September 2008

Are They Learning or Am I Just Talking?

During the last two weeks I’ve been trying to take the spotlight off myself and let my students drive more of the learning in the room.  I need to back off and let my students learn things more than just give them information.

I’ve given them too many definitions.  It’s not enough to just tell them what something means.   They have to come up with the definition on their own to really understand what something means.

So I’ve been using more guided questions and having longer class discussions.

What is an animal?

One of the major science concepts is talking about the definition of an animal.  Most of my students think an animal is something with four legs and fur.  Lions, cats, dogs, and hamsters are animals.  To some students, frogs, turtles, spiders, snakes, crayfish, and birds are not really animals.  People are absolutely not animals.

My initial urge was to define animal and tell them what animals were.  I squelched that urge.  I asked my students to give me ideas of types of animals.

They gave me a long list.  It started with small furry animals.  Eventually somebody included a bird.  Some kids disagreed and we discussed it.  The class decided that a bird was a type of animal.

We kept adding animals and somebody said a turtle was an animal.  The class was split in their decision on the turtle.

So I asked them to tell me what all the animals have in common.  Somebody said, “they’re alive.”  I agreed that was true, animals are alive.  So then I asked if we could add a plant to the list of animals.  They all said no, and somebody said that animals can move.  I put that on the list of what defines animal.

Somebody else said animals eat food and drink water.  The class agreed with that.  Somebody said animals have fur.  But another student pointed out that birds don’t have fur, they have feathers.  So fur stayed off the list.

I asked about the turtle again.  Are turtles alive?  Do they eat, drink, and move?  The students discussed and decided that a turtle is a type of animal.

Student Success

The discussion went on for a while and we eventually had a good list of qualities that defines animals. Animals are alive, eat food, drink water, move, can make noises, and live in a habitat.

It’s not exactly the list I would have written to give them.  But it’s something I’m prouder of than anything I could have written because the students arrived at the definition through their own discussion and debate.  They used higher order thinking to decide what an animal was.  I was more of a guide than a teacher.  Now they all know what an animal is because they built the definition themselves.

Disappointing my students

The 3rd grade science curriculum requires several animals for studying life sciences.  The delivery dates of crayfish and bess beetles were set.  My class got ready for the animals a few days before delivery.  They set up the habitats and we discussed the organisms.

Then things went downhill.  The day before the crayfish were to be delivered I got an e-mail from the district.

Apparently there was a problem with getting crayfish and they couldn’t be delivered.

My principal authorized me to buy some.  I called several bait stores and pet shops and discovered that crayfish are banned in Arizona.

Apparently there are too many in our lakes so they are not allowed to be sold or transported.  Even if you catch them in the wild, you can’t transport them away from the lake alive.

I freaked out thinking about telling my kids the crayfish weren’t coming after all of their hard work setting things up.  And I was right to feel bad.  My kids were really disappointed when I told them.

They came in that morning excitedly asking where the crayfish were.  I broke the bad news to the class first thing and they were subdued all day.

It’s not fun to disappoint your students.  But being frank and truthful is the best approach to dealing with bad news.

Collaboration rocks

Sometimes great things come out of frustrating situations.  My colleagues saved the day with their helpful advice and generosity.

I spoke with my friend Ms. Bloom about the life science standards.  She explained that if my students could study the structures, behaviors, and adaptations of animals, we would meet the standards.

So I decided to find another animal to study.

A wonderful fifth grade teacher offered to loan my class her turtle to study.  She even moved the tank to my room.

Later, my principal offered to buy hermit crabs.  I’m taking her offer and my students will research and compare the needs of hermit crabs to the needs of the turtle.

What a wonderful community of educators I work with.  I’m not isolated in my classroom.  There are so many fantastic people in this with me.  They care about me, my students, and the curriculum.  I am so grateful to be a part of this profession.