Alyssa B's- Blog on Science Methods

  What did you learn this week? Today we learned about natural selection. One of the main ideas was that natural selection leads to the predominance of particular traits in a given population. This means that some traits are suppressed as well. Natural selection is a sub-category of the NGSS Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity.  Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew? I can relate what we learned to what I already knew. I have learned about natural selection a few different times throughout my life. In class, we talked about Charles Darwin very briefly. We used to talk about him in my classes prior to this. I remember "survival of the fittest," which was Charles Darwin's idea on natural selection.   How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future? I can apply what I learned to my future classroom. In the lab, we did an activity where there were different colored beans on the table and each group member had a differ...

  What did you learn this week? This week we learned about codons. Codons are a DNA or RNA sequence of three nucleotides that encode a particular amino acid. Genetic codes are made up of the letters U, A, G, and C.  Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew? I could relate genotype and phenotype to what I have already known. We reviewed it last week but discussed it a lot more this week. We learned that phenotype is an observable trait. I always thought of it as a physical trait which is the same thing. We also learned that genotype is the genetic constitution of an individual or the makeup of alleles to create a trait.  What are new or remaining questions?  I don't have any remaining questions I did however want to comment on the fact that this week was our last week for checking our fast plants. Our plant had seeds on it but they were green instead of brown. They looked like peas. 

  What did you learn this week? This week in lab we learned about DNA. We know that DNA is a blueprint of life. DNA has 4 parts to it. C, T, A, and G go together to form a double helix that looks like a ladder and then twists. Above is a picture of what DNA looks like but in candy form. This would be a good way to teach children because candy peaks their interest.  Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew? I can relate what I learned to what I already know somewhat. When I first started at the university I was a Physical Therapy major so I had taken biology as a class. We learned a lot about DNA in that class and what we talked about today made me think of what I learned in that biology course. An example of something I learned about in both this class and in biology is messenger RNA.  Which parts did you find clear and which were confusing? I found the structure of DNA a little confusing. I understood the visual, how it is known as a double helix,...

What did you learn this week? This week I learned more about turtle eggs and hatching. I didn't know that it only took three days for them to hatch. This was interesting to learn because if you compare it to how long it takes for humans to be formed to how long it takes turtles to be created there is a huge difference.  Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew? I was able to relate pollination to what I had already learned. I remember doing fast plants and pollinating them with dead bees in elementary school. It was in fourth grade. The setup was the exact same. It was very nostalgic.  How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future? In the future, I can use the Turtle Turtle watch out game in my classroom. I think if I were to do it with elementary students I would do the game outside so they can scream without disturbing other classes. This is a good way to help students understand endangerment and the things that are harmful to t...

  What did you learn this week?     This week I learned about biomes, ecosystems, and habits. This was a nice refresher on my previous knowledge. We got to make a jam board over biomes which was super fun. It was also cool to look at other people's ideas of their biomes. We also learned about food chains and people put those on their jam board too.  Which parts did you find clear and which were confusing? I found the food chain to be very clear. Something a little confusing at first was the differences between biomes, ecosystems, and habitats but after the lecture today they are more clear.  What are new or remaining questions?  A remaining question I have is where does the 10% of energy that isn't consumed by the next consumer go? Does it stay with the previous consumer?

  What did you learn this week?     This week I learned about the 5E modeling system. I learned that the E's stand for engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluation. These apply to both teachers and students. This method helps make the lesson to be more deeply understood and makes your students involved.  How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future? In the future, I can implement the 5E modeling system in my classroom. Not only for science but also for reading, writing, social studies, and any other subjects. I can do a lesson of me demonstrating the 5E system and then have my students work in groups to do it on their own without my guidance.  What are new or remaining questions?  A question I still have is which E is the most effective in science for elementary-aged students? 

  What did you learn this week?      This week in lab we learned about life cycles. Life cycles happen in all kinds of organisms, whether that is plants, insects, or animals. In animals typically they start as eggs and then have two more stages before they reach adulthood. Plants life cycles are much different than animals but they all follow the same idea of stages of life.  Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew?     I was able to relate my life to what we learned in class. By this I mean I know that in life cycles there are stages. Typically four stages when it comes to mammals. My stages of life include being in my mom's belly (you could count this as an egg) then childhood, then adolescence, and finally adulthood.  How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future?     Based on what I learned in class, in the future I can teach life cycles and then do a hands-on activity like we did. I wi...