Unit Of Practice #3
Learning From Children's Voices & Improving
Science Education: Unit Of Practice Evaluating
Available Educational Resources
Author/Title: Dr. Randy Yerrick/Associate Professor
Subject: Science Teacher Education
Grade Level: Higher Education
Evaluating Available Educational Resources
Introduction
Many novice teachers assume that if they need to teach a lesson on a specific
subject, they can simply go to the web, search for lesson plans, and teach it the next day.
However, this activity is meant to demonstrate that not all lesson plans and resources are
created equal. Part of learning to teach well involves pre-assessment of children’s
thinking and adapting instructional resources and strategies to help them achieve your
objectives.
Project Overview
In order to best teach children science, teachers must first identify children’s
thinking and match best practices and resources in developmentally appropriate ways.
Preservice teachers can interview their students prior to their lessons in order to establish:
1) what kinds of prior knowledge children have on a given subject, 2) how children’s
prior knowledge may come in the way of scientific thinking, and 3) what events or
evidence might be helpful in belaying incorrect thinking. Teachers need to directly
address beliefs as they establish their problem in the classroom, provide sufficient
evidence for confronting incorrect thinking, and scaffolded tasks and questions for
students so that children could use the concepts implicit in the scientific explanation.
Once the evaluation of the lesson or resource is completed, preservice science teachers
should revise their selected lesson plan, rehearse, and teach the lesson to a classroom of
children. After facilitating their lesson, teachers will reflect on their teaching in the final
unit of practice.
Project Steps
Step 1- Looking at student knowledge
Now that you have conducted your clinical interview and shared your findings
with the group, it is important to consider next steps for planning. You should go to the
web and download three lesson plans on your topic from different web sites. If you need
assistance finding lesson plans, refer to the appendix document entitled
“Science_Math_URLs.doc” which provides you with over a hundred different online
sites for lesson plans. Once you have collected three examples, you will be rating them
ranging from best to worst based upon criteria in the following forms and your own
criteria based upon your current teaching assignment.
First, let’s get clear on what students know and what you want them to know.
Complete the following table using short quotes and interpretations so that you can be
clear on how the lessons you have found meet your needs. You should refer to more than
one student as you complete this table from your iMovie.
What students said
Example:
Esther: “It’s winter
when it’s closer.”
Doug: “When the
Earth goes to the
other side, it’s
farther and it will be
winter.”
What they meant
Science Concept
Need to address…
The seasons are
caused by the Earth
getting closer and
farther away from
the sun during its 12
month orbit.
Seasons are caused
by the tilt not
proximity. In fact,
the Earth is slightly
closer during the
Northern
hemisphere’s
winter.
Be sure to find a
lesson that uses
temperature samples
from both the
Northern and
Southern
hemispheres at the
same time of year.
After completing this chart, write a list of objectives you have for your students being
sure to compare them to National and State Science Standards in your area.
Step 2 Looking at basic criteria
It is important to note that there is no single best way to write a lesson plan. Plans
have different levels of detail and format based upon the knowledge, experience,
students, needs, and beliefs of the teachers who develop them. Therefore, teachers
should be cautious not to simply download and apply a lesson plan without carefully
considering the students’ knowledge and special needs first. Similarly, one should not
discount a lesson plan simply on the basis of the format, time limit, or limited application
of the objectives. Many lesson plans have great ideas embedded within them but are
discounted because the reader does not use an imaginative interpretation of what could be
adapted for their own classroom. Many lesson plans have been built based upon a
standard model of: 1) objectives, 2) introduction, 3) instruction, 4) guided practice, 5)
independent practice, and 6) assessment. While this model has limited applications for
such teaching styles as science inquiry, it does serve as a venue to answer basic questions
about the lessons you have collected. Answer the following questions about the science
lessons you have found on your topic, remembering that you will use this information to
write a critique of the best and worst lesson you found. Rate the component as a 1, 2, or
3 for each question (1 = strong, 2 = adequate, 3 = weak/non-existent)
Lesson Component
Objectives
Introduction
Instruction
Guided
Practice
Rating
Prompt
Does this lesson…
 Clearly state desired objectives?
 Include a core concept/process of science?
 Help to students to achieve one or more State
objectives?
 Address what students already know about
the subject?
 Assist teachers in understanding what a
reasonable expectation their students
regarding this concept/process?
 Make use of real world events or data to
engage children in the use of the
concept/process?
 Adequately engage children in thinking
about the real-world event and scientific
concept?
 Encourage children in expressing their own
ideas?
 Assist the students in seeing the many
different ways to view and interpret the same
event?
 Assist students who are thinking naïvely
about the topic to want to change their
minds?
 Make clear what the scientific
concept/process is students are supposed to
be practiced?
 Limit the teacher’s talk when appropriate?
