Nancy+S.


 * //__Fieldtrip to Taylorsville Solar Farm__//**

SWBAT: 1. Answer follow up questions about the fieldtrip’s content 2. complete worksheet on angles in groups 3. express understanding of the importance of developing/analyzing sources of renewable energy for earth’s overall sustainability

__Day Schedule:__ To plan a field trip to the solar farm, I would first need to contact the appropriate person working at the farm to organize having a class trip. It has only been open for about a year so they may not be prepared yet to host field trips. This would probably be a half day trip in which we would arrive in the morning and finish the presentation with a late lunch the children would bring with them. This field trip would already be within a sustainability unit on renewable energy so I would have already given them background knowledge to enhance the trip. On the day of the trip before leaving, I would give them the following “Questions to Consider” sheet to help them recognize important information they hear. For 5th grade I could possibly give them a worksheet type activity to do throughout the field trip but only if it did not detract from their experience. The next day in class, I would incorporate the answers to those questions within a writing activity as well in class discussion. During the Math portion of that day we would incorporate the Math portion through focusing on studying angles. We would look at images of the solar panels and I would use the Math activity worksheet as an assessment tool. I immediately saw the connection between the rotating solar panels with planes and angles within math so that is the objective I would emphasize with this field trip.

I would use the number information from the solar farm such as number of PV panels as well as how many homes and counties it provides energy for. Science can clearly be incorporated with talking about different energy sources and how it is converted into electricity. I would give a list of questions and ideas to think about before the field trip and that they could answer in the end demonstrating they had been paying attention during the experience.

//Questions to Consider…// 1. How do solar panels turn the sun’s energy into energy we can use? 2. Why is it important for us to start using renewable sources such as the sun as opposed to oil for power? 3. What are some advantages of using the tracking system with solar panels as opposed to the conventional tilted panels? 4. What are some advantages of using solar power over other types of renewable resources (biomass, wind, water, etc.)? 4. What unit of measurement is used when measuring energy?
 * __5th Grade__**

//These questions would adhere to the following 5th grade Science Standards://

//1.06 Explain and evaluate some ways that humans affect ecosystems. Habitat reduction due to development.// -Students will gain a greater understanding of how we as humans affect our habitats and environment by depleting resources and having to find new sources of energy for survival. //1.07 Determine how materials are recycled in nature.// -Students will learn about how natural materials are re-used to create energy especially when we as humans are needing to look for more energy sources. To incorporate Math, my activity would take place after the field trip. I would give the students a group worksheet with different images of solar panels asking them to use protractors to describe the angles. We would have been doing a unit on the 5th grade Goal 3 of understanding the properties and relationships of plane figures so questions would be geared towards that goal. I would specifically use the solar panel images to address the following 5th grade objectives:

//3.02 (a) Sum of the measures of interior angles.// //3.04 (a) Sum of the measures of interior angles.// //(b) Lengths of sides and diagonals.// [] -Great website providing information in elementary terminology as well as fun games and activities for comprehension. The energy calculator is a great tool for showing units used to measure energy. Apps: [] -Lets kids view episodes from year 2050 in a world that’s suffering from the effects poor environmental planning and introduces the concepts of new energy sources to “save” the world.

**Google PowerMeter**

-shows people detailed information about how much energy is actively being consumed from their homes. It can show students where most of the energy in their home is consumed, which appliances are wasting energy, and how much energy they are using throughout the day.

“Connecting Music and Math” March 2nd, 2011 Question: How can music help you teach math? Having played the violin and piano since the age of 3, I know the impact that music can have in learning. Music is constructed very mathematically with time signatures, key signatures, and notations with specific values. It has many organizational structures and standard rules just like Math. Seeing the relationships within a piece of music is a very similar skill to understanding number relationships. I would focus on integrating a basic level of understanding about rythem, note value, and patterns to enhance math lessons. Music can be a powerful tool in other areas as well with memorization, engagement, and providing good learning environments. Music has a power of immediately eliciting desired psychological effects. It can cause immediate excitement, fear, or in this case relaxation. Depending on if it helps or distracts my class, I would try and incorporate music as much as possible seeing as it is a personal talent I am most confident utilizing. Playing relaxing, probably classical, music in the mornings as the students enter is a great way of creating a comfortable environment and setting the tone for the day. Quite background music could make an extended reading period feel less like schoolwork and help keep a calming tone during group projects. We unconsciously pick up lyrics when listening to songs so putting information into song is a fun, effective way of memorization. In older elementary grades, I would possibly introduce basic music theory to show how similar constructing math concepts is to the organization of music. On a simpler level, I would use ideas we’ve discussed such as clapping to teach phonics. Music can enhance not only a curriculum but help the sometimes even more important issue of class management. This website has many songs to teach content from many elementary subject areas: [] Music can be used through CD, Ipods and any other technology that can play music. [] is provides many sites which give children options such as creating their own songs, understanding rythems, and seeing different note values. Math concepts such as fractions, counting, multiplication, and division can be taught through songs on this website: [] The sustainability element of teaching environmentalism in Science can be enhanced through elementary age songs created by artists for the purpose of teaching children. Linda Book’s Environmental songs provide a great list of songs used for teaching about the environment and the importance of preserving it. Songs such as “The Garbage Tree” and “Where Does the Water Go” can be used for engagement during any aspect of a lesson. The lyrics of these songs contain factual information that makes the student actually retain the concepts as well. http://www.lindabook.com/environmental_songs.html Assessment: Students could perform a song demonstrating memorization either individually or as a group. In older elementary grades, students could write their own song or lyrics for an already existing song. For Social Studies, students could incorporate music into projects and presentations to show understanding of the time period. Mobile Apps: “Tap DJ” is an app used for students age 10 and older in which children can create and play music. The user can get a feel for how to manipulate music on a virtual turntable. “Bloom HD” is another great app for age 5 and older in which children tap the screen to create sounds and art. The students would learn about patterns and how delay affects sound. It also demonstrates how music and visuals can be connected. Bloom HD: http://www.appstorehq.com/bloomhd-ipad-240160/app Tap DJ: http://www.appstorehq.com/tapdj-mixandscratchyourmusic-iphone-585379/app Other Media: This site provides a list of many songs that can be used for classroom transitions such as starting the day, lining-up for recess, lunch time, clean-up, and the end of the day. http://www.songsforteaching.com/transitions.htm
 * Content**:
 * Pedagogy**:
 * Technology**:
 * Sustainability**:
 * IDENTIFY**:

