Case-Based Questions

Prepared by Mark A. Templin, University of Toledo

CASE 7-A

Ms. Martinez teaches science to fourth, fifth and sixth graders in a science and mathematics magnet school. She has recently begun a unit on characteristics of living things with all four fourth grade classes that meet with her on a rotating schedule each afternoon. During the second class period of this unit, she gave the class the following worksheet assignment:

You may work in groups of 3-4. In your group, discuss whether each of the following twelve objects is "Living," "Not Living," or "Once Living," and once the group has decided where it belongs, one person from each group will write each object in the column where the group thinks it should be placed.

After the students have been working at this task for several minutes, Ms. Martinez decides to walk around to the various groups and listen to their discussions about the objects. While listening to one group she overhears the following conversation:

1		Ms. Martinez thought that this would be an easy "warm up" assignment for her class. Instead, she has discovered that this group thinks that fire might be a living thing. How could Ms. Martinez go about determining what the rest of the class believes about fire? (Chapter Learning Performance 7.2)
2		Construct a concept map that shows the living and non-living characteristics of fire. How might the ideas you identify on the map be confusing or challenging for fourth grade students? (Chapter Learning Performance 7.6)
3		If Ms. Martinez decides to do a Benchmark Lesson about whether or not fire is a living thing, what strategies or methods should she consider in her planning? (Chapter Learning Performance 7.4)
4		Ms. Martinez had actually planned to continue the lesson by talking more specifically about animal characteristics following this warm-up activity. Now, Ms. Martinez is unsure about whether to move to the lesson about characteristics of animals or to plan a benchmark lesson about characteristics of living things. What issues should Ms. Martinez think about before deciding? (Chapter Learning Performance 7.2)
5		Ms. Martinez decides to teach the class about why fire does not "grow" in a living sense when she has this class for science again. To do this, she constructs a poster that shows a chicken zygote, embryo, and adult side by side. Beneath this she shows three stages in the development of a plant from a seed, to a seedling, and finally to an adult tree. Along the bottom of the poster she places three stages in the development of a fire. Ms. Martinez plans to use the poster when explaining to the class that "growth" in a living sense is actually "growth and development." This means that the living thing does not just get bigger but it gets more complex and able to conduct new processes with time. Ms. Martinez thinks that the poster and her explanation will help her students understand that a fire does not grow in a living sense. Is what Ms. Martinez has planned a Benchmark Lesson? What reasons do you have for your answer? (Consider the description of a Benchmark Lesson and how this lesson compares with that description.) (Chapter Learning Performance 7.1)
6		Why is such a lesson critical for helping students understand the characteristics of living things? (Chapter Learning Performance 7.1)
7		Plan your own Benchmark Lesson to address the problem of whether or not fire is a living thing. What instructional issues prompted your design? (Chapter Learning Performance 7.3)

CASE 7B

You are interning in a sixth grade middle school classroom with a cooperating teacher, Mr. Barton, during your science methods field experience. Mr. Barton has asked you to help him plan activities for a unit on photosynthesis. Mr. Barton already is convinced that students will have trouble understanding photosynthesis. You suggest to Mr. Barton that you and he plan a project-based unit that features a series of Benchmark Lessons using a variety of instructional strategies to help students understand various concepts related to photosynthesis. Mr. Barton accepts your offer, but he has several questions:

8		Mr. Barton asks what kinds of reading assignments you would do with students. You suggest that some of the reading should come from children's literature that is related to photosynthesis. He is puzzled by this suggestion and he asks why this is important. How do you respond? (Chapter Learning Performance 7.5)
9		Mr. Barton wants to know what specific concepts about photosynthesis you and he should teach. You suggest that you and he should construct a concept map of photosynthesis concepts. He asks you what a concept map is and why you think it will help. How do you answer him? (Chapter Learning Performance 7.6)
10		Because of the concept map that you and Mr. Barton constructed, you both begin to realize that it is very important for sixth graders to understand that as a plant grows, the increased mass of the plant's structures come from the atmosphere and not the soil. Mr. Barton favors providing the class with a demonstration to address this problem. You suggest that students might benefit from investigating the question of where the extra mass comes from. You foresee having students work in small groups to design and conduct experiments into this question and having class discussions about what they find. Mr. Barton wants to know why you favor this strategy given that it will take a lot more time than the strategy he suggested. How do you respond to his question? (Give Mr. Barton three reasons.) (Chapter Learning Performance 7.4)
11		As you and Mr. Barton talk about the topics for class discussions, you realize that Mr. Barton thinks of class discussions as opportunities to engage in recitations (like the one shown on page 295 of your textbook). You have a different vision for the role of class discussions. Create five turns of sample dialogue for Mr. Barton that will help him visualize the kind of questions you plan to use when conducting a class discussion. (Use the dialogue example on pages 295-297 to help you.) (Chapter Learning Performance 7.7)