I'm super excited to have our 6th grade Science teacher, Mrs. Pam Radig, featured on the blog!
Mrs. Radig is a fun and energetic Science teacher. I knew when I introduced the possibilities of bringing VR into her Science lessons, she would create amazing learning opportunities for her students.
We collaborated on the possibilities and below is what transpired in the classroom.
Mrs Radig's Unit Summary and Reflection
In 6th grade Science, a required unit of instruction is health, with a focus on the systems of the body. In particular, the circulatory system. The students really enjoy this unit because their "study guide" is them self! This unit is about their health and their body and most of my students marvel at what an amazing machine the human body is.
This unit begins with a review of the previous systems - skeletal, muscular, nervous, and digestive with a few new twists and activities. Anatomy and functions of these systems and key parts are stressed as well as how these systems interact.
The next systems of endocrine, urinary, reproductive, lymphatic, and respiratory are introduced and explored. Finally, the circulatory system is brought into play. Students visit a blood donation center during a blood drive, engage in a blood typing lab, and even dissect a pig's heart.
This year, however, I encountered pieces of technology that "wowed" me. Our school's technology integrationist, Susan Oehlertz, showed me the VR Anatomy apps and the Virtuali-tee app. Right away, I was amazed at the unbelievable features like the heart having a heart beat, the ease at which students could manipulate the organs and see them from every angle, and the awesome graphics that allowed us to see the organs and the blood flow in action. I think I showed all the teachers on the floor and even a board member as I could not contain my enthusiasm.
When I was about 80% done with the unit, I incorporated the VR apps into the lesson. I set up the app stations and grouped students. Each student was given a lab sheet to complete with a partner in each of the 4 stations.
Station 1: AR Liver Station 2: Living Lung Station 3: Anatomy 4D Station 4: Virtuali-tee
When students went to their stations, I heard comments like "This is so cool." "I never knew the gallbladder looked like this.", and "I always envisioned the heart beating differently." The students also increased their level of understanding of what disease does to the liver and lungs and what they can do now to avoid these diseases.
These VR apps led to great collaborative discussion among their groups about their overall health and knowledge of key aspects of these systems. It also led me to a realization that many students were misplacing the aorta and thinking it began in the left atrium instead of the left ventricle and thinking that smoking would slow down your respiration rates.
Susan and I encouraged the students to capture their learning through their lens by taking pictures, creating a picture collage {using picmonkey.com} and placing their image and written or voice reflection in their Seesaw Learning Journal.
The following day we dissected hearts and the aorta misconception could easily be corrected when students were able to put their finger down the aorta.
I would highly recommend the use of VR apps to all science teachers. You and your students will enthusiastically gain key insights into the circulatory system, organs in your body, and the overall health of your body while using this amazing VR technology that will bring human anatomy to life like never before.
Thanks Mrs. Radig for purposefully integrated technology into your science curriculum and extending our students' learning far beyond a textbook!
If you would like to connect with Mrs. Radig, you can find her using these channels: