Group 2 Investigates with Inquiry

Today group 2 did their inquiry lesson about light energy. They began by reviewing the class rules with the students. Next they had several slides that reviewed their lesson from Tuesday. The teachers each reviewed a different topic taught, and all of the students seemed to remember it all so the teachers should be really proud of themselves!! One thing I wish the teachers had done differently was make the review more fun for the students. I think instead of doing oral questions the teachers could have made a Kahoot with 5 questions to refresh the students memory. I think the questions were a lot and took up more time that could have been used for the activity. Before explaining the activity, the teachers explained the scientific method since the students would be using that throughout their experiment. The teachers then explained their light energy experiment. The students were divided into four groups and they went to each of the four stations designed by the teachers. The stations were about reflection, refraction, and absorption. Students were given objects that the teachers brought in which I thought was a really great idea. Some objects included mirrors, prisms, flashlights, and jars filled with water. These experiments was very well thought out and you can tell how much time and effort these teachers put into this lesson.
The students were given a packet that asked them to develop a hypothesis, and make observations about what they had in their station. They really loved the stations and I could see that at the reflection station students were writing a lot about what they saw which was great! One suggestion for the teachers is to have a timer on the smartboard so that students know how much time is left to complete that station. Once the groups rotated through all the stations, the teachers asked the students to share their findings with the class. Students were even sharing what they found interesting at the stations which was amazing because it showed how much they enjoyed the activity. For independent practice the students wrote a letter to their teacher about why light energy is important in a sensory garden. Students were working very quietly during this and completed it independently like they were expected to. Overall both lessons were really great and group 2 should be really proud of themselves for such well thought out lessons!



As for my group, we are now the next group to teach and we’re all very excited! Today we finished our direct instruction lesson and I think it’s really great. We put a lot of time and effort into it so I hope that will be reflected in our teaching next Tuesday. Now we are going to practice and start working on our inquiry lesson. We have a great idea for that. Now all we have to do is put it together in a powerpoint and get our supplies. This time next week we will be done with both our lessons!! I’m very excited for the students to see and learn about what we have planned for them.