 Provide direct evidence from the world that
confronts non-scientific ideas?
 Encourage student-student talk as well as
teacher-student talk?
 Offer other ways of teaching besides telling
children information?
 Help teachers understand how to provide
feedback to students who are not practicing
the new concept/process expertly?
 Provide opportunities for examining how
proficient students are using the concept
 Assure success for ALL students in
practicing the desired concept/process at least
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Independent
Practice
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Assessment
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once expertly?
Are the applications of the concept taught
reasonable and a sensible way to think about
the world?
Give students specific data or events to make
sense of when applying the concept/process?
Are students given adequate time to complete
the activity?
Mention materials that are required for
completing the activity?
Offer students opportunities to engage and
produce evidence of their thinking in ways
other than oral responses?
Provide adequate instructions for how
students are to use the newly acquired
concept/process in a new context or event?
Provide opportunities to apply the
concept/process to a new venue, experiment,
or application?
Offer a close enough connection to the
examples in the guided practice so that
students see the extended application in their
new problem?
Provide a connection to the students’ lives so
that study will be continued at home?
Provide a specific indicator that the stated
objectives have been met?
Provide for a variety of ways to see the
students’ use of the concept/process?
Provide closure if appropriate or directions
for continued study if the lesson is not
completed?
Offer continuing assessment instead of a
single high stakes event?
Assure that students can answer the
assessment questions through a variety of
means of communication (e.g.; written
explanations, pictures, predictions,
calculations)
Does the assessment serve as part of the
continued learning process?
Part 3 Examining the role of children
Now that you have looked carefully at the basics of the lesson, consider your
teaching context. Who are your children? What ways do they learn best? How do you
assure success for ALL your students and provide multiple access points to the content
you want to teach? These are difficult questions that each teacher will answer differently.
However, the next step of reflecting on the lesson can be revealing about just how good
your lesson plan is at engaging children in learning science.
Write a chronology of all the events and approximate times it will take to
complete each component (See example table below). Once you feel you have addressed
all the lesson has suggested, look to the right side of the table below and try to generate a
description of what is expected of the children. Develop a corresponding mental picture
of what the children will look like in your mind as they speak, listen, draw, and
participate in ways the lesson suggests. Often you will find that the right side of the sheet
simply describes children sitting and listening to the teacher speak and offering answers
once in a while to tightly scripted questions of teachers. Research shows that, while this
is a prevalent model for science teaching, it is not the most effective in helping children
develop expertise using scientific concepts or processes.
Once you have completed both sides of this table, consider important questions
about your teaching context that help you to revise and rethink the lessons. Revise the
best lesson of the three you have found with consideration to the interpretations you have
made in the above steps.
Chronology of Events
Introduction: (3 minutes)
Teacher asks, “What causes the seasons?”
Teacher writes responses on the board.
Instruction (5 minutes)
Teacher browses the internet with students
using a projected weather page at the front
of the room as an assigned student writes
down temperatures for different world
cities.
Teacher asks, “Where is it the warmest
right now?”
Students Activity or Role
Students generate explanations being
allowed to come to the board and draw
where the earth is in its orbit during winter.
Students generate explanations being
allowed to come to the board and draw
where the earth is in its orbit during winter.
Students work at the desks copying data
from the internet as teacher reads off the
current temperature for each world city.
.
Guided Practice (10 minutes)
Teacher directs students’ attention to
discrepant data that clearly demonstrates
the error of the “closeness” model for
seasons.
Students practice making predictions for
other cities based upon the new model of
tilt.
Teacher provides alternative explanation of
the earth’s tilt with demo of globe and
flashlight.
Student compare their predictions with
other students. Students also provide
explanation of why equator is the warmest
Part 4 Writing a critique.
Write a critique of both the best and the worst lesson you found on your topic. Be
sure to mention how the lesson addressed the children’s thinking you uncovered in your
previous unit (UOP #2). Provide justifications for your interpretations. For example,
stating that you “liked the idea” does not provide adequate detail to know that you have
carefully considered what they author intended. Did it help you to directly address nonscientific thinking about the world? Did it offer and engaging way for children to use
real data and events? Does it represent the best science teaching you can imagine?
Would you use it for your students? If yes, what would need to be done in order to make
it fit into your context? Finally, write a reflection of what you learned from engaging in
this process of learning about children’s thinking. Be sure to emphasize the major topics
of this course.
Outcomes
After completing this project, students will be able to:
 Identify children’s prior knowledge
 Find at least three lesson plans pertaining to a specific science topic.
 Evaluate the lesson plan for its appropriateness to the children’s prior knowledge.
 Evaluate the lesson plan for its appropriateness to the educational context.
 Write a critique of the best and worst lesson plan.
