Article Review

I loved the fact that teachers can measure their students' previous knowledge and experiences with plants by just observing how they plant seeds. In this article, it expands a plant-seeding ... See More

I loved the fact that teachers can measure their students' previous knowledge and experiences with plants by just observing how they plant seeds. In this article, it expands a plant-seeding activity into a meaningful science hands-on activity that helps students learn about living organisms. I've learned that teachers are capable of helping the students enhance the sense of the diversity of life on Earth by giving them the opportunity to interact with different plants and animals throughout their school lives. TEKSs that would go along with the plant-seeding activity are K.1.B. and K.2.A., which require students to conduct a science experiment both in the classroom and at home. They then are expected to develop related questions and seek answers. I agree with the article about the idea that documenting students' behavior that reveals their understanding would allow the teachers to address the various misconceptions.

Early Years: A Lesson on Living Organisms

I chose this article because it gave many ways to address common misconceptions about plants and seeds, as well as a hands-on activity for planting a seed. I learned from this article that a... See More

I chose this article because it gave many ways to address common misconceptions about plants and seeds, as well as a hands-on activity for planting a seed. I learned from this article that a child's understanding about the diversity of life begins at a very early age through their own experiences. This can be from looking in a fish tank or with their own pets. TEKS that could go along with this article and its activities are K.9.A and K.10.D. These TEKS require the student to understand the basic needs of a plant and seed, as well as the life cycle of a plant. With this information, I would plant seeds with my class and complete the activities mentioned in the article to address any misconceptions. I agree with this article when it says that hands-on is the best way to go when learning about seeds and plants. I also agree that misconceptions should be addressed, and it's best when done with concrete examples.

Review of Living Organisms

I loved how this article gave different examples of how to expand students’ thinking on different misconceptions. It is important to find any misconceptions you can about a topic so you can ... See More

I loved how this article gave different examples of how to expand students’ thinking on different misconceptions. It is important to find any misconceptions you can about a topic so you can address them and the students can work through their cognitive dissonance as a group and come to an answer based on mutual understanding of the concept. I also really liked how in the lesson, you were not just supposed to ignore a wrong answer, but simply ask the students what their evidence was for that claim. Loved that!

Early Years: A Lesson on Living Organisms Review

I chose this article because it had a lesson plan template already mapped out for a lesson on living organisms. It was also a hands-on activity which I like, because I feel like younger stud... See More

I chose this article because it had a lesson plan template already mapped out for a lesson on living organisms. It was also a hands-on activity which I like, because I feel like younger students will be more engaged. One thing that I learned throughout this lesson plan is that seeds need a certain amount of space to grow. As old as I am, this is something I never knew! I do not have a green thumb. One TEK that I found that goes along with this lesson plan is K.9.B Organisms and environments. The student knows that plants and animals have basic needs and depend on the living and nonliving things around them for survival. The student is expected to: examine evidence that living organisms have basic needs such as food, water, and shelter for animals and air, water, nutrients, sunlight, and space for plants. I would use this TEK in my classroom when I use this lesson template. I would first introduce the basic things mentioned in the TEK above and then participate in the students planting seeds, and observing the plants grow. One thing that I do not like about this article, is that the lesson plan call for a sort of "trial and error." Students are expected to plant seeds without knowing anything about plants, and hoping they grow. I would switch this lesson plan around and have some information introduced before allowing students to plant seeds.

Article Review

I chose this article because it’s a great hands on activity for students to learn about plants and how they grow. It allows you to alter the activities based on the needs of each individual ... See More

I chose this article because it’s a great hands on activity for students to learn about plants and how they grow. It allows you to alter the activities based on the needs of each individual student. It also talked about the importance to identify the misconceptions and address them to where the student is the one who figures it out from their hands-on experience. This article showed me different ways to extend a student’s understanding based off their prior knowledge. It also provided ways to extend this to other lessons such as how plants change their environment and how the environment can affect plants. TEKS that I found to go with this activity were K.9.B and K.10.A. I agree that the best way for students to learn are through hands on activities, where students are the ones that are coming up with their own observations and ideas on a topic. Being able to create your own understanding enhances the knowledge you’re obtaining.