Deck 4: Creating Environments for Discovery

Question 1

Which of these is closest to the typical approximate wait-time reported in this chapter?

A) 2-3 seconds
B) 3-5 seconds
C) 5-10 seconds
D) 20-23 seconds

Answer 1

2-3 seconds

Question 2

Which of the following is an essential part of successful cooperative group work emphasized in this chapter?

A) Assigning particular roles to students in the group
B) Deconstructing content for the group members
C) Reconstructing content for the group as a whole
D) Providing literacy-based tasks for each group member

Answer 2

Assigning particular roles to students in the group

Question 3

Which of the following is the main reason for conducting science demonstrations?

A) To reproduce phenomena about which students have already read and learned
B) To show students phenomena they cannot safely discover for themselves
C) To replace students' involvement in science activities
D) To decrease the need for science instruction

Answer 3

To show students phenomena they cannot safely discover for themselves

Question 4

Which of the following best fits the classification system for questions advocated in this chapter?

A) Scoped, Sequenced, and Mapped
B) Convergent, Divergent, and Evaluative
C) Process-based, Example-based, and Knowledge-based
D) Content-based, Pedagogy-based, and Information-based

Question 5

Which of the following is an important component to successful cooperative group work emphasized in this chapter?

A) Attenuating attention
B) Creating homogeneous groups
C) Fostering individual accountability
D) Ensuring that there is no interdependence among members

Question 6

The idea of wait-time/think-time is most closely related to which of the following?

A) Turn taking at the science materials center
B) Cooperative group members' patience with off-task group members
C) The time between one student's hand being raised and another group member giving an answer
D) The time between the asking of a question by a teacher and the acceptance of a student's response

Question 7

Which of the following is an active listening technique the authors suggest should be taught to students in the science classroom?

A) Enumerating the speaker's recall questions
B) Calling out key science terms as the speaker mentions them
C) Creating questions to ask the speaker at the end of the presentation
D) Choosing a seat that is far away from other students during the presentation

Question 8

Which of the following work space provisions do the authors suggest for the science classroom?

A) Immovable bookcases
B) Individual student desks
C) Semiprivate group work spaces
D) Unlocked cabinets containing science materials

Question 9

Which of the following techniques do the authors suggest should be used by teachers in order to improve the questions asked in the science classroom?

A) Asking questions as quickly as possible to save class time
B) Asking questions that involve recall level knowledge
C) Video recording lessons as they are taught
D) Acknowledging incorrect answers

Question 10

Which of the following describes an ideal characteristic of science discovery centers?

A) Provide limited materials to focus learning
B) Provide challenge questions to be explored
C) Located in the middle of the classroom
D) Located where there is limited access

Question 11

A common topic of discussion among teachers is whether it is better to do a science demonstration to present a concept or to do a science activity. If you were teaching in an elementary school, what would motivate you to choose to do a demonstration instead of an activity? Provide at least three sentences for your explanation.

Question 12

Identify and define the three elements of successful cooperative group work presented in this chapter.

Question 13

In at least three sentences, describe the behaviors that a teacher might expect from a group of students carrying out a science activity in a cooperative group setting that would reflect that the teacher had successfully implemented the three elements of successful cooperative group work you identified and defined in question 2 above.

Question 14

In at least four sentences, describe four behaviors you would expect to see from a student who had mastered "active listening"
in your classroom.

Question 15

Consider the four behaviors that you outlined in question 4 above. For each, explain in a sentence how you would teach the same behaviors to a child who was not yet successful at being an active listener.

Question 16

What is meant by the term wait-time/think-time? In a paragraph, describe three things a teacher might do to increase wait-time/think-time-during science teaching.

Question 17

Some schools use science textbooks as the principle classroom resource for science teaching. Imagine that you are a teacher who has been told that the textbook should be used as a resource but should not represent the total curriculum. In a paragraph, explain how you might use Discovery Stations to supplement the use of textbooks as a teaching resource in your future science classroom.

Question 18

The management of materials is a major challenge that teachers face as they attempt to do science activities. Reflect on your own experiences in classrooms and in a paragraph, describe an incident that revealed a teacher's success or failure in finding appropriate ways to distribute or manage materials.

Question 19

Identify and briefly define the three categories of questions presented in this chapter using at least three sentences.

Question 20

Provide three examples of each type of question you identified and defined in question 9 above that you could use if you were teaching a lesson on the water cycle.