Team Teaching Assignment

Team Teaching Assignment

Caryn Asherson and Brandi Turnbow

Two-week Lesson Plan

Subject: Water

Topic: Movement of water

Lesson 1:

Purpose: Introduce water unit

Introduction:

Ask students to brainstorm and share things they know about water onto the white board.

Activities:

Make a cover page for Water unit. They are required to show three things the class brainstormed on their cover page. The cover page must say Unit 3 Water, and the cover page must be drawn with care and colored.

Review:

Students can share their covers with the class for the last five minutes of the period.

Homework: Finish cover page.

Teaching Methods:

Discussion, brainstorm, word wall, writing, drawing and coloring.

Lesson 2:

Purpose: Introduce vocabulary of the unit.

Introduction:

Tell student in order to speak scientifically about water we must learn the words that scientists use so that they can speak intelligently about the topics they are about to cover.

Activities:

Student receive vocabulary sheet with all words from the unit. For each word they must: write the definition in their own words. Draw an illustration to match. Find a real life example of the word and describe it. For instance “sea mount – the Hawaiian Islands are sea mounts that broke the surface of the ocean and became islands.”

Review: none

Homework: Finish vocabulary at home, due tomorrow.

Lesson 3:

Purpose: Introduce homework for next week and a half.

Introduction:

Print the Heal the Bay story from the Internet, and have students popcorn read the story.

Activities:

Pass out the homework. Introduce students to sewage treatment, but inform them that treatment facilities cannot filter out chemicals like cleaning detergents, soaps, household chemicals etc. Explain homework project that is attached. Students are basically asked to record all chemical waste their family puts down the drain for one week. They need to find out if the ingredients to the products they use are considered safe for the environment. They also need to find out how much water their family uses a week, month, and year. Students are then asked to come up with ways in which they can reduce their chemical pollution, and water use.

Review: Check in periodically with the class for questions.

Homework: Complete project.

Teaching Methods – Project based learning

Lesson 4:

Purpose: Students to learn the process that liquid, gaseous, and solid forms of water go through. Students will learn what drives the water cycle.

Introduction:

Tell students that we will be learning about the water cycle today. Let them know that they will be building a model water cycle in class.

Activities:

First go through the steps of the water cycle with the diagram that I created. I like to start with evaporation because you can explain how the sun drives or powers the water cycle.

Also the model will start with evaporation. Have students color code each step of the cycle (evaporation red, condensation purple, precipitation blue, percolation brown, and run off green). As you go through the process have students write down the process steps in the diagram, for instance for condensation “gaseous water cools down when it hits the cold layer of the atmosphere and changes from a gaseous form of water back into a liquid form of water.”

Supplies for the model: Hot plate, beaker, over head plastic cut into fourths (1/4 per lab group), and water.

Fill the beaker ¾ full, place the plastic over the top of the beaker, and turn on the hot plate. Student should voice, and then record observations.

After the model has gone through the cycle, and you see “rain” turn off the hot plate.

While the water cools fill out the diagram of the beaker. Color code the steps the same way. Evaporation red, condensation purple, precipitation blue, there is obviously no percolation or runoff.

Review:

Ask students to think of other ways they could create a water cycle model, if they had unlimited supplies. Ask students how they could create a more realistic model that included percolation and runoff.

Homework:

Non-point pollution homework project. Directions attached at end of section. Ongoing project over two week period.

Teaching Methods:

Direct instruction, laboratory activity, structured notes, diagramming and coloring.

Lesson 5:

Purpose: To show the many different forms of fresh water rivers on Earth.

Introduction:

Let students know how and when the film was made. Tell them what they can expect to see.

Activities:

Play documentary “Planet Earth Rivers.” Stop and discuss throughout film.

Review:

Watch the Diaries portion at the end, it tells about the adventures of filming Parana in the

Amazon. This will also help with tomorrow’s lesson.

Homework:


Teaching Methods:

Direct instruction, discussion.

Lesson 6:

Purpose: Take the rivers lesson from yesterday to the next level, and asses what they learned.

