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Week 2 - Living Things

This week I learned about the different characteristics of living things. Before relearning this information, I was aware there was a set of characteristics that made up living things but I was unsure as to what all 8 of them were. It was nice to draw each characteristic out on paper and discuss how we wanted to represent it in our model and engage with a more hands-on learning experience. 


When participating in the seed activity, talking about dormant vs active seeds it was a bit confusing to me as I felt like I was still unsure as to what I was looking for. The video did help but I felt like another model or diagram would've been more helpful for us to make sure we were observing what was needed. 

Overall, I felt like this lab did a great job of emphasizing the use of models and diagrams when showing students new materials. Models are definitely something I want to frequently incorporate in my classroom as they were extremely helpful for me as a student and are a good visual way to show students what exactly you're talking about. I feel like it's a great way to start a unit and get students thinking about the material. 

Comments

  1. Quinn GillespieSeptember 5, 2024 at 1:21 PM

    Hi Maddy! I wrote the same thing similar regarding the lesson and what I knew previously about the topic. I definitely knew some of the characteristics of what makes up a living thing, but I hadn't noticed there were eight! I also liked how we were able to draw out and collaborate with our peers. This also helped me connect the ideas further. I think simple models and examples, such as the beam, can further facilitate deeper thinking in the classroom.

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  2. Isabel ShermanSeptember 8, 2024 at 2:07 PM

    Hey Maddy:) nice job on your first blog post! I enjoyed reading about the bean lab because my section didn't get to that. I agree, I think models are important in the classroom and learners can really benefit from them. You mentioned that a different model or diagram would be better in this lab. What kind of model do you think would've worked better in this lab? I love your groups poster, and your take on the lab! Good job!!

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  3. Elsa PetersenOctober 2, 2024 at 12:43 PM

    Hi Maddy! I totally agree that I knew some about the characteristics of living things, but found it so helpful to review through the activity on the posters. Being able to collaborate and work through things with classmates is so important! I was also a bit confused by the bean seed, glad I wasn't alone! Thank you for sharing!

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