JoinSnow explorations
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2009-12-26
The snow was lovely for me, arriving on a Friday night after my children were home and enough neighbors were in town to make the shoveling more of a community gathering than a huge chore.
I did wish that school was in session so I could learn what my students would do with 20 inches of snow, an unusual amount for our region and a first for their young lives.
I would have the children measure the snow depth around the playground using a stick and record the depth by drawing the length on paper, scoop snow and build up ramps for sliding mini-sleds (bowls) down, fill a measuring cup full of snow to take inside to see how much water is in one cup of snow, and dig down in the sand pit to see how the snow affected the sand. Would children work long enough to mound snow high enough (on the otherwise flat playground) for themselves to slide down?
Looking to northern regions I found suggestions for snow activities.
- From Wings of Discovery in Ontario Canada, a program developed by Let’s Talk Science to help children develop important skills while having fun exploring the world through science:
- Take a walk in the snow with your child. Look for footprints made by animals and people. Use a field guide to identify them if you wish.
- Bring a dishpan full of snow inside for your child to explore. Talk about how the warm temperature inside causes the snow to melt.
- Fill spray bottles with coloured water to colour outdoor snow sculptures.
- When outside, point out the melting snow or ice and ask your child to tell you why it is melting.
- From Sheri Amsel’s Exploring Nature Educational Resource in New York:
- Where Do Animals Go in Winter? Find information and beautiful scientific illustrations to answer your children’s questions.
- In the December 2009 Science and Children, the Natural Resources column, “Winter Secrets” by Valynda Mayes shares a list of in-print resources.
Speaking of in-print resources, reading aloud a fiction and a nonfiction book on the same day (or even same circle time if student attention allows) can help children relate new information to their own experiences. Try these books.
Nonfiction
- Snow and the Earth and Snow and People, both by Nikki Bundey (2000 and 2001, Lerner) which relate how snow is formed and how people live in regions with snow. The photographs support, and expand on, the text.
Fiction
- It’s Snowing by Olivier Dunrea (2002, Farrar, Straus and Giroux), tells of a mother who shares the joy of a snow fall with a very young child.
- The Big Snow by Berta Hader and Elmer Hader (2005, Alladin). Do you remember this 1949 Caldecott Medal tale of animals coming to the food put out by an older couple? Still in print because it’s so enjoyable.
- First Snow by Emily Arnold McCully (2003, HarperCollins) A mouse family goes sledding in this formerly, now nearly, wordless book with lots of detail in the illustrations to talk about.
- Snow by Manya Stojic (2002, Knopf). Forest animals remark on the coming snow and the various ways they will adapt their behavior to survive it.
- And of course, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962, Viking), in which Peter explores a snowfall and tries to bring a small piece of it home.
So I’m hoping for more snow in January, enough to explore but not enough to close school. And if the children do not come dressed for the weather, I’ll bring the snow inside. How about you? Are you living where the children always come to school with boots, mittens, and hats, or where the only snow people are those made from marshmallows?
Peggy
The snow was lovely for me, arriving on a Friday night after my children were home and enough neighbors were in town to make the shoveling more of a community gathering than a huge chore.
Let it snow!
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2009-12-22
Here in the Northeast, we had to dig our way through the recent storm, the most snow we’ve had in my neck of the woods for two years! I once hosted an exchange teacher from Australia in January (their summer break), who had never seen snow. Snowplows, snowblowers, snowshoes, and skimobiles were all new to her! She said it was very beautiful, “but we never realized that afterwards, one must shift it about.”
Even if you live in a part of the country that does not usually have to shift it about, snow can still be an interesting topic in a meteorology unit. In SciLinks, use the key word “Snowflakes” for grades 9-12. (It’s ok if you don’t teach at those levels–the sites have lots of photographs and ideas for many grade levels.) I really like the All About Snow site from the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
If the forecast includes the dreaded “wintry mix,” the precipitation section of the WW2010 site has diagrams that differentiate between rain, freezing rain, sleet, hail, and snow.
