Math & Science Graduate Fellows in K-12 Education

Fellow: Andrea Johnson, M.S. graduate fellow in Geology
Teacher: Heidi Ojibway, Fond du Lac Ojibwe School, 3rd grade
                     Michelle Blanchard, Fond du Lac Ojibwe School, kindergarten

Andrea has spent most of her time working with the 3rd grade class. One of the most important things she does as a researcher is to continually ask questions about the natural world. Thus, she decided to create a weekly series called "Ask a Scientist". The 3rd graders were asked to come up with questions about things they have always wondered about. Lesson were then created with the question in mind trying to focus on the students discovering the answers for themselves.

For a couple of weeks in the winter, Andrea spent time with the kindergarten class where they did activities themed around winter science. The students gained insight on topics from where snow came from to how animals adapt to the changing season.

This has been a wonderful and unique experience for Andrea. It's great to have the students get excited about what the weekly question is. She is always amazed at how creative, observant, and willing to learn the young students are. The biggest challenge she has had is getting students to realize that the questions they are asking are similar to those asked by scientists and that they too can answer these questions to the best of their ability.

Teams in Action

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Curriculum