Now What? Making the Transition to Learning (and Teaching) From Home

Just a week ago I was hitting golf balls enjoying a nice spring afternoon.  Now I am self-isolating and attempting to teach my college students from home.  It's been quite a scramble to get things figured out, and honestly, it's still a process.  I've read several articles floating around out there, and the biggest message I am hearing is, we don't need to feel like we have to do everything perfectly.  Some things are going to have to go.  What we need to do as educators is find ways to educate students as best we can, and not be so hard on ourselves.  I decided on a very simple format for my college students taking an introductory 1 credit education class.  It's one page of directions with  a "Read This" section with links to articles related to the topic of the week, a "Watch This" section with links to videos for them to watch, and a "Do This" section for them to complete a discussion board thread post or written reflection with prompts.  We need to remember that our students are also transitioning to this online learning from home challenge that they did not sign up for.  I think keeping things simple and demanding a little less of them during these times is the right thing to do.

After deciding on this simple format for my college students, I got to thinking about the K-12 students.  I create science curriculum mostly for elementary level students, and my philosophy is highly inquiry and hands on learning.  But with this wrench in the system, it might not be feasible to ask students to find the materials to conduct hands on lessons that are normally done in schools.  I decided to create some new resources that students could use at home to continue their learning of science topics.  Adopting a similar format to my college class, I have 4 sections:  Read This, Watch This, Do This, and Try This.  The "Try This" is an attempt to give the home-bound students an opportunity to do some sort of hands on learning using simple materials that can be found at home.  Each of the topics is sold separately, but I also have a Growing Bundle of all the topics that I will continue to add to over the next several weeks.  Check it out by clicking on the image below.

Here's to getting through this challenge with grit and determination.  Take care of yourself, don't try to be perfect, and help keep those kiddos learning!

Tips for STEM Night Success

I recently was tasked with planning a STEM night at a rural school in our state.  I worked with one of our graduates who is currently teaching at the middle school to coordinate activities and presentations for the elementary students of the community.  We trained the middle school students to facilitate the activities with the help of some of my college students. 

Here are 10 things I have learned from planning and carrying out this STEM Night:
1.  STEM nights are A LOT of work!
2.  Communication is the key to good attendance.
3.  Using social media to share about the event works well!  Most schools/school districts have Facebook pages.
4.  People don't tend to RSVP even when an email RSVP form is sent to every family.
5.  Find a guest speaker/presenter to kick off the event.
6.  Volunteers appreciate food.
7.  Plan and prepare plenty of materials for the activities.  It's better to have too many than not enough.
8.  Spread activities out.  We used the cafeteria for the more mellow activities, and used classrooms for the louder ones and ones with projectiles. (Check out my STEM night product for activity ideas here).
9.  Take pictures!  (This is where I didn't do so well; I was distracted with organizing)
10.  Get there early to get set up and organized.  This will ease your stress on the day of the event.t

I have participated in tons of STEM nights in my years of teaching, but this was the first one I actually coordinated.  The biggest worry for me was that no one would show up.  Since hardly any families RSVP'd I seriously didn't sleep the night before.  But thankfully, people did show up and all my worries were for nothing. 

               

Another great bonus that I was fortunate enough to have was a guest speaker who was a real live astronaut.  I truly believe the NASA astronaut was a huge draw for the community, and many wanted to come and listen to his presentation before the activities began. 

So my big take away is that this was a TON of work, but it was so worth it in the end.  Seeing the kids smiling faces was amazing, and the turn out of volunteers was very impressive.  Especially since they had to drive more than an hour to get to the school where the event was held.

New Year, New Science Goals!

Life as an elementary teacher is challenging to say the least.  One of the biggest challenges is trying to juggle all of the different subjects and find time for everything.  Coupled with the pressure for students to perform well on standardize tests, it's no wonder that science often takes a back seat.

Do your students a favor, and find ways to make science more of a priority in 2020.  There are a variety of ways to work smarter, not harder when fitting science into your school week.  Here are some ideas to get you started:

1.   Science Friday: When I taught 5th grade, I had great success with committing to teach science on Fridays; once before lunch and again after lunch.  That gave my students about an hour an a half of science for the week.  Fridays worked well for me with my specials schedule and it had the added side affect of getting kids to school on Fridays.  For some reason, that day is notorious for student absences, which doesn't fit so well with weekly spelling tests and other assessments. With Science Friday, the kids looked forward to it and made sure they didn't miss school that day.

2. Team Teach:  If you have a big enough school with more than one teacher at your grade level, try team teaching science.  Get super prepared and immersed in one science unit and become the expert at your grade level.  Trade students or rotate classrooms to teach each other's students the one unit you've become a pro at. 

3. Science Centers:  Science centers are a super efficient way to get all concepts in and let students do hands on experiments without needing enough materials for the entire class.  Set up 5 centers around the room for a week and have students rotate to one each day.  Students should be able to do a quick science activity and have an opportunity to write about their experiences in a journal in a 30 minute time frame.

4.  Integrate Science:  Students are naturally engaged with science topics due to their curiosity about their world.  Try flipping things around and using science as the central theme or topic to integrate with language arts and mathematics.  There are plenty of opportunities for reading and writing in science, and mathematics is a natural fit, especially with data and data analysis.

Give some of these ideas a try!  Your students will thank you for fitting one of their favorite subjects in!

5 Tips for a Great Year of Science!

I don't know about you, but there is something very special about the Back to School season. Fresh pencils, fresh starts, and new smiling faces in your classroom. Establishing routines and sharing expectations are an integral part of the start of the school year. Here are some tips to help you get your year of science off to a great start.

