ED223: Field Observation 4

Date: 11/30
Your Name: Kelcey Miller

15 Points

Due

Date of Observation: Thursday, October 27,

2016
Name of School, Center or Site: West Point Elementary

Type of Program: Mrs.

th

Hamills 4 Grade Science Class

Age of Children:
9-10 years old

Time of

Observation: 2:00 to 3:30

Number Present: Teachers: 1 Teacher and 1 Paraprofessional
Children: 22

Observational Task: Classroom Technology Audit

1. Explore a Pre-k-4 classroom and make a list of materials for
science/health instruction. Include items such as technology (be
specific to equipment and software), textbooks, manipulatives, games,
books, etc You may need to ask the teacher to assist you in
completing you list.
2. Reflect on what your opinion of the teaching style of the teacher based
on the materials. Note any items that you feel might be missing from
the materials list that could enhance science/health instruction.

Mrs. Hamill helped me create a list of materials that she uses to teach
science and health to her fourth grade class. This is our list.

House Project: shoe boxes, large sheets of white paper, permanent

markers, rulers, scissors, batteries, and small light bulbs

Land and Water Unit: string, crayons, plastic wrap, and plastic shovels
Motion and Design Unit: hooks, washers, stop watches, wooden blocks,

and book ends

Electricity Unit: light bulbs, batteries, wires, paper clips, washers, and

compasses
The Great Body Shop Health Curriculum: student magazines and

website
Chromebooks (for using Google Drive)
Smart Board (for displaying websites, directions, and other pertinent

information)
Elmo (for projecting information onto the Smart Board screen)
This list of materials shows that Mrs. Hamill uses a hands-on approach

for science. Most of the materials on the list are manipulatives. I appreciate
that she uses a lot of manipulatives because hands-on learning is very
important. Students who engage in hands-on learning experience increased
retention of the content. In fact, students who learn in a hands-on
environment retain three and a half times more than students who sit
through a lecture (2012). Hands-on learning also causes students to use
critical thinking skills (2012). Overall, hands-on learning is very beneficial
and I am glad Mrs. Hamill is using this approach with her students.
Even though the list seems very extensive, there are a few items that
could be added to enhance instruction. For the health curriculum, I would
add 3D models of different organs since body systems is one of the unit
topics. I would also include a model of the mouth. This would be useful when
teaching the oral health component of the unit. The unit covers Standard
3.4.4.E1: Identify tools and devices that have been designed to provide
information about a healthy lifestyle. When focusing on this standard, I would

incorporate an interactive My Plate poster. It would be beneficial to have a

visual of the different food groups when the students are learning how to eat
a healthy diet. Lastly, I would add yoga mats or another exercise game to the
materials list. The unit emphasizes the benefits of exercise, and a good way
to learn about exercise is to participate in some form of physical activity.
There are also a few materials I would add to the Land and Water Unit. I
would add a water table where the students could explore the properties of
water since one of the standards for the unit is Standard 3.3.4.A4: Recognize
Earths different water resources, including both fresh and saltwater and
describe phase changes in the forms of water on Earth. I would also include
beakers or graduated cylinders for measuring water. For the Motion and
Design Unit, I would add a scale to the list. This could be used if the students
were analyzing how the weight of different objects affects their motion.
In the end, I am glad I got to work with Mrs. Hamill to create a list of
materials used for science instruction. It made me realize that she practices
a hands-on approach, which is a very beneficial learning strategy. This
assignment also caused me to reflect on additional materials that I would
add to the list. It gave me a good idea of what science materials I would like
to use in my future classroom.

References
Benefits of Hands-On Learning | Globe University. (2012, August 15).
Retrieved November 14,
2016, from http://www.globeuniversity.edu/blogs/service-appliedlearning/benefits-ofhands-on-learning/

Type a one page rationale/reflection about your observation. Include your

perceptions, thoughts, opinions, and reflections on your time in the
classroom. Include a PA Academic standard that ties to the specific
observation with an explanation.