Introduction:

Introduce and books you have on rivers, floods, glaciers…pretty much any fresh water.

Tell the students a true or made up story of you going down a river, or read a story. You can find them in adventure magazines or on the Internet.

Activities:

Ask student to write a true or made up experience of them as they travel down a river.

They can travel any way they please…boat, tube, canoe, kayak, raft, floating free etc.

Their story must be realistic but not necessarily true. They must incorporate three things they learned about rivers from the video, or the books you have. They must include an illustration from an exciting scene from their story. Give everyone approximately 30 minutes to write. Then students can share their adventures with the class. It is fun to play the game “true or made up” so students tell their story and the class votes if it is real or not. This told prior to the assignment motivates students to write a great story to try and fool the class.

Review: Sharing and discussing stories.

Homework:


Teaching Methods:

Creative writing, sharing, a game, drawing, showing what they have learned.

Lesson 7: Sewers, Where does “it” go?

Purpose: Freshwater’s movement through sewage systems and into the ocean.

Introduction:

Where does “it” go? 10 minute video from Hyperion Water Treatment Facility.

Activities:

Create a list of steps with drawings of where sewage comes from, how it moves, how it is processed, and where it goes.

Divide class into 7 groups and assign each group a step to teach the class. Students get 15 minutes to create a skit or presentation to explain their step in the process. Students perform steps in order.

Review:

Presentations.

Homework:


Teaching Methods?

Direct instruction (video), structured notes (steps), Group work and kinesthetics

(presentations).

Lesson 8: Estuaries, a natural sewage plant (Ballona Wetlands).

Purpose:

Movement of fresh water through rivers to the ocean.

Introduction:

Reading on the Ballona Wetlands (attached)

Activities:

Build a model of a river and an estuary. Use baking dishes, sand, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, straws, and made trash.

Review:

Draw and label a picture of model, and explain how it works.

Homework:


Teaching Methods:

Direct instruction through reading and discussion, Constructivist (model building), and structured notes (diagram model).

Lesson 9: Sewage Treatment Plant / Wet Lands comparison T-chart.

Purpose:

To show that wetlands serve as a natural “sewage treatment plant” for the ocean.

Introduction:

Remind students of the “where does it go?” video. Ask them to think of the stages of sewage treatment.

Activities:

Hand out the T-chart. Go through the steps of sewage treatment and fill them in on one side of the t-chart, ask students to recall, but fill in blanks or insert stages when necessary. Next ask how each stage is similar to wetland filtration and make arrows when stages are close or similar.

Review:

Ask students to write a paragraph reflection on how the wetlands are like a sewage treatment for the ocean, and why they are important to maintain here in Los Angeles.

Homework:


Teaching Methods: Direct instruction, graphic organizer, class discussion.

Lesson 10: Design an Ocean Model

Purpose:

Build a model of the ocean in the classroom to teach students about light zones, pelagic zones, benthic environments, thermal zones, land forms, and life at correct levels.

Introduction:

Students write two – three paragraph describing a make believe trip under water. What will they see and where will they see it. Is it warm or cold? Is it light or dark?

Activities:

Break up ocean into sections. Assign different groups to be responsible for different parts of the ocean. Construct model over 4-5 day period. Picture included.

Review:

Create a diagram of the ocean and have students label it based on model. Students should color diagram different colors for every different label. Then have students color code vocabulary words to match diagram.

Homework:


Teaching Methods:

Using a model, reading and writing, small group collaboration.

Lesson 11: Ocean Cranium

Purpose: This can be an informal assessment or help them study for a quiz.

Introduction:

Study diagram and vocabulary. Ask students to think of how they would draw or act out each label or vocabulary word.

Activities:

Create cards on note cards with all parts of the ocean on each card (about 30); also create about 10 trivia cards. Mix them up. How to play the game: Students are broken into 3 teams, Choose who goes first. Students in groups of two from a team come up to the front. They roll a die. If it is odd the “act” if it is even they “draw” on the board. They draw a card and that is what they have to act or draw. They have one minute to get their team to guess what it is. One of the team up front does the acting or the drawing the other listens to their team to say the correct answer. 5 points for correct answer, 3 points for first steal, and 1 point for second steal.