I saw a school the other day where the windows were decorated with “snowflakes” of eight sides. (I guess octagons are easier to cut out of paper?) For more realistic pictures, check out the photo galleries at Snow Crystals, created by a physics professor at CalTech. The photo at the top is from his site.
And if you have a copy of the book Snowflake Bentley in your classroom or library, check out the related resources on this photographer at the Buffalo Museum of Science.
My snowshoes and binoculars are ready for some winter birding over the holiday break. Best wishes to all!
Here in the Northeast, we had to dig our way through the recent storm, the most snow we’ve had in my neck of the woods for two years! I once hosted an exchange teacher from Australia in January (their summer break), who had never seen snow. Snowplows, snowblowers, snowshoes, and skimobiles were all new to her!
Ask a question … none of us has all the answers but we might have some
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2009-12-18
Wondering if teaching about magnetism is appropriate for preschoolers, which chemistry activities can be safe for young children, what materials to provide for exploration of gravity, or how to raise butterflies?
This is a place to ask a question for other early childhood teachers to try to help answer. And for you to answer any questions posted by clicking on “Comment” below and adding your two cents, or more.
Thank you for doing science with young children,
Peggy
Wondering if teaching about magnetism is appropriate for preschoolers, which chemistry activities can be safe for young children, what materials to provide for exploration of gravity, or how to raise butterflies?
This is a place to ask a question for other early childhood teachers to try to help answer. And for you to answer any questions posted by clicking on “Comment” below and adding your two cents, or more.
Thank you for doing science with young children,
Peggy
Encouraging class participation
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2009-12-17
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34053291@N05/3948369923/
When I have a class discussion, it seems to be dominated by a few students or else no one raises a hand. How can I encourage more students to participate?
—Brenda, Warren, Michigan
I suspect every teacher has had class “discussions” turn into seminars with a few students while the others merely watch. Class discussion has a place as a strategy: debriefing after a lab investigation, reviewing, summarizing a lesson, elaborating on content, and assessing what students understand about a topic. A well-crafted discussion involves student-to-student as well as teacher-to-student conversations. However, students have learned that if they don’t raise their hands, the teacher probably won’t call on them or that some students will raise their hands immediately and monopolize the teacher’s attention.
At first, students may rebel against changing these traditions, so explain the reasons for using new strategies. While students may certainly raise their hands, you reserve the right to call on others, too, because you’re interested in what everyone has to say on the topic. You want to encourage more in-depth thinking, get a variety of viewpoints, assess student learning informally, and create a classroom environment where everyone’s questions and contributions are valued.
To call on students randomly or equitably, some teachers use cards or craft sticks with students’ names on them. A chemistry teacher I know uses a random number generator to select students. It is certainly acceptable to call on students who raise their hands, too. Asking a student to be the class scribe and write on the board/interactive board/overhead during the discussion can be another form of participation.
For questions requiring short answers, some teachers ask students to hold up individual white boards or pieces of paper with their response. Signals such as thumbs-up/down/sideways or “clap once if you agree” can provide an opportunity for all students to respond, and this can also be a formative assessment technique. Electronic response systems are an excellent way to get all students participating. You’ll also have a record of the responses. But I’m assuming by “discussion” you mean more than a question-and-answer drill, so you may also want to look at the type of questions or discussion prompts you are using and the type of feedback and comments you provide.
Another effective way to encourage participation is to use wait time. After you ask a question or pose a topic, wait four or five seconds before calling on a student. Some students (including those for whom English is their second language) may need time to compose their thoughts. The first time I tried this, I was astounded at the additional hands raised during those few seconds! Waiting is hard for teachers to do, but the “dead air” is actually thinking time, and research has shown that the students’ responses are often at a higher level of complexity. After a student’s response, use more wait time. During these few seconds the student may elaborate on the response, or another student may contribute. Before you respond, call on other students to follow up: “Do you have anything to add?” or “Do you agree/disagree?” To acknowledge those who did raise their hands, you can say “I noticed your hand was up, too. What were you going to say?”
