Mrs. Katrina D. W. Alegado, M.A.T.

8 th Grade Science Teacher Twin Falls Middle School Snoqualmie Valley School District Washington State Alaska’s Inside Passage July 2010

Lesson Details



Taught to a 6 th grade class at Covington Elementary in Covington, Washington.

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Unit was Earth Science with a focus on Oceans/The Water Cycle.

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Twenty-four students.

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50% Free and reduced lunch.

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5 ELL students.



1 IP student.

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1/3 class below grade level, 1/3 at grade level, 1/3 above grade level

Lesson Objectives

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Describe the methods used by MBARI researchers to study oceans.

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Formulate questions about our worldwide oceans.

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Navigate a website and apply information found on the website to answer questions.

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Write a summary paragraph about what each student learned from their research.



Engage in class discussions regarding oceans.

Washington State Standards



Science & Technology

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Understandings about science and technology.

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Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry.

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Understandings about scientific inquiry.

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Abilities of technological design.



Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges.



Science as a human endeavor.



Nature of scientific knowledge.



Historical perspectives.

Washington State Standards

        

Writing Standard 1: The student understands and uses a writing process.

2.2 Write for different purposes.

Reading 2.3 Expand comprehension by analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing information and ideas in literary and informational text.

3.1 Read to learn new information.

Communication Standard 1: The student uses listening and observation skills and strategies to gain understanding.

Standard 2: The student uses communication skills and strategies to interact/work effectively with others.

Ocean Observations *Write all answers in your Science Journal!* Predictions

Answer these questions as best you can in complete sentences: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

How do scientists study the ocean? How can they “see underwater?” Why is the ocean studied? What do we need to know about the ocean? What are some things you would like to know about the ocean or things that live in the ocean?

Questions

Now write down at least 3 questions you have about studying oceans. 1. 2. 3.

Activity

Instructions: Visit the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) website ( http://www.mbari.org

) and examine these parts: 1.

Click on

News & Info

, then

Researchers

to find out about the researchers who work at MBARI. Write down at least one thing you learned. 2.

Click on

Research & Development

, then

Current Projects

to examine the various research projects underway at MBARI. Write down at least one thing you learned. 3.

Click on

Marine Operations

, then

Vessels and Vehicles

to discover some of the tools MBARI researchers use to explore the oceans. Write down at least one thing you learned.

NAME ______________________________________ DATE _________________

1.

Click on

Observatories

, then

Technologies & Sensors

to learn about some of the cutting edge technology MBARI engineers are developing for seafloor observatories. Write down at least one thing you learned. 2.

Click on

Data & Images

to check out some of the data that MBARI has collected about the oceans. Write down at least one thing you learned. 3.

Take some time now to examine the MBARI website to answer any other questions you may have about oceans. Write down at least 2 more things you have learned: o o

Assignment Instructions

1.

Think about all you have learned about oceans so far. Now you will summarize your ideas and what you have learned. 2.

3.

4.

Remember to start with a beginning sentence, at least 5 details, and an ending sentence. Start with a “sandwich” and then write a rough draft summary. After your rough draft is done, revise using the first word from each sentence and the number of words in each sentence. 5.

6.

Edit next focusing on spelling, punctuation, and indent. Once you have improved your rough draft, write a final draft summary to turn in on a separate sheet of paper. I am excited to read about what you have learned! Good luck!

Lesson Analysis/Rubric

Strengths Technology integration Student engagement Wonderful visuals Higher-level questioning Weaknesses In-depth assessments Reading level on website Needs more near-real-time data

Lesson Modifications/Adjustments

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Formative assessments (through questioning techniques) throughout the lesson.

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Clear expectations for the research portion.

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Comprehension help for my ELL/lower level readers.

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Final summative assessment in the form of a written paragraph summary. This allowed state standards in science, technology, writing (and even reading and communication) to be met in one lesson.

Future Thoughts…

-by Katrina Alegado

    

More middle school (and elementary) level lessons/reading on MBARI website!

