Kristin
Forum Replies Created
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My rubrics could definitely use some fine-tuning. I like the idea of a general rubric for several projects/programs so students can expect consistency. If I'm able to stay on top of things, showing them their rubrics from several different projects throughout the year could be an interesting self-reflection piece.
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I also did not do well on the rubric quiz. I was quite a bit harsher on the students than I should have been, haha. I like that you have students do a self-assessment of their projects using the rubric before you grade it, and then have a discussion afterwards. I've only been teaching for two years, and self-assessment and peer review is something I'm still figuring out how to implement effectively.
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I've found that students really struggle with organization and deadlines. Last year especially, when so much work was done digitally, they had a hard time keeping track of documents they were working on, turned in, or hadn't even really started yet. We did one big project where I expected students to complete a background research document, create a poster or infographic, write a short proposal, film a short video explaining part of their project proposal, and create a scale model. I started keeping a Google Slide with a "progress grid" and kept that displayed on the board during project work days. A green square on a group's line meant that part was turned in, currently graded, and they were able to see feedback and make edits. A blue square meant they'd successfully turned that part in, I just had not assessed it yet. A blank/white square meant I had not received that project part yet. This visual grid seemed to help the groups plan their day, prioritize tasks, and in some cases, divide their tasks for the day.
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I really like the lemon lesson we read earlier and plan to use it as well. I'm hoping it will be a great demonstration for the importance of being specific and detailed when writing observations.
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Hi Dede! I explored the Budburst website a couple weeks ago, and according to their lesson plans, as an educator with an account, I can create a group within Budburst for my classes and invite students to the group. Students would create a username, then share that username with me so I can invite them directly to my group. This way, children under 13 can participate in data entry without sharing personal information or connecting the account to an email address. I am not sure if this option is available to everyone or just educators and their students. I am also not sure if the "username only" accounts would have access to the data. I plan to try this early in the new school year with my students, as I would love my 7th graders to enter their own data to this project.
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I explored the Marine Debris Tracker. The goal of this citizen science project is to track litter in areas ranging from backyards to oceans. They are hoping to get a bigger picture look at plastic pollution and distribution. This University of Georgia project was initially developed through a partnership with NOAA and is now "powered" by Morgan Stanley, an investment banking/financial services company. Their database is accessible to anyone, with or without an account. I did a quick search exploring the amount of plastic logged within in the last 5 years. After the search concluded, I was given the option to download the data in an Excel spreadsheet. The website automatically created a pie chart and bar graph of the distribution by category and top items logged. An interactive map allowed me to zoom in on a particular area to see what specifically was logged there. I could see my students using the graphs created by the Marine Debris Tracker website to hone their skills on graph interpretation and identifying what type of graph is appropriate for different types of questions. Students could use the data to compare types of pollution in locations around the world. They could also ask questions about seasonal changes of debris tracked and investigate a possible relationship between the two.
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@Kate Thanks for sharing that resource Kate!
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I'm also interested in doing Budburst. I'm thinking I will keep it simple by having students do observations in groups and limiting our observations to deciduous trees and wildflowers, which I think would be easiest for them to identify. It will make learning the phenophases a bit easier.
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Enthusiasm and excitement go a long way! When we are outside exploring and someone tells me they see a grasshopper or even a fungus, I'm like "WHERE???? I WANT TO SEE!!!!!!". They look at me like I'm crazy at first, but then before you know it, they are taking pictures of insects or fungus or animal tracks at their house and can't wait to show me. :)
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What a great idea to compare class periods! I had the thought of doing this activity once in the fall and then again in the spring and compare the two seasons.
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I feel you on the "IDK" problems. The struggle is real. Your post reminded me that I'm not alone, and that continuing to encourage them, build their confidence, and foster those personal connections is the best way to get over this. :)
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I see the same struggles in my students when recognizing the purpose and importance of a control and focusing on manipulating just one variable. I haven't figured out a great way to make that stick yet.
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I'm looking to do Budburst this year, so this was very helpful. I love the idea of the student-created diagram/list of appropriate clothes and gear.
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I love that book. Not only for its STEM and inquiry applications, but it's also just eye opening for how some people live. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read it, but his personal accounts of his first time experiencing some things outside of his native village/country were very humbling.
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@Pam Hi Pam! I can send you the procedures I use. You can find many varieties of this activity online by searching "Gummy Bear Osmosis". I picked components from several versions and added some things of my own to make it work for what I wanted to do. I'll email you at the address listed in the course community notes doc.
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I love that you included "accept mistakes". I also agree that many students today are so used to just "googling" the answer to things. And then they try to just copy and paste the answer rather than really exploring the why's. They forget that even the reliable Googled answers were found through a process.
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I try to have my students do a lot of sketching, such as sketching a leaf or flower they observe up close or something they observe under a microscope. Some enjoy it more than others, but it requires them to focus and pay attention to the little details. They can then look at their own sketch (and the details they noticed because of it) to begin asking questions. To get them beyond the general "What is it?" types of questions, I might have them compare their sketch to a real image of something similar but different, or an image of something we've already discussed in class so they can try to make connections and develop deeper questions this way.
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This is a neat idea Dede! Thanks for sharing!
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I downloaded the Budburst app and made some observations over the last week. The biggest challenge is identifying the phenophase for the different types of plants. Flower anatomy is not my strongest area, and I found myself being very unsure identifying the seeds on most flowers or determining if a leaf was fully unfolded or not. Luckily, Budburst has some lesson plans and activities on their website, which I found helpful. I can definitely see myself doing something like this with my students, using the printable datasheets you can download from the Budburst website. I would probably have them work in groups for this so they can discuss their observations and phenophase "decisions." I created a group within Budburst that will allow my students to upload data later. The student accounts do not require an email address or any personal information, just a username. This seems like a great, safe option for my 7th graders. My learning outcomes would hopefully be developing detailed observation skills, collaborating and communicating as a group, learning to recognize different phases of plant life cycles, and explaining how this data can be used to measure the effects of climate change and why we are collecting it.
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@Linda That's a great idea Linda! I will look into that!