Popplet Graphic Organizers

Students explored popplet lite today to create graphic organizers. I had students take the rock samples for igneous rocks and create a graphic organizer about each rock's properties. Some of the organizers were very detailed and organized in a way that works for the student. Although it may seem like something that could be done with paper and pencil the fact that students can manipulate the size, color, and organization of each box makes the popplet experience unique. As you can see a students used a variety of ways for the same task of igneous rocks and properties.

Click on each popplet to see it a larger version. They are not all readable but give a general idea. Amazing tool!

Excitement about Blogs

Students have completed three blog posts this year and each time the work has been improving. I am trying to have students write about content with as little restriction as possible. I want them to tell about what they have learned. I find that students are sometime crippled by the freedom to "write about what you learned" and need more specifics. I often tell them they can write and tell about a lab they conducted. This often leads to describing the lab process and use of vocabulary, but does not hit the big "concept" ideas. Other students write about big ideas but don't give the details and specifics to show depth of understanding and often have shallow posts. At the same time some students are really surprising me with what they are writing about and they are amazing me with their posts! The excitement is great and I will continue to work with them to create meaningful posts.

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Here are some examples ranging the descriptions above:

A student writes about the lab process.

"What we did for sedimentary rock to make them form is got a small cup in a big cup.we put the smallcup in side the big cup in we put the sand in it.then we got glue in water in put it in the the cup.in let it sit for 3 days or 4 when we got back we had tear the cup off in it become a rock."


A student explaining some learning through a lab experience.

"The crust doesn’t just get magma on it’s surface.I know there’s a way to get the magma on the crust.I think that the magma erupts for some reason.and after it’s ready to come out like a volcano.it must burn through the crust and get on the crust.
So,everybody knows that lava is hot and the igneous must be broken off when the volcano erupted .and it must have made another igneous rock and the pressure makes the magma must shoot up out of the vent.
And it must have happened when the pressure went up.
And I think that the mantle magma makes waves and builds pressure to make a huge wave.and that wave must go through the vent and gets on the crust.

And the igneous rock must break off and then that’s how I think igneous rocks are formed like that.and the rock breaks of again and more igneous rocks get formed more"


Information combining new knowledge and a lab experiences.

"These two weeks we been talking about sedimentary rocks. They are formed by wather and deposits of eroded rocks. The sedimentary rock then dries and dries and is slot of pressure. Then form. The particles start to end up covering.

shale is a sedimentary rock.The color is dark gray. The size is big.It is hard. Another rock is conglomerate. The color is yellow,gray,and white.
The sand stone color is red. It feel rough. It is small.

And the last is gypsum the color is light gray.It bumpy."

Volcanoes on the show me app

Students have been working with the show me app to explain science with diagrams as well as a speaking component here are some examples.



In this one two students work together to explain how magma changes to lava once it reaches the crust.


Explaining our problem/question: How does magma get onto the crust?

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