Hi Brittany,

I found that both your blog and mine were quite similar, which isn’t that big of a surprise since we are creating the interactive learning resource together on the water cycle! I am so happy you highlighted this video that go noodle has created. Any go noodle video is great for students, and creates high levels of student engagement, as you mentioned. I love the idea of having the students perform the dance at the end of the unit to showcase their learning (I think the parents would to!) It is a perfect activity to provide a cross-curricular approach to science learning, because it does a great job at tying in physical health education as well. Thank you for sharing this great lesson idea with me, I will have to incorporate it myself in the future!

The video below is the one I found on Youtube, and I will be reviewing it based on the criteria below.

1. What kind of interaction would the video require from your students? Does it force them to respond in some way (inherent)?

In the video, there isn’t much student interaction other than watching the video and following along. This video would be a good introduction to the topic in a lesson, but it would need a detailed activity to build off of. Including the activity will elevate the lesson while also building connection for students by learning from hands-on learning as well.

2. In what way are they likely to respond to the video on their own, e.g. make notes, do an activity, think about the topic (learner-generated)?

Since this activity is directed at grade 2 students, the teacher will facilitate a class discussion after the video to create conversation around what was just watched. Throughout the video, students will simply be asked to watch and listen to the video as it plays.

3. What activity could you suggest that they do, after they have watched the video (designed)? What type of knowledge or skill would that activity help develop? What medium or technology would students use to do the activity?

After watching the video, should could complete the experiment on condensation that is suggested in the video. This will be done by the teacher with students watching, due to the fact that it involves boiling water. After watching this experiment, students will complete a worksheet to show their understanding on condensation. This would help solidify their knowledge on water cycles, specifically condensation. This activity altogether will involve a beaker, water, a hot plate, worksheet, and a pencil.

4. How would students get feedback on the activity that you set? What medium or technology would they and/or you use for getting and giving feedback on their activity?

Students will get feedback on the activity by having a student conference after completing their worksheet. This will allow the students to fully communicate their ideas to the teacher, as well as give the teacher an opportunity to have a conversation with the student and straighten out any confusion they have. 

5. How much work for you would that activity cause? Would the work be both manageable and worthwhile? Could the activity be scaled for larger numbers of students?

The work for this activity would be manageable, but will require prep work on the teachers behalf. Prep will involve set up for the experiment, and creating a worksheet. The student conference at the end will also take some time to get through, but is worthwhile to have that conversation with students. This is an activity that could be done with a large classroom of students, but would be more manageable with a smaller group of students.

6. How could the video have been designed to generate more or better activity from viewers or students?

I found that since this video is directed at primary students, it would have been nice to have it be more interactive instead of just go through the information. More of a question and answer type video to interact with more would have had higher student engagement and more interesting overall.

7. How will you address any potential barriers for your learners in the use of this video to ensure an inclusive design?

When playing this video for the class I would add subtitles, so that any student with a hearing impairment would be able to follow along. As well as pausing the video to check for student understanding at multiple points throughout the video. This will help facilitate discussion among students, and allow for a space to learn as a group. Lastly, I would make sure all students had access to the video and are able to hear and see it clearly. 

Hi Sifan, 

I really enjoyed reading over your blog on your interactive learning resource. It was great to include how you covered some general information about your interactive learning resource, so I could get a good idea of what your direction was with this assignment! I think a sleep guide during covid-19, is a great idea and definitely needed in these crazy times. Discussion forums are such great way to connect learners with many ideas, as well as creating a space to host those kind of conversations. I found that the two barriers you pointed out were totally reasonable and valid for many students. I struggle with motivation and time management in most things, and I believe thats a common occurrence for many. By providing time to build those connections with fellow learners it will elevate student motivation for sure! Having a structured timeline for completion of these tasks will also benefit students to stay on top of things! Thanks for sharing your plans for your final blueprint, I look forward to reading the final project!

For our interactive learning resource regarding the water cycle for grade 2 students, we have decided to take a centres based approach. This was done to include many ways of learning for all students to have an opportunity to thrive. This also promotes learning through exploring, and lets students have the chance to explore at their own pace. By setting up a variety of activities for students to work through, this creates an inclusive classroom environment where everyone is supported. With a combination of these steps taken, it will also ensure that the needs of all learners are met.

The selected activities we have outlined in our blueprint for our interactive resource are below. As a group, we tried to keep the activities as interactive and as integrated as we could. 

Activity 1 – Solar Still: water, bowls, heat, lamp, plastic wrap, rock/weight

Activity 2 – Vocabulary: Vocabulary cards

Activity 3 -Evaporation: Thick paintbrush, water dropper, lamp, timer, buddha board, ruler, pencil, 

Activity 4 – Condensation: Teacher Made model, Water,  Student graphic organizer, Zip-Lock baggies, Sharpie markers

Activity 5 – Precipitation: Glass Jar, Water, Eye dropper, Shaving Cream, Blue food colouring, Student graphic organizer 

Activity 6 – Collection: Plastic bottle, Water, Rocks, Sand, Clay, Bin/bucket 

Activity 7 – Water cycle model: Tea kettle, piece of cardboard, beaker, oven mitts, pencil, recording sheet, 

Activity 8 – Water molecule game: Water cycle environment signs, 6-8 pre-made die, Water cycle record sheet

Activity 9 – Water wheel: Pre Cut blank water wheels, Pre Cut water wheel covers, Colour pencils, Brass fasteners

Most activities we are able to tweak and change to suit the direction we take going forward with this resource. In any activity with an experiment element, it could be a barrier for student success. This is because if a step is messed up in the process of creating the experiment, the outcome could be wrong. These stations also involve a bunch of safety concerns, and it would be challenging for a teacher to mange that in a large class of students. To reduce that barrier, it would be easy to make a few adjustments so that the experiment was simple, and easy for the students to follow. It would also be helpful to limit the number of experiments going on at one time to make safety the number one priority. 

I am excited to develop of interactive learning resource on the water cycle for grade 2 students. Stay tuned to see the final outcome!

Hi Cassidy,

I enjoyed reading your blog on experiential learning! I found it very insightful, and you did a great job at explaining the approach. Commenting on how some kids don’t have the same background knowledge taught at home on certain topics is key to understanding the importance of experiential learning. Like you mentioned, learning through experience is so valuable and all kids need that to be successful life long learners. The resources you included were very helpful, and the links to research made complete sense and strengthened your ideas. Thanks for sharing more about experimental leaning with me!