Reflection on Inquiry Lesson

Introduction
Mrs. Koproskis 3rd grade classroom has an atmosphere that is upbeat, positive, and
encouraging. She sets high expectations for the students and expects no less than their very best
but at the same time is compassionate and understanding and truly loves the children she teaches.
The children are pleasant and excitable but not to a disruptive extent. The children are, on
average, nine years old. There are 23 children in the class. Some of them have learning
disabilities and one has difficulties that have not been specifically diagnosed yet. About one
third of the class is ESL and many of their parents do not speak English. Only one is diagnosed
as ADHD. It is an ethnically diverse class with children who come from a wide variety of
backgrounds and cultures.
The school itself is a Title One school and serves a low soci-economic population. 79%
of the school recieves free or reduced lunch. In Mrs. Koproskis class, about 61% receive free
or reduced lunch. Due to the low socio-economic area the school is located in, the school is a
recipient of assistance including a program through New Spring Church which provides each
child at the school with a new pair of New Balance tennis shoes at the beginning of the school
year regardless of the childs familys financial circumstances. Despite this low status, the
school has involved parents who help out and volunteer at the school and parents who are willing
to communicate and cooperate with the teacher in regard to their childs education. The
community is proud of their school and their children.
Hendrix Eleemntary is an International Baccalaureate School which adds an additional
dimension to the regular instructional curriculum. The school focuses on IB values in their
planning and approach to education. The program also places additional requirements on
educators. Science and Social Studies are valued at the school, although, naturally, not as much
as reading, writing and math. Writing is a subject of emphasis in Mrs. Koproskis class. They
write quite frequently. Literacy is paramount as it is the foundation upon which all knowledge is
built and supported. Science is taught with hands-on, experimental activities. Science is also
taught with the use of technology as is most of the learning. Smartboards are in every classroom
and, in Mrs. Koproskis class, every child has an iPad assigned to them. Just as in every subject,
students have high expectations placed upon them to learn the information from their science
lessons. They use Project Based Learning and integrate reading and writing into science
lessons. They learn songs to help them underatnd and retain content better. There have been
many science acitivites observed during the last few months.
There is no doubt that the greatest motivator and catalyst for student learning and
achievement comes from the aura, attitude, and abilities of Mrs. Koproski. When studetns are in
an engaging and encouraging environment, they will have a greater desire to give their best effort
and to perform better. The classroom and school have a student-centered focus. Often times
the children will not perform in the high range of scores and, with individual challenges of each
student, they are not able to receive help and assistance at home. Much, if not all, of the

learning and educating of the children rest solely on the classroom teacher. Thankfully, at
Hendrix, they also have specialists and coaches that offer additional support and instruction.
The expectations coupled with the hope and desire for each child to succeed, enable Mrs.
Koproski and the school to have a positive and highly significant impact on student learning.
Analysis
The inquiry lesson was created to introduce the next science unit of electricity. This unit
is not only new to this class but new to third grade as a standard. The supplies and references
were at the intermediate school for fourth grade because it will be on their standardized test.
Third grade had to wait until they were finished to be able to begin planning specific instruction.
The curriculum used introduces students to electricity, circuits, and current, as well as
other terms related to electrical circuits using batteries. The lesson was designed to provide the
initial exposure and to begin experimenting with battery powered electrical circuits. This lesson
covered lessons one and two from the guide book. Students were to create a simple complete
circuit using the provided kits.
The lesson began with a KWL type of questioning to assess background knowledge and
the need for adjustments to the lesson. Then, a discrepant event using an ice tray battery was
performed. Students were then introduced to terms and definitions that relate to the content.
Safety guidelines for the experiment were addressed. Student were given instructions on how to
carry-out the design and experiment process with the teacher modeling. Next, students
participated in the experimentation process by designing and testing their idea of how to build
their circuit in order to get light bulb to light. The discussion of working together and trying new
and challenging things was completely forgotten. It was not even addressed. It was skipped
right over accidentally. When in the moment of instruction and activity, it was given no thought.
It was included in the lesson according to the teacher guidebook for the unit.
Several pairs were able to determine the correct positioning of the items in the kit to
make a circuit and get the bulb to light. They had their plans drawn in the booklets and tested.
Not every pair had success and not every pair had drawings, however, all of them participated.
The class was fully engaged and excited. They learned new vocabulary, such as circuit and
current, and were able to better understand the content. This was mostly able to be assessed
through the discussions and through the questions the children asked. The diagrams drawn on
the board were helpful as they provided a visual and reference point. Through drawing their
own, they were able to better understand the idea of a complete circuit. Booklets were on the
desks and they were observed to check for understanding.
To improve achievement, it may have been better to have everyone do the first trial and
then review the findings. It would give an opportunity to discuss specific misunderstandings
and provide repeated instruction. Then the students would attempt trial two and the findings
would be reviewed. This process would be followed until the first bulb was lit. It would
provide repetition and review during the lesson as well as an opportunity to change the way a
topic was explained to meet the needs of those who did not understand.

The worst part of the lesson was that it went way over time. Mrs. Koproski was happy
and excited to have them continue as much as they could so the plan was followed up to a certain
point. After the experimenting, there was not enough time to properly cover the specific flow of
the current. There was a diagram with the definition of electricity that was put into the booklets
but they were not able to label their own drawings with the flow of current. That part of the
objective was not met. If they were asked to do it right now, some might be able to but the
majority would not. They do know some new terms and were able to develop the simple
complete circuit. The lesson could have easily been split into two. The discrepant event took up
time as well. Overall, it was poor time management and putting too much into one lesson. Time
of lessons is something that definitely needs to be worked on. After two clinical experiences,
time is a major concern for all teachers and management of time needs to be mastered.

Reflection
On a scale of 1-10, this lesson would rank around 8 or 9 in meeting the standards simply
because it came straight from the guidebook for the electricity unit that the district was using.
The flipchart was added as was the discrepant event, booklets, and print-outs. The lesson would
rank around a 9 for promoting discussion. There were several opportunities for questioning and
answering and brainstorming. Students were continuously invited to participate and share their
ideas and input.
This lesson was filled with repeated opportunities for students to solve problems and
participate in science thinking and learning. It would rank around a 9. The scientific process
was a central theme to the lesson and the students were able to hypothesize, experiment, and
revise from results. It was student-centered and an enriching hands-on experience.
One semi-effective part of the lesson was the KWL at the beginning. It helped with the
discrepant event because it made them think that water could light the bulb due to their
experiences with not being allowed to swim in thunderstorms. The class was able to discuss
some history with a student sharing that they remembered Benjamin Franklin studied electricity
with his kite experiment. These are good things and got the focus on electricity but it probably
did not aid in helping them to better understand the new content, or at least it was not utilized in
the way it should have been.
The designs and drawings were effective. They were able to use multiple senses and
more authentically participate in the process of learning about circuits and current. This was
probably the most effective part. It was definitely the most enjoyable.
The least effective part was the vocabulary list glued into the books. It was done at the
end while trying to quickly wrap everything up. There was not an opportunity to go over the
words or relate them back to what the students had just completed. They are in the booklet and
that is about it. Only two were probably kept in the mind.
If I was able to continue with this unit on electricity, I would definitely include the
reading of The Magic School Bus Gets Charged. I might even have the class watch the show.

The children love videos and they love Ms. Frizzle. For reading, it would be good to include
simple biographies on Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla. There would be
an opportunity to discuss and read about how fortunate we are to have electricity and other
conveniences since some areas of the world still do not have those. Some of the children may
have experienced going without electricity for a time. Electricity could be a sensitive topic.
I have always thought that science, especially on an elementary level, would be enjoyable
to teach. I loved science and labs, in particular, when I was in school. When we reviewed and
annotated the standards at the beginning of the semester, I noted that electricity would be the
hardest to teach and to learn. I was intimidated and scared by it. After this lesson, I am not
near as afraid or intimidated by the topic. I scanned through the remaining 13 lessons in the
book and it was a relief to me. I am not sure what I was expecting but I think I could handle it
just fine. After the preparation time spent on this lesson, I increased my own knowledge of
electrical currents and feel a bit more confident in my ability to teach this content. The materials
were provided by the district and the plans are outlined very clearly. The whole unit would
engage the children and provide more authentic learning experiences than reading it from a
textbook.