Wednesday, August 17, 2011

First lesson

Today I got my first chance to teach a lesson to the 4th graders.  I mentioned a science lesson I thought students would enjoy to my cooperating teacher.  Little did I know she would ask me to teach it in 3 hours.  This was a little stressful because I wasn't prepared and didn't know how I was going to stretch the lesson out to be a total of 40 minutes. But I did, and it went great :)

For the lesson I had students get out a sheet of paper and draw a scientist.  Most of them drew a male with crazy hair and a labcoat.  After students shared their drawings with their tablemates they had to write down 3 simularities between their artwork.  We compiled a list of all simularities.  I then asked, "why do we picture a scientist this way?"  Most thought it was from tv/movies and from Albert Einstein.  I then very quietly said, "I have a secret to tell all of you..........................................I'm a scientist."  Most of them gasped and just stared at me waiting for me to tell them I was kidding.  But i wasn't.  Then I told them they were all scientists too! They all looked at each other with confused expressions. I explained that a scientist doesn't have to be male with crazy hair or wear a labcoat.  Everytime we a question/problem and try to solve it we are being scientists.  I challenged them to think outside of the box this year in science class and never give up on a problem they are trying to solve.  I was then informed that I should say "think outside of the oval inside of box since our heads our shaped like ovals."......good thought.  :)

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