EEL 364: AG for FSN
Community-Based Learning
Science is more than a domain specific subject. Science is a thinking process which supports
inquiry reasoning to build a community of learners, developing the thinking skills to make
informed decisions as citizens. Elementary teachers are generalists and required to teach all
subjects in most schools. Your role as a science teacher will impact the future of this country.
Community-based learning is based on the idea that we learn best when we can relate what we
learn to our own experiences, and we retain such learning long beyond the meeting of the last
class. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, as a pre-service Education major, self-efficacy
is improved by experiences such as authentic participation in a community-based learning
endeavor. This assignment is worth 30% of your course grade.
Osceola Elementary School
November 7
Set-up 5-6
Action 6-7:30
Clean-up 7:30-8:00
Assignment
This assignment has three parts: planning and collaboration, teaching and reflection. You will
work in teams of two or three for this activity. You will contact and collaborate with available
Flagler faculty and community science resources to recruit participation, Meet a Scientist or
handouts for Family Science Night.
Part I. Planning- You will plan a science lesson appropriate for children and families
to do together. This lesson will use common readily available materials found in communities
and homes, must include collaboration with community or regional groups and you must
document how your plans will support social responsibility in this community. You will prepare
all materials to include a parent handout. You will teach your lesson in class prior to FSN. (1/3 of
assignment grade comes from this part).
Although specific details will be provided by your instructor, students will follow the example of
the popular television show, Mythbusters. Each student team will choose one science concept,
identify a common misconception about that concept, and develop a “booth” that corrects that
misconception in a scientifically accurate and engaging manner. The “booth” presentation will
go “live” at Family Science Night at a local elementary school. The rubric for this assignment
can be found on LMS.
Individual team members will be responsible for specified task areas. HOWEVER all team
members are expected to work on all components of this assignment. Your teams will have
assigned roles as follows:
Principle Investigator (PI). This person is the team leader responsible for monitoring all group
progress. This is the person who keeps all team members on task, makes sure they are preparing
the lesson, materials, and collaborative work. If any one team member does not fulfill their
roles and responsibility for this activity the PI is held responsible.
Material Manager(MM): This person makes sure all materials for Family Science Night are
ready. This person is responsible for bringing all materials for EEL student teaching center to
FSN.
Recorder/Reporter (RR): This person makes sure all information has been documented and
works with the team to prepare the oral report for the reflective narrative.
All team members are responsible for FSN implementation and clean-up.
The ten students working at GTM for their practicum will be a group that presents
the GTM activities at Family Science Night as designated.
Lesson Plan Format for FSN
You do not need to follow the Formal Lesson Plan Format as required for your formal
lesson plan assignment in this course. You will need to turn in and present your lesson
before FSN. Here is the format to follow for this.
Name(s):
Science standard (Broad)
Broad Science Content Area:
Specific science concepts and skills that support your science standard.
Myth/Misconception Question(s) you will be addressing with your activity
Identify all materials you will use for this project. This will include backboards, visuals,
parent handouts, and materials for actual investigation.
Specify who is responsible for each component of this project.
Specify how you will introduce your activity.
Include possible questions you will use during the activity. (formative and summative)
Plan for how to keep the crowd moving.
Specify how you will set up your area.
Presenting – You will teach your lesson in class as you will at FSN in order to refine your plans
and practice your approach.
Part II. Teaching: Family Science Night
Teaching – You will teach your science lesson at the Family Science Night at a designated
Elementary School (K-5) on the designated date and time. You will prepare all materials and
teach families the science lesson. You will document your participation with photos, videos and
other forms of electronic communication devices (1/3 of assignment grade).
Part III. Reflection. Your instructor will provide you with Reflection prompts. Your
thorough, carefully considered, and appropriate responses will constitute a significant portion
of your grade for this assignment (1/3 of assignment grade). There will be a written
narrative (submitted electronically) and an in-class oral presentation. Your narrative
must be at least one page (single spaced).
Sample Teaching and Learning Prompts
Using your lesson plan for this work, what planned specific science concepts were successfully
taught and how did you decide this?
Identify what you have learned about teaching science.
Identify what you have learned about working with parents. How will you use this experience
when working in your classroom?
Based on your experience how would you alter your plans for this lesson?
Sample Community Based Learning Critical Reflection Prompts
Given your community-based learning experience, were there any differences between your
expectations of the presentation and what actually happened? If so, what were they, and how did
they change your perspective?
How, specifically, did you apply what you learned in the course to developing your community
presentation? What challenges did you have, and what would you do differently in the future?
What life experience or learning from another class helped you address the challenges of
developing this presentation? How did you use that experience to meet the challenges of this
project?
How did this experience impact your learning of the _____________course outcome? Did this
experience encourage you to more fully engage in, and/or understand the course material? Why
or why not?
Each student must understand that there he or she is expected to uphold the highest
standards of professionalism as a representative of Flagler College in the community. The
Community-based Learning experience should be mutually beneficial to all participants.
As such, each student will be expected to deliver all products that they commit to in the
accepted project timeframe, and to prioritize their personal planning to accommodate this
expectation. Similarly, each student is expected to conduct themselves professionally,
including professional attire. The continued, potentially long-term relationship between
the College, its community partners and future students wholly depends on each
individual student embracing their responsibilities.