Melting Icebergs Extended Questions

After doing tons of research, I am really concerned about global warming, but not so much the melting of the polar ice caps and going underwater.  I originally thought before my research that if global warming occurred and the ice caps melted, the US would be underwater.  I was happy to learn that would not be the case.  When asking what would happen if they were to melt, it would first have to be identified as to which polar ice caps.  According to the experiment, if it was the northern ice caps, nothing would happen with flooding because it is all ice floating above the water and due to displacement, there is no overflow.  However, if it is the sourthen ice caps, the majority of those are on land and that would add to the rising of the sea level.  When people discuss global warming, they often do not consider the difference between the two areas of ice caps.  Also, I learned that global warming is way more than ice caps melting.  It has an impact on our weather, the water cycle, and many other areas of the environment.  This was truly a learning experience to me. The most interesting fact:  Cows contribute to global warming by burping methane!  The lesson:  Eat less beef!

I had a couple questions after the experiment, some specific and others in general:

What are some reliable Internet sources that I could use with my fourth graders to have them get an accurate view on the varying viewpoints of global warming?

How can we make more people in our society more award of the situation with global warming and how to help?

Due to the limited time for a science class, could you continue an inquiry experience over the course of a few days? (Not this particular one, but a lengthier experiment)

I did not notice a direction for conclusions of this experiment. Is this normally a part of a Science Inquiry Experience? (Meaning where students refer back to the hypothesis that was formed.)

5 E's Lesson Planning

The planning process that I used to create my STEM strategies lesson is actually one that I am quite familiar with using.  I was trained in college to use the 5 E's and am really used to organizing my teaching in this manner.  I always try to engage my students at the beginning of the lessons.  A good hook is really important.  I also am a strong proponent of having a guided exploration of the science topic before letting the students go on their own.  The explanation piece is my favorite part because that is when I get to ask probing questions to see exactly what the students learned from the lesson.  I love taking the data that they collected and helping them to realize the patterns that are developing, along with how to best organize the data.  During or after this step of questioning, I also love to see the light bulbs going off when students realize a connection to their life or to something that they can relate to.  Another part of my science lesson planning is to include a time at the end of class where the students can talk about ways to go further with the current investigation or even ways to do the experiment using different variables.  My evaluations often vary from being the traditional pencil and paper to journal entries, demonstrations of knowledge, and even the use of technology in the form of a game.  I love that as a teacher, I have many options to assess the learning of my students.  I also believe that assessment should be ongoing throughout the lesson and reteaching needs to be taken advantage of as soon as the situation presents itself. 
If I were to implement this lesson, which I actually have, the most important practical issue is to have the groups divided up ahead of time and know who you are going to match with each other.  Also, you do need to have a brief talk on "flight rules" in the classroom.  The lesson involves dropping paper helicopters. It is very important that the students understand that if they drop the helicopter (accidentally or on purpose) before the Air Traffic Controller (teacher) says that it is okay, the helicopter will be taken directly to the trash heap (trash can).  The student will not get it back and will still need to record the data like everyone else.  This must be strictly enforced to have a productive investigation.  The other logistical issue is to have each group in an assigned area of the room so that there is enough space and so that the groups can focus on their experiment and not be distracted by others.
This STEM based lesson is so much fun that the students hardly realize all the learning that is taken place!

First Post

This is my first time having a personal blog.  I am super excited about the possibilities with this technology.