Activity 4

To complete Activity 4, choose a sub-standard under each of the Standards A thru H and describe something that you have done either in this class or outside of this class, perhaps in previous classes, that indicates that you have met the sub-standard. Each of these descriptions should be at least a paragraph long.

A.4.5 When studying a science-related problem, decide what changes over time are occurring or have occurred
          Children of all ages use this strategy. Early elementary students tend to wonder "how things happen," junior high students start to wonder "why certain things happen," and high school/college students "come up with an explanation." Especially in science; concepts, ideas, theories, etc. are constantly changing. As a future educator I feel it is my job to provide as many opportunities for young minds to explore as possible. Working last summer as a teacher at a child care center we studied butterflies and recorded the changes that occurred over time. The children could see the stages a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly.

B.4.1 Use encyclopedias, source books, texts, computers, teachers, parents, other adults, journals, popular press, and various other sources, to help answer science-related questions and plan investigations
          In today's technologically advanced era, children are exceptionally lucky that there are so many valuable resources at the tip of their finger tips. The Internet is filled with an abundance of information that is relatively easy to find. Children of all ages have the opportunity to access and learn from the information that can be found on the Internet. I have personally met this standard several times all throughout my educational career. When teachers assign research projects or other various projects the Internet is one of the first places I go to further my knowledge on the topic.

C.4.4 Use simple science equipment safely and effectively, including rulers, balances, graduated cylinders, hand lenses, thermometers, and computers, to collect data relevant to questions and investigations
          I feel the best way for children to learn, especially at the younger ages, is hands on learning. Through my experience working at the child care center back home, having little cousins around, and working at the on-campus child care center at Stout, I've learned that if you want to keep their attention you have to  have props, and objects that keep the children interested in what you are trying to teach. In DAP Preschool last semester I did a lesson plan talking about hibernation. I gave the children a bag of "fat" (butter) in a baggie and we talked about how animals have to store up fat by eating lots of food and growing out their fur on their coat out so they stay warm during the long winter. I then gave each child an ice cube and we talked about how its really cold but when but on top of the "fat" baggie the ice isn't cold any more. The children really enjoyed this lesson and I had no problems keeping them engaged. 

D.4.6 Observe and describe physical events in objects at rest or in motion
          The first thing that comes to mind when I think of this statement is the classic egg dropping test. When I was in junior high we had to use 50 straws 3 feet of tape and one egg to construct something that will protect the egg from breaking when dropped from a height. This test could be done with all aged children, with slightly different rules for each age of course. Children need to make their contraption and test it to see if it was a success or not.

E.4.4 Identify celestial objects (stars, sun, moon, planets) in the sky, noting changes in patterns of those objects over time
          I met this standard when I taught a lesson about the moon. Children were told to take pictures of the moon over several weeks. We talked about how the moon rotates and the moon is never the exact same size every night. We made a project out of construction paper that described the different moons and what season they generally occur in. This lesson was a success and the children were very interested in the topic many weeks after we talked about it, (which told me they enjoyed and remembered it)!

F.4.2 Investigate* how organisms, especially plants, respond to both internal cues (the need for water) and external cues (changes in the environment)
          In high school the one lesson I can remember the best from biology was when we had to make a cell model for plants and animals. We had to bring in a variety of materials and build and label each part of both cells. We talked about how plants use photosynthesis to obtain energy and we talked about what animals do to survive and to keep their population alive and multiplying.

G.4.1 Identify* the technology used by someone employed in a job or position in Wisconsin and explain* how the technology helps
          For DAP Preschool last semester we took the children to the WESTconsin credit union where they had activities and a tour of the bank for the children. The bank employees showed the children how they sort coins, use the machines that transport papers from inside the building to people's cars, and how the safe works. Without these "simple" technologies their job would be a lot harder and there would probably be many more mistakes made.

H.4.3 Show* how science has contributed to meeting personal needs, including hygiene, nutrition, exercise, safety, and health care
          Science has played a huge role in many aspects of our daily lives. Make-up has made faces smoother, deodorant takes the smell away, there are devices that can be put into your running shoes that  plays music while you run (no cords needed), cars can now parallel park them selves, etc. Science is all around us and always will be. We are becoming an more and more advanced world and the technologies of today is the future of tomorrow.