My 7th and 8th grade science classes have been learning about protein synthesis. There are five steps that our book uses to break down the process and the students have really struggled learning about this concept. I don't want them to dwell too long on this one component of our chapter but I want them to understand the overall ideas of it. So I decided to have them break into groups and create a human model of protein synthesis. Each student has a job (DNA, mRNA, tRNA, ribosome, etc.) and they needed to make props and "costumes" of some kind for their presentation. I wasn't sure how they would take the project but majority of my students are LOVING the experience. I planned two days for organizing props and one day for the short presentations. The planning days have taken all week and students are still asking for more time. They are so engaged in this process and each person is taking on a specific role. I have observed students truly taking ownership of their role and within their group. I am excited to see their presentations on Monday!
This experience reminds me that there are many different ways to engage my students in the science classroom and it doesn't always have to be a true science experiment.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Plan for Blog Updates
My plan for updating my blog will be to develop a routine where I update it each week just like I update my school website each week. I think the best plan for me will be to update it each Friday while the weeks' activities and experiences are fresh in my brain.
Side note - I look forward to implementing a lot more technology into my classroom. Our school plans to step up the amount of technology that students interact with each day between now and fall of the upcoming school year. I am on the technology committee so I will be part of the team that will do the research to find out more about the resources out there for our students. I am excited about the new types of technology that our students will experience and look forward to learning about them myself.
Side note - I look forward to implementing a lot more technology into my classroom. Our school plans to step up the amount of technology that students interact with each day between now and fall of the upcoming school year. I am on the technology committee so I will be part of the team that will do the research to find out more about the resources out there for our students. I am excited about the new types of technology that our students will experience and look forward to learning about them myself.
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