The class that has been identified is the year 7, and it is a group of six students. In science, they have already been taught about the functions of the animal cells and plant cells. In addition tothis, they are also aware of the differences between the two types of cells. They are fully aware of the theory behind the working of the two cells. The students are very fast learners and are quite enthusiastic about the learning how to observe the different cells under the microscope. There are six students in the group, three girls, and three boys.

Introduction to the scientific skill and rationale for its choice:

The scientific skill that the students are going to learn is observation skills. Aside from knowing the theory behind the plant and animal cells, they have to seethe cells to be able to differentiate them more. Observation of the cells will help to enhance their memory more in terms of remembering the two cells. The aim of the observation lessons is to equip the learner with more knowledge on the plant and animal cells. The students will also learn how to use a microscope in identifying the different areas of the different cells. The skill is important as it may help them identify other cells and objects other than the cells. The microscope is one of the most frequently used instruments in the learning of science (Wynne, 1999, 20).

Brief explanation referring to literature why we use the following in a science lesson

Starters

Starters in a science programme signal the beginning of a new topic or the introduction of a new idea. They give a general sense of direction for the lesson. It is important for a teacher to set the standards to which the students should rise. A starter is, therefore, useful for this purpose. It signals to the students straight away, what is expected from them: in terms of behavior, boundaries, and interaction in the class. Starters should be interesting and easy for the class. The starters should focus on the subject and topic. The focus will help the students recognize and explain why they are in the lesson. It is important, as a teacher to use either one or a combination of the starter’s options available: one option is to employ the use of regular starters while the other option is to pick a collection of activities related to the starter and cycle through them (Arons, 1984, 21-23).

Main activity

The main activity in a science lesson is what the students learn. For instance, if they are learning observation skills, the students are taught what to look out for what is important. They are also taught the function of each of the parts that they are seeing. They are also taught on how to use and handle the microscope. If the lesson is being carried out in a laboratory, then the students have to learn the rules that they should adhere to in the laboratory. It is necessary that they learn as much as the can on the main topic. The teacher must also use a method that is most compatible with the students. If the students learn more by being shown examples or doing things practically, then the teacher has to incorporate these in teaching (Arons, 1984, 24-26).

Plenary

Students have a chance to take part in a number of opportunities, which are provided by the plenary activities. The purposes of plenary in a lesson are numerous. To start, it draws together thematerial that has been learned, and highlights the important points that summarize the key ideas and facts.In addition, plenary helps to generalize the examples that might have been generated in an earlier lesson while at the same time stressing what needs to be remembered. Moreover, plenary create a strong sense of gain, satisfaction, and completion among the students: the students are filled with anticipation for the next phase that will involve learning. It also ensures to recognize the achievement of the individuals and the whole class in general (Duit, 2006, 56).

Questioning

Questions in a science lesson allow the students to voice their inquiries and curiosities about the topic that is being covered. The questions by the children are developed by gathering information through the application of the five human senses. These senses are seeing, touching, and smelling, tasting and hearing. The questions encourage the children to inquire and conduct genuine research further in order to arrive at their own discoveries. Through questioning, the teacher is thus transformed into a learner with the students and the students become teachers. Questions also honor the existing previous experience and knowledge that has been gained. To achieve this, it makes use of a wide variety of multiple ways of knowing and taking on the new perspectives when exploring new content, inquiries, and issues(John,1994,

34-35).

Assessment

Assessment in learning science helps the teacher understand and learn what the students have understood so far. Assessment may be done in a form of tests or questions. Assessment gives an idea of what the students have learnt so far and gives the teacher the opportunity of knowing what needs to be clarified or repeated. If the students have learnt the correct thing, then the teacher will know that the lessons have been taught successfully and if they answer things without clarity, then the teacher may need to clarify some of the issues. It may also give the teacher ideas on how to improve how he relays the lessons to the students (Brian, 1994, 45).

Description of the programme of lessons

Lesson 1

L/o for knowledge: Knowledge: To understand what a plant and animal cells is

L/o for skill: To be able to observe and compare plant and animal cells

To start, I will give the students pictures of both the animal and plant cells so that they have an idea of what they are going to learn and what is required of them. They will then discuss the differences among the two cells and the function of each of the cells. The discussion may be about the major differences in the cells and how they do their individual work.

The main activity of lesson one would be to look at both the animal and plant cells, compare, and contrast what is seen. Discussion will take place in the form of open-ended questions such as:

• Why are there differences?
• Description of each of the cells as they appear under the microscope
• How do both cells behave in the presence of external factors such as

The plenary part will ask the students to draw what they have seen under the microscope. The drawing should have all the parts that appear in the microscope. They would also write down the definition of the cell. I will finally assess the skills the students have acquired during the lesson. The skills they will have acquired during the lesson include how to use the microscope properly, how to mount cells on the microscope and how to observe the cells properly. In addition to this, they will have learnt how to identify the animal and plant cells and the different functions of each part (Gillis, 2013).

Because of the use of appropriate ICT methods, the students have successfully learnt how to identify all the parts of the cells. They can now appropriately tell the difference between the two cells and their functions.

Lesson 2

L/o for knowledge: To be able to identify different parts of the cell

L/o for skill: To be able to observe and label different parts of the cell

To start the lesson, I will conduct a word search among the students. The aim of the word search is to familiarize the students with the different parts of the cells and to ensure that they understand them first before we investigate them.

