Second week reflection

It is interesting to reflect on a week where only two days of instruction happened. With my school falling under the category of non-air conditioned schools in Baltimore County, I was off Thursday and Friday. While these was a much needed break in order to wrap my head around a crazy beginning to the school year, I find myself longing for a sense of normalcy. All these interruptions, although helpful from a purely planning standpoint, create a very disruptive environment that keeps both my students and myself on edge. I will be thankful when the weather cools, helping ease the limitations the heat provides and the normalcy of a routine forming.

One thing I was looking forward to this week, which is now bumped to next week, is the lab that my students will be participating in. We are currently working on the metric system and I am hopeful that the hands-on experience that the lab provides will encourage deeper and more thorough understanding of the metric system. I like this lab as a first lab because there are limited potential hazards, mostly the possibility of glassware breaking. There are no chemicals involved, just water and some food coloring, so my students will be able to practice their safety measures without the fear of a resulting injury. This lab will also provide a baseline for their ability to complete future labs. Based on their performance during this lab, and their adherence to safety procedures, I will be able to better determine the level of participation that my students will have with more difficult and hazardous labs. I think it will also be fun and more relaxed for my students so that they can focus more on the content.

After this class, I am going to try something new this year. As a way for students to take charge of their own learning, I am offering my students the opportunity to complete the metric system assessment or to complete additional metric system review. I am working on developing extension activities for those that chose the first option as the next class, students choosing to participate in additional metric system review will be taking their metric system assessment. Depending on student reception and success, I will determine if this is something I would like to continue during other points in time throughout the year. I also want to make sure the extension activity is meaningful and not just "extra work" to keep students busy. I haven't decided if this will relate to the next unit or something that will extend their thinking on the metric system. Currently, I am leaning towards extending their thinking because having them move forward will cause a rift within my classroom.

Another idea I am interesting in trying is to cover all topics, for example metric system, significant figures, and scientific notation. Then providing students with a deadline that assessments need to be completed by and having them work at their own pace. I would introduce the topics in a successive manner, probably spending two to three days on the topic, and then providing time for them to work through the topics that are most difficult for them. I might not try this with all my classes but maybe start with one or two, especially where I notice vast differences in abilities. When students are done with their assessments and unit assessment, they can move onto a project based learning opportunity. This opportunity could be far reaching and extend throughout the year, with time devoted as applicable.