1.  Practice using common science tools before diving into any units or experiments. Young scientists need time to practice using science tools such as pipettes, digital scales, graduated cylinders or even goggles. One way to do this is to set up science tools centers around the room and let students practice using the tools you plan to use throughout the year. This will save oodles of time and frustration.

2. Give Your Students Science Notebooks.  Have students decorate their own science notebook. A simple single subject notebook or composition book will work well. Science notebooks help make your students feel like real scientists, and give them a place to write observations or glue artifacts from experiments. The notebooks also serve as a great review tool for students to study for tests.

3.  Preview Science Units.  Give students a glimpse into the different topics and units they will be learning about this year. This will get them excited about science and give them plenty to look forward to.

                                            

4. Introduce Your Students to the Wide Variety of Science Careers.  Many young students are not aware of the wide variety of science fields. Brainstorm different kinds of scientists with your students and find books or internet resources that depict the wide variety of science fields. This can get students excited about science and perhaps encourage them to pursue a science career in their future.

5. Round Up Resources for Science Units:  Research supports a hands on approach for teaching and learning science. Finding inexpensive (or free) science resources is essential. Try finding community partners such as grocery stores or small business that can donate to your science lessons. I get meat trays from the local grocery store for free that work great for many science experiments. Use crowd funding platforms to fund your science materials; Donor's Choose is a good one, but there are many more. Ask your school PTA to help you pay for science supplies. If your district allows, you could also send home lists of needed supplies to parents if they are things parents might have at home.

I do have a few resources in my store to help with the tips above.  I have a Science Experiment Tools product that has center activities for many common science tools. I have a free Science Notebook Starter Pack that can help your students get started with setting up notebooks. I also have a Science Careers Bundle that gives students a chance to learn about 5 different science careers. Each career has a hands on activity that simulates what each type of scientist might do as part of their jobs.

Here's to wishing you a fantastic year of science!!!!

Why You Need to be Teaching Science to Kindergarten and First Grade Students

Kindergarten and First Grade teachers have the challenging task of acclimating their students to learning in school and focusing on literacy and math skills.  It's understandable that some teachers of the Littles feel too pressed for time to squeeze science in.  But I'm here to tell you why you need to be teaching science to those young students.

1.  Science is an engaging topic for young and old alike.
2.  Young children are fascinated by the world around them and always are wondering "why?"
3.  Literacy and math skills are an integral part of doing science
4.  The Next Generation Science Standards documents are linked to Common Core ELA and Math
5.  Students exposed to science at a young age are more likely to choose a science career
6.  Students exposed to science at a young age are more likely to have a positive attitude towards science.

There are many more reasons I could add to this list, including the fact that we live in a STEM society, and many jobs of the present and future are STEM related.  As an advocate for girls and STEM, girls that are exposed to science and STEM at young ages are much more likely to become interested in science and STEM careers as they enter junior high and high school. 

I challenge you to find time to fit science into your day.  Your students will thank you!

Be sure to check out my entire year science bundles.  Language and math skills are integrated into many of the activities allowing you to teach to a variety of standards with one lesson.

Yes! Your Elementary Students Can Engage in Scientific Argumentation!

When I first learned about the NGSS practices, I felt overwhelmed with what was expected of elementary students. One practice in particular, Engaging in Argument from Evidence, seemed particularly overwhelming. Through my own professional development and investigation, I have learned that this practice is absolutely doable with elementary aged students if the proper scaffolding is provided.  

The key to getting your students comfortable with this practice is to give them opportunities to practice this skill using a variety of specific step by step instructions.  

Step 1:  Establish agreed upon rules for argumentation and discussion sessions

Step 2:  Provide sentence starters to help students get started with discussion

Step 3:  Provide "talking chips" to assure that all group members get a chance to share ideas

Step 4:  Require students to restate what the speaker before them said before sharing their ideas

Step 5:  Require students to provide evidence for their claims

In addition to these tips, the key is to find interesting topics that are a little ambiguous. This will allow for evidence to support each side depending on the way the argument question is worded. I've developed my first two argumentation activities and plan to make more. The first one involves debating which is worse, a tornado or a hurricane.This is ambiguous because the word "worse" is not defined and is up for interpretation. The other topic I have developed is Which is worse, an earthquake or a volcanic eruption? Again by using the word worse, it is left up to interpretation and could be argued from every side. Check these products out below:

How does Science Assessment Stack Up?

Testing season is upon us once again, and I thought I'd take this opportunity to reflect on science education at the elementary level with regards to testing.  I am not advocating for giving students more tests, but I have to wonder why science is not given the same amount of attention in elementary school as other subjects.  A good barometer for assessing the value of a subject is the assessments associated with it.  In my state, students are assessed in Reading, Language Arts, and Math from Kindergarten on.  Science, however, is only assessed in 5th grade.

Although some teachers will teach science regardless, many other teachers feel the pressure to perform on the subjects they are accountable for and let science fall by the wayside.  Again, I am not suggesting that we test our students in science in more grade levels, I just want to understand why science is not viewed as important in elementary grades. 

It seems rather ironic that science is left out of many elementary classrooms considering the amount of attention given to STEM and STEM fields in the last few years.  The S stands for Science!  And it's listed first!  Yet, science continues to take a back burner in many elementary schools.

In addition to the STEM focus, elementary students are primed to investigate scientific concepts.  They are so inquisitive and curious at this age; science seems like a natural tool to engage and connect with students.  

What do you think?  How can we change the elementary school culture to prioritize science education in elementary classrooms?