Lesson Teaching Reflective Summary

Teacher Candidate for Science Endorsement: Sean Splawski

Instructor: Dawn, Wes, and Matt
School: Mableton Grade: K-5 STEM Lab Instructor
Lesson Topic: Water Cycle/Weather Water Cycle in a Bag 2 Ways!
Write a brief summary or blog of your experiences teaching this lesson,
addressing the following questions:
What went well? What did not go well? (Cite specific examples)
During this lesson the students began to review the water cycle by
listening to the song Water Cycle by Flocabulary. The students
were then shown a picture of a plant growing in a baggie. I then told
them today they would use what they know about the water cycle
to grow a lime bean into a seedling. I showed them the materials
but not give them specific directions on how to do this. They could
work individually or with a partner. Most students did their own so
they would have more plants for their upcoming STEM challenge
(Terrarium Challenge). After they completed this we moved on to
creating water cycles in a bag. Students had to draw a picture of
themselves in the water cycle, then add wet sand into their baggie.
When they completed this we went outside to observe the water
cycle in a bag.
Most classes had sunny days so the bags often worked outside
quickly. A few classes had to take them back to their classrooms and
use them on another day.
Since I did not give directions on how much water or step by step
procedures many students seeds were rotten by the time we had
the next lesson. I didnt find this to be a problem because they were
able to see what worked and didnt work.
Below are pictures of student work:

How well were the lessons student performance objectives

attained?
Again this lesson focused on understanding the water cycle so
students would be ready for their Terrarium STEM Challenge. This
lesson helped students continue to further their understanding to
be ready for a culminating challenge. The students were able to
clearly explain what they knew about evaporation, condensation,
and precipitation while conducting the lab.

Did classroom activity center on science understanding, inquiry,

and sense-making by all students?
Yes, students were given the opportunity to understand and
inquire by making both of these. The seeds in a bag provided
each student the opportunity to figure out how much water they
needed, how much paper towel they should use, and how their
bag should be hung up.

Did your scientific content knowledge enable you to support

students construction of knowledge and understanding of
important scientific concepts and processes?
Yes, I was able to answer questions while they made water cycles
in a bag if they had any. During the seeds in a bag I did not
answer questions since it was their experiment that they were
creating.

When you have the opportunity to re-teach this lesson, what will
you do differently (strategies, teaching tools, assessments, etc.)
to improve student learning for all students?

Since I am on a limited time frame with classes they often did not
have enough time to finish their picture on their water cycle in a

bag. I could begin with this part of the lesson and close with seeds
in a bag because it does not take as long.