Bio:
Libby Robertson began teaching on Chicago’s South side in 2002. After earning a Master's in Science Education from DePaul she moved to Middle School Science and is currently at Franklin Fine Arts Center. She is passionate about inquiry based Science and serves as Science Fair Co-chair for her network. She enjoys traveling, good stories, the outdoors and honing her biking skills.
Amazing Teaching Moment:
Inquiry is integral to the study of Science but learning the various components can be a dull process unless you capture the students’ interest. I begin my Scientific Method Unit with Inference vs.Observation using the Potato Candle Demonstration (it ends with eating a burning “candle”). We then move to the “Save Fred!” lesson. This activity engages the students and allows me to target several objectives: learning the basic Scientific Method, teamwork communication skills, constraints in Engineering and Science, and procedural writing.
To begin, students identify a challenging problem they have solved and describe it and their methods to the group. These often include dealing with injuries, schedules, friends or difficult Math problems. They choose one to share from each team and we look for commonalities and chart them. Next, I bring out a gummy worm described as Fred. He has fallen out of his yacht (cup) and ended up on top of the upside down cup with his gummy life preserver trapped underneath and he needs their help! They are then given the materials: a clear plastic cup, 4 paper clips, a gummy worm and gummy Lifesaver for each pair, along with a set of constraints. They can’t touch Fred with their fingers and may only use the 4 paper clips. The lifesaver must be placed firmly around his body. He cannot be injured in any way and if he falls onto the tabletop “sea” more than once he drowns. The students instantly begin work and will even give up recess to complete the operation. They are encouraged to take pictures or draw sketches.
Upon finishing, they work as a pair to write their procedures. This is shared with their teammates who must follow the steps exactly. Unclear parts are noted and the pair revises the procedures until they are reproducible. Their work is published and we generate a Scientific Method outline as a class that will be refined as needed.
STEM Lesson Top 5:
1. Rigorous, cognitively rich tasks:
Students are involved in thinking deeply and using various strands of knowledge along with prior learning. The activities reinforce fundamental skills for future applications.
2. Student engagement and choice:
Students actively participate in tasks at hand and are allowed to choose how to solve the problem to develop their understandings. Students own their learning outcomes.
3. Communication with disciplinary vocabulary:
Students work collaboratively and success depends upon effective communication. Students develop and apply content vocabulary.
4. Safe, supportive place for exploration:
Students have a comfortable space to explore the range of their abilities. They are encouraged to take risks with support from their peers and teacher.
5. Structured environment that celebrates diversity:
Teacher systematically creates a classroom that optimizes STEM learning. Lessons balance structure and freedom to explore. Diversity is celebrated in divergent outcomes.
Libby Robertson began teaching on Chicago’s South side in 2002. After earning a Master's in Science Education from DePaul she moved to Middle School Science and is currently at Franklin Fine Arts Center. She is passionate about inquiry based Science and serves as Science Fair Co-chair for her network. She enjoys traveling, good stories, the outdoors and honing her biking skills.
Amazing Teaching Moment:
Inquiry is integral to the study of Science but learning the various components can be a dull process unless you capture the students’ interest. I begin my Scientific Method Unit with Inference vs.Observation using the Potato Candle Demonstration (it ends with eating a burning “candle”). We then move to the “Save Fred!” lesson. This activity engages the students and allows me to target several objectives: learning the basic Scientific Method, teamwork communication skills, constraints in Engineering and Science, and procedural writing.
To begin, students identify a challenging problem they have solved and describe it and their methods to the group. These often include dealing with injuries, schedules, friends or difficult Math problems. They choose one to share from each team and we look for commonalities and chart them. Next, I bring out a gummy worm described as Fred. He has fallen out of his yacht (cup) and ended up on top of the upside down cup with his gummy life preserver trapped underneath and he needs their help! They are then given the materials: a clear plastic cup, 4 paper clips, a gummy worm and gummy Lifesaver for each pair, along with a set of constraints. They can’t touch Fred with their fingers and may only use the 4 paper clips. The lifesaver must be placed firmly around his body. He cannot be injured in any way and if he falls onto the tabletop “sea” more than once he drowns. The students instantly begin work and will even give up recess to complete the operation. They are encouraged to take pictures or draw sketches.
Upon finishing, they work as a pair to write their procedures. This is shared with their teammates who must follow the steps exactly. Unclear parts are noted and the pair revises the procedures until they are reproducible. Their work is published and we generate a Scientific Method outline as a class that will be refined as needed.
STEM Lesson Top 5:
1. Rigorous, cognitively rich tasks:
Students are involved in thinking deeply and using various strands of knowledge along with prior learning. The activities reinforce fundamental skills for future applications.
2. Student engagement and choice:
Students actively participate in tasks at hand and are allowed to choose how to solve the problem to develop their understandings. Students own their learning outcomes.
3. Communication with disciplinary vocabulary:
Students work collaboratively and success depends upon effective communication. Students develop and apply content vocabulary.
4. Safe, supportive place for exploration:
Students have a comfortable space to explore the range of their abilities. They are encouraged to take risks with support from their peers and teacher.
5. Structured environment that celebrates diversity:
Teacher systematically creates a classroom that optimizes STEM learning. Lessons balance structure and freedom to explore. Diversity is celebrated in divergent outcomes.