Problem Based Learning Webquest

Something I have recently created and am very proud of is a PBL webquest.  This PBL webquest addresses scientific literacy in the form of inquiry and relating it to the students lives.  Students are presented with a "messy" problem.  They are given a task to accomplish and provided links for research.  They compile their research and come up with their own idea as how to solve the problem.

In this particular webquest the students are told that there is an outbreak of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA in the Bloomington-Normal area.  Because of the rapid diagnosis of the S. aureus infection all of the pharmacies are running out of penicillin and are no longer prescribing it.  The students will be getting into groups of three and assuming roles of three different Professional Agencies.  In the end, the students will develop a Public Health Pamphlet and a Public Service Announcement addressing all of the things listed on the provided rubrics.

After completing this webquest students will have a greater knowledge on infectious diseases, microbiology, chemistry, environmental science, and public health.  As I stated before, this is something that I worked very hard on and am very proud of.  I encourage teachers in all content areas to design a PBL webquest.  They are a lot of work, but well worth it when you are done.  I plan on creating more of these in my career.  If you can't tell, I'm very excited about these! 

PBL Webquest:
Outbreak! "Superbug" in Normal!

Literacy in the Science Classroom

To me, literacy of a subject can mean several different things.  The word “literacy” itself is relatively vague to me, even though the definition of literacy is being able to read and write.  I think there is more to that term then just being able to read and write. If I had to define what it means, I would say that it’s the student’s ability to gain an understanding of the specific content they are studying.  It encompasses being able to read and write, but it also allows students to think critically and make connections to their daily lives.  This can be done in multiple different ways.

In the science classroom, a form of literacy would be student’s ability to ask questions and develop a way to answer those questions from prior knowledge.  Therefore, as a teacher you really need to build their background knowledge so that they can become more literate in science (able to understand science as a process).  Science classrooms should provide all students will opportunities to connect the science they are experiencing in the classroom to events in their lives.  Bridging the gap between the classroom and real life allows students to become more efficient in their understanding of science.

I believe strongly in learning by doing.  Science is not a subject full mundane facts, which many people think it is, its probably one of the most interactive subjects if utilized properly.  Literacy in science also incorporates lab skills and group work.  Students learn the importance of working on a team to achieve a common goal.  In labs, the students learn the importance of following directions.  Many times if the students don’t follow directions they will have an undesirable outcome, on which they can reflect.  I find it to be most beneficial to focus labs on things that students can relate to in some shape or form and create labs that are more inquiry based.  Clearly, students also learn science literacy through lecture, animations, writing papers, and doing research.

I read an article that addressed scientific literacy.  In this article, it stated that scientific literacy should empower students to:

·      Understand the basic concepts in the media and civic policy

·      Improve inquiry and critical thinking skills

·      Make connections about our interaction with the natural world

I agree with all of these statements and will create lessons that push these ideas

Website Reference:
Scientific Literacy 

Blogging and Technology in the Classroom

I think one of the best aspects of a blog, is the fact that your students or the your community of teachers can always be connected.  You are able to post ideas, comments, and questions and receive feedback immediately no matter what time of day or where you are.  In regards to the statements above, if you give your students access to your blog, you can post homework assignments and other links that would be beneficial to their needs at the time.  For any of these assignments, the students would be able to post questions and another student or the teacher could answer them. 

I have recently experienced this as a student.  On blackboard pages you are able to post comments and questions, this was very helpful when studying for one of my finals.  I had a question that several other students had a question on.  One student posted the question, and there were several responses answering the question.  This was all at 1 in the morning.  Usually, your teacher won’t be awake at that time, but sometimes other fellow students are and are able to clarify things.

Another great feature about blogs is that they are very easy to use.  They require minimal technical knowledge and are easily created and maintained.  I borrowed this idea from a website that also stated four educational benefits that I strongly agree with.  These are:

• Highly motivating for students, especially those who might not become participants in classrooms.
• Excellent opportunities for students to read and write.
• Effective forums for collaboration and discussion.
• Powerful tools to enable scaffolded learning and mentoring to occur.

Not only have I become a recent fan of blogs, but I have also become a fan of WIKI’s.  WIKI’s are similar to blogs in that they allow teachers to post things and have students respond by posting back.    After creating both, I would use a WIKI to post assignments, rubrics, extra handouts, different resources, etc.  I would use a blog primarily to post comments about the day and what students need to do.  I would encourage them to post any questions they had on the blog so that they could get immediate feedback.  Therefore, I would use both in my classroom.  Below is a link to a WIKI page I created that could correspond to this blog.  The WIKI I have created is a rough draft of how I would use it in the classroom.  As stated before, the blog would be primarily for discussion and collaboration.  I could even see me having students discuss group projects on the blog.

WIKI page:

Ms. Simonson's WIKI

Article Reference:

Blogging in the Classroom

Current Work

Here are some lesson's I am currently working on:

Enzyme Activity:
Exciting Enzymes

I will be going through the following links with my students as they follow along with guided notes and extension questions.  This is an introductory activity the enzymes.  The students will be learning what an enzyme is, what they look like (being able to label an enzyme, active site, and substrate), how enzymes are used, and other specifics.

What is an enzyme? (Animation)

How are enzymes and substrates related? (Animation)

Enzyme Simulation

Extension Questions following simulation:
Why enzymes?
How are enzymes specific?
Can enzymes be reused? Explain.
What is denaturing?

Other Links

Here are some of my favorite websites that I use on a regular basis to pull information from.  All are great websites, however, I suggest everyone check out the Big Picture Link!  It displays professional pictures taken from all around the world and these pictures are NOT science specific.  The last link is a website where you can take a quiz to see what type of animal you are.  One day after we finished a webquest, I had the students take this quiz and from their I grouped them into different ecosystems.

NOVA Website

National Geographic Website

DNA Interactive Website

Big Picture from Boston.com

Animal in You

Science Video Links

These are some of the sites that I use to pull informative science videos from.  The first link I just thought was interesting since it directly address literacy in science.

The Literacy in Science

Encylomedia Science Videos

Free Science Videos

Science Literacy Links

The first website describes specific science literacy's that should be met, the second one is a website that provides lesson plans that address these literacy's.

Benchmarks in Science Literacy


Lesson Plans for Science Literacy