Assignments for Community Activities

After completing one of the community science activities, please complete the associated assignment designated on the activity. Check with your instructor regarding the submission of these assignments.

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Expedition Assignment

You should review all your field trip site handouts, brochures and any notes you took during your visit. Ask for handouts and brochures or "stuff for teachers" if you did not receive anything. Think about a unit that you might be teaching where a expedition to the Site you chose would fit nicely. What science topic and concepts would be in this unit?

Please craft one short 2-3 page paper that contains ALL the following parts:

  1. Your Name, Email Address, Instructor's Name, Date, Field Trip Site you visited
  2. Science-Based Unit
    1. Write a 1-2 paragraph description of a science-based unit that you would teach before or after taking your students on this expedition. Make sure to include the grade level of students, science topics, and science concepts you would teach.
    2. Explain how the expedition fits into the unit. What is special about including the expedition in the unit?
  3. Description of the Expedition Logistics
    Use your experience and this field site's handouts or website to discuss in 1-3 paragraphs how your expedition would be laid out. Choose EITHER an in-person OR a virtual expedition to describe.
    • For an In-Person Expedition: How would you group your students? How many chaperones would you need? What would you do once you and your students arrive at the expedition location? What would you plan to have parent chaperones do? How would you know that the students are experiencing and learning what you've planned? Does the field site make accommodations for children with special needs?
    • For a Virtual Expedition: How would you group your students? What would you do once you and your students access the webcams? How would you know that the students are experiencing and learning what you've planned? Does the virtual field trip need to make accommodations for children with special needs?
  4. Parent Field Trip Letter
    Take your time to craft a nice short informative letter telling parents about your plans for the expedition to your chosen site. Think about including the necessary items such as cost, date, requirements, etc., but also include a description that allows the parents to see your rationale for taking their child on this expedition; explain how it relates to their learning and their excitement about science, etc.

NOTE for submission of your assignment: All four elements of this assignment should be put into ONE word processed document, delineating each separate element with the four bold sub-titles, then saved as a MS Word document and emailed or submitted via paper to your instructor. Follow your instructor's directions and their deadlines for this 2-3 page document submission.

Workshop Assignment

Please identify the title of your workshop event. Then, choose two (2) of the following prompts to reflect on after visiting the event. Each one of your reflections should be approximately 100-250 words in length.

  • Topic I: Describe the workshop you attended. Include the topic, activities, and any other noteworthy information for the reader to understand the event.
  • Topic II: Discuss what you took away from the event that you think you will be able to use when designing science lessons in the future. Include how you would go about using your new information.
  • Topic III: Select one activity that was offered to the group and discuss how it meets any of the California Standards for Science and at least one other discipline area's standards
  • Topic IV: Think about your trip to the museum (or science center, aquarium, etc.) to attend a teacher workshop. Discuss how this role of a museum (as a source of professional development) compares with what you see as the 'traditional' role of a museum (Is it the same? Different? How?). Could this workshop have been conducted at a different location and still be effective?

Family Event Assignment

Please choose any two of the following prompts to reflect on after attending the event. Each one of your reflections should be approximately 100-250 words in length.

  • Topic I: Select two highlights from the family event that you attended. Discuss how you might use these highlights or these experiences in your future teaching.
  • Topic II: Take a look at the institution's education website. List 2-3 resources that you think you may use in your future teaching. Discuss why you made these selections.
  • Topic III: Think back to the family event. Approximately how many families were in attendance during the time you were there? Discuss how the family members interacted with one another in participating in the learning during the events. Give at least 2 examples.
  • Topic IV: The event involved a wide variety of activities. Think about how science was or might be integrated into these events. List 2-3 science topics related to the events you saw today, and describe some of the activities you observed might provide ideas for integrating science with social studies, art, or even phys ed.

Speaker Assignment

Please note the name of the scientist who was speaking the night you attended the event. Then, choose two of the following prompts to reflect on after attending the event. Each one of your reflections should be approximately 100-250 words in length.

  • Topic I: Describe the evening at the meeting or venue of your speaker event. List 3 things you will take away from the evening that you may be able to use in your future teaching.
  • Topic II: One part of teacher's life is staying current with knowledge and opportunities. Discuss how this event supported or did not support you gaining science content knowledge and knowledge about science learning opportunities in our community.
  • Topic III: Think about this event in terms of bringing a scientist or author into your future classroom. Based on what you experienced at this event, discuss what you think the pros and cons would be of inviting scientists or authors (such as the one you heard) into your classroom for a similar event with your future students.