There's More to a STEM Challenge than Meets the Eye

Engineering standards are a new part of science curriculum.  The Next Generation Science Standards include standards and practices specifically for engineering.  The challenge teachers are facing is teaching their students about engineering when they have not had much experience with engineering themselves.

Many teachers are turning to STEM challenges to get some engineering into their science curriculum. Unfortunately, many of the STEM challenges out there don't teach much about engineering or the engineering design process.

In engineering, there are several key pieces that teachers should consider when designing challenges for their students.  First, engineering addresses a problem.  Clients hire engineers to address a problem by designing something specific to solve a problem.  Clients often have a variety of constraints that must be adhered to.  Some common constraints include budget, materials, and time.  

Once a specific prob;em is identified, engineers go through a specific process called the Engineering Design Process.  This process involves several steps within a cycle.  The first step involves addressing the problem by asking a question.  Next, engineers use their creativity to imagine what a solution to the problem might be.  After they come up with an idea, they make a plan.  Often this step involves drawing or sketching ideas  on paper.  Once ideas are planned, it's time for the engineer to create a model or prototype.  This model or prototype can be tested out and then improved.  The process is cyclical, so engineers often go through several iterations of this process until they have a solution to the problem.  

One of my newest products includes an editable power point that offers background information on what engineering is, different types of engineers, as well as the steps in the engineering design process.  I also include teacher and student pages for 3 different engineering design challenges.  

Check it out:

Cooperative Groups: A Job For Everyone!

Using cooperative groups in the classroom has become more and more popular in recent years. Research supports social interaction as a means to boost conceptual understanding.  We all know that some of the best teachers out there are the students themselves.  They are able to explain things to each other in ways that make sense.  Having the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other is also a benefit to working in cooperative groups.

Of course, we've all experienced the pros and cons of cooperative groups.  Sometimes, strong students end up pulling the weight of the group.  Other times, bossy students take over and don't let everyone contribute.  One solution to these issues is assigning specific jobs to students with detailed duties.  When students have specific roles, everyone is involved in the lesson and has a vested interest in the group.

Check out this freebie from my TpT store.  There are 7 jobs total, so you can pick and choose which ones work best for your particular activity.  One of my personal favorite jobs is Ambassador.  This job allows students to visit other groups to ask questions and see ideas from other groups.  Enjoy!

Teaching 5th Graders: Always an Adventure

I had the opportunity the other day to teach a science lesson to a bunch of 5th graders.  This may not seem like that big of a deal, and it probably wasn't.  But after being away from teaching 5th graders for 4 years, I have a new appreciation for them.  Here's what I can confirm about 5th graders:

1.  They are eager to learn.  

Looking around at the 26 pairs of eyes that were virtually eyes of strangers, I could see that they all had a genuine interest in the activity they were about to partake in.  It may have had something to do with the engaging hands on science activity I was presenting to them, but nevertheless, it was genuine.

2.  They still need their teacher to model what they are expected to do.

I thought my directions were pretty clear for the first part of the activity.  They were to write a list of properties of 4 random objects.  Initially they all just sat around with very little pencil moving going on. I had to walk around and prompt each group with what to do.  If I had it to do over again I would have done the first one with them so that they knew exactly what was expected.

3.  They respond well to probing questions.

This one is true of all learners in my opinion, but I especially appreciated how well they responded to my questions.  Perhaps this is a practice used by their teacher so they are used to it; but not one student balked at my questions, even when I answered their question with another question...one of my favorite sneaky moves.

4.  They occasionally get distracted and like to goof around.

Who doesn't?!!  One thing that helped with this was having the students in a cooperative group with assigned roles.  For this activity one student was the materials manager, another was the task manager, a third was the recorder, and the last was the reporter.

All in all, I had an amazing time!  It really made me realize how much I miss teaching this grade.   That being said, there are many occasions when my college students remind me a lot of fifth graders!

Science and Engineering Practices

Whether your school district has adopted the Next Generation Science Standards or not, the 8 science and engineering practices outlined in NGSS should not be overlooked.  The NGSS brings together 3 dimensions for teaching and learning science and engineering.  One of these dimensions includes these eight practices.  Teachers should be working towards giving their students opportunities to engage in these practices while learning science and engineering concepts.  It may seem a little overwhelming at first, but these practices are very doable with students as young as kindergarten.

