GROUP 6 PROMETHEANS

1. GROUP 6 PROMETHEANS Final Assignment ERASMUS IP 11-22 JUNE 2012 The ancients believed that the name Prometheus derived from the Greek pro (before) + manthano (learn) Promethean seeing the plight of mankind and its inability to nature, decided to give him the fire. So, visiting the workshop of Hephaestus, puts fire in a hollow reed and secretly gives to people. The place of delivery of fire mention the city Sicyon in the Peloponnese.

2. Teaching Level: • Pre- school • Age 4-6 TOPIC: Light and plants

3. Expected Outcomes • Know what a plant needs in order to get their food and in order to grow up. • Recognise the word `photosynthesis´. • Realise that sun is necessary for photosynthesis.

4. Basic Topics • Constructivism, learning discovery. • Jigsaw methodology. OBJECTIVES: • Group discussion and cooperation. • Work in jigsaw method. • Experimental skills. • Begin to value nature.

5. ActivitiesActivity 1. • As a motivation: We discuss with the children about the nature. We make some questions about the pictures. How do you believe that the plants get their food?

6. Activity 2 Make a table : • Showing living organisms such as humans and animals and try to guess what food they eat. How they get this food? • Discussion.

7. Activities: • Show the children seeds and ask them what the seeds need for grow up to plants. Experiment: ( 5 groups) – (whole group) 1 seed has no water, but soil, light and air. 1 seed has no soil, but light, air and water. 1 seed has no light, but air, soil and water. 1 seed has no air, but light, water and soil. 1 seed that has air, light soil and water. After 2 weeks see what has happened with the seeds and what the photosynthesis is about.

8. Activity 4 • Play the song “ Seed” from youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J62ffc0RR8Q&feature=related

9. Teaching Materials • Pictures For the table: • Blackboard. • Cards with food and humans and animals. For the experiment: • Five seeds • Five flowerpots • Water • Soil • Plastic bag Song “ the seed”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J62ffc0RR8Q&feature=related

10. Teacher Competencies • Knowledge about photosynthesis. • Organizing student groups. • Knowledge about jigsaw methodology.

11. Target group for primary school 11 -12 years old 5th - 6th grade

12. Rationale Interesting subject Allows for experiment, field work and investigation Develops critical thinking skills Children develop a more in depth understanding of their everyday surroundings Allows for a longitudinal study and comparisons over time e.g. seasonal differences. Allows the children to design their own experiments and interpret the data.

13. Light and plants Expected outcomes The children will be able to • Recognise that plants use chlorophyll and how they use it in the production of energy • Recognise that plants produce food (chemical energy) using light energy • Compare the differences between food production over time

14. Basic topics - Concepts: Identify the basic needs of the plants in order to grow Recognise the feeding process of plants. Recognise the importance of plants in the living world.

15. Basic Topics - Methodology: Costructivism and hands on activities Discussion and questioning (Give to the students some questions in order to promote their critical thinking) Group work and experiment (Eg. How you going make the iodine be absorbed by the leaf? Where might you find starch in the leaf?)

16. Activities Assume that the class are already familiar with how to test for the presence of starch. Begin with a class discussion about plants (why are plants usually green? Can you think of any plants that are not green at all? What would happen if you put a plant in a dark place?)

17. Experiment 1 • The teacher will already have prepared the plants for an experiment by placing them in a dark cupboard for 2 days prior to the experiment in order to slow the rate of photosynthesis. • Students will then work in groups and place a strip of tin foil around one leaf of their plant • The class will then place their plants in the sunlight.

18. Experiment 1 • After 2 weeks, they will check if anything has happened and if the leaf with tin foil on it. • The class will think of reasons why this happened (why is the area under the tin foil white? Why do you think this is?)

19. Experiment 1 The class will then work in groups to research the answers to several questions given by the teacher. (why is the area under the tin foil white? Will it return to normal? Has this anything to do with the sunlight?) The class will then present their findings to the rest of the class using argumentation, before the teacher corrects any misconceptions that the class may have. The class will then watch a video, or watch a presentation explaining that plants use the sunlight to make food (starch)

20. Experiment 2 The second experiment involves tracking the differences in starch production in plants over time The class will perform a test with iodine to test for the presence of starch in the leaves of the plants. They will work in groups and place some iodine onto a leaf that they take from their plant. The iodine will sit on the surface of the leaf. The class should then discuss why this has happened. The teacher will then boil the leaves in order to soften them so that the starch will become visible. This can be repeated once a month so that the class can see that plants do not produce as much food in the winter as they do in the summer.

22. Teaching materials 6 small plants in order to track changes in starch production over time Iodine Boiling water and alcohol Tin foil Dark cupboard Photocopier Paper and pencils Worksheets Internet, books etc

23. Teacher Competencies Excellent organisational skills Excellent knowledge about the topic

24. Target group for secondary school 14-17 years old 4th - 6th grade

25. Rationale: learning process • This approach allows the students to be actively involved and to take control and responsibility for their own learning • The students will discover the importance of Science in our life • Integration of different disciplines: Biology, physics..

26. Expected Outcomes • Outline the process of photosynthesis • Describe the light and light independent (dark) reactions of photosynthesis • Identify the products of photosynthesis • The products of photosynthesis sustain life • Relate feeding relationships to the transfer of energy from the sun through plants to other organisms • Apply knowledge about Light and plants to the social topics of deforestation and global warming.

27. Basic Topics Concepts: Light, Photosynthesis, Global warming. Constructivism: Inquiry-based learning • Students reflect upon what they know and then articulate their questions • Learn from previous experience • Students responsible for their own learning

28. Basic Topics Teacher: • Guide and facilitate the learning process • Challenge students to accept and share responsibility for their ownlearning • Recognize and respond to students diversity • Design of Experiment • Talk and Discussion • Debate

29. Activities • Engage student by playing a song/ video about photosynthesis http://billybproductions.com/lyrics-the-rock-and-roll-of-photosynthesis-2/ • Introduction: discussions and brainstorming • Design an experiment based on pre-defined questions and format • Make observations of collected data from the experiment • Make conclusion based on data/ proofs • Reflect and evaluate own work • What I know, what I want to learn, what have I learned • Participate in a classroom discussion about the experiments that have been completed and analyze the results • Final assignment: Perform a research in Deforestation and Global Warming and its relationship to photosynthesis • Design a brochure about one of the two Topics related to photosynthesis, either Deforestation or Global Warming

30. Activities • Students will be seated in groups of 4 so that they can collaborate and design easily

31. Teaching materials • Materials related to the experiments designed by students • Laptop • Scientific Journal Articles • Newspaper Articles • Books • Internet • Background information and assignment material from the teacher

32. Teachers competencies • Coaching and leadership skills • Organization skills • Learning process controlling skills • Motivator • Open teaching skills • Innovative/Creative • Differentiation • Enthusiasm

33. Recommendations • Use different teaching and learning approaches and implementations. e.g. Use Jigsaw method to develop critical thinking, communication and collaboration. • Cooperation with different section (Math, Physic, Chemistry, Biology) • Develop a curriculum which contents all the subjects • Improve leadership skills • Project management training • Learn from and cooperate with colleagues with management experiences

34. Recommendations • Improve ICT skills • Attend training about how to use ICT in education • Take part in discussions about development of educational multimedia cooperation with research groups and companies • Build own website • Be up to date with different learning methods • Teachers should not stick to traditional methods but try to implement new methods • Pay attention to diversity in the group • Be open-minded • Learn from other cultures

35. References http://www.curriculumonline.ie/en/Primary_School_Curriculum/Social_Environmental_and_Scientific_Education_SESE_/Science/ (Ireland) http://www.nap.pi.ac.cy/files/fysikes_epist/02_FISIKES_EPISTIMES_GIA_TO_DIMOTIKO.pdf (Cyprus) http://www.nap.pi.ac.cy/files/fysikes_epist/02_FISIKES_EPISTIMES_GIA_TO_DIMOTIKO.pdf (Cyprus) http://www.pi-schools.gr/programs/depps/(Greece)

36. Biology: Photosynthesis (Netherlands) http://www.examenblad.nl/9336000/1/j9vvhinitagymgn_m7mvi0sgg8bampk_n11vg41h1h4i9qe/vikzhcipx2x4/f=/bestand.pdf Physics: Light (Netherlands) http://www.nvon.nl/sites/nvon.nl/files/2011%20syllabus%20na%20vwo.pdf http://www.dgidc.min-edu.pt/ensinobasico/index.php?s=directorio&pid=3 (Portugal) http://www.skolverket.se/2.3894/in_english/publications (Sweden)