Shannon Creedon

EDU 336
Teaching Science
Curriculum Critique

Liquids

The curriculum that I chose for this assignment was about liquids. The book gives a large

amount of lessons along with work sheets and assessments that a teacher could use with the

lessons. While reading this curriculum, I got to see first-hand the objectives and expectations that

can relate to a science lesson. I also got to see the different types of evidence assessments that

could be useful during all different subjects.

These lesson plans I believe did include appropriate components. In about every single

lesson it included a portion that the students used their science notebooks. This I believe is an

important concept that should be taken into every science lesson. Having a science notebook

helps students remember and retain the information that they do in the classroom, which is

something that we have frequently discussed in class. The other components that I thought were

helpful as well are the guiding worksheets. These worksheets that were included for every lesson

were different based on the lesson, as well as helpful in a way that guided the students to think

scientifically which I think is hard to do. These guiding worksheets I believe are a great and

appropriate component to the lesson plans.

The scientific concepts that tended to be focused on in this curriculum was sinking and

floating. The curriculum starts off by talking about and experimenting with “Liquids around Us”

and then it goes on to talk about trying to make “Sinkers” float. Children I believe are expected

to know what sinking and floating is to be able to succeed in these lessons. The teacher should be

going over the definition of both sinking and floating, but the students are most likely going to

need the background information going into this lesson about what sinking and floating is.
 One of the science inquiry skills that children will be expected to build is being able to

observe and talk about what they observed. Since they will be doing a lot with things that can

float and objects that sink, most of the lessons include a lot of observation. By the end of this

curriculum they should have built up their observation skills.

The students will have a few different experiences in this unit. One experience they will

have is being able to experiment with different types of liquids. This will help them understand

the different liquids and how they react with one another. Other experiences they will have

during this unit will include how objects sink and float which the students will be able to

experiment with during different lessons. Concepts, ideas, and skills emerge from these lessons

by letting the students think on their own and come up with their own ideas. Letting the students

build their own ideas will eventually lead them to different concepts that you as the teacher want

them to come upon by themselves. An example of this would be why certain objects float and

why other objects sink. Throughout the unit there will be different assessments that take place

that will show how students understand what they were taught through different lessons. These

assessments include an introductory assessment that is asking the students to show their different

levels of understanding liquids up until this point, along with a final assessment. There are other

small informal assessments throughout the unit as well.

This unit is based for a third grade classroom, and I believe that it is appropriate for

children in third grade. In my third grade classroom, the students are all over the place when

looking at levels. This unit I believe works to keep the lower students on track as well as places

extra work for students if they finish earlier than the other students. This helps keep both the

lower and higher students on track. The vocabulary that is used in this unit is appropriate for the

students which is helpful for when explaining the different experiences they will have as well as
helps them understand the work better. The worksheets that is given for this unit has great

guiding questions that will also help the students better understand the concepts that they are

working with.

I had trouble finding standards that go along with this unit. I looked in both second and

third grade science standards and could not find any that go along with liquids, as well as sinking

and floating. This makes me rethink what I had just written about how this was a great unit for

students in third grade. I am unsure now about whether or not this is a good unit for second and

third grade. I still stand by what I said, but if there are not standards to back up a unit it would be

hard to feel as though that subject is helping the students.

There are many different opportunities for students to write in a science notebook

throughout this unit. One of the opportunities would be for students to draw which different

objects float and sink and write underneath their drawings about why they think each object did

or did not float. This will help visual students remember what they did and retain more of the

information.

While reading this curriculum, I enjoyed looking through each lesson being able to

compare it to lessons that I have done and seen. They were all relatively good lessons, keeping

the instruction and work time equal and enjoyable. I think that I would recommend this unit to

the school that I would be working in because it keeps science fun and enjoyable as well as

making sure that students are learning about liquids.