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Science Process Skills- Observation (3rd Grade)Katelyn Bell, Anhela Ripley, & Jennifer ThomasTitle: What’s On Your PlateSubtitle: Are you using all of your senses?Research:Article 1:Baker and Marbie conducted a study titled, A Comparison of Experiential Instructional Strategies Upon the Science Process Skills of Urban Elementary Students where upper level elementary school students were either engaged in several small group experiments or one on-going classroom observation experiment. The study aimed to test if experiential instructional strategies would enhance student’s use and understanding of the science process skills used during experimentation in science classes (Baker & Mabie, 1). After much experimentation, the study showed that student’s process skills enhanced after their initial attempt at the experiment. Students had a very basic and simplified way of observing and communicating about the kernels during the first experiment, but after witnessing the need for detailed process skills the students changed their observations from “the kernel of corn is yellow and small” to “it is orangey-yellow, shaped like a tear, hard, and ?” long” (Baker & Mabie, 1996, 4). Participation in short, in-class projects where children were encouraged to ask questions and explore, resulted in greater achievements in using observational, communication, and comparative science process skills. Students involved in the short, in-class experiments were able to learn from their mistakes and better their process skills, particularly their observation skills. Baker and Mabie argue that critical thinking and inquiry in science are successful if they are based on the building blocks of six science process skills including observing, communicating, comparing, ordering, relating, and inferring. This study suggests that science educators use an agricultural approach to tackling science simply because the study of agriculture is hands-on by nature (Baker & Mabie, 2). By using an experiential approach, students are able to choose scientific experiments and problems they are interested in so that they are more actively involved in exploring for solutions. Because students are participating in something they are interested in, their process skills are used more often and they tend to provide competent evidence by using more than one process skill for each problem encountered. Additionally, by engaging in a fast moving experiential approach, students refrain from boredom and learn from their mistakes to better their skills as a science student. With proper guiding, student’s interpretations change from simple, one-word descriptions, to lengthy, detailed, and multifaceted observations. Article 2:This article stresses the idea of a multidisciplinary approach to learning about the science process skills. Mason argues that children’s literature have many science process skills embedded into them and that if used in the demonstration of science process skills, can be a major asset to children’s understanding. Students should be taught the skills of observation and inference in reading from a very young age and should be reintroduced to the concept before intimidated with the similar science skill. If students can make a connection between the familiar literary skill and the daunting science skill, they will likely feel at ease and be more willing to learn. Bridging science content and literacy content to form a consilienced learning experience will repair any disconnect and reinforce the process skills for further understanding. This article emphasizes that science teachers should focus more on understanding the concept of observation than on learning about observation and inference in a lecture-based environment. The author of this article finds that students learn to embody the act of observing if they are physically involved in the act from the start. In this study the students concentrated on sensory perception by indicating different descriptor words in the book Flossie and the Fox. Perhaps the most significant result of the article is the discovery that young students are naturally sensory-driven and they are constantly making keen observations. The key to teaching students about the skill of observation is not how to observe, but rather how to express their observations in a clear, articulate, and concise manner. Content and Language Objectives:The student will be able to use the specified sense (smell, hear, taste, touch, or see) to make observations. The student will be able to document their findings on an observation chart. The student will be able to explain why it is important to use more than one sense to make observations. SOL Standard:3.1The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning, logic, and the nature of science by planning and conducting investigations in whicha)observations are made and are repeated to ensure accuracyb)predictions are formulated using a variety of sources of information c)objects with similar characteristics or properties are classified into at least two sets and two subsetsg)questions are developed to formulate hypothesesj)inferences are made and conclusions are drawnNGSS Standard: 3LS3 Use evidence to support explanations that traits are inherited from parents, as well as influenced by the environment, and that organisms have variation in their inherited traits. Crosscutting Concepts PatternsSimilarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort and classify natural phenomena. (3-LS3-a)Introduction: The main goal of this lesson is for students to learn the importance of using multiple senses for the observation process skill. The students will be limited to using only one sense per station which will make differentiation between materials difficult. Students will learn that without using multiple senses for observation, it is difficult to accurately make a prediction about what something might be in a science class. Materials and Methods:3 small plastic containers covered (on the outside) with aluminum foil. Cover top