10 B Science: The last lesson for any assignment is always fraught no matter how much time has been available during the process. Lots of panic, lots of students coming to the realisation that they had better start and coming to this realisation several times during the lesson. Despite that something came in from nearly every group (all but two I think although I’ve yet to go through and mark. Here are some of the examples of varying quality and varying relevance to the task.

A.P. evolution

AdaptionRH

Museum Presentaion E & L Skeletal adaptations-D B

There were a number too large to post or contained pictures of students (some good ones too) also there was a great poster which I haven’t photographed yet.

10 F Science: Walking with Monsters continued the class were quite caught up in it. I think though we’ve gone as far as we’re going to this term.

Stage 2 Physics Tutorial: 2 D motion revision everything up to momentum. Course outline and questions worked quite well. The students thought it was very useful.

Stage 1 Physics: Today we were working on the second part of the skills and applications assignment. Parallel and Series circuits calculating resistance, voltage, current and Power at different points in the circuits and using the equations for resistance in different types of circuits. In my plan the students would have already experienced this in a practical on Tuesday but we missed that lesson. Despite that the class picked it up quickly. The task is due on Friday but some students completed it today. I still have to catch up with the students who miss Wednesday classes. I suspect they won’t have started this task despite having time set to catch up or chase me up as needed.
10 F Science: I marked the finished rabbit investigations and there were some astute pieces of thinking and good recording of results. Unfortunately only four were completed. Today … How different was life in the past? Walking with Monsters DVD with some follow up questions. Again they enjoyed the video but didn’t want to be there when I started asking questions.
8 Science: the first three presentations about the human body. The groups weren’t completely prepared and there was the usual loss of presentation. I provided support to the groups such as running the activities they chose. First up was the skeletal muscular system. This was an all boys group made up of football players and their activity was to kick footballs and think about how muscle and bone were working together. They presented the findings of their Internet research, they had to have references in their books, which were quite good about tissue types and what they did in the system. They needed to tell a bit more about joints and how to place them. Next up were the endocrine group, the most difficult of the systems, they showed they understood the job of the system and how it fit into the body, their activity involved labelling a diagram of the system. They didn’t really get to grips with the tissue types and how to replace them although we had discussed this during the preparation time. The final system was the digestive and most of the actual task appeared to have been done by one group member. This was mostly a description of the system and what the parts did, no replacement discussion. Activity was a word find.

Stage 1 Physics: No class today instead I joined the class for their driver safety session. Necessary and lots of Physics but it will be hard to get that time back.

10 B Science: Yay successful technology today. All the class have opted to do their tasks on PCs despite the longer log in time … Pay attention Apple it’s great having lots of productive tools but when getting material on and off them requires so much work students are wary about embracing your products other the for games. This is the case even with my Year 8s with whom I’ve used exclusively iPads.
Anyway the class engaged well with the task today. I’ve kept throwing up challenges and the arguments before they engage have grown less. I also asked them to create their own rubric for the task. I really want them to put rubrics and tasks together and work out how the rubric can help them achieve a grade they want … Although as one girl said ‘I read the rubric but the A grade seems too hard so I just go with near enough’. At least she’s making an informed choice and maybe I’m setting the bar too high …. Except some students, not the same ones each time, reach the high standard for at least part of the task if not all of it. I was observed teaching earlier this term (deliberately not accidentally) and one of the comments was I set high standards and work with the students to get them there. I do think I haven’t allowed enough time at times …. My old bugbear about if I’m not in front of the class doing any talking then no learning is happening, I’m working on it.
Anyhow they’ve come up with some good ideas and are starting to put together some good presentations. The thinking involved is excellent and I’m listening and helping and metaphorically holding hands as much as possible. I’ll post the results here by the end of the week.

Stage 2 Chemistry Tutorial: Last one for me from the year. We looked at the Tutorial paper on silicates. This allowed me to go through how to work out the empirical formula of silicates from their structural formula. Following this we went through the course outline for Environmental Chemistry. Didn’t get all the way through but cleared up some misunderstandings.

10 B Science: The iPods didn’t do what they were able to do before and we couldn’t upload the photos to the student’s skydrive accounts. Still the student’s needed to go carefully through their data and choose what they were going to use. Next lesson we’ll have the net books and should be able to upload the photos and videos using the cable. My laptop wouldn’t talk to the white board so that slowed us down at working out how we would assess the task. I want the class to pay more attention to the rubrics and so if they create one they might be more inclined to use it to help them be successful.

