Newport Aquatic Center

My block-mates and I went outriggering in Newport Back Bay!

Before we were able to get in the outrigger we needed to learn a few things. First we put on our life jackets and grabbed a paddle. We were then strategically placed in our seating order for the outrigger. We learned the correct way to paddle using our core muscles but to also have every other person paddling on the opposite side.

We got in the outrigger and began our tour of Newport's Back Bay. We learned about native plants and animals. Something I learned that was very interesting was about the Native Americans that once lived there. They would outrigger to Catalina Island. It would be a long journey that would take an entire day. I can only imagine what that would be like, because after an hour of paddling on the water my arms were tired. They must have been in great shape!

This trip was an amazing learning experience! This is a great place to bring students on a field trip. They could learn about the native plants and animals that live here, the Native Americans that once lived here and about  how they affect their environment! 

Silly Putty

In my science class we do an engaging and fun experiment or activity each time. One of my favorite activities was making Silly Putty! This is how you do it:  

1.  Mix 10 (or 15) ml of Elmer white glue with 3 ml (or 1 teaspoon) of water and stir.
2.  Add 15 ml of a base solution, like borax.   An optional step is to add food coloring to get the desired color you want.
3.  Stir rapidly until the water is fully separated from the putty. Then pull the putty out and enjoy!

My professor bought everyone in the class a plastic egg to store their silly putty inside. It is important to share with students that the glue, water, and base solution mix together to create a chemical reaction which creates a substance something similar to silly putty! It is missing the preservatives that real silly putty has, so it has a bit of a different feel.

Cal State Fullerton Arboretum

On February 10th, my block-mates and I went on a tour of the Fullerton Arboretum. The Arboretum is a botanical garden that represents every region in California, except the mountains. It is a beautiful and educational place to visit. My block leader, Barb, lead the tour. It was a great opportunity to observe how a field trip could be done here with my future students.

Inside the Arboretum there is not only the plants, but also a few species of wildlife. While we were there we saw a rabbit, butterflies, squirrels, turtles, ducks, and koi fish!

Before we finished our field trip we did a science activity about ground water. We learned in doing the experiment how pollution affects ground water, lakes, and the oceans. Inside our cups we created a slant with our rocks to represent a hillside. We poured in dyed blue water to create our lake. Next, we poured on some red dyed water to represent pollution. We watched the pollution trickle down into the ground water. We poured in some blue water to represent rain and watched the pollution mix in with the ground water and the lake. I would love to bring future students to the arboretum and do the ground water activity! It is an engaging and educational way to learn more about California regions!

Chalk Walk: October 19, 2011

I really enjoyed doing the chalk walk activity. Doing the chalk walk with another block was fun, but I think it could have been a way to bring our block closer together if we did it with just our own block. We could have been assigned a partner through a creative method such as, pair with someone born in the same month as you. I do think we needed more time to write our directions for our partners. I was trying to describe six squares and I was only able to describe four of them. Also, I think if we had more directions on how to write the directions for our partner. For my partner, I folded the paper and and wrote the directions in each square to give a visual of what I was describing. My partner made a list of directions which were hard to follow. I think if my partner wrote his directions the way I did it would have been much more clear what he wanted. I love doing art and math was my least favorite subject when I was in school. It is a great idea to incorporate art and real world connections to math for students, especially the unmotivated students.

Vaughn pg. 52-58

Reys Ch. 16

Why should measurement be included throughout the elementary mathematics curriculum?

Measurement is important for several reasons. It provides many applications to everyday life. It can be used to help learn other mathematics. It can be related to other areas of the school curriculum. It engages students in learning.

What is the measurement process?

1. Identify the attribute by comparing objects.
   a. Perceptually
   b. Directly
   c. Indirectly Through a Reference
2. Choose a unit.
   a. Nonstandard
   b. Standard.
3. Compare the object to the unit.
4. Find the number of units.
    a. Counting
    b. Using Instruments
    c. Using Formulas
5. Report the number of units

Reys Ch. 5

 What connections are important to aid elementary children in learning mathematics?

First ideas within math itself are connected with one another: Students who learn about fractions, decimals and percentages in isolation from one another miss an important opportunity to see the connections among these ideas. (1/4 = .25 = 25%). A second important type of connection is between the symbols and procedures of math and conceptual ideas that the symbolism represents. (3 squared = 3x3, 9). A third type of connection is between math and the real world and other school subjects/ content. As students encounter problems from real-world contexts where math is a significant part of the solution, students come to recognize and value the utility and relevance of the subject.