Earth Science Unit Teaching Reflective Summary

Teacher Candidate for Science Endorsement: AlisonDunford

School: Timber Ridge Elementary

Grade: 5th

Unit Topic: S5E1. Students will identify surface features of the Earth
caused by constructive and destructive processes.
Identify and find examples of surface features caused by
destructive processes.

Erosion (waterrivers and oceans, wind)

Weathering

Write a 1-2 page summary of your experiences teaching this unit,

addressing the following questions:

How well were the units student performance objectives

attained? Were there opportunities for the students to develop
conceptual understanding through engaging in the learning cycle
(5Es)?
The students were so excited about this unit. I have never
taught a Picture Perfect Lesson before. I learned about this
resource, Picture Perfect books through the MSP K-5 Science
Endorsement. I felt like everyone in the world had been using
them, but I had never even heard of this. I always wanted to
integrate more literature to create balance and this was my
opportunity. I keep finding more and more to use in the
classroom from this endorsement.
The unit objectives were definitely met. The 5E model with
gradual release helped enormously with deeply understanding
the concepts of erosion and weathering.

How did you use formative assessments to inform instructional

decisions during the unit?
Since this was entirely new, I stuck closely to the Picture Perfect
work. Formative opportunities included collaborative work

sorting images, vocabulary work, checkpoint/checklist for the

lab, in addition to my usual questioning in class. The paperwork
was good, bit a little more like a worksheet than I usually use. It
was very easy to determine understanding by evaluating these
however. The checkpoint lab was particularly helpful. For
example, I could tell immediately if a team was not
understanding something a concept by glancing at their lab
sheets. This is great with six teams working simultaneously.

Were the lessons/tasks scientifically worthwhile for all students?

Were there students that had difficulty achieving the goals of the
unit?
All students understood the science of the unit. Some students
had difficulty with the writing on the summative performance
task though. The task was to create a Grand Canyon brochure.
Most were very good, but some had a time transferring the
understanding from the unit and the labs into words on a
brochure.

Was there evidence of a classroom culture that honors inquiry,

wrong answers, personal challenge, collaboration, and
disequilibrium as opportunities for new learning by all students?
There was absolutely evidence of a classroom culture that honors
inquiry, wrong answers, personal challenge, collaboration, and
disequilibrium as opportunities for new learning by all students.
This is the norm in my science classroom too. Working
collaboratively in teams on the lab sections of this unit also
allows this to take place. I liked the opportunity to go from team
to team to ask questions and challenge ideas with the kids.

When you have the opportunity to re-teach this unit, what will
you do differently (strategies, teaching tools, assessments, etc.)
to improve student learning for all students?
First of all, I now know how long it takes to do a Picture Perfect
unit. It takes LOTS of time. Even with the book and my planning,
it was more in depth than I anticipated. Also, I felt awkward
reading the fiction/non-fiction book passages in the way they
said to read them in the Picture Perfect book. Basically, I need to
own it in order to teach better, and next fall I can do this.
Second, I may make the summative brochure differentiated for

some students. I felt that this was limiting in the Picture Perfect
curriculum and some students would have transferred the
information from the lab to a brochure. The time constraints had
a great deal to do with this too.

Earth Science Lesson Teaching Reflective Summary - 1

Teacher Candidate for Science Endorsement: Alison Dunford
School: Timber Ridge

Grade:

5th

Unit Topic: S5E1. Students will identify surface features of the Earth
caused by constructive and destructive processes.
Identify and find examples of surface features caused by
destructive processes.

Erosion (waterrivers and oceans, wind)

Weathering

Write a brief summary or blog of your experiences teaching this lesson,

addressing the following questions:

What went well? What did not go well? (Cite specific examples)
The first day of this Picture Perfect Lesson plan was great. Early
in the year, students start to get really excited about having so
much science every single day. We had already unpacked the
standards for Earth Science, and had finished an in-depth vertical
comparison between Earth Science in 3rd and 5th. This would help
them access prior knowledge and keep the focus on the current
learning targets. They students lived looking at the images of
Grand Canyon. The choices were varied from perspective and
challenging. They added information to their student page from
Picture Perfect. This helped me know where each student was
with their understanding.

