Week 2

 This week we learned more about living and non living things. All living things have eight characteristics. The eight characteristics include cellular composition, genetics and heredity, homeostasis, growth and change, movement, response to stimuli, metabolism and reproduction. 

 We also learned about the difference between a dormant and active organisms. Seeds, for example, are in a dormant state until they are given water, air, light and soil to germinate and start growing. Eggs, also are another example of something that is dormant, as they need warmth in order to hatch. 

I was able to relate this information to what I already know about living things vs non living things as most of the time we are able to tell right away using our prior knowledge. For example, the goldfish vs goldfish cracker conversation seems obvious that one is living and one is not, however, now we are able to use the new terms we learned to scientifically explain why one is living and one is not. 

We can apply this concept to our teaching in the future by always encouraging students to be able to scientifically reason why they know something to be the case. Even if their prior knowledge or curiosity has led to them knowing the answer, the ability to explain the "why" is just as important for them to develop as learners. 

Comments

  1. Abby BorthJanuary 26, 2023 at 8:59 PM

    Matt,
    Interesting post! I was also able to relate this lab to previous knowledge. I remember learning these concepts in elementary and middle school but it was a good refresher since I had forgotten a lot of it. I think the goldfish vs goldfish cracker question was a good example of something I would use in the classroom to have students learn how to backup their thoughts.

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  2. Emily StultzJanuary 29, 2023 at 5:36 PM

    Hi Matt,
    I really liked your summary of what we did in lab this week, it even helped me jog my memory of what we did. I really like how you explained how we can use this lab to help our students understand the why with science. I think that is a great point that often gets overlooked during labs in science.

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  3. Alicea UlrichFebruary 2, 2023 at 2:07 PM

    Hey Matt! I really enjoyed reading your blog post, it was really cool how we could all relate to doing similar activities or having similar related knowledge. I think this class has definitely been like a refresher for content we have learned before in previous education! This week I felt like the hands on activities were very helpful.

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