Julie Douglas

December 16th, 2015

LBS 400
Science Reflection Essay
Of all the subjects that are involved in a multiple-subject credential, science seems to be
the subject in which I feel the least confident in teaching. I believe that in order to confidently
teach students this subject matter, I will need to improve my knowledge in all areas. Although I
do not feel very confident in my knowledge of the material, I do know that it is something that I
am interested in and would truly enjoy teaching to my future students. Science was one of my
favorite subjects in school, because I loved participating in hands on activities and carrying out
experiments. Some of my fondest memories from grade school involve my science courses.
Despite my interest, I am still not sure that I have good enough grasp on the material that
would make me feel confident in my teaching. In order to improve my knowledge, I will be sure
to educate myself on the standards that I will be teaching for the grade I am assigned. I will do
all that I can to ensure that I am fully confident in my knowledge of the standards I will teach
my students, so that I can provide them with the fullest educational experience possible.
I have taken many classes throughout my education that have provided me with the
knowledge I will need to teach science. In elementary school I remember learning about the
scientific method through doing a science project that was displayed at a science fair held by
my school. My project was about how clouds are formed. This experience taught me so much
about the scientific method and how it is used to answer science questions. In middle school
science my class dissected frogs, worms, and squids. This experience taught me about the

different parts of animals, and how we all essentially have the same components. In college I
have taken a biology class where I learned about things like the parts of plant and animal cells,
the respiratory system, life cycles, and so much more. Additionally, my SMT 416 at Dominguez
Hills, I learned about things such as geology, volcanoes, earthquakes, fossils, oceanography,
weather, and astronomy. Lastly, my physics 300 class taught me about things such as
mechanics, fluids, heat, waves, electromagnetism, light, atoms, periodic table and chemical
bonding. All of these classes and experiences together have prepared me to be equipped to
teach science to elementary aged students.
A few areas in which I feel prepared to teach are the scientific method, and the different
parts of and animal and plant cell. These two areas are where I feel most prepared to teach
because they are the areas where I have had the most practice, and have done the best with.
From all of my science classes, from elementary through college courses, they have thoroughly
covered and discussed both the scientific method as well as the parts of a cell. I can remember
doing multiple projects and hands on activities to learn about these topics, and because of this
they have really stuck with me.
I have a total of three artifacts to display on my portfolio that I feel demonstrate my
knowledge or learning in science. The first artifact is a picture I took during an aerobic
respiration activity I did during my biology class at Cerritos College. The experiment tested how
fast endotherms do aerobic respiration in both room and cold temperatures. To do this we
measured how fast a mouse breathed in a jar at room temperature, and compared it to how
fast they did it in a jar set at a much colder temperature. My next artifact are a couple of
pictures I took of the moon through a telescope we built during class. The experiment was

meant to teach us both the components of a telescope, as well as give us an up close view of
the moon. We had to document what we did and what we saw. Lastly, I have provided an
artifact from a group lesson I participated in in my SMT 416 class. The lesson taught the
students why the sky is blue. During the lesson we talk about light wave lengths, atmosphere,
and electromagnetic radiation. All of these examples show my knowledge or science, and my
passion for not only learning it, but also teaching it. These are all lessons and experiments I
could potentially do with my own students in the future, and in return can pass on to them that
same passion for learning science.