The goal of the chosen science lesson is clearly identified. Students have to share their knowledge about availability of water changes habitats and explain how the existing water availability in the environment could affect the living organisms. The lesson is effective when students and teachers use the same materials to analyze if students comprehend the material at the required level (Parkinson, 2014). The teacher succeeded in integrating different content areas into the science lesson including reading, watching, and searching activities.
Though no technology was incorporated into the lesson, the teacher proved the necessity to clarify what students know about the subject. Safety requirements were met (Hudson, 2015). Besides, the teacher did not focus on the science standards because it was necessary to explore the theoretical part concerning the availability of water in the environment. At the beginning, it was necessary to introduce minimum requirements because students had to share their own ideas and understanding of the material (Frost & Toplis, 2010). The teacher offered the material of specified pages and asked students to observe and explain what they saw in the picture. Such approach did not require the usage of special standards and techniques but helped to clarify how students saw and understood science.
Finally, a certain attention was paid to the additional suppliers and handouts used by the teacher. For example, two types of texts were used: one text was taken from the student’s guide, and another text was taken from the teacher’s guide. The number of pages was identified so that the students and the teacher could find the material quickly. The Internet search and the available educational videos about the effects of drought were offered to students as the main contributions to the discussions.
The assessment of students was developed with the help of the Wrap It Up questions. Students had to answer a number of questions in their science notebooks to test themselves and clarify if they learned the required material in a proper way. That assessment approach, as well as a certain attention to self-work, differentiated the lesson considerably. The teacher wanted to check students’ readiness to work independently in the chosen scientific field. The results of the work could be observed after the evaluation of the students’ answers.
In general, the chosen science lesson was successful enough. It helped to introduce a new topic to the students and make then the direct participants of the discussion. It was not enough to explain new terms and mention some rules. It was necessary for students to understand their personal abilities in the chosen field. The offered plan could be used in the future. Still, some improvements should be offered. For example, it is possible to provide students with some general science standards at the beginning of the lesson and introduce several short quizzes during the lesson. Such quizzes could support those students, who are not good at discussing and sharing their opinions in public, and help them demonstrate their level of knowledge gained during the class.
References
Frost, J., & Toplis, R. (2010). Learning to teach science in the secondary school: A companion to school experience. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hudson, P. (2015). Hudson’s guide for teaching primary science. Queensland, Australia: Australian eBook Publisher.
Parkinson, J. (2014). The effective teaching of secondary science. New York, NY: Routledge.