The main activity of the lesson is discussing the animal and the plant cells. The addition to what they had learnt in the previous lesson would be labeling the various parts of the cells in their drawings. They will be able to locate where the different parts of the cells are placed.

In the plenary, the students will be asked to label a printed copy of the cells. This is to help them remember all the parts that they have learnt and to help them in their daily practice. The students will be assessed using peer assessment. They will ask themselves questions and discuss it among themselves. They could ask each other open-ended questions and even have competitions. Research has shown that students are able to remember more easily if they interact among themselves and share knowledge with each other rather than the teacher handing down information (Primary Science, 2007).

Lesson 3

L/o Knowledge for recognition of similarities and differences

L/o Skill for observation of differences between the cells functions

To start the lesson, I will simulate a program for the children to identify the different parts of the cells. They will have to discuss the answer with their partners in coming up with identification of the cell parts. The main activity will be to look further at the differences in the cell functions between the animal and the plant cells. In addition, in plenary the students will be asked to have a class discussion on how plants draw water from the soil. Finally, I will assess the children skill development through class discussion amongst themselves to ascertain that they are able to identify and observe the different parts of both cells and their functions

Lesson 4

L/o Knowledge for understanding the role of water in cells

L/o Skill for observation how water travels through cells

To start the lesson, I will recap from the previous lesson on how plants get water from the soil. With a closed question, the children will be required to think back to the previous lesson. The main activity will be to undertake a guided investigation so that the students can observe whether and how a solution moves through a celery stalk. And in plenary the students will be asked to take part in a brief discussion of what might happen to the celery stalks. The discussion is open and the children are encouraged to come up with interesting views that they have. Finally, I will assess the children’s skill development through my own observation. The teacher’s observation will look into how the students are able to observe steps of the investigation and discuss possible outcomes. (Aber, 2011, 112-115)

Lesson 5

L/o Knowledge for investigation on how water travels through cells.

L/o Skill for observation and summary of findings of a guided investigation

To start the lesson, I will ask the children to observe and make a careful examination of the celery stalk. They would then be required to describe the locations where food coloring is concentrated. The main activity will be for the students to summarize briefly their findings on the celery stalk examination. An alternative will be for the students to give a brief PowerPoint presentation to show the observation that was made. And in plenary the students will be asked to write down at least three questions related to where the food coloring was originally located together with its distribution in the celery stalk after the incubation period. Finally, I will assess the children’s skill development through formative assessment of the PowerPoint and the discussion amongst the children and the summary of their findings.

According to Kosso (2011, 9) observation is the scientific skill that the teacher with the help of the planned scientific program plans to develop. The students will be made to understand that observation is a core skill that is required by scientists. Observation is systematic. It is more than perception; it is taking something like a clue. For example, most people can name the different bird species. However, not many people can note the important attributes like the birds chirpings in a particular season as a birdwatcher. The observation skill is more of taking notes (Kosso, 2011, 24-32). The students will be required to observe and make a record of what they observe. The entries made through observation last longer and allows other individuals to consult the documents. The entries are reproducible.

Observation like any other scientific skill has to be learned and practiced. Therefore, the students have to understand that it takes training and practice for them to grasp the observation skill. Hence, the design of the lesson and the practical involved.

Outcome and assessments

The single most important objective in the programme developed was to help the students understand and appreciate observation as a science skill. In order to measure, whether the outcome was positive or not, the teacher did utilize assessment techniques. A key pointer of the student’s understanding of the observation skill was the continued discussion they had amongst themselves and with the teacher. This deep discussion showed that they at least understood what was required from them to observe. Furthermore, the teacher used questions directed to the students during the class. From the students’ response and the teacher’s observation, it was an enough assessment of the progress made by the students. For the first and second lesson’s, the teacher’s observation was employed as a means of assessment. The remaining three lessons used the student’s discussion, investigation and summary as a reliable means of assessment (Hillis & Craig, 2009, 13-23).

During the beginning of the lesson on observation as a science skill, the students had difficulties in operating and viewing the images under a microscope. This difficulty at first affected their observation. However, further training and a lot of explaining by the teacher remedied the situation.

At the end of the experiment, there were several outcomes. By use of the simulation program and discussion in the class, the students’ ability to identify and observe the different parts of both the cell and its functions was reinforced. The guided investigation further reinforced the students’ understanding of how water travels through the cells. Overall, the discussion and investigation supported the students’ ability to observe and summarize the findings (Shipman, Wilson & Todd, 2009, 4-5).

Conclusion

The science lesson was programmed so that the student can develop their observation skills. To achieve the observation objectives, a practical was incorporated into the lesson. The students viewed two cells: one from plants and the other one from animals under the microscope. The students observed the cells and drew what they saw. They further discussed the comparisons between the two types of cells to enhance their understanding and reflect their observation skill. The teacher helped the students to understand the different types of cell function by use of a simulating program. In addition, the teacher also set up a second practical for the students to observe how the plant absorbs water from the soil. It further illustrated how the water travels up the plant. To check the level of understanding and observations made by the students, the teacher used several assessments procedures. The assessment procedures included the teacher’s observation of the students and discussion of amongst the students.

Thus, by planning the lesson series, the observation skill could be introduced to the students. They improved on this skill at the end of the lesson, since most were able to identify correctly the different parts making the plant and animal cells. The main reason for this was the discussion they had amongst themselves, which enabled them to share their observations and findings in the practical’s (Kosso, 2011, 45-60)

References

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