with aluminum foil and poke holes (with pencil lead or paper clip). This is for the smell station.Another option for this is using cups that are covered with aluminum foil. Cover the opening on top of the cup. Again, poke holes in the aluminum foil. Materials/Substances (one per container):Vinegar Mustard (yellow or Dijon have the strongest smell)Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing (or any other strong smelling food material)3 small containers or 3 cups that are transparent. This is for the sight station.Materials/Substances (one per cup):Water (tap water is fine)Blue Gatorade (or water with blue food coloring/kool aid works well too)Vegetable Oil3 Small plastic containers that are covered with aluminum foil on the outside.Materials/Substances (one per container):Doritos (but any type of chips will work)Honey Nut Cheerios (but any type of cereal works—we think corn flakes and cheerios work best)Popcorn (any type of popcorn works)1 box (with lid—we used a Tupperware container) that has aluminum foil lining, so no one can see what is inside. This is for the tasting station. 3 cup bottoms (cut the top halves off) with tasting materials inside or use smaller containers (like glad ware) set inside of box.Materials/Substances:Sour Patch Kids (you can use other sour candies, but differentiating between salty/sweet/sour are part of the Virginia SOL’s and other standards)Andes Mints (you can use dark chocolate or milk chocolate)Pretzels (any type would work—we used the stick pretzels by UTZ)1 large cardboard box (with 3 hand holes cut along the side) or 3 small shoe boxes with holes (big enough to fit hand and wrist through) on the side. Tape 1 gallon sized baggie along the inside of each hole so that the hand goes into the bag when stuck through the hole. This is for the touch station. Materials/Substances: Cooked thin spaghetti noodles (a good brand that is less than a dollar is Great Value from Wal-Mart)Prepared Jell-o (any flavor or brand works)Sugar (regular table sugar works great)Description of the Activity:Preparation of Learning Environment: We will set up each station materials that we have prepared ahead of time.There will be 5 centers: touch, taste, sound, sight, and smell.There will be paper towels set up at the touch station. We will label each station and set out an index card of leading questions. We will pass out a worksheet to every student/group, and introduce our lesson by explaining what our lesson is about (observation for third grade).Engage- Introduction of Lesson Plan: We will put the class into groups of 4-5, and we will give them a station to start. Each group will fill out a worksheet, but we will give every student a worksheet to look at. We will begin our lesson plan by explaining what to do for each station.At each station, the group will observe what material is at that station using whatever sense is specified (touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell). The rest of the group members will record their observations about the substance or material that is at the station. The students will have about 3-4 minutes at each station. We will keep time so that we know when to tell the groups to rotate. Implementation of Lesson:The students will have about 3-4 minutes at each station. We will keep time so that we know when to tell the groups to rotate. Touch: The group will feel what is inside the container. They will make observations about what the material is based on what they felt. Sight: The group (only at this station) will observe what is in 3 different empty coca-cola bottles. They will make observations about what the material is by only observing the materials using their sight. Sound: The group will crunch/mess around with materials in the baggies (without opening them). They will listen to what they hear, and they will make observations about the materials inside the plastic baggies by only using what they heard. Taste: The group will pick one person to be a taster. The person will close their eyes, and the group will hand the taster something to try (there will be 3 different substances to try). The person will try to figure out what each thing is based on what they taste and how it tastes.Smell: There will be 3 substances in different cups, and the group will use the wafting method to smell the materials. The group will make observations about what they smell. The students will not be able to see what the material is. After 10-13 minutes, we will send everyone back to their seat, and we will discuss what they thought was at each station. Closure:We will discuss what each material was, and we will ask them what kinds of observations they recorded. Clean-up:We will take up all the materials and put everything away. Open Ended Questions at each station:Are these flavors familiar to you?? If yes, what characteristics (salty, sweet, sour, or spicy) triggered your taste buds?Are these sounds familiar to you?? If yes, what items do you know sound similar to these?Do these items smell familiar to you?? If yes, what characteristics (nasty, soothing, or strong) triggered your sense of smell?Do you recognize the items you see?? What about these items helped you identify them?Do these items feel familiar to you?Higher Level Questions:“Was it difficult to make observations about certain materials when you could only use one of the five senses?” “After this lesson, why do you think it is important to use all five senses to make observations?”Work Cited:Baker, M. & Mabie, R. (1996). A comparison of experiential instructional strategies upon the science process skills of urban elementary students. Journal of Agricultural Education, 37(2), 1-7. Mason, S. (2001). Observation and inference: Teaching science process skills through flossie and the fox. The Ohio Reading Teacher, XXXV (1), 51-59. Next Generation Science Standard. (2013). Achieve, Inc. Search Standards for DCI. Retrieved from Department of Education. (2012). . Standards of Learning Documents for Science. Retrieved from ................
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