Throughout this course, we will study the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and how they relate singly and combined to preschool curriculum planning. We will explore readings, resources, articles, websites, videos, planning resources and supplemental resources provided in the individual course units. These resources replace a textbook and are current materials written by professionals in the field. They present life experiences that can give real input into your studies.

In each of the three units where there is this reflection assignment, you will select one resource in the unit and give a response to the four questions provided. Before you make your resource selection, read all the resources and visit all the links provided in the unit. Some readings will reflect knowledge you already have which will be further solidified. Some material will stretch your thinking and give you a new perspective on a strategy. This coursework is intended to inform, extend your thinking, invite you to query, and reflect on and refine your practices. You will create new knowledge and define your teaching practices with each reflection assignment.

Articles, Websites, and Videos:

This resource demonstrates the benefits of using familiar stories in the picture books genre to help children understand engineering. The authors provide a complete example of a planned curriculum including classroom activity, materials lists, and a community event project culmination. 

• Bradley, B. A., Thomas, K., & Bradley Jr., A. A. (2019). A home for three little pigs: Preschool children learn about engineering through designing and testing homes. Science & Children, 57(3), 40–48.

In this article, children discuss a real dilemma when the greenhouse faucet is broken. The classroom teachers guide the children in developing and following clear steps to explore, create, improve, and document their problem-solving process.

• Mano, H., Molina, K., Lange, A., & Nayfeld, I. (2019). Planting the seeds of engineering: Preschoolers think about, talk about, and solve a real problem in the garden. Science & Children, 57(2), 80–84.

This article demonstrates that children engage in science when involved in tinkering and making. As children learn to tinker with materials, they discover the properties of these materials and use them in different problem-solving experiences.

• Bevan, B., Petrich, M., & Wilkinson, K. (2014). Tinkering is serious play. Educational Leadership, 72(4), 28–33.

This resource emphasizes the importance of using authentic problems in the classroom and explores the   “seven learning practices of making”.

• Bresson, L., King, M., Brahms, L., & Wardrip, P. S. (2017). Create problems for your preschoolers, don’t solve them! Teaching Young Children, 10(4), 12–15.

Using the book, Eggbert, the Slightly Cracked Egg, the authors present an “egg challenge”. Focusing on the egg packages that protect eggs, children are guided to use “Ask, Imagine, Try, and Try again” prompts.

• Lottero-Perdue, P., Bowditch, M., Kagan, M., Robinson-Cheek, L., Webb, T., Meller, M., & Nosek, T. (2016). An engineering design process for early childhood. Science & Children, 54(3), 70–77.

Using children’s books can help connect and expand early learning experiences. Engineering concepts presented in Pamela Allen’s book, Who Sank the Boat, are brought to life in the boat engineering video.  

develop a written script for a 3-5 minute podcast (about 450-650 words). Your podcast can be just you speaking alone, an interview with a friend or family member, a panel interview where you talk to 3 or 4 people, or even in play format with several characters. Choose one of these topics for your podcast.

• Music Genre, Artist, or Album: Write a podcast script in which you will teach your audience about a specific music genre, artist, or album. Using the rhetorical devices, persuade your listeners that  the genre, artist, album is noteworthy. (You may include musical examples, but if the music is copyrighted, you may not use more than a 30 second clip for educational purposes.)
• Find at least three (3) credible sources to include in your podcast.

1. Plan how your will incorporate and use these sources to support your ideas and to provide evidence. You will use quotations, statistics, and other salient information from these sources in your podcast.
2. Find 2-3 sound bites for your podcast. Choose non-copyrighted music or audio. You may use 30 seconds or less of copyrighted music for educational purposes. See these web pages for sound effects

• Begin the script with the title and date of the podcast. Introduce the topic and the speakers in an inviting and engaging way. 
• Main Points: State, support, and persuade your audience. Use sources from your research to support your opinions. Include a SPOKEN reference to the source within the sentence. (For more tips on incorporating quotes, see UNC’s webpage on QuotationsLinks to an external site..)
• Ending: End with brief thoughtful comments to wrap up the show and remind the audience of your main claim. Thank your guest(s) for the interview and thank the audience for listening. Add a music or audio clip in your closing

Format the Script 

• Format the text of your script like the one you looked at for the podcast “The Haunting Effects of Going Days Without Sleep.”Links to an external site. 
• Sources: Add a MLA formatted Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your script. Include MLA formatted citations for all sources, including the sound bites.
• Sound: Include 2-3 sound bites in the script. Indicate where each sound bite will be in the script. Use parentheses to show the sound location and include a description of the sound, for example (Sound bite of Applause).

The Latest Study on Trigger Warnings Finally Convinced Me They’re Not Worth It

Questions

1. Why do you think Palus opens her piece with a startling statement? What appeal(s) (ethos, pathos, logos) was she addressing with this hook?

2. Where does Palus introduce her claim – In paragraph 1, 2, or 3? After identifying the paragraph, copy and paste her claim.

3. In paragraph 3, Palus cites an article, “Trigger Warning: Empirical Evidence Ahead”, then proceeds to summarize the article. Download and skim through the study (also under Readings) and decide if Palus used the article effectively and responsibly. Explain your conclusion using evidence from both Palus’s article and from the study to support your opinion.

4. Also in paragraph 3, Palus provides a link to an article explaining two additional studies and published in the New York Times. (Click on that link by holding the ctrl key while pushing the enter key on your keyboard.) Were you able to get the article? If so, did Palus use this article effectively and responsibly? If you were unable to get the article, would this oversight be a dealbreaker for you in adopting her viewpoint expressed in her claim? Why or why not?

5. In paragraph 4, Palus introduces her first counterargument in this paragraph’s topic sentence. What method does Palus use to address the counterargument: acknowledgement, accommodation, or refutation? How do you know? Finally, do you think a link to the article would have helped improve her ethos?

6. In paragraph 5, Palus introduces her second counterargument, also in this paragraph’s topic sentence. What method does Palus use to address the counterargument: acknowledgement, accommodation, or refutation? How do you know?

7. In paragraph 5, pay attention to the third sentence. Is this statement expressing a certainty or a possibility? How does the verb used provide clues?

8. Also in paragraph 5, read the third and the fourth sentences together, then rewrite these two sentences by providing a suitable transitional word or phrase to help with coherence. You may join the two sentences or keep them separate, but do not omit any important words or phrases that may change the original meaning of these sentences.

9. To wrap up paragraph 5, note the evidence Palus used to support her claim and to counter the opposing viewpoint. Then skim through the article (also under Readings, titled “Katy Waldman Slate Article”), then decide if Palus used the article effectively and responsibly. Explain your conclusion using evidence from both Palus’s article and the Waldman piece to support your opinion.

10. In paragraph 6, Palus introduces her third counterargument in the topic sentence. After citing and quoting the New York Times article (previously used in para. 3), how does her conclusion sentence clarify McNally’s conclusions?

11. In paragraph 7, Palus introduces her fourth counterargument in the topic sentence. What method does Palus use to address the counterargument: acknowledgement, accommodation, or refutation? How do you know?

12. In paragraph 8, Palus introduces her fifth and final counterargument in the topic sentence. What method does Palus use to address the counterargument: acknowledgement, accommodation, or refutation? How do you know?

13. Paragraph 9 is Palus’s conclusion paragraph. Keeping in mind that all of her discussion points involved addressing counterarguments, what kind of readership did Palus anticipate: friendly, neutral, or hostile? Do you think that Palus effectively defended her claim? Did she prove her point? Explain fully.