Review:

This really works as a review itself.

Homework:


Teaching Methods:

Interactive game, small group mixed with whole class.

What went well?

Team Teaching Assignment Daily Reflections

Reflection Day 1

I always like starting out a unit by accessing students’ prior knowledge. It enables me to see what students already know and it allows me to identify misconceptions and incomplete knowledge. Furthermore, a KWL chart facilitates learning by making it possible for students to build upon what they already know.

What could have been done better?

Next time I will also ask students to brainstorm as many water sources as possible and categorize them as fresh or salt water.

What will you do tomorrow?

Students will be exposed to some of the vocabulary that will aid them in understanding more abstract concepts about water.

Educational concepts used or observed.

Activating prior knowledge, posting, sharing ideas, discussion.


What went well?

Having students draw the key terms allowed me to check for understanding. It enabled me to see if students truly comprehended the abstract concepts. It also assisted visual learners in retaining complicated concepts in a more concrete way. Having the students find real world examples of the vocabulary helped bring relevance to the new terminology.


Next time I will show photographs on the projector that relate to the new vocabulary. I will also save examples of good student work that I can use as models for future students.


Students will begin the chemical waste audit in their homes.


Reading, writing, summarizing, drawing, making relevant connections.


What went well?

By implementing a project that revolved around a real-world problem students were able to identify with the challenge. Therefore, because the problem directly related to their lives, motivation was high.


I should have spent more time modeling how to fill in the chart to clarify any misunderstandings.


We will work on creating a model of the water cycle using hot plates and beakers filled with water.


Listening, modeling, direct instruction.


What went well?

This is a great activity for helping students visualize what happens in the water cycle. Students were highly engaged and were able to verbalize the different steps in the process. Listening to student discussions enabled me to identify misconceptions, as well as to push students further in their understanding.


I should have spent more time discussing safety procedures when using the hot plates. It was the first time some students had ever used them and there were some near accidents.


Watch Planet Earth Rivers


Structured notes, modeling, inquiry, and laboratory.


What went well?

Students enjoyed the film and generated many questions and discussion points during and after film.


I should have created a guide for students to fill out while they watched the film. This would have highlighted the most important ideas and given students a reference for tomorrow when they work in their journals.

What will you do tomorrow? Journal based on film.


Direct instruction through film, discussion, questioning, hypothesis formation.


What went well?

Students were so creative with their stories. Knowing that they would be presenting their stories to an audience really motivated them to be inventive with their writing. Their narratives were imaginative and at the same time they were a good formative assessment.


I think I should have spread this lesson out over two days. The time it took students to read their stories to the class took longer than expected.


Watch the video “Sewers…Where does “it” Go?


Writing process, illustrating concepts, applying learned knowledge, discussing


What went well?

Students are often shocked that used water is cleaned and then recycled for reuse. This is a very relevant topic to students’ lives and therefore they are easily engaged when this subject is discussed. Besides, they love anything that is gross.


Next time I will create a guide for students to fill out while they watch the film.


Field trip to the local sewage treatment plant.


Direct instruction through video.


What went well?

We were given a tour of the sewage treatment plant. Our guide explained step-by-step how water is filtrated and how disease-causing microorganisms are removed from the water supply.

Our tour traced the treatment of wastewater from the water treatment plant, back to students’ homes. Students were showed how water was tested for pH, hardness, and chemicals. Students were told that cities and towns have only had sewer systems for the last 200 years. Before then, wastewater was often dumped into open gutters and allowed to run directly back into rivers and oceans. They were still traumatized that sewage was cleaned and then returned to their homes; however, this fact still managed to generate a whole bunch of “eews.”


Next year I will spend more time explaining the process of water filtration before we go on the fieldtrip. I think I will also create a guide for students fill out as they tour the treatment plant.

