshow.  Having to look up all the information while using many different sources is a great way to pull in all sorts of information to help solve the questions being asked.  Using pictures, diagrams, and words is the best way we went about to teach our class the information needed from that chapter.

C.4.4 Use simple science equipment safely and effectively, including rulers, balances, graduated cylinders, hand lenses, thermometers, and computers, to collect data relevant to questions and investigations:  I just took a biology class with a lab and this consisted of a lot of hands on experimenting.  It was nice to get to see what was going on through a microscope instead of just reading about it everyday in class.  We used the microscope a lot in our class and looked at many slides to determine what things look like close up. Being able to use all the technology we have today helps us students to really get a good picture of what is going on.

D.4.4 Observe and describe changes in form, temperature, color, speed, and direction of objects and construct explanations for the changes:  In our Advanced Science class we did a lot of cool experiments that dealt with these types of changes.  We did temperature changes that depended on what substances were placed into the water, we also did experiments that dealt with colors changing or expanding depending on what substance the color was on.  I remember these experiments because they were interesting and something that I hadn't expected would happen.

E.4.4 Identify celestial objects (stars, sun, moon, planets) in the sky, noting changes in patterns of those objects over time:  In Elementary School we had the opportunity to star gaze with a made up sky made out of a sheet with holes as the stars.  We had a teacher go over the constellations and I always loved this because it looked so incredibly real that when I went outside later on I could easily spot the big dipper or other constellations that they had taught us about.

 F.4.2 Investigate* how organisms, especially plants, respond to both internal cues (the need for water) and external cues (changes in the environment:  In Elementary school we had a section of science that we had three different plants and we put them in different living situations.  For one of them we put in a closet with no light, one we put in a window with light, and the other we didn't water for an entire week.  Through this experiment I remember being surprised that plants needed so many different things in order to be healthy and grow.

G.4.2 Discover* what changes in technology have occurred in a career chosen by a parent, grandparent, or an adult friend over a long period of time:  My mother is a 4th grade teacher and I've been very close to her over the years.  The technology in the classroom has changed how students learn tremendously.  In her classroom she now has a smartboard in which they use every day.  Its very useful for interaction between teacher and students along with student to student.  Sometimes I think that the technology is too overwhelming for kids this age, but seeing as where technology is taking us in today's world, there is no way to avoid it.

H.4.3 Show* how science has contributed to meeting personal needs, including hygiene, nutrition, exercise, safety, and health care : Science has contributed to meeting personal needs because in Health class we tend to learn a lot about hygiene and how to take care of ourselves- along with how nutrition and exercise can benefit an individual.  Being able to prove why these things are important through scientific experiments is important for individuals to know that a lot of stuff is science based and can be proved through science.

1. What do you see are big changes compared to the previous standards?

I think overall there is a lot more hands on in the standards then there used to be.  The more experiments that can be performed makes for a better understanding of the information being taught and read.  Using the technology to help us extend out learning abilities is also a big change in the standards.

2. How are these standards connected to the other displines such as math and literacy?

In order to be able to follow these standards kids will need to be able to do math and be able to read the instructions for the experiments.  Science, math, and literacy all work hand in hand to make the students comprehend what is being done.  They need to read the instructions or the books that have the information in them, then perform the science part of it, and when writing down results they will need to be able to do math to see the results and compare and contrast their hypothesis.


3. What do you see will be challenges for teachers when considering some of the changes in the proposed science standards?

I think the challenge will be to fit in all of the standards and be able to come up with ways to allow the students to learn the information at hand.  Creating the curriculum so that the students can get the most knowledge out of it and so that the teachers are comfortable with what they are teaching will be a huge challenge.  One other thing I see as a possible challenge is all the technology that will keep improving and the teachers who are being forced to change their old ways and learn new ways is hard and will be complicated.