How should you respond if you call on someone involuntarily who answers incorrectly or with “I don’t know”? Ask a few probing questions for clarification (perhaps the student did not hear the question). Rephrasing the question with different vocabulary may work or smile and say “OK, I’ll come back to you later.” Be sure to do so.
Encourage students to interact with each other by asking questions, elaborating, or disagreeing. The classroom arrangement may contribute to this type of engagement. If students are sitting in rows with their backs to each other, it may be hard to engage them in a lively discussion. For large group discussions, consider arranging the seats in a circle so that students can see each other. If you sit in the circle with them, it sends the message that all voices are valued. Another strategy is Think-Pair-Share, in which students think individually, then discuss the topic with a partner, and summarize or share their thoughts with the class.
It may take a little time for you and the students to adapt to a different kind of class discussion, so give yourself time to try new strategies and model the type of conversations you expect from the students.
Here are some additional resources:
Using “Think-Time” and “Wait-Time” Skillfully in the Classroom
Questioning
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34053291@N05/3948369923/
Plans for substitutes
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2009-12-15
I’m a new middle school teacher, and last week I had to miss two days due to illness. When I came back, my classroom was in shambles and it appeared that the students did not do any work. What can I do, short of never missing another day, to make sure this doesn’t happen again?
—Scott, Coeur d’Alene, ID
Substitute teachers are amazing. They get a call the night before or early in the morning to take over classes for subjects in which they might not have experience or credentials. They may be unfamiliar with school procedures or a teacher’s routine. Students may have the notion unacceptable behavior is okay when the regular teacher is out . Sometimes, substitutes find no lesson plans or other materials to help them. And for this, they get a per diem that, after taxes and other deductions, can be quite modest.
“Subs” have a variety of teaching experience: some are new teachers waiting for a full-time position, others are retired teachers who want to teach occasionally or teachers in between positions trying to maintain their skills. If you know in advance when you’ll be out and who your sub will be, you can prepare class activities appropriate for his/her knowledge and skills. But sometimes, as in the case of illness, you don’t have the opportunity to create detailed plans. Having a “sub folder” can be a lifesaver for both you and the sub.
Whether your sub folder is kept in the school office or in your desk, be sure it is clearly marked and up-to-date. Provide a seating chart for each period with the students first and last names, the bell schedules, and emergency procedures (e.g., fire drill directions). Attach the syllabus for each course you teach as an overview of the content and expectations.
Include several days worth of activities that relate to the learning goals for your course. Videos are sometimes overused as sub plans, so be sure any video relates to your course goals and provide suggestions for what students should do or discuss before, during, and after watching it. Unless you know the sub is familiar with the technology in your classroom, or each class has a student designated as the tech assistant, avoid activities involving devices such as the interactive white board or electronic response systems.
Avoid busywork (such as word searches or copying notes or definitions) or directions to have the students “read silently” or “work on other homework” for the entire period. (This would be difficult for them, even when you’re in the classroom!) Activities you weren’t able to get to in a recent unit are good options to include. Some teachers collect magazine articles for students to summarize and share. If your students have access to laptops, they could work independently or in pairs on online activities or to search for information related to a course topic. (NSTA’s SciLinks has suggested websites and online resources, and there is an option to create lists of favorites students can access.)
I liked to use emergency sub time for students to review and use vocabulary (even the non-science subs felt comfortable with this). One of my favorite vocabulary activities is a “word splash.” Using a prepared word list or one the students generate (perhaps from a current event or a picture in the textbook), teams of students write sentences that include two or more of the words. Ask the sub to have the teams chose 2-3 of their “best” sentences to share with the whole class to debrief. In “word sorts,” give groups of students lists of words to categorize with a description of their thinking. In both of these activities, the sub can collect the students’ work or ask them to use their science notebooks.