Now that I have been there, I have a better idea of how the tour is run.


Sewage Plant/Wetlands T-chart


Fieldwork, listening, observing.


What went well?

The fieldtrip was a great real-world learning experience for the kids. I made such a difference in their understanding of how water is cleaned. I think that participating in this field work experience helped the students retain much more information and increased their understanding of water filtration.


This lesson went pretty well. Not too much I would change.


Model Ocean Project


Compare/contrast, matching steps, reading, writing, discussion, review.


What went well?

Students really got involved in this project. One student told me it was his favorite project so far.

Students brought craft items from home to enhance their ocean biomes. Creativity really soared with this project.


I think next year I will have students list the abiotic and biotic factors in their ocean biome. I also want them to show at least one food chain with producers, 1 st

and 2 nd

level consumers.


Ocean Cranium.


Building a model, reading, writing, constructing, illustrating, and group work.


What went well?

The game was a great way to review key concepts. Motivation and engagement were high.


Next time I will make 4 teams instead of 5. I will allow students to “pass” if they do not want a turn. Some students seemed more affected than others when they missed an answer.


Hydrothermal vent lab.


Team work, drawing, acting, answering questions, keeping score, time constraints.

Team Teaching Reflection

:

Reflections on Working with others

Positives – Brandi and I have been planning on sharing ideas since the beginning of our master’s program. We both teach the same subject and grade level and had many ideas and suggestions to share. This project finally pushed us to make the time to collaborate. Brandi has very innovative ideas and is experienced in implementing project-based learning. She really helped me with advice on how to apply the same teaching practices in my classroom.

It was great to have a partner with lots of skill in this area so that I could ask questions on how she handled different situations like grading, classroom management, and attaining supplies.

Challenges – Needless to say, our schedules were very busy. However, we communicated by email regularly and met for a few minutes each week during our night classes to discuss our ideas.

Outcomes – This was such a positive experience for me. Brandi was so easy to work with and I have received so many original teaching ideas from her. We will definitely continue to collaborate and share ideas in the future.

Reflections on pedagogy

Positives - Working together gave me the confidence to try some teaching strategies I had never tried before. The fact that I had someone to solve problems with gave me the support that I needed to take chances in my teaching. Brandi is very driven and confident in her teaching. She helped me to rediscover my enthusiasm for teaching. I am the only person who teaches 6 th

grade science at my school. As a result, I don’t really have anyone to team with to share ideas. Having someone to bounce ideas off of was a great experience and I am

happy to know that I have someone passionate about teaching who I can collaborate with in the future.

Outcomes - I think our teaching styles really complement each other. Our ability to supplement each other’s lessons made the instruction balanced and improved our skills in making our teaching student-centered.

Reflections on teaching in general.

As a teacher, I am always wishing I was able to go and sit in on other teachers’ classrooms. I would love to be that student again. Teachers have so many inventive strategies that make classroom management and teaching more effective. This assignment enabled me to get an inside look into a fellow teacher’s classroom without the feeling like I was imposing. I got a behind the scenes look at how another class functioned and it truly helped me improve my own teaching.

Reflections on science teaching.

Science teaching is unique in that there are so many ways to relate the subject to students’ lives. Science is ever-changing, making it a very exciting subject to teach. It is amazing to see the looks on students’ faces when they make new discoveries. Collaborating with colleagues is the ultimate way to find ways to deliver the subject to students with many different learning styles and levels of ability. I learned how to implement more inquirybased, hands-on lessons and I gained confidence in my ability to make learning relevant to my students.

Reflections on leadership.

This assignment fostered leadership in that I was able to guide a fellow teacher in enhancing her instruction techniques. I had to listen to someone else’s ideas and then implement them in a way that fit my own teaching style. Being a good communicator was very important during this assignment, as was making my partner feel comfortable that she could talk to me about her concerns.

Team Teaching Assignment

Team Teaching Assignment Daily Reflections

Team Teaching Reflection

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