Teacher Feedback

I am teaching Earth/Environmental Science this semester, both Honors and Academic. Part of the Standard Course of Study for this subject is a focus on storms, including hurricanes. I am using experiences and data regarding North Carolina hurricanes that I learned from the NCCAT seminar as part of my lessons. Also, I am using pictures taken on Portsmouth Island/Ocracoke Island to highlight the unique challenges of living on a barrier island during storms.

Johnny Gatlin
Hurricanes: In the Eye of the Storm

As a result of the NCCAT weather seminar we are hoping to develop a weather center here at school for children with exceptional needs so they will have a hands-on approach integrating weather and math. Also, I have downloaded The Weather Center on a recently purchased iPad so they can track weather using a visual/auditory approach. Our school has included a daily weather forecast that is given each morning by a different student as part of the morning news. We also compared our weather in the mountains to the weather on the coast of North Carolina using internet resources and PowerPoint.

Karen Fox
Hurricanes: In the Eye of the Storm

Here are the plans that I hope to start in the spring. I usually do a reptile unit, typically with second grade, and tend to talk about frogs and their life cycle. This year I plan on teaching about sea turtles instead. I will have the students research the different types and to use the National Park Service as a resource, compare and contrast similarities and differences and create a graph using Graph Club software, and then have students use Blabberize (www.blabberize.com) to tell about their turtle in first person. I will work with the art teacher on this as well to have students create turtles with tissue paper or some other medium she suggests.

Caryn Levy
Endangered Species: Saving the Loggerhead and the Piping Plover

Anonymous responses from former participants

[accordion] [accordion_item title="As a result of the seminar, did you return to your classroom with a better understanding of key STEM issues?" icon="fa fa-edit"]Yes, I feel as if I myself better understand the intricacies of our coastal ecosystems and the emotions that are involved with the decisions being made about them. Because I better understand the scientific balance of animal and plant life, the land features of the coastal plain, and the debates surrounding the land and animals, I am able to bring a more authentic science experience to my students as well.[/accordion_item] [accordion_item title="Did your seminar experiences help increase your ability to teach and integrate STEM issues and concepts into your curriculum?" icon="fa fa-edit"]Yes. Regarding the animal and plant life, this knowledge fits seamlessly into our ecosystems unit and highlights animal and plant life and conditions needed for life and adaptations for life. My knowledge from seminar also helps me better teach human interaction with environment, because I have firsthand knowledge of the debates that surround human involvement with environment on the coast. Learning about the land features ties in seamlessly with our landforms science unit. I have firsthand pictures of me experiencing different landforms to show the students and them to connect to, rather than simply some textbook pictures and experiences of others.[/accordion_item] [accordion_item title="Did your seminar experiences give you more opportunities to collaborate with other teachers and field experts relating to the teaching of STEM issues and concepts?" icon="fa fa-edit"]I have stayed in touch with another seminar teacher and I also became involved in science grant project after my seminar experience to continue on my science learning trajectory.[/accordion_item] [accordion_item title="Did your seminar experiences help you motivate students to learn more about STEM issues and concepts?" icon="fa fa-edit"]My students are extremely interested in my experiences and want to know more about the issues surrounding the coastal plain and other scientific issues in their state and world. They have also done independent research on human interaction in other areas as well (i.e. coral reefs, polar ice melting rate, rhino population extinctions, etc.).[/accordion_item] [accordion_item title="Did your seminar experiences help you with the design and implementation of STEM issues and concepts into your curriculum?" icon="fa fa-edit"]Yes, it has shaped how I talk about science with my students and how I approach questioning them and challenging them to find out more about their own environments and the issues surrounding them.[/accordion_item] [accordion_item title="Have you shared any lesson plans including STEM issues and concepts with other teachers and colleagues?" icon="fa fa-edit"]Yes, during our professional learning teams and department meetings I showed them various sites that we viewed online and discussed with them the material that I learned and shared the resources and links with them to implement in their classroom.[/accordion_item] [/accordion]