Systems+Stories+Notes

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 * Alexandra Evans Journal Entry Reflection: Today we went to Tamarac Elementary for the first time. My station members and I had to alter the lesson plan in an emergency - our expected time slot was 15 minutes but when we got into the classroom it was cut down to 10 minutes. Three groups went through the station in total. Due to the sudden time restriction, the first group wasn't as organized as it should have been. We didn't get to the cloud demonstration with them, but they did fill out the 5 box model (with less emphasis on the "work" boxes, unfortunately). Even though it was rushed towards the end and slightly disorganized, I feel that they understood the general concepts of the climate system. The second group went wonderfully. They made the connection in the cloud demonstration that the smoke from our cars/trucks goes up into the atmosphere (layers of air around the earth) and can make clouds - illustrating to them one way how humans can alter the climate system. They also managed to fill out the "work" boxes very well. They made the necessary connections to list "more severe storms" in the negative effects and "nice climate for growing food" in the positive effects. One kid in the second group even made the connection that the water cycle was part of the climate system, telling me how "water from the ocean goes up into the air to make clouds, then gets rained down onto the land again". The third group was run in the same manner, but they didn't make the same connections the second group did ("So one way to help the climate system is to not light matches?..."). I don't really know what we could have done differently with the third group to help their understanding with the limited time we had - it wasn't apparent that some of the group didn't understand the concepts until we had one minute left or so. Overall I think it went well, especially considering it was the first time we went to the school and were exposed to the kids in the classroom. I was really surprised at the variety in cognitive development throughout the class. Some of the kids were able to pick up things so quickly while others struggled - it really showed me how difficult it is to make a lesson plan that would achieve its learning outcomes across the entire class. It was also really interesting to hear their responses to some of the questions from the other groups. When the class did the aquaponics box model on the board together they were asked about where our electricity comes from. It took a while for one of them to answer "burning coal"; most of the responses consisted of renewable energies such as wind, solar, and hydro. It's strange - I'm excited to know that they're hearing and learning about renewable energy, but at the same time I find it concerning that they didn't know where most of our energy comes from and that it's causing severe environmental problems.
 * NT: I know it's already been said, but the aquaponics system was perfect for the third-graders! (I didn't have a chance to see how the other systems were working out) Also, the systems model we had them fill out was awesome. It was clear and interesting to the students, and I think it is a good way to analyze systems. Overall, I think the experience with the third-graders went really well.
 * SK: Great time in the classroom yesterday! It seems like the students were excited and enthusiastic about everything we had to show them. The systems modeling seemed to work well, and I don't think it was too far over their heads. It was fun setting up the aquaponics system. The whole configuration had to be emptied cleaned, resealed and pressure tested before being deployed, but seemed to function just fine. Yesterday was the first time I ran the pump while it was filled with gravel/sand, which seemed to slow its circulation down a bit, requiring me to remove some of the sand. The kids participated in filling it with gravel and water, which was a fun and physical way to involve them in the set up. We inoculated it with the first succession wave of organisms: snails, microbes, plants. Students will make observations over the next few weeks regarding turbidity levels in the water, activity of snails, and growth of plants. I broke open the water hyacinth plant and had the students make the connection between its structure and the similarities to styrofoam (which allows it float). There, the seed could be planted that there are natural analogues/alternatives to some synthetic materials, and that synthetic materials can also be based off natural models (biomimicry). It was also great that they were able to make the connection between chlorine in pools as a disinfectant and what effect that has on microbial life/human bodies, tying in the concept that not all bacteria are bad, and are in fact essential for our health/survival. We discussed where they could get non-chlorinated water from to replace water lost due to evaporation, and they were excited to try melting snow inside their classroom. It would be great next time to bring a worm composting system into the classroom and integrate the two systems - worm castings and worms fertilize/inhabit the aquaponics tank, while dead plant matter harvested from aquaponics feeds the worms. Additionally, next time we'll bring in more plants to be rooted in the gravel substrate.
 * Kelley F: Overall, I think today's visit to Tamarac went incredibly well, especially considering that it was our first visit of the semester. The "systems" session with the 3rd graders went particularly well, and the students loved travelling to the different centers. The group I traveled with went to the ecosystems (?) station first, and the timing seemed very off. I myself honestly had no idea what the students were supposed to get out of that center, although it seems like that was a timing issue. The other groups went very smoothly... The bike-to-light guys were very interactive with the students and were a lot of fun to watch. And Scott's aquaponics center was definitely a highlight for all of the students. I would say the only area for improvement is timing... We have a very good group of students that seem to love to learn!
 * KF: Realized that third graders don't know where power comes from.... Jordan tried to talk them through it, and they got as far back as "it comes from a switch, and some wires." No power plants or coal in the picture. We can help fix this. And we'll have opportunities. Mrs. Seaver asked if we would help her power one of her Lego Cities, and build a water and waste water treatment system for the other...... think about it.
 * KF: Good match with the bike-to-light story: Pedal Power []  Others here may also be relevant -- []
 * KF: "Web of life" activity in the curriculum for the Exxon Valdez spill would work well for hits. Afterwards, map out on template
 * KF: Realized that third graders don't know where power comes from.... Jordan tried to talk them through it, and they got as far back as "it comes from a switch, and some wires." No power plants or coal in the picture. We can help fix this. And we'll have opportunities. Mrs. Seaver asked if we would help her power one of her Lego Cities, and build a water and waste water treatment system for the other...... think about it.
 * KF: Good match with the bike-to-light story: Pedal Power []  Others here may also be relevant -- []
 * KF: "Web of life" activity in the curriculum for the Exxon Valdez spill would work well for hits. Afterwards, map out on template
 * KF: Good match with the bike-to-light story: Pedal Power []  Others here may also be relevant -- []
 * KF: "Web of life" activity in the curriculum for the Exxon Valdez spill would work well for hits. Afterwards, map out on template
 * KF: "Web of life" activity in the curriculum for the Exxon Valdez spill would work well for hits. Afterwards, map out on template