Even if you are positive the sub is credentialed in science and is familiar with laboratory routines and safety precautions, I would not ask the sub to do a lab investigation with a potential for student injury or requiring chemicals, live specimens, flames, or heat sources.
Include a note in your folder with any routines that should be followed at the beginning and end of the day and during each period (e.g., attendance). Provide a way for the sub to leave a status report of what was accomplished during each class along with any issues, problems, success stories, or suggestions. If, after your preparations, the substitute does not follow your plans or allows students to behave in unacceptable or unsafe ways, you have the responsibility to share this information with your principal.
Good subs deserve respect as professional colleagues and can put your mind at ease when you’re away. For a frequent or long-term sub, a thank-you note or token of appreciation is a nice gesture. I asked some friends doing some post-retirement subbing for additional suggestions. Their ideas included a clean coffee mug to use, phone codes to access the office, the name of a nearby teacher who can assist with questions or problems, and directions from your room to the faculty lounge, main office, and restrooms.
I’m a new middle school teacher, and last week I had to miss two days due to illness. When I came back, my classroom was in shambles and it appeared that the students did not do any work. What can I do, short of never missing another day, to make sure this doesn’t happen again?
—Scott, Coeur d’Alene, ID
Scale
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2009-12-14
Many of the concepts we teach in science relate to the concept of “scale” – things that are at the extremes of small (as in atoms, nanotechnology, or microbes), large (as in galaxies or blue whales), long (geologic time scale), short (half-life of some elements), or far (distances between planets and stars). Within the confines of a classroom and a short science class period, it can be difficult for students to think about these extremes.
Last year, I had the opportunity to visit the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. My colleague and I were blown away as we walked along the “Cosmic Pathway” and the “Scales of the Universe” exhibits. An alternative would be to explore the online resources suggested by the authors, including Cosmic Distance Scale from NASA, Get Quarked, Powers of 10, and Secret Worlds: The Universe Within from Florida State University’s Molecular Expressions website (one of my favorites). Supplement these with suggested websites in the SciLinks category Scale, with topics ranging from geologic time to explorations of the powers of 10.
Most middle school students are eager to participate in hands-on activities. The ones in this issue are also “minds-on.” The authors provide teaching suggestions, rubrics, and other resources for topics such as dealing with misconceptions (Visualizing the Earth and Moon Relationship Via Scaled Drawings), performing calculations (Using Powers of 10 to Help Students Develop Temporal Benchmarks), incorporating the topic into a 5E framework (Big Ideas at a Very Small Scale), and types of scales Giants Don’t Exist in the Real World).
I’ve seen middle school thoroughly engaged in activities such as (Get Quarked and Walking Out Graphs).
If you think you can’t do inquiry science because your school doesn’t have a lot of resources, check out The Great Top Challenge, which uses simple tops and the 5E framework to help students explore physics concepts. Look at Motion of a Spinning Top if you need a refresher and Spinning Top Circus if your students don’t know what a “top” is.
Many of the concepts we teach in science relate to the concept of “scale” – things that are at the extremes of small (as in atoms, nanotechnology, or microbes), large (as in galaxies or blue whales), long (geologic time scale), short (half-life of some elements), or far (distances between planets and stars). Within the confines of a classroom and a short science class period, it can be difficult for students to think about these extremes.
Making playdough is science
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2009-12-13
Making a dough for classroom play is also a time to teach vocabulary and math skills, and social skills such as cleaning up after oneself. Write the recipe on a page or easel paper to refer to even if your students are not yet reading. Illustrate with drawings or take photographs to use as illustrations the next time you make the play dough. Playdough is a soft, moldable flour dough that holds its shape.
