SLED TEACHER REFLECTION HUB SUBMISSION
There are three parts to this reflection submission. The first part requires a brief description of
your instructional activities over the course of a SLED design task. The second part includes
your reflection on a student who performed well and your reflection on a student who performed
unsatisfactorily. The last section includes your response to two short questions.
Save your file as: Reflection_YourName_YourSchool_YourGrade_Date
Example:
Reflection_Capobianco_Purdue_Grade5_02-15-13
When uploading to the hub, use the title: Teacher Reflection: Your Name, Activity, Term
Example:
Teacher Reflection: Capobianco, Prosthetic Leg, Spring 2013
Teacher Name: Fran Benham
School: Taylor Intermediate
Grade:5
Date: 02-22-2013
PART I:
Day
1
Overview of your SLED lesson(s):
Brief description of lesson activities you enacted
each day over the course of the SLED design task
Students started the lesson in their science and math
classes by being introduced to the design challenge.
They then built their frames to get ready to make the
recycled paper. They also shredded the paper and
measured the water to make the slurry.
2
In my class we reviewed the design challenge and the
importance of recycling paper. We talked about how
paper is recycled. They used the slurry they made
previously to make two sheets of paper each. Students
weighed the wet paper and recorded their
measurements.
3
Students measured and recorded the weight of their
sheets of dry paper to see who had made the thinnest
paper. We then used the recycled paper in a poster to
make a visual statement about the importance of
recycling.
What do you think your
students learned each day
Students learned about the need
to recycle. They learned how to
make pulp by tearing up old
newspapers and using a blender
and measuring water to make
slurry.
Students learned how to dip
their screens to collect fibers to
make the paper. They learned
how to press the paper there by
extracting the water from the
sheet of paper.
Students physically experienced
the complete cycle of recycling,
from paper waste to recycling to
reusing.
4
Students finished and displayed their posters.
Please answer the questions below:
1. What worked well?
I believe this design task was a great collaboration of science, math and art. Students were
involved in a real life topic and could see the connections between subject areas. Recycling is
something they are exposed to each day. We have recycling containers in our rooms. To
experience why we recycle and the process in which it is done gave the students a new respect
for the need of recycling.
2. What are two ways you can improve your efforts toward integrating design?
1) I would like to work more on the vocabulary part of the design process to ensure that my
students really understand and use those terms in their dialogue as we discuss the design
challenge.
2) I need to devote more time for follow up discussions, to evaluate my student’s thoughts
about the design task and generate ideas on how to improve steps for the next time.
PART II:
Reflection#1 on student performance:
Include an image of work from one student who you thought performed well on the task. Insert
the image here within the Word document. This image may be a copy of the student’s notebook
entry(s) or an image of the team’s artifact or an actual picture of the student at work.
In the space below describe what the image(s) is about and why you would explain or
characterize the student’s performance as mastery or excellent.
I believe this student did an excellent job. She had good control as she dipped the paper in the
slurry and formed the sheet of paper. Her dry sheet of paper had a nice consistency of thickness,
(or rather thinness). When we constructed the posters showing the complete cycle hers was very
neatly done and really captured the assignment.
Reflection#2 on student performance:
Include an image of work from one student who you thought did not perform as well
(unsatisfactory) on the task. Insert the image here within the Word document. This image may
be a copy of the student’s notebook entry(s) or an image of the team’s artifact or an actual
picture of the student at work.
Insert image(s) here
In the space below describe what the image is about and why you would explain or
characterize the student’s performance as unsatisfactory.
This student had a lot of problems dipping the frame in the slurry. They kept putting their fingers
in the way of the frame and not bringing it out of the water at an even level. Therefore they did
not have an even distribution of the pulp leaving holes in the sheet of paper and holes on the
sides where their fingers were. Their second sheet turned out better, but again they left a finger
hole on the side because of having their finger in the way of the frame. Their poster displayed the
idea of recycling but was not as aesthetically put together as some of the others.
PART II:
Reflection #3
Describe one thing you enjoyed about instructing this SLED task.
In this task we worked more as a team, (science-math-art), together switching back and forth on
different parts of the design task instead of me just doing a review and reinforcement design task.
I enjoyed making the recycled paper and the students had a lot of fun doing it also. It was nice to
tie in a complete cycle of how paper is recycled to how we can reuse that recycled paper to
continue the circle.
Describe one thing in your practice you would improve upon next time you implement this
engineering design task or another SLED design task.
The first thing that comes to mind is the problem we had with our frames. We used popsicle sticks, hot
glue and wire mesh. The hot glue was not a good choice. The glue would not hold because of the cold
weather and cold water. The sticks kept popping off and then students would have trouble keeping their
frames even to dip and get level sheets. We will defiantly use something different next time.