Winter is Coming! Data Nuggets Module - Adapted for Preservice Elementary Teachers
Author(s): Michelle Forsythe
Texas State University
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Winter is coming_Data Sheet.docxDescription
Summary: Adaptation of Data Nuggets Module Winter is Coming! for an Elementary Education Science Methods Course (30 minutes)
Teaching Notes: Very little of this module needed to be adapted for a preservice elementary teacher audience. I distributed the first two pages of the student activity from the original data nuggets module as well as a redesigned data analysis sheet. Student groups read through the student activity introduction, and we discussed the set-up of the experiment and the research question. After students made their initial predictions about the expected findings, I posted a table of the actual results on the board. The groups then finished the rest of the data analysis. We concluded by discussing what Doug’s next steps might be; however, we did not complete the rest of the module.
What worked well:
- Having students predict the data distributions that they thought would result from the experiment. This helped them see beyond which seeds germinated “best” when analyzing the results.
- Asking students to look for patterns in the data. Very interesting discussions emerged as students looked beyond simply whether the seeds did worse when transplanted and began to debate which transplant context had the more severe impact.
What I would do differently:
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Adapted the module to fit the Engage/Explore/Explain/Elaborate sections of the 5E Instructional model used in elementary science lessons.
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Adapted the module to have students participate in simulated data collection.
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See Forsythe, M. (2018). Deadly Windows Data Nuggets Module - Adapted for Preservice Elementary Teachers. At QUBES. doi:10.25334/Q4310M for an example of similar adaptations.
What I wish I knew:
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How interested students would be in how the data was collected and the context of the research. Groups spontaneously researched maps of the general locations as well as climate data.
Summary of Changes to Original Module:
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Modified Data Analysis Sheet (see file)
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Stopped after page 5 at “Doug’s Next Steps”
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
- Forsythe, M. (2018). Winter is Coming! Data Nuggets Module - Adapted for Preservice Elementary Teachers. LDC-Data Nuggets FMN (2017), QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/Q4TH67