Cross-curricula integration within lessons.

ELL/IP modifications involved with the activities.

Clear correlation with national standards written in the lesson.

Website portion that focuses on interactions with elementary-level students.

U NIT E VALUATION Your thoughts on these lessons/activities will be critical to the continued refinement of these specific topics, as well as to the development of future teaching units. Teacher’s Name Katrina Alegado School Email Grade(s) Unit Taught Covington Elementary [email protected] 6 Earth Science Phone Class Size Subject/topic 253-373-2158, 253-373-7652 24 Oceans Not at all Adequate Excellent

Component Rating A.

O VERALL TEACHING UNIT

1.

Unit is clearly written 2.

3.

Objectives are well-defined and relevant to topic Instructions are easy-to-follow 4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Provides adequate background information for teachers Includes appropriate sequence of lessons/activities Easily integrated with national standards Grade appropriate and/or adaptable to grade level; comprehensible to students Interesting/motivating/compelling to students

0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

B.

A CTIVITIES

1.

Consistent with unit objectives 2.

3.

4.

5.

Include hands-on components Include inquiry-based/problem-solving components Engage students in the scientific process Incorporate real-time data in an authentic way Integrate technology appropriately 6.

7.

8.

9.

Offer low-tech/alternative implementation options Appropriate for a variety of learning styles Include sufficient extension activity(ies) 10.

Teaches described concepts

C.

C ULMINATION /M ASTERY

1.

Includes information on product/process assessment 2.

3.

4.

5.

Specifically measures the unit objectives Offers ways to assess students’ thinking about the topic. Results in creative, authentic student work Provides opportunities for student reflection on learning 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

What are the strengths of this topic/lesson?

The strengths of the Ocean Observation lesson are the technology integration and engagement from the students. They truly enjoyed learning about oceans and all the ways scientists are studying this ecosystem around the world.

What are the weaknesses of this topic/lesson?

The weaknesses would include lack of in-depth assessments at the end of the lesson. My sixth graders also struggled a little with the reading/information on the MBARI website, since it is above some of their reading levels (especially ELL students).

What modifications are needed to improve this topic/lesson?

I modified the original lesson to meet the needs of my students. I incorporated formative assessments throughout the lesson (what were they learning at each part), reading help for some of my students, and a more comprehensive final summative assessment. Once my students were finished with the research and discovery part of the Ocean Observation lesson, they published their final thoughts into a summary about their new knowledge. With this modification, I met standards in science, technology,

and

writing allowing this lesson to cover multiple concepts and state standards.

Please include any additional comments that you think will be useful to you and others at next year’s workshop.

I am impressed by the variety and depth of lessons on the MBARI website. My only concern is not enough lessons for middle school (grades 6-8) students. My students were completely excited to learn about the oceans and everything about MBARI. I would love more activities geared toward their age group and I would be honored to help develop further lessons at a future EARTH workshop.

Please let us know of any resources (Web sites, materials, etc.) that you used or think would be useful to enrich/enhance the unit.

Once my students were completed with the Ocean Observations lesson, I began to develop further ideas for extensions. In the Spring we teach Visual Reports and I plan to assign each group of three from my class an ocean zone to research and report back to the class about their findings. This would include basic information as well as a call to action for ocean conservation. Resources would include the MBARI website and information from Nettrekker (search engine with subscription through our district) to guide student research. Even as 6 th graders, they are ready for this critical thinking to help them save the oceans for future generations! Thank you very much for your time and assistance with this evaluation. If you are interested in participating in future EARTH workshops, please let me know. Using an activity and completing this rubric are requirements for participation. We will be discussing these evaluations and looking at the existing activities, as well as creating some new ones. Please return this form to me either in hardcopy or electronic format. Dr. George I. Matsumoto Senior Education and Research Specialist Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute 7700 Sandholdt Road Moss Landing, California 95039-9644 831 775 1757 (phone); 831 775 1620 (fax) [email protected]