Science Planning

I am very excited to do this science activity! Here is my plan for a lesson on gravity.

CONTENT: 3rd Grade Science Core, Standard Four: Students will understand that objects near Earth are pulled toward Earth by gravity.
I would like to include both objectives:
1. Demonstrate that gravity is a force
2. Describe the effects of gravity on the motion of an object

PEDAGOGY: I will teach a lesson defining gravity. I will include an interactive activity where the children can try dropping different items to see the difference in gravity's pull on each object. I will point out that some items fall faster than others and ask why they think that is. After observing, I will have students conduct an inquiry project by filling out the OWL chart (Observe, Wonder, Learned). In the "Observe" category, I will have them explain or draw what they observed during the lesson. I will then have the students write a question about gravity in the "Wonder" category. They will then be responsible to research, experiment, etc to find the answer to their question and record it in the "Learned" category. After they have finished their OWL chart, I will have the students complete the activity on Kidspiration about gravity to assess if they have a true understanding of the concept. I believe this pedagogy will help students learn the concept of gravity because they will: first, be able to see gravity in action; second, be able to research a question of their own and discover that gravity has a different affect on everything; third, be able to demonstrate their knowledge of gravity and its effect on different things by completing an activity on Kidspiration. My lesson plan encourages students to ask questions about the environment and plan a simple investigation, as the National Science Standards state is suitable for Grades K-4.

TECHNOLOGY: I will be using Kidspiration for this lesson. I will use two activities form the Science category. The first is the OWL chart that the students will use to complete their inquiry assignment. The second activity is "Gravity Pulls" which I will use as a way to assess student learning. This technology works perfectly with the pedagogy and content because it supports my efforts as a teacher to help my students investigate and become independent learners. The gravity activity also helps students to see if they really understood the content. If they have misconceptions regarding gravity, it will become apparent in the activity provided by Kidspiration.

The Virtual Tours of My Classmates

I watched the Virtual Tours of:
Marni Story
Ashley Howden
Alyssa Young

Each of these Tours differed from my own. I was excited to see what types of tools on Google Earth other classmates were able to make use of. I enjoyed these Virtual Tours.

Virtual Tour

Yay! Finally finished. :)

My Virtual Tour is called Utah's Wetlands, Forests, and Deserts.

The link to it is:

http://sites.google.com/site/carmensfilecabinet/ipt-class/Utah%27sWetlands%2CForests%2CandDesertsAVirtualTour.kmz?attredirects=0&d=1

Virtual Tour Planning

Location	Activity Description	Google Earth Content
1. Pariette Wetlands	Follow the link next to the place mark. Read about the Pariette Wetlands and record your thoughts on the impact of humans on this specific habitat. Do you think what has been done is good or bad?	Path tool, placemark, link to website.
2. The Great Salt Lake Desert	Follow the link and read about the different types of deserts. Look at different pictures of the Great Salt Lake Desert. Identify which type of desert the Great Salt Lake Desert is.	Path tool, placemark, images, link to uen.org
3. Dixie National Forest	Look at the endangered species list on google earth under the Global Awareness layer and list which animals you think live in a habitat like the Dixie National Forest.	Path tool, placemark, Global Awareness layer-ARKive: Endangered Species List, Wild Sanctuary .kmz file
4. Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Go to the link "Dr. Arbor Talks Trees" and complete the interactive activity to learn more about trees.	Path tool, placemark, link to the online interactive activity.

My virtual tour will be a tour of specific wetlands, forests, and deserts in Utah. This aligns with the State Core for 4th Grade: Standard 5, Objective 1 which says, "Describe the physical characteristics of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts."