The implementation of new curriculum this school year has been an exciting addition to my teaching job. Providing a universal design of learning (UDL) model of learning to my students has always been a passion of mine. With the emphasis on curiosity and personalized learning, weaving the new strands of curriculum into my profession has been a pedagogical goal for me.
As a conclusion to our states of matter unit in science, students were assigned a unit project of creating a DIY science experiment presentation to the class. Prior to this assignment, I had conducted a number of “demonstration” experiments, as well as lessons from this new science resource from Nelson.
This science resource was released in Fall 2016, and its lessons and content are directly linked to the new curriculum.
Experiment presentations were filmed (on project iPads, usually by other students) and then uploaded to student Freshgrade portfolios. Experiment presentation criteria included:
- Experiment must demonstrate a state of matter, or change in matter.
- Experiments are to presented to class, with experimenters explaining the “science” of the experiment in their presentation.
- Completed experiment lab forms were also to be submitted.
While the DIY science experiment is nothing new, video recording and uploading presentations to Freshgrade accounts allowed students, parents and teachers to view, reflect, and respond to presentations. A tool that has helped in this reflection process hasis been a set of snazzy Core Competencies posters created by SD #46 Curriculum/Transitions Coordinator David Barnum.
Referring to these posted visuals has allowed me to better explain to students what the purpose of the DIY experiments is, as well as providing an anchor for assessment. Observing students research, practice and present experiments has been a wonderful experience. For the past three weeks, baking soda, vinegar, graduated cylinders and “flubber goo” have been permanent fixtures on many student desktops. I have also been enthused to hear students explain the “science”behind their experiment creations.
We are into the final week of presentations, and upon completion, I hope to collate all 26 experiment titles and hand back to students so they can continue to inquire and experiment at home. This has been a snapshot of how I am implementing some elements of the New Curriculum into my classroom.