10 F Science: Again there were problems with technology and the laptops were pretty slow. The task was to complete their investigation into rabbit populations before and after mutations. Four of the class worked through and finished the task. The class quite enjoyed using the rabbit simulation and I collected one report aurally using Garage Band but I guess the task wasn’t authentic enough this time. Next up we’ll look at how life has changed over time and the reasons and method behind these changes. I’ll be using the Walking with Monsters DVD.

8 Science: Most of the class have something they can present next week about their system and I’ve ordered the equipment for those activities the students selected that are practical in nature. Each lesson I’ve broken down the tasks that need to be completed by that lesson and, while I’ve allowed some roll over of tasks, it has kept the class moving forward and not getting too bogged down. Anyway it will be interesting to see the presentations some will be too much copy and paste and others very brief. Despite that the students have constructed their own learning, asked me questions and started to link the learning about their system to the learning other groups were doing about other systems. Most of the presentations will be on Keynote. So I won’t be able to get them off due to the network issues but one group is making a video. No homework this week. I was too sick to contemplate it.

10 F Science: I got the distinct impression that nobody did anything yesterday while I was away. Anyway I got the rest of the class finished on their procedures – mostly copying my model – and results table – mostly copying my model. A couple made a start at running the first simulation or two and recording some results. So I rebooked library and computers and we’re ready to go on Monday! I’m running this to give them the idea that we’re dealing with experimental Science when we’re looking at evolution, collecting evidence and forming conclusions from that.

Stage 1 Physics: The class are starting to catch up on the videos. We worked through our summary fill in the blanks sheets and some of the questions about resistance voltage and current. This seemed to go quite well as the students answered most of the questions as we worked through. Did another graphing problem and they were a little quicker this time. Other teachers in the office agree about the problem of graphing questions … that no matter how many times you do them students seem unable to decide how to construct them for the next question and it takes sooo long. Anyway we did get time to do Ohm on the Range part 1 from Conceptual Physics and despite burning out several resistors – our power supplies are apparently over achievers – we demonstrated the relationship between current, resistance and voltage successfully which was nice. Unfortunately I loose my Tuesday double because the Year 11s have their road safety police presentation and worse I have to sit through all the accident videos they show … again! This means I won’t get the practical finished as I was on track to do. So I’ll have to split the class on Friday and have one half work with series and one half work with parallel circuits. Not as good as I would like but I need to finish off because I’m not here next term.

Stage 2 Physics/Chemistry/Stage 1 Physics Tutorial: Catching up from being on the excursion yesterday. Very busy and lots of multi-tasking on my part. My plan for the Physics went a bit out of the window but we did do some revision for the test and I read through some practical write ups at the same time working with the Friday afternoon Chemistry student on silicates (remember how to use the periodic table to determine charge). Stage 1 Physics caught the student up with the rest of the class. So most things ticked off.

10 B Science: Excursion to the South Australian Museum looking for evidence of evolution. The trip seemed to go well. It was the least structured piece of field work I’ve done with a class. I tried to keep lots of options open despite this the day progressed positively and I had lots of conversations around the skeletal systems of vertebrates, the different adaptations of water and land based animals, how the available food sources determine the characteristics that allow an animal to survive, the difference in body shapes relating to lifestyle, etc …. The task I kept really loose

The students had a picture of this page on their iPods. They also had verbal instructions where I gave some examples of how to follow a chain or two and then they were let loose to collect evidence that supported their chain. We split the class into two groups one group looked at the fossils gallery first and the other the biodiversity gallery. Then an hour for lunch – well we don’t get to go into the city that often – followed by the swap over of galleries. The fossil gallery was a little disappointing as two of the exhibits were closed and inaccessible. But there was still plenty of evidence to collect.

The biodiversity gallery was fully functional and had the displays set up to compare skeletons, body shapes, beak lengths and other adaptations for different environments.

Next up – the students choose what they want to tell about and organise a way to do it.

Stage 1 Physics: Working through the Skills and Apps task 2A, which I think I posted last time. Lots of support needed on plotting the graph about the diodes. (This could be a problem for the students who miss Wednesdays – hope they catch up with me). Probably a good idea to put this in though as it involved both creating and analysing graphs – an area of weakness.

10 F Science: Well we got through preparing a procedure for the investigation into the simulated rabbit populations at least with a number of the class. One student, who consistently complains when we aren’t using computers, refused to use a computer, sigh. The class are enjoying watching what happens to the rabbits but it’s going to take some work to get them to the point where they use it to carry out an investigation. The simulation is from PhET by the way.

