The four lesson plans I read about in Science stories that interest me the most are the snails, the floating/sinking fruit, the avocado pit and the germination bags.

The two that stuck out the most though were the snails and the fruits/vegetables. With the fruits and vegetables I thought that, besides from being a hands on and 'messy' lesson, the teacher showed how much she cared and how much thought she had put into it by bringing in foods from all different cultures. Not only would this make all the students feel more comfortable, but they were able to learn from each other without help from the teacher. The fact that she went so far as to do the avocado experiment soon after showed the students that she valued thier ideas and their contributions to the class.

My favorite lesson was, hands down, the snails. I love snails, have a few in my room as pets (apple snails) and find them incredibly interesting and relaxing to watch. They are extremely easy to care for, inexpensive, hearty, and would make great class pets/science projects. I think that having them make their own rules and making them responsible for the care of their snail brought a lot to the experiment. It gave the students a sense of autonomy and, although she helped in someways, they were. I will definitely be doing this lesson with my classes in the future.