February 3rd, 2011

Question: How many chairs are there in the pit? Content: This question would provide an activity to enforce estimation skills. The children would be able to look around for a few minutes to gage their opinions of how many chairs there are and then make their estimate. Many of the tables have about the same amount of chairs around them so I could suggest to the students to count how many chairs were around one table and then go from there. This would allow them to understand units of measurement such as inches or liters which allow us to measure different types of data. Pedagogy: This activity requires students to actively walk around and talk with their peers which is always going to be a more engaging method of designing activities. They can collaborate, communicate, and use critical thinking to discuss their differing estimations. After counting the actual number of chairs, we could practice different counting patterns such as 5’s and 3’s. We could also work on units of measurement such as length, weight, and angles when examining the chair. They could estimate how many inches the legs were or how much it weighs. The students would practice making types of graphs and charts to record their estimations. Technology: This activity could be used to teach the program Excel to record their data. This website is helpful in teaching different types of data recording. [] Sustainability: Having the pit be the activity location, we could discuss the importance of recycling and food pesticides. The new “green” to go boxes would be a great example to use for how the world is realizing environmental pressure and needing to adapt to more sustainable practices. Water sustainability is another topic that could be discussed when looking at where the dishes are washed. Assessment: To assess understanding at the end of this activity, I would probably provide a work sheet with different types of estimation that we had gone over at the end of the unit such as length, weight, and height. Estimation also includes being able to round, so basic addition problems would be effective as well.


 * JANUARY 20th, 2011**

//"Less than, More than, Scarcity, Abundance"//

v What do we have too much of on our campus? v What do we have too little of on our campus?

CONTENT (Math, Science, Literacy, Social Studies): One aspect of all educational institutions is that they are always looking to improve. The needs, populations, and diversity of students changes every year so school administrations are constantly discussing how to better serve their children. We conducted a survey in a group asking people outside Tribble what they thought Wake Forest had too much and too little of on campus. Their answers centered around parking shortages, the Pit, high tuition, and lack of diversity. Social Studies could easily be incorporated in this exercise such as discussing the concepts of population, community, and diversity. We could label on a U.S. map where the majority of students are from or the history of how Wake came to be. When on the topic of vehicles, we could bring in Science by learning about different types of pollution and its effects on our world. Addition and subtraction could be practiced when considering how many people can fit in the pit or how many cars can fit in the parking lot. PEDAGOGY: This activity would be effective for students of all learning styles. It includes physical movement, auditory and visual information processing, group collaboration, and individual participation. We were able to practice scientific inquiry with a level of freedom which drove our curiosity. Students become connected with their school environments in this activity by actually examining what they believe is good and bad about school. This activity clearly promotes student interaction but it is still useful for more reserved children. The process of walking to each side and connecting with another student forces them to stay engaged in the activity and communicate with their peers.

TECHNOLOGY: Smart phones were used for this activity to record the answers to our questions but tools such as video cameras, flip cameras, and ipads could be used to collect and organize information.

SUSTAINABILITY: Topics which include and promote sustainability relating to this activity could be pollution, over population, energy saving practices, and recycling. Wake began focusing on making our campus more environmentally friendly, so we could discuss aspects of the new residence hall such as solar paneling and water saving systems.

Identify (One each): Assessment, Mobile Apps, Other Media This activity would be great to incorporate into word problems which students could relate to. Word problems could be devised for any subject to test knowledge and understanding. Word problems are excellent ways for measuring multiple skills but can be intimidating. By tying the activity into questions for numerous subjects, the students hopefully make connections as to how everything they’re learning is relevant to their lives. [] -an app for the iPhone or iPod Touch to help learn about each of the United States [] -this website links to the EPA’s Environmental Kids club has many games about recycling, endangered species, and greenhouse gases