Exemplary Teacher Observation Reflection Form

(Teacher can be from same or different grade band)

Teacher Candidate for Science Endorsement: Lauren Ross

Exemplary Teacher Initials: AJ

School: Frey Elementary School Grade: STEM Lab

Lesson Topic: Earth Quakes and Seismic Waves

This is a really fun lesson for the students. They are given toothpicks and marshmallows
and told to build a structure that can withstand an earthquake. The students must plan,
build, and test their design. Some students even had time to modify and improve their
design.

The students did a great job planning and building their structures. They really thought
about what types of structure would hold up best under shaky forces. Our STEM teacher
did a wonderful job encouraging cooperation amongst the team members, and the
students learned from one anothers ideas. Another thing I really like about this lesson,
is the students are able to see the seismic waves when they test their structure. Our
STEM teacher using an app on the iPad to show students the magnitude of the
earthquake as they shake the cart holding their structure (in jello). This really brings
together the classroom learning and the real-world application.

An area of weakness with this project is the lack of math. This activity does a great job
bringing in the science, technology, and engineering components of STEM, but Id like to
see a stronger math piece added to the lesson. Additionally, I think itd be nice to extend
our high learners by adding a research component. Maybe they could look up or be
given earthquake building codes and have to show how their structure is up to code.
Id also like for the students to have time to reflect on their learning and really think
about how the activity relates back to what theyve been studying in class.

Overall, I believe this lesson does a great job helping students see, not only the
destructive force behind earthquakes, but also how humans are attempting to combat
these forces. It also opens the students eyes to a whole new world of jobs and careers
within the science/engineering field. I hope our STEM teacher continues to do this lab in
the future!