What science skills will children learn while making playdough? How can making a material for play support developing math skills and language and literacy development? Here’s a beginning list; please add to it by posting a comment.
| Activity | Skills used or learned |
|---|---|
| Reading a recipe chart with both words and pictures | Teaches that print has a purpose. Is a time to use language. Teaches that symbols represent real things, such as the color blue is a symbol for water, and two pictures of a measuring spoon represents using two spoons of an ingredient. Teaches units of measurement. |
| Handling and talking about the properties of the materials (dry, wet, liquid, powdery, oily) | Teaches vocabulary. Experience with materials. |
| Following the steps of a procedure | Scientists follow procedures for safety, and to reproduce the results of a first try. The order in which materials are mixed may affect the product. Measuring exactly takes practice. Children can practice self control. |
| Mixing materials together | Mixing materials together can make a change—a material may get wet, clump together, or dissolve. |
| Heating the playdough mixture | Heat can transform materials into a material with new properties |
| Playing with the playdough | During play children use their imagination, practice social skills, develop language skills, continue to explore the properties of the new material, and express themselves artistically. |
Playdough is easy to make with children because there is some “wiggle room” in the amounts—a little more water will make a softer dough, a little less oil will make it a bit sticky. Recipes for playdoughs (a valuable classroom tool) are widely available online and in activity books. Here it is again!
If your very young children are unable to resist putting ingredients into their mouths, please wait 6 months or a few years before doing science recipes with them. Just as we protect children from eating raw eggs because they may have Salmonella bacteria in them, we protect children from ingesting (or putting in their eyes, ears, or nose) ingredients which are not safe to do so. Make it clear to the children that when making a mixture in a science activity, there is no tasting. (Mixing in the kitchen is different but there are still precautions to be followed—raw eggs, spicy hot sauce, hot oven.)
Children should wear safety goggles while making these play materials for several reasons:
- To have fun using real science equipment.
- To signal that the mixtures they make are not for eating.
- To protect their eyes from table salt. Children often rub their eyes with their hands and may get scratchy-stinging grains of salt in their eyes, which could cause corneal scratches. Ouch!
Playdough
Ingredients and materials:
- Safety goggles
1 cup white flour- ½ cup table salt
- 2 teaspoons cream of tarter (found in the spice section)
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- Measuring cup
- Teaspoon measure
- Bowl
- Wide, shallow pan
- Put on safety goggles.
- Have the children feel each ingredient while discussing it: is it wet? Is it dry? Is it a liquid? Is it a solid?
- Have the children help read the recipe to see what comes next and to measure out all the ingredients.
- Measure out and put all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Mix them together by stirring.
- Measure out and add the water. Stir to mix.
- Measure out and add the oil. Stir to mix.
- Pour into a wide, shallow pan. (Avoid pans with non-stick coatings—salt may damage it.)
- Stir continuously while cooking over medium-high heat until a dough forms, about 5 minutes. Stir and turn over the dough until doesn’t look wet anymore.
- Remove from heat, and cool. Knead a few minutes until smooth.
- Add color, scent, or glitter if desired.
- Store in a closed container or send some home in plastic bags.
Mixing to make a change is fun, especially when you get to play with the resulting mixture. Your class might want to take their recipe to another class and teach them how to make playdough!
Peggy
Making a dough for classroom play is also a time to teach vocabulary and math skills, and social skills such as cleaning up after oneself. Write the recipe on a page or easel paper to refer to even if your students are not yet reading. Illustrate with drawings or take photographs to use as illustrations the next time you make the play dough. Playdough is a soft, moldable flour dough that holds its shape.
A recipe for success
By admin
Posted on 2009-12-11
Creative Commons handwritten recipe photo posted to flickr by Deb Roby.
So much of science involves communication and skills in language arts. Follow this simple recipe to help your students become science communicators: Add 1 cup of science (life, Earth, physical, or general) to 1 cup of language arts. Blend well by attending sessions at the NSTA conference in Phoenix.
Sample these recipe variations.
Elementