About Me

- Melanie Nunez
- My name is Melanie Nunez. I am currently a junior at Mount Saint Mary College. I am a History major seeking a certification in Early Childhood and Childhood Education. I am so excited for this semester, and I can't wait to learn how to implement different technology into my future classroom when teaching Science and Social Studies!
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Video Reflection
Thursday, October 25, 2018
What's in the mystery bag?
Today in class Dr. Smirnova showed us a mystery bag filled with a bunch of stuff. She had us pass it around the class and we all had 5 seconds to touch and shake the bag to figure out what was in it. When I felt the bag I automatically thought that there was dog toy and a rattle because when I felt it, it made a squeaking noisy, and when I shook it, it rattled. I think that mystery bag activity is a great and fun way for students to create a hypothesis about what they think is in the bag. Students can use several different methods to figure out what is in the bag such as shaking the bag, feeling the bag, squeezing the bag or even smelling the bag. Aside from a dog toy and a rattle there were many other items that students could have guessed such as rocks, children's toys, balls, and so on and so forth. This activity was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to include it into my future classroom.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Celebration of Learning Science & The Sensory Garden
Today was the last day of fieldwork with Mrs. Hoag's fourth grade class. It was a very sad day for us all and the students didn't want us to leave. It touched my heart when a few students spoke out and expressed how much they loved having us here with them. When the students walked into the classroom we began with a short assessment that allowed us to see what they learned about plants and the students did a fantastic job. The assessment showed us as future teachers how we are on the right path to becoming the best teachers that we can be. After the assessment we handed the students gifts and gave them certificates with their names on them to show what a great job they did and how proud we are of them. The rest of the time was spent outside of Bishop Dunn in their sensory garden. We all had such a great time interacting with the students and picking things from the garden such as flowers, peppers, tomatoes, mint, parsley and basil. The students were able to take home anything that they wanted from the garden. I found it cute because some students were picking the vegetables to take home to their mom. I liked how hands on the students were when pulling out any plants that were dead and trimming the outgrown plants. I think that was a great way to spend our last day with the fourth graders, and I could tell that they all had so much fun. It was really sad saying goodbye. This class has truly helped me grow as a future teacher, and I am so grateful to have spent these past five weeks with them.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Photosynthesis & Plant Survival
Today group 5 taught their direct instruction on Photosynthesis and Plant survival. I really liked how the teachers began their introduction with a spongebob video and what they used as their attention grabber. "Are you ready kids?" "Ay ay captain" "I can't hear you" "Ay ay captain" Although I felt that it should have been used more than it was throughout the lesson, I think that this a great way to capture students attention. Since group 5 was the final group to teach they made sure to review all the material that was taught from the previous groups. I also liked how the teachers explained to the students that whenever they see a writing utensil on the board that means that they should be writing in their notes. I think that is a great way to remind students instead of having to constantly tell them. Not only does it make it easier for the students, but I think it also makes it easier for the teacher to continue on with the lesson. I absolutely loved the two demonstrations that the teachers used during this lesson to show students how we help plants. I also liked how all the teachers stood up in front of the classroom and acted like plants to show xylem and phloem. I thought that it was a great idea to have the students join in as well. When students are sitting the entire time during a lesson especially the younger ones they start to loose focus. This demonstration allowed the students to stand up and let loose for a little bit. It's important that teachers allow students to get up and stretch during a lesson so that they can stay on track. I do wish there were more time for them to complete the closure and independent practice but aside from that all the teachers did a great job.



Thursday, October 4, 2018
Plant Morphology and Reproduction - Day 2
Group 3 began their inquiry lesson with a review using Kahoot. Although the students were getting a little out of control you could tell how excited they were to be playing this game. Kahoot is a great way to get children to want to participate because its a fun way to learn. Before introducing the inquiry process the teachers explained the steps of the scientific method and provided examples for the students so that they can understand how to create a hypothesis and how to use research that they find. I really liked how the teachers were able to make time for two experiments. Both experiments were very hands on, which I think made it a more memorable experience for the students. During the first experiment the students were given a dry cotton swab and then were told to dip it into vaseline. The main purpose of this experiment was to see how many seeds stick to the cotton swab that was dry and the one with vaseline on it. The second experiment allowed students to dissect a flower. The students had to cut out and tape each part of the flower on it's correct column in their note sheet. I liked how during this experiment the teachers put a structure of an idealized flower up on the board to help guide the students in putting each part of the flower on it's correct column. I really enjoyed both of these experiments. I thought that they were very creative and hands on, which is important when teaching science. Lastly, the students had to write a letter to Bert the Bee about pollination and how he can help plants reproduce. I think that writing practices are important so that children can gain confidence in their writing. I think that this was a great way for students to express what they have learned from this lesson. Overall group 3 did a fantastic job! I am so happy that I learned about these two experiments because I could use them in my future classroom.


Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Plant Morphology & Reproduction - Day 1


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Today group 2 introduced their inquiry lesson on Vegetative Organs and Plant Tissues. They began with a review from their previous lesson....
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My group created an activity where we put questions for the students to answer all around a ball. Some of the questions were "What...
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Seed Germination What is the science issue involved? The science issue discussed in the article is the fact that all seeds are not ...