KLEIN's
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SCIENCE EDUCATION
PHOTO CREDIT: Nadene Klein at Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite National Park
I wasn't sure how my students would embrace making their own memes. Neither was I sure of the quality of the end result in terms of it being an assessment of their thinking. When you raise the bar and include culturally relevant media, students rise to the challenge. Below are several of the memes created by my students. Students first followed the scientific method to analyze memes. I provided 6 memes from which they had to hypothesize what characteristics make a high quality meme. Then they searched the internet for additional memes that supported or refuted their hypothesis. After this analysis, they summarized their findings with memes in general. There were some thoughtful and insightful findings by my students through their analysis. Finally they were required to make a collection of 3 memes to communicate their point of view on evolution (pro or con). I posted a few below. I wish I could post more but some students (who created the best memes) have restrictions on media release. Enjoy these. Scientifically yours, Nadene
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A few years ago, I gave an assignment where students had to express their understanding of a science concept by making a meme of it. I shared a link with them of a free online meme generator. This assessment went well, but I felt like it could have been more rigorous. Something was amiss even though students enjoyed the task. In the July 2018 issues of Education Update from ASCD within an article entitled, "Social Media as Valid Texts: Approaches to Classroom Analysis," written by Paul Barnwell, there is a subtopic under the heading "Memes and the Scientific Method." I eagerly read this section thinking I may have found the key to beefing up this old lesson. The idea shared was super interesting. It was actually a lesson for a social justice class, not a science class. The notion was to apply the steps of the scientific method to analyzing the meaning behind some memes. It wasn't a science lesson at all. I like the notion that the scientific method can be applied cross-curricularly. I'm thinking that even in a science class, this could be an engaging way to verify student understanding of the steps of the scientific method without doing a lab. However, after reading the article, I still needed to take the time to refresh my old lesson. So here's my newest thinking: start with a meme on a scientific issue and follow Mr. Barnwell's plan of having them analyze it following the steps of the scientific method. This is a good formative assessment. Then based upon the findings in their conclusions, create their own meme on the current class topic. They'll be required to write an explanation on how their initial findings directed the creation of their original meme. Per usual when student are about to embark on a task they've never done before, I'll create an example in advance to model for them. Expect a future blog post with a whole bunch of memes from high school students! Scientifically yours, Nadene |
AuthorNadene Klein, M.Ed. has been an educator for over 25 years. She brings a passion and love for science to the classroom and through this blog to you. Archives
March 2024
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