Strategies
Blended Learning
My students really enjoy science because there are a lot of hands-on activities. My students are nine and ten years old, and science seems to be more relaxed and fun. The students are very curious about the world around them. My students also love to work with technology. Recently I learned about “smashing apps,” which basically means using two different applications or software in conjunction with each other. I want my students to explore using Glogster and Thinglink together. Glogster is a site to create multimedia posters. Thinglink is a site to make images interactive. Students can add sound, video, or text to an image. These two graphical design tools are compatible and work well together. The idea is that we will use Glogster to create exciting interactive posters to showcase the student learning. Video clips of our experiments and work in class may also be included. As the teacher, I can also add resources or showcase student work as well. The idea is to engage the students with the content of the electricity curriculum unit, and have them apply higher level thinking skills as they create the Glogster posters. The creation of the posters will require the students to create, apply, and synthesize their knowledge. By blending the learning, my students will develop their technology skills while delving into science content.
Throughout the unit, there are days set aside to work on Glogster and Thinglink. I think in order to be efficient with time, some of the creation of materials and content will take place as part of their homework. Then more class time will be preserved for actually working on the technology piece. I also can utilize some language arts time for students to develop explanatory essays about ideas learned throughout the unit.
Read Aloud
Read aloud is a strategy I will use to introduce the historical figures. There are many great picture books to showcase the lives of Benjamin Franklin, Michael Faraday, and Thomas Edison.
Center-based Learning
My students enjoy learning in centers. The plan is to set up four centers for static electricity, so my students can rotate through them to explore static electricity in several different ways. The four centers I plan to use are: 1) making an electroscope; 2) moving a ping-pong ball with static electricity; 3) testing charged plastic wrap with other objects; 4) having the students rub a comb more times to see how many pieces of puffed rice are attracted to the comb.
Scientific Investigation
I enjoy having my students discover science concepts through an investigation. Electricity really lends itself to experimentation. The students will conduct an experiment to see which kinds of fruit can be turned into a battery. We will experiment with a lemon, a grapefruit, a pear and an apple.
Another experiment will be implemented to make discoveries about an electromagnet. The students can wrap the wire more times, whether the wire is wrapped neatly or sloppily, the diameter of the metal rod, or core can vary, and the gauge of the wire can also be altered. I would like to allow the students to choose a variable that interests them. Several experiments will be conducted simultaneously and the information shared. Video clips and write-ups about the results will become a part of our Glogster and Thinglink presentation.
Scientific investigation will also be used to conduct an experiment about circuits. The students will work on different experiments to illuminate lights. Wire length and wire gauge will be the independent variables in the respective experiments.
Hands-on Collaborative Groups
My students will work in collaborative groups to explore whether a material is an insulator or a conductor, series and parallel circuits, electromagnets, motors, generators, electrolysis and fuel cells. Many of these concepts are new to my fourth graders. They need time to explore, play, and collaborate with their peers in order to deepen their knowledge.
Energy Showcase
As a celebration of my students’ hard work, we will celebrate and showcase our work by inviting the parents to come in for an Energy Showcase. Students will share aspects of our Glogs through the Thinglink application and demonstrate some of the hands-on learning that we did in class.
Explanation of the sequence
It seems logical to begin with an overview of energy to lay out its importance as well as the challenges facing the world in regards to energy. After an initial overview, our unit will start with Benjamin Franklin, since his discovery came earlier than the other scientists. Since his famous kite experiment involved lightning, it seems logical to focus on static electricity for the subsequent days. Then the students will have a technology day to produce the portion of the Glogster presentation dedicated to static electricity.
Once the students understand static electricity, and that in this form the electricity is stationary, we will then look to electric current, or electricity that is moving. Michael Faraday, who is known as the “Father of Electricity,” really laid the groundwork for understanding electric current. We will do a read aloud about Faraday and then look at some of his experiments. As we explore electrical current, it is important for the students to understand that materials are conductors and insulators. Then the students will be ready to make various types of circuits. At the end of this section, the students will again have time to work on Glogster to develop the section about Michael Faraday and Thomas Edison.
The students learn how to make batteries. We will make some batteries with fruit, and also with water and salt. Since it is fourth grade, we will not construct dry cell batteries as the chemicals are more dangerous. Then we will examine DC and AC current. Once the students understand batteries and current, we will make circuits. Following the completion of this section, students will add to their Glogs.
The students will examine and build electromagnets, motors, and generators. These are probably the most complicated applications. So by working on it later in the curriculum unit, the students should have a stronger understanding of electricity. Again, upon completion of this section, the students will add to their Glogs.
Figure 2: A Simple
Motor.
The final section is learning about electrolysis and fuel cells. I put electrolysis into the curriculum unit because it seems as if it is a natural step to help the students understand the fuel cell. The students will have time to make final additions the class Glog. The culminating activity is inviting the parents to class for a grand presentation of the students’ Glogster and Thinglink efforts where students can showcase their work. I also plan to have several demonstration tables set up, where the students can show off their batteries, circuits, and fuel cells.
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