WA: Earth Science, September 9 & 11

 Last week, the class met one day.  The students were introduced to an inquiry-based approach to instruction through inquiry blocks (http://schoolpartnership.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/National-Academies-Inquiry-Lab.pdf) and the "Checks" (http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/chec.lab.html) activity to learn about the nature of science.  The class also received instruction regarding the "Claim-Evidence-Reasoning" model or CER ( http://www.edutopia.org/blog/science-inquiry-claim-evidence-reasoning-eric-brunsell)

This week, the Earth Science class will compare different maps and create a map of the School.  Additionally, the students will use an inductive approach to introduce the "Rocks and Minerals" unit. The class will review another CER set, and begin the unit on rocks and minerals.  Earth Science is student-centered and robust.  My goal this week is to become better acquainted with the class in order to understand their learning styles and to observe the group dynamics.