Silverwood Park Residency – 2.25 hours

Shadowing with Jan Elftmann – 3 hours

This week I attended Silverwood Park’s monthly staff meeting to meet more of the staff and get an inside look at some of the planning that is taking place. This month they had a guest speaker, Eric Ringgenberg from AuSM (Autism Society of Minnesota). It was a great opportunity to learn more about Autism and how educators can be inclusive of students that are on the spectrum. One thing that I took away from the training is the importance of outlining positive expectations; because people with autism spectrum disorder experience developmental delays, it can sometimes be difficult for them to infer what they should or are allowed to do when given what not to do (no running, don’t yell, etc.). I left the training with a lot of helpful information and a few free resources that I was unaware of.

Friday was my first opportunity to work in the classroom this semester. I assisted Jan Elftmann at the Science Museum of Minnesota. For two weeks the museum hosts a program called COMET during which elementary school students from the metro area are can partake in two weeklong classes at the museum. Jan taught a class called “Blow It Up” for 3rd-5th graders. On Friday students created two different rockets, one from a film canister and the other from a 20-ounce bottle.

The students learned about chemical reactions as they used Alka-Seltzer with water and vinegar with baking soda to create the carbon dioxide that propelled their rockets. Additionally, the students were learning about cooperation. They worked in pairs to create their “Ultimate Rockets” which included attaching straws to the 20-ounce bottle while it was balanced on its end. This task is near impossible without another person’s help. The students were also able to practice perseverance. When a rocket did not fire Jan gave the student the chance to try again, even if it took another two or three tries.

Through observation, I learned a couple of strategies for keeping students focused and (reasonably) neat when a project includes many messy materials. Jan regularly had students put items for future steps or from completed tasks into a paper bag with their name on it. This kept the group together and on task. It was an exciting day launching homemade rockets outside of the museum.