I am experimenting using technology to increase the effectiveness in my science lessons in the classroom. There are many technological resources that have been created for enhanced instruction in the classroom. For my experiment, I am using basic computer knowledge to fulfill a third grade science curriculum objective.
Objective: Classify living and non-living things in an environment.
Flies and all other animals and insects, including humans are living organisms, they have the ability to grow, move, and reproduce.
Trees and all plant life are living organisms. They can grow, move, and reproduce.
For this experiment, I collected pictures of things we see in our environment everyday. All the things we see are either living or non-living organisms. So, how do we know which things are living and which things are not? To find the answer to this question, I examined the pictures below that would be found in the environment we are surrounded in each day to determine what classified an organism as living or non-living.
This leaf is a living organism because it can grow, it can move, and it can reproduce.
Water is an element that can move and it can change form, but it can not grow or reproduce so it is classified as a non-living organism.
Flies and all other animals and insects, including humans are living organisms, they have the ability to grow, move, and reproduce.Trees and all plant life are living organisms. They can grow, move, and reproduce. Brick is not classified as a living organism because it can not grow, move, or reproduce on its own.
The different characteristics that make an organism living are that they have to be able to grow, move, and reproduce. The characteristics for a non-living organism is that they are not able to grow, move, and reproduce.
By taking digital pictures and using that data to observe the different characteristics of things the students would learn how technology can make the study of science easier. By taking pictures of organisms in their environment, the students are able to refer back to those pictures in many different areas. This makes teaching easier because you do not have to leave the classroom for long to do an entire lesson. By taking pictures and bringing them back to be observed, the data is also in hard copy form. The students are able to organize the data they have collected easier because they can refer back to a specific picture easily to identify its characteristics.
Photos were taken from:
Fly: thekebun.files.wordpress.com
Leaf: www.greengeek.ca
Brick: www.freefoto.com
Tree: www.evergreenspecies.com
Water Bottle: southernfriedfatty.wordpress.com
Photos were taken from:
Fly: thekebun.files.wordpress.com
Leaf: www.greengeek.ca
Brick: www.freefoto.com
Tree: www.evergreenspecies.com
Water Bottle: southernfriedfatty.wordpress.com
I like this lesson a lot. It was a very basic lesson plan, something that could be taught simply by just looking at pictures and reading text. But by having the students go and explore on their own and have the chance to share that with others through the pictures that they have taken really can open up a lot of opportunities for them to share and open up. Then as they share and learn from one another it can be a great learning opportunity to see the common characteristics of both living and dead organisms. Good job Brooke:)
ReplyDeleteBrooke - you must include citations for the images that you found online before you can receive credit for the assignment.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Brook. I like how you took an important concept and made it clear and simple. It makes me want to use it when I start teaching. I love how the children are involved in the lesson and have the chance to get up out of their chairs and have hands on experience. I think the repetition will also drill the concept of living and non-living things in their minds! I also think the children will get really involved and be completely engaged in this activity!
ReplyDeletesorry i spelled your name wrong. oops...
ReplyDelete