One thing teachers should keep in mind when trying to incorporate the practices into lessons, is that it's just about impossible to include all the practices within one lesson.  The idea behind these practices is to provide students opportunities to engage in the practices over the course of a unit.  For example, in my Space Unit, students may be engaging in analyzing data and performing mathematical computations when investigating the relative distances of planets.  On another day, students may be planning and carrying out investigations when investigating the impact gravity has on different sized objects.  When designing my units or mini units, I try to get to all of the practices, but not necessarily in one lesson.

Of course, some practices are more difficult to implement than others; we all will have our favorites.   Check out the NGSS Appendix F found here to get ideas on how you can provide opportunities for your students to engage in practices that are used by real scientists and engineers.  There's a breakdown included to show teachers how the practices progress from Kindergarten through Grade 12 that I think you will find very useful.

Predict, Observe, Explain; An Effective Teaching Strategy You Should Try!

Through my job of teaching future teachers, I have researched and tested out a variety of effective strategies.  One of the latest is the Predict, Observe, Explain strategy.  Although I have seen literature regarding this strategy for students at the secondary level, I believe elementary students can handle this strategy as well.

Predict, Observe, Explain (POE) in a Nutshell

Predict, Observe, Explain, (POE).  is exactly what you would expect. Basically, students make predictions about what will happen in an experiment, observe the experiment, and then explain what happened and why.  This is especially effective with science demonstrations.   For example, if I want to mix baking soda and vinegar together in a demo, I would ask the students, "What do you think will happen when I mix these together?" Students would then take a few minutes to write down their predictions.  Once everyone has had a chance to predict, discussion can take place where students explain their predictions and their rationale for them.  This can uncover common misconceptions and help teachers direct their questioning appropriately.  Next the teacher conducts the experiment and students observe.  Students can record observations and then think about why the experiment produced certain results.  Finally, students  try to come up with their own scientific explanations. Teachers can then interject where necessary to make sure students have the correct scientific explanation.

In today's classrooms, we don't always have the time or materials for all students to be conducting experiments.  This is a great alternative to make sure they are getting exposed to key scientific concepts.  Predict, Observe, Explain also gives students the opportunities to engage in scientific practices such as engaging in argument, or drawing conclusions.

One of my more recent creations is a set of 10 demonstrations with Predict, Observe, Explain sheets for each one.  Give them a try; you won't regret it!

Back to School Time!

Back to School is almost here!  Sometimes it's hard to find that energy to re-motivate when you've spent some lazy days around the pool.  Here's a few tips to get going:

1.  Get in your classroom!  There's something about that smell and being there that gets the energy pumping!
2.  Hang out on Pinterest for a few hours.  There are tons of inspiring and awesome ideas out there!
3.  Make a list of all the must do's before those kids arrive, and plan out when you will get them done.
4.  Visit the Teachers Pay Teachers annual sale August 1st and 2nd.  This is a great opportunity to find some great products to reignite your passion for teaching.  With the promotion code you'll save 28% off most stores.
5.  Finally, go shopping for some Teacher Clothes and  find that perfect outfit for the first day of school!

Here's to your best teaching year yet!  

Integrating Units to Engage Students

When I started teaching in the early 90's, teaching was so much fun!  We were given a lot of freedom in the way that we taught, and standardized tests were minimal. (Those were the days!)  The idea of "whole language" and integration of subjects was popular.  I remember teaching with big thematic units that the students found very engaging.  One specific unit I recall was our unit on the Iditarod.  We read stories about the Iditarod, we wrote letters to mushers, we did math problems focused on the cost, distance conversions and probability.  We engaged in science experiments involving states of matter and temperature changes.  Life was good!

The good news is, that the idea of integration is coming back in favor. (Swing away pendulum!) With the push for relevance in math, teachers and administrators are starting to get on board with integrating subjects and project-based learning.  I have found that students are much more engaged when different subjects are linked together and have meaning.

As a Teachers Pay Teachers author, I've started to move towards this integration approach. Not only is it more engaging and meaningful, but it gives teachers the opportunity to fit subjects like science in.  One of my favorite creations is the space unit I developed.  Although space is typically a science topic, it's such an easy topic in which to integrate language arts activities as well as math.

Do your students and yourself a favor:  Seek out integrated units as a way to teach multiple subject areas while genuinely engaging your students.  You won't regret it!

Gotta Love those Middle Schoolers!

I'm dedicating this post to middle school teachers and students.  I'm currently teaching a course focused on middle school math and science.  This week we are talking about the middle school brain.  It's quite a fascinating thing!  Teen brains are going through some pretty dramatic changes...this fact helps explain A LOT!  I feel like somewhat of an expert on the teenager; after all, I was one, and I have 2 teenage boys at the moment.  In addition, I help plan lessons for middle school students, and visit their classrooms often.  This summer, my university students will be visiting summer school classrooms and teaching lessons to middle school students.  This is a new frontier for us and I'm excited to see what impact we can make.