How well were the lessons student performance objectives

attained?
My plan was to also teach inferencing in this lesson. The
students reviewed what they know about inferring from photos,
which was not a lot. The questions they thought through were:
How do you think the Grand Canyon formed? Why do you think
it has gotten wider and deeper over time? How long do you think
it took for the Grand Canyon to form?

Did classroom activity center on science understanding, inquiry,

and sense-making by all students?
During this lesson, all students focused on the inquiry and
worked to formulate and convey their ideas in writing. This was
the objective of circulating and looking at the photographs in
great detail.

Did your scientific content knowledge enable you to support

students construction of knowledge and understanding of
important scientific concepts and processes?
Absolutely! While I have never been to the Grand Canyon, and
hope to go one day, I was able to use the engagement element,
accessing prior knowledge from 3rd grade Earth Science, and
quite a few visuals and models to support constructive and
destructive forces concepts in this lesson. I felt my teaching of
Earth Science from the information in the coursework at MSP is
getting better all the time also.

When you have the opportunity to re-teach this lesson, what will
you do differently (strategies, teaching tools, assessments, etc.)
to improve student learning for all students?
I think this lesson was delivered and received well. All objectives
were met, and the students finished with many questions about
erosion and weathering developing in their minds I could see it!
I do not think I would change the engagement and introduction
to this unit plan. The Picture Perfect book has done a wonderful
job here.

Earth Science Lesson Teaching Reflective Summary - 2

Teacher Candidate for Science Endorsement: Alison Dunford
School: Timber Ridge

Grade:

5th

Unit Topic: S5E1. Students will identify surface features of the Earth
caused by constructive and destructive processes.
Identify and find examples of surface features caused by
destructive processes.

Erosion (waterrivers and oceans, wind)

Weathering

Write a brief summary or blog of your experiences teaching this lesson,

addressing the following questions:

What went well? What did not go well? (Cite specific examples)
This lesson is in the Picture Perfect Earth Science Unit, Grand
Canyon. It was the Check Point Lab section. I think the lab went
very well. I had brought in huge buckets of large and small rocks
and sand and dirt and water, and the kids were buzzing about

what we could possibly be doing in science. The lab was pretty

messy, and whats not great about that? I used this Picture
Perfect Lab in place of an outdoor lab I had done in prior years
water tables in the yard it was exciting too. The lab went pretty
much like clockwork, except it took roughly three times as long
as I expected. The students didnt even know. I think since they
were becoming accustomed to my science class and science for
a 50 minute block daily, they took it in stride. The lab paperwork
may had added to this also.

How well were the lessons student performance objectives

attained?
Students enjoyed learning about how water carries rocks and soil
with hands-on modeling. This was great to do early in the year
to refine their lab paperwork skills also. They also loved the
parts about how wind and water changes rock. This helped them
with their understanding of how the Grand Canyon was formed. I
feel the objectives for the lab were fully met. I dont think I
would change anything except my scheduling.

Did classroom activity center on science understanding, inquiry,

and sense-making by all students?
I followed the Picture Perfect lesson pretty closely because I have
never taught one before. I think the books that I read from
helped students tie everything together. The lab inquiry work
was crucial in developing clear understanding of the science
target.

Did your scientific content knowledge enable you to support

students construction of knowledge and understanding of
important scientific concepts and processes?
Whenever I am in the MSP classes, I pick up so many details SO
many connections, and also enhancements to my own
understanding. Earth Science is my least favorite to teach of the
sciences. This may be because it is so early in the school year
with so many other things going on. This year felt stronger. I
understood the Earth Science better, do my students did also.

When you have the opportunity to re-teach this lesson, what will
you do differently (strategies, teaching tools, assessments, etc.)

to improve student learning for all students?

I will definitely plan more time for the CheckPoint Lab. I went
through the entire unit over and over before presenting it, but
the points where the Picture Perfect book recommended reading
aloud felt awkward somehow. Next year I will read and practice
again before teaching, but this time, I will also read the
fiction/non-fiction selections aloud more and may change them a
bit. As far as this part of the unit, I do not think I will change
much. The Check Point lab work really directs student
understanding toward the targets.