Inquiry Based Activity Reflection

I very much enjoyed the Inquiry Based Activity that I composed for a third grade science lesson.  This activity was one of my first experiences working extensively with Google Docs.  I am very pleased with Google Docs in that I did not spend too much time trying to figure out how to use the tool.  Google Docs was intuitive, navigable, and manageable.

I also enjoyed the inquiry based activity because this activity introduced me to State Standards and NETS-S Standards.  I realize that it is crucial to center class lessons and activities around these standards to ensure that your class is learning appropriate material and gaining knowledge required of them.

My construction of an IBA activity also further developed my "good" website finding skills.  With the plethora of websites available, choosing one that is age appropriate for your students, aesthetically pleasing, accurate, and interesting is somewhat of a challenge.  Thus far in TPTE 486, I have learned that I must, oftentimes, devote substantial find to finding a good website for students to use.

Further, in completing this assignment, I learned that websites can greatly enhance a lesson!  I chose to focus on cloud types in my IBA project.  I found magnificent photographs of clouds that I think would capture student interest and excite them about learning about clouds.  Also, in IBAs, the student is granted some level of freedom in that he or she can explore an educational website and "click on" or investigate related subjects that intrigue him or her.

All in all, I hope to create IBAs for future students.  I love the idea of utilizing the vast amount of information on the web to help students learn about a subject within their traditional textbook.