So let's get back to that teenage brain.  The brain actually develops from the rear to the front.  This explains why teens are known for poor judgment; the front part of the brain is in charge of things like planning, setting priorities, organizing thoughts, suppressing impulses, and weighing consequences for actions.  Makes sense, right?  Couple this with the hormonal changes taking place in a teen's body, it's no wonder this is such a trying time.

So what does this mean for educators?  Here are some tips to consider when teaching middle school students: 

As discussed in a previous post, project-based learning can be an excellent tool for middle school students.  Students can actively participate in cooperative groups, and also engage in relevant and meaningful learning.  Applying a variety of skills helps students see the usefulness in skills they learn in a variety of courses.  I've just started dabbling in creating project-based learning resources; here's one I created with the middle schooler in mind:

I've also developed some other math resources designed specifically for the middle school brain.  These cooperative group activities allow students to be actively involved, while engaging students in  an activity that has meaning and relevance.  Here's one example, but there are a few more in my TpT store:

I hope to focus more on middle school products as I continue to grow my TpT store.  Keeping in mind the unique needs of the middle school brain will help guide the development of my products.
Please leave a comment about any middle school students you have worked with.  I'm sure there are some great stories out there!

Summer Math and Science Fun

An InLinkz Link-up

Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning is a hot topic in education.  With the adoption of common core curriculum and the Next Generation Science Standards, there is a big push to give students authentic and meaningful tasks with which they can apply a variety of skills.   This makes perfect sense and some credit must be given to cognitive science.  The cognitive science revolution of the past 20 years has given us so much knowledge on how people learn best.  How our brains connect new knowledge to existing knowledge is part of this cognitive science revolution.  Giving students relevant experiences that connect to things they already hold in their brains increases the chances that they will develop a conceptual understanding of a topic (rather than just a procedure) and also greatly increases the possibility that students can apply the learning to other things.

Ok, enough about the brain science......let's talk about what project based learning is.  Project based learning begins with an authentic task; something meaningful that will pic the interest of the students.

I recently developed a project-based activity for upper elementary where students are tasked with developing a dog park.  They design different areas of the dog park, such as grass, bark, pea gravel, and then calculate the costs for these materials based on the area of each section.   They also work on perimeter as they select fences and gates for their park.  As they apply math skills, they are also working on collaborative skills while they work in a team.  They write letters to city council members and culminate the project with a presentation detailing their budget and dog park proposal.  The requirements of the project take place over the course of several days in the classroom.  Students are invested in the activity and engagement soars.  Creativity is encouraged as each team creates their own version of a dog park.  When the project concludes, they've had the opportunity to apply a variety of math and language skills to a project they won't soon forget.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on project-based learning.  Have you tried it before?  What was the response from students?

  

Science Notebooks Are Valuable

I've been away for a while for a variety of reasons.....but with this fresh look, I am going to make time to get on here and blog more often.  A HUGE shout out to Jolene from Paisley n' Polkadots Blog Designs for working with me to create this fun blog design.  She was amazing to work with!

My topic for today is science notebooks.  Science notebooks are such a terrific way to organize your students' learning as well as provide resources and tools to help them practice science as scientists as well as review for tests.  Letting students take ownership of their science notebooks can be a huge source of pride and motivation for students.

Benefits for teachers include accountability and grading, not having to give students the same information over and over (Go look in your science notebook!), as well as having motivated and engaged students.

There really are no rules for science notebooks.  Many traditional interactive notebook gurus have very systematic ways of keeping the notebooks such as odd pages are for vocabulary, even are for things you glue in, a table of contents in the front etc.  I prefer to leave the notebook a little more open ended and creative.  I provide papers and resources to be included in the notebook, but I allow students to be creative on how they set the notebook up.  It's up to you!!!

Click here for a freebie to help you get science notebooks started in your classroom.  Print off different colored covers for different groups if you like, or let your students choose.  Included in this freebie are covers, science safety pages (you never can stress safety enough!), and scientific process guides and templates.  These can be copied and used over and over.  Students can glue pages into a regular sized notebook, or shrink them down to 80% if you prefer the composition book.  So get going on preparing notebooks for your students to get ready for the next school year!  You won't regret it!

Engaging Hands On Science Lesson....Free Resource For You!

