This case study was written by a teacher candidate in an undergraduate teacher preparation program. The study begins with Ella sitting in class, when their science methods instructor informs the class that they are going to observe an "Eggs-citing Egg-speriment." Ella and her peers observe the instructor peel the shell off of a hard-boiled egg while she proceeds to light a piece of newspaper and quickly drop it into a glass jar.
The hard-boiled egg is placed on top of a jar, which appears to be much too small for the egg to travel through naturally. However, Ella and her university classmates watch intuitively as the egg suddenly wiggles and passes through the jar opening with a "Kaboom!"
Following the "Egg-citing Egg-speriment" we are provided with an excerpt from Ella's journal, in which she recounts the experiment and shares any lingering thoughts or apprehensions about presenting this activity to a group of K-1 children.
The following Monday, all of the university teachers are gathered in Ms. Kessel's K-1 classroom as they separate into groups to facilitate the activity. Ella soon observes that while the activity does not go according to plan, the children are thoroughly intrigued by the unnerving experiment. Soon the children begin chatting with one another, examining the safety goggles, and exploring materials; until the primary teacher intervenes in a successful attempt to get the class back on track.
Ms. Kessel redirects the children's energy and attention into the lesson by asking to hear a few questions. Excitedly, the children begin to raise their hands in an effort to voice their questions and opinions. Ms. Kessel responds by acknowledging the children's questions and prompting them for further hypotheses that will serve as the basis for a subsequent classroom experiment.
The case concludes with Ms. Kessel demonstrating what reaction takes place when fire comes in contact with water, and simultaneously investigating what the "black stuff " is that fire leaves behind. She leaves the class curious for the next science lesson by announcing that they will pursue the "black stuff" of fire the following day.
This open-ended case study begins by the author giving us a bit of background knowledge about the community in which she serves as a science teacher. While the elementary school is primarily composed of middle-income families, the school experiences high turnover due to a theological seminary that is located in the town. Typically, families will reside here for a few years only to pick up and migrate to another area eventually.
The narrator tells about her struggles as a science teacher that travels to various classrooms, when there are no funds specifically allocated for science materials. Because the funds are lumped together for all subjects, the science curriculum must take a back seat and continue their quest for funds outside of the school. Fortunately, this teacher has managed to acquire local community support from businesses and companies that generously offer donations for school activities. Throughout the years, the PTA and other national companies have supported the curriculum's materials through grant funding.
Upon expressing the new found success of a science program that has inspired countless students and teachers alike, the writer introduces a recent problem that resulted from a teacher acquiring her own science materials. The teacher found her own resources and began to work collaboratively with the full-time science teacher to design projects and experiments for her own students. When other teachers heard of this, they naturally asked to borrow the materials to which the homeroom teacher generously offered. Little did she know that soon things were broken or missing, amongst other issues.
As a result, the case concludes by explaining that this has caused tension among the teaching staff and she wonders whether or not she should intervene.
This case opens by explaining the shift towards a more interdisciplinary approach to instruction, which focuses on the connections of thought and cross-curricular transfer of knowledge.
The setting takes place in a kindergarten class that is encouraged to place an emphasis on reading, writing, and numerical concepts. However, the classroom teacher does her best to integrate science into the students' learning on a regular basis.
In this particular case, the teacher first becomes aware of a spider in the boys' restroom that has caught everybody's attention. Upon returning to the classroom, the teacher takes this opportunity to stray away from her intended lesson in order to pursue a teachable moment about spiders. She reads the class a book about spiders, then constructs a KWL chart in order to accommodate and assimilate the children's knowledge about spiders.
During workshop time, the teacher observes the children constructing learning that incorporates spiders. For example, children that migrate toward the reading center choose books on spiders while other children run to the art station to create model spiders out of play dough. Much to her delight, the teacher even notices several students mimicking the way she taught them to count the spider's appendages.
As the teacher reflects on the spider unit at the end of the case study, she realizes that her class is going to be slightly behind on the school curriculum. However, she is also acutely aware that teachable moments must be acknowledged and acted upon. The teacher wonders if she could possible incorporate bug families into the "My Family" theme in the following month.
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