8 Science: Continued on with the student’s investigations in to a body system. I’m working to push them along and begin the thinking rather than finding parts of the task. Today’s exit task was to tell me how some part of their system could be released. Today was also the day when I was supposed to collect the activities the students want to carry out next week. They didn’t flood in so I’m going to have to do much more chasing on Friday while students are preparing their presentation to the class.

Have a head cold and an excursion tomorrow – not great timing.

Stage 1 Physics: Worked through a few questions around the ideas of voltage and resistance (despite putting the information giving on to videos for homework I’m still running out of time to do questions – very frustrating). Got two more issues investigations from students who were absent. Still two to come …. Practical task Practical Investigations on current elec from conceptual Pc started by looking at circuits and thinking about resistance and current flow to explain how the circuit worked. I’d hoped to start on the resistance practicals but didn’t quite get there. Finally handed out the Skills and Apps Task 2 part A which we’ll be doing in class time but as some of the students miss lessons it’s best they have it now. Skills and apps 2A sem 2

10 B Science: The selection game involving tools to collect lollies as posted earlier Natural Selection Party Mix. The class enjoyed playing the game and competed hard and most got most of the way through the report (conclusion and discussion). I also had to prep them a little for Thursday (not all consent forms in yet) and return tests and ethical statements. So a lot got done. What I needed to do was attach the practical investigation to natural selection, which I did in groups but didn’t do it to the class as a whole. I’ll make it a priority to talk about at the museum on Thursday.

Stage 2 Chemistry Tutorial: Revision was the name of the game today. Running through the subject outline and doing past exam questions. We went through the first section on the periodic table and started to look at the Cycles in Nature section. So we won’t get through the whole course before I go but I want to give them a bit of a heads up about how to manage their own study during this time.

10 B Science: Test (open book) on genetics. About half the class were successful overall, some doing very well. I got the distinct impression from those that didn’t do so well that the video homework I set didn’t get watched (If I track it back I think I’ll find that they are the same students who haven’t commented on edmodo and haven’t handed in their ethical issue). Still it did confirm the progress of various students.

10 F Science: We actually finished the write up for the lolly survival investigation! Well at least half of the class did. We got to play the natural selection game (simulation) in the library. And started – title hypothesis and aim – to get the practical report written. We haven’t done the investigation the students have to develop it themselves – see earlier PowerPoint. The class did enjoy using the simulation and have started to make predictions about what may happen. So that was a plus. Unfortunately the usual suspects (after a brief burst of poor behaviour at the beginning and then settling to do some of the tasks the usual suspects blew up at the end. So not the perfect end to the day.

Year 8 Science: Wow! One group got as far as choosing and giving me a copy of an activity they would like to do with the class (it’s a kidney dissection – bye-bye lunch). Other groups made a bit more progress and I was able to sign off half of them as having completed the first weeks tasks. Completing that part is important and groups that haven’t had it signed off will be putting the time to have answers to the questions about their system. The groups that have will be organising how to communicate their findings to the class and the activity they would like to do. At the moment I’m thinking of splitting the class in half to do the activities so that every group gets the opportunity to present one. Of course I might be wildly optimistic in my expectation that all groups will come up with an activity but that will be my default position with them during conversations in next week’s lessons. I’m looking forward to the students owning the activities and having a reason to do them which is associated with learning something. See my wild optimism never diminishes

10 F Science: Speaking of wild optimism – sometimes it pays off. We did the lolly practical about food gathering techniques Natural Selection Party Mix. A third of the class sat out and didn’t want to take part (about standard) those that did got into it and while I could only run two groups (I reduced the number of options by taking away the fork) due to lots of people being away they really got into it, some of them didn’t even care about eating the lollies. So we have some data which we have to analyse on Monday – I’m only going to do this for one lesson (even if we don’t finish) I’ve got a computer model involving rabbits that I’m planning to use. We’ll finish the analysis of the lolly practical later in the week. Monday afternoons are hard.

Stage 1 Physics: Completion of our issues investigation into electronic devices. The students learned a  lot and volunteered that information. I did a quick survey and found they thought that building the device was a valuable part of learning about electronic components and it helped them make sense of how the different parts worked. They also enjoyed building the devices quite a lot and were keen to talk about them and how they worked. So I’ll put this down on my official liked list of assessment tasks. I’ve assessed some of the tasks (3 were presented to the class) and they were good. I was forced to give one an A. The student used lots of detail, Physics and clear explanations about the functioning of the devices. Presentation1  yourprezi  These are two of the presentations – another was a poster and I’ve had two powerpoints uploaded to edmodo. We did some theory too at the start. Haven’t quite caught up to where the videos are but I think the class is a bit behind in its video watching. Next week we’ll start on voltage and resistance.