I appreciated the feedback on my last blog post.  I wanted to hear from teachers about what their obstacles were to teaching science.  A few common themes surfaced:  Overwhelmingly time is an issue.  Teachers don't feel like they have time to squeeze science into their already packed days.  The other issue was resources. Science is a resource heavy subject to teach; especially if you're going to do it right.  With these obstacles in mind,  I hope to give teachers some resources and tips for bringing science back.

So today, I want to share a lesson idea for science that is engaging, fun, light on resources, and can be integrated with other subjects. So here it is:

THE RAINBOW CHALLENGE

For this lesson, students will investigate acids and bases using a Cabbage Juice Indicator.  It's super simple to make, but might be a little stinky.  Check out the directions here. 

 Once you get it made, store in mason jars and put extra in your freezer.  It lasts a long time!  Students will be using the cabbage juice to test different substances to see if they are acids or bases.  No fancy science equipment is required.  Using wax paper with a paper guide placed underneath works great.  You can also use a paint tray that has many small concave circles for this.  

Next, you need some everyday items to test.  It's always great to have a variety of liquids or solids that will show a variety of colors.  Some suggested items:  vinegar, lemon juice, Maalox, milk, sprite, baking soda, seltzer water, rubbing alcohol, or just about anything.  Students will be mixing a small amount of Cabbage Juice Indicator with each of the liquids or solids.  They are to take note of color change and compare it to the ph Chart.  The ph chart for cabbage indicators is slightly different than the scientific chart.  Here's some pictures for comparison:

As you can see from the above pictures, the Cabbage Juice Scale goes from 1 to 12, while the PH Scale goes from 1-14.  The closer to 1, the more acidic.  Around 7 is neutral, and 12/14 is very basic.

Use this free resource link to access student activity sheets and data collection papers.  Discussion prompts and connections to other areas of the curriculum are included.  Students LOVE this activity.  It connects to chemical changes and also to the scientific process.  End the lesson by making real world connections to acid rain. An integrated writing idea is included.

Have a great week, everyone!  If you get a chance to do this activity, leave some feedback as to how it went.

 

Let's Bring Back Science!!!

Hello Everyone!

Post number 2...here we come.  My focus for today is on getting the conversation started.  Not a one-way conversation where I type, you read, and that's it.  We need some interaction!

I did some extensive research in my doctoral program around elementary science.  The first thing I learned is that it just isn't happening.  According to the latest report from Horizon Research (Report available here), science is taught an average of 1.5 hours per week for K-3 students and  2 hours per week in grades 4-6.  Compare this to Math (4.5 hours for K-3, and 5 hours for 4-6) and Language Arts (7.5 hours for K-3 and 7 hours for grades 4-6), and you have to wonder what we can do to find a better balance for our students.  Young students find science engaging and exciting.  Why can't we find ways to integrate the subjects so that we don't leave science out and deprive our students?

Last week, my first introductory blog, left me with many likes but no comments.  I'd like to ask you to comment today and give feedback as to what the obstacles are for teaching science.  If we can identify the obstacles, we have somewhere to start.  My hope for this blog is to find workable solutions for teachers.  If we can identify the problems, we can tackle solutions from there.  I have lots of great ideas to work science into the elementary day.  But this needs to be a community effort!  So chime in please!

I'd also like to include some easy access resources on this blog.  I'll be trying to figure out how to link you to various resources on this blog, so check out the bottom and sides for links to investigate.  This blog is new; so any input/suggestions are greatly appreciated!

And Just like that.....My Blog is Born!!

Now that I have a little time on my hands (yeah, right!), I've decided to continue my quest to improve teaching and learning.  Through this blog I hope to share teaching ideas for science and math for elementary and middle school teachers.

I've learned so much and continue to do so every day.  My own students inspire me with great ideas and insight into teaching.  I want to provide this forum for idea sharing and conversation starting. Education is an ever-changing, living and breathing entity.  I've been in the education business for a quarter of a century (Wow!,..did I just type that??!!).  I've seen trends come and go, but one thing remains the same:  We all want what's best for kids!

I have many personal friends and acquaintances in this profession.  My hope is to bring us all together to start conversations and share ideas.  My other secret hope, (ok, maybe not so secret) is that I can inspire teachers to get teaching science again in effective and engaging ways.  I know the plates are full, especially at the elementary level; let's figure out how to MAKE ROOM FOR SCIENCE!

I am a firm believer in "more heads are better than one".  Let's put our heads together and tackle this issue.  Our kids deserve to be introduced to the wonder of science while their curiosity about this amazing world we live in is at its peak.

So my mission begins....I hope you'll join me!