 Reflect on what they have learned about lesson planning and preparation to teach
their selected scientific concept.
Technology Skills
 Browse the internet for lesson plans.
 Use a word processor to write a lesson plan critique.
 Use a word processor to create a reflection
Assessment Suggestions
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Preservice teachers should each write their own critiques and be held responsible
for defending their interpretations with the data from student thinking (UOP #2)
and class discussions or readings about teaching.
Methods instructor should give specific feedback on the thoroughness of the
critiques as well as the rating of the lessons according to a rubric.
Revised lessons should be shared with peers and given feedback on suggestions
before the lesson is taught.
Preparation and Duration
This project can be done in class or likely outside of class time as homework and will
take approximately:
 30 minutes to browse the internet,
 60 minutes to review the three lesson plans,
 30 minutes to develop the chronology of the lessons,
 30 minutes to revise the lesson plan, and
 30 minutes to write the critiques on the best and worst lesson plan.
Tools and Resources
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Tools: Computers (Internet browser and word processor)
Resource Page: “Science_Math_URLs.doc” included in this exhibit.
Prerequisite Skills
• Use internet browser to find lesson plans online.
• Use AppleWorks to create a basic word processing document.
Facilitation Tips
While preservice teachers should be responsible for finding and downloading
their own samples of lesson plans, they should be encouraged to share their critiques with
other teachers—especially their revised lessons. This is due to the fact that novice
teachers learn much about their assumptions by subjecting their opinions and best
thinking about specific lessons to peers who are less familiar with their topic and will ask
questions that the owners of the lesson might otherwise take for granted.
Preservice teachers should self-identify partners that are willing to work on a
similar topics so that there is a shared ownership over the lesson that is about to be
facilitated and filmed. These three member teams should remain intact for the interview,
clinical interview iMovie, critique of lesson plans, and reflection on practice iMovie.
Roles should be divided up equally and rotated in different tasks (e.g.; camera operator,
interviewer, writer/editor of interview protocol).
Tech Tips
A collection of URLs is available in this exhibit entitled
“Science_Math_URLs.doc” In it are over a hundred high quality web sites for
downloading science and math lesson plans for evaluation and revision. Here is a short
sample of what’s in the document:
Units of Practice integrating technology from the Apple Learning
Interchange
http://ali.apple.com
Over 7,000 units of practice are available at this site where lesson plans are
evaluated by at least two blind reviewers and rated on a four star scale. This
valuable site is searchable by State standards, subject, author, and other important
categories.
Exploratorium
http://www.exploratorium.com/
Housed within the walls of San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, the Exploratorium
is a collage of over 650 science, art, and human perception exhibits. The
Exploratorium is a leader in the movement to promote the museum as an
educational center. This unique museum was founded in 1969 by noted physicist
and educator Dr. Frank Oppenheimer, who was director until his death in 1985.
Earth Observatory
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
The purpose of NASA's Earth Observatory is to provide a freely-accessible
publication on the Internet where the public can obtain new satellite imagery and
scientific information about our home planet. The focus is on Earth's climate and
environmental change. In particular, we hope our site is useful to public media
and educators. Any and all materials published on the Earth Observatory are
freely available for re-publication or re-use, except where copyright is indicated.
We ask that NASA's Earth Observatory be given credit for its original materials.
Rainforest Animals
http://www.animalsoftherainforest.com
Animals for the Rainforest--a web site of great photos of rain forest animals
If you have teachers who are studying the rainforest and need pictures of rain
forest animals, this is a great side. The site has a scrolling frame on the left where
you can select the animals and great photographs of the animals appear on the
right. (Hit cancel when it asked for password.)
The Wise Group
http://wise.berkeley.edu/welcome.php
WISE is a simple yet powerful learning environment where students examine
real-world evidence and analyze current scientific controversies. Our curriculum
projects are designed to meet standards and complement your current science
curriculum, and your grade 5-12 students will find them exciting and engaging. A
web browser is all they need to take notes, discuss theories, and organize their
arguments... they can even work from home! Our Teacher Area lets you explore
new projects and grade your students' work on the Web. Best of all, everything in
WISE is completely free.
Math lessons on-line
www.pbs.org/teachersource/math
The site not only provides lessons and activities for math teachers, it also lets you
look at these lessons online. There are a variety of math lessons for all grade
levels to view.
PRACTICAL USES OF MATH AND SCIENCE
http://pumas.jpl.nasa.gov/
This site offers a collection of examples of how math and science can be used in
everyday life. It includes everything from preventing hypothermia to using
probability with traffic signals. Activities are given a grade level, rating of the
activity, and key words associated with the example. Comments are made on
activities, and you are also given the opportunity to comment on activities as well
as submit your own ideas. There are some great ideas on this site to use when
students ask how math and science relates to them.