Process Skills Rationale

Context:  As a science project for 4401, I created a science board that explores the wonders of light and shadow.  On one side of my board I have a collection of six pictures with shadow animals and human hands demonstrating how the shadows are created.  On the opposite board I included some extra fun activities for the students to attempt on their own, outside of the classroom.  On the center board I have my title, directions, and space for them to do the main activity.  The main activity has the students use a lamp and several objects to create certain shadow shapes.  The purpose is for them to discover on themselves different ways to create certain shadows by manipulating both the light source and the objects given. 

Impact:  The purpose of this project is for the learners to use certain process skills that demonstrates that they have a clear comprehension of how the learning process is used.  This particular project is associated with the third grade as is stated in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.  The Light and Shadow activity allows for the students to use the process skills of prediction (suggesting the most likely outcome of a future event) and observation (using your senses to gather information about an object or event).

Alignment:  This assignment allows for me, as the instructor, to set up an activity with clear instructions and intentions, but still gives the learner the ability to ponder the why, what, where, and how something occurs.  Through their own trial and error the learner will use process skills to come to a conclusion about the science and nature that exists around them.  My particular project uses prediction and observation processing skills. 

Standard 10: Teachers provide active inquiry experiences in the teaching of science by using various questioning skills and developing science processing skills (predicting, classifying, measuring, inferring, interpreting, analyzing, and synthesizing).