As I reflect on the lesson plan that I formatted for this class, I have to also reflect how my lesson went with my students. We are learning about cells. I introduced to my students to what a cell was, and how cell(s) make up organisms. The students seem to know about cells from their previous Science classes. When I had them describe the organisms that they could see in and outside the classroom, the students seem to be uninterested.
I brought out a jar of pond water, asking them what types of organisms live in pond water. Taking it a step further I took a drop of pond water. Asking the students is there life in this drop of water. Half of the class said yes, some said no, others said don't know. They were amazed of the organisms that I was able to show them. Engaging our students is a must. We need to use a variety of tools, resources and creative thinking to educate our students. There are great sites to explore. I am finding new sites every day. Using these sites with the students encourages them to explore the internet, to find a discovering that they can share with the class teaches not only them but the rest of the class.
Your lesson sounds like it could be great, but from my initial view of it, it seems as though the students are not doing much of the exploration. Maybe I am wrong? Give your students freedom to explore a variety of objects under a microscope to truly investigate what a cell is all about (i.e. cork, onion, cheek cells, pond water, hydra, protists, etc).
ReplyDeleteBarbara,
ReplyDeleteDo you think that it might be helpful to start the lesson with the question about the pond water? Getting them engaged in the lesson in the beginning might be helpful when posing the questions about organisms later on.
I am not sure if it would be possible or not, but perhaps the students could also collect their own pond samples? Amy