Module 5 Blog

Standard: S3L1. Students will investigate the habitats of different organisms and the dependence of organisms on their habitat.
a. Differentiate between habitats of Georgia (mountains, marsh/swamp, coast, Piedmont, Atlantic Ocean) and the organisms that live there.
b. Identify features of green plants that allow them to live and thrive in different regions of Georgia.
c. Identify features of animals that allow them to live and thrive in different regions of Georgia.
d. Explain what will happen to an organism if the habitat is changed. 
Problem: You are a travel agent that specializes in nature expeditions. You want to sell your clients on an exciting new package in one of the regions of Georgia. Your task is to create a travel brochure that would make someone want to visit that region. Be sure to include any plants and organisms that live in that region and include a detailed description of them. 

Authentic Assessment: Choose a region of Georgia. Research to find out more about its features, plants and animals in the region and what each needs to survive in that particular region. Create a travel brochure that includes a information about the plants and organisms in that region that may interest an outdoor explorer.  Include reasons why certain plants and organisms cannot survive in other regions in a separate paper.

Rubric: 
  Category                          3                                 2                              1                                   0

Habitat description	A brief description of habitat is given.	-------------	---------------	No description of the habitat is given.
Pictures of animals that live in the habitat	Has 3 pictures of animals that live in the habitat.	Has 2 pictures of animals that live in the habitat.	Has 1 picture of an animal that lives in the habitat.	No pictures of animals that live in that habitat.
Adaptations of animals that live in the habitat	Has adaptations for 3 animals that live in the habitat.	Has adaptations for 2 animals that live in the habitat.	Has adaptations for 1 animal that lives in the habitat.	No adaptations of animals that live in that habitat.
Pictures of plants that grow in the habitat	Has 3 pictures of plants that grow in the habitat.	Has 2 pictures of plants that grow in the habitat.	Has 1 picture of plant that grows in the habitat.	No pictures of plants that live in that habitat.
Adaptations of plants that grow in the habitat	Has adaptations for 3 plants that grow in the habitat.	Has adaptations for 2 plants that grow in the habitat.	Has adaptations for 1 plant that grow in the habitat.	No adaptations of plants that live in that habitat.
Mechanics and Appearance	The project is neat with no spelling and punctuation errors.	The project is somewhat neat with a few spelling and punctuation errors.	The project is messy or has many spelling and punctuation errors that interfere with the understanding.	-------------

Article #3:
STEM Education -- It's Elementary
By: Tony Murphy
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/08/29/stem-education--its-elementary

Summary: STEM is a vital and key issue in education. It's important in our current education system for the US to remain an economic power. A study conducted by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that nearly 8 million jobs will require a degree in STEM by the year 2018. In order to achieve this kind of success, we must begin by teaching our students early. Children are natural scientists. They begin learning and developing through observations at a very early age. Teachers and parents play a key role in helping students achieve success in these areas. STEM teachers in high school and middle school typically have a degree in their subject areas, but elementary teachers major in education and don't specialize in STEM areas and often lack a passion of teaching these content areas. We must ask ourselves, if we lack passion and confidence in teaching these subject areas, how can we instill this same passion in our students? St. Catherine's University has developed a program to help teachers overcome this issue. Working with elementary teachers to develop confidence is a necessary tool to ensure the success of our students at an early age.

Reflection: I loved this article. It showed just how important STEM is to students and made me consider why I hadn't already been implementing more integration in my own classroom. During student teaching I often times found myself rushing to get to science and social studies at the end of the day becasue of the strong focus on math, reading, and writing. By the time I was able to get to science my students were exhausted, ready to go home for the day, and usually uninterested in the content. STEM allows for the opportunity to eliminate this problem. Through integration I can have my students be excited about math and science. I couldn't believe the study that was conducted by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce that stated nearly 8 million jobs would require a degree in STEM by 2018. It's crucial to ensure our students long-term success that we start teaching and instilling the passion for math and science at a young age. I know personally I will be working on integrating more content areas in my future classroom.

Article #4:
STEM is the future: Top programs unlock kids’ exponential potential

By: Ben Chapman
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/stem/stem-future-article-1.1255407

Summary: STEM is the basis of a nationwide push to transform education. Elementary students are where the transformation begins It provides the students with the opportunity to become comfortable with science and math at an early age to become successful in the future. In order for students to be successful, it begins with their teachers. Recently, many elementary schools in New York City have been providing math and science training to teachers’ professional development programs. In New York City, many students have been given laptops as a mean to improve their confidence with technology. At one school in Manhattan, students receive weekly computer lessons and fourth-graders use digital notebooks on loan from Sony to take notes during class time. Not all students are as fortunate to use such technology in the classroom or at home, despite this STEM has made it to less-advantaged schools. At PS 15 in the Bronx, half of students don’t have access to computers or smartphones in their homes. PS 15 has intensive classes in both subjects for all students, a computer lab, math coaches and other resources that helped it outperform the city average on math and science tests. 

Several teachers use hands-on classroom experiments to teach science whenever possible and also use real-life examples to show scientific concepts.

Reflection: The students in Manhattan are so fortunate! I love how the students are able to receive a laptop to improve their confidence with technology. So many students don't receive that chance and can struggle later in life. Elementary education in where we provide the foundation for what they will build their knowledge upon as the continue their education and development. In order for us to ensure that they are confident, successful learners we need to provide the students with the chance to become comfortable with science and math at an early age. Even the students at PS 15 that had little to no technology access at home and sounded similar to the Title I school I student taught at, had made advances by using STEM and integration to help their students achieve better results on tests. Another thing I was so grateful to hear is that the schools are providing teachers with professional development in these programs to gain more confidence with teaching these subject areas. Learning begins with us and the expectations that we deliver to our students. If we are not comfortable or confident teaching the material, the students won't be either.