Observed Lesson

On November 16th I taught my first observed lesson (Why Matter Matters) with fellow-cohort member Lauren.  We were very well-prepared and had planned almost 6 hours worth of teaching material.  This Tuesday we will continue our lesson (Part II) and the week after the Thanksgiving holiday, we will present the final installment (Part III).  Each period is 2 hours long.

Our first lesson explored matter and the phases or states of matter (solids, liquids, and gases).  We also emphasized the importance of "good" or clear instructions so that an experiment can be retested, as all good science should be reproducable.  The students competed to be the first to successfully follow instructions that lead them through the steps of drawing a stick figure.  3 sets of instructions circulated that ranged from being very detailed to very ambiguous.  The students were very serious about their assignment.  They also looked at examples of instructions from daily life: how to change a tire, how to build a Lego set, how to use shampoo, how to cook a recipe, etc.  Lastly, the students were given sets of materials to construct their own model.  Then they were asked to write instructions so that someone could rebuild their model, without seeing a picture of the original model.  We took pictures of the original model to compare with pictures of the "regenerated" model.

During Part II of the lesson, we will pick up where we left off.  Students will finalize their instructions and they will build a classmates model using the instructions that are supplied.  We will take pictures to compare the two models and the accuracy of building as it relates to the detail of the instructions.  We will also review with our students because they seemed to have misconceptions about the density of gases (namely, carbon dioxide gas and air).  There last activity is to begin thinking how they can possibly calculate the density of a gas (carbon dioxide, using dry ice).  We will supply the testable question and the materials.  Students will write their procedures and check them with the us before proceding.

During Part III of the lesson, students will test their designed experiment. 

The difficulty in teaching this lesson has been knowing what misconceptions our students have about density.  After grading initial paperwork, several students seem confused about what is happening to the molecules as phase changes occur, and there seems to be confusion about how molecules react when excited and how this relates to density.  This needs to be clarified and we are ready to address these things this Tuesday.

Another important learning opportunity arrised when two girls had to be reminded twice to stop talking.  I reminded them that if I had to intervene one more time (a third time), then I would ask one student to move to a new table.  One girl rolled her eyes at me repeatedly.  I had to remind myself not to take it personally, that they were old enough to controll the impulse to talk.  What I came to learn later was that the girls attitude has gradually been slipping (declining) and teachers think that this is related to the fact that she is dating someone who is in a gang.  This was a teaching moment for myself--my cooperating teacher reminded me that if I dont' get a job as a teacher, but if I end up subbing, then I will encounter situations like this where students try to test me, and knowing nothing about them or their backgrounds, I have to be assertive and a strong, solid leader so that I do not appear weak or indecisive.  That advice made sense to me.  I won't know any of the students in the beginning, but I have to treat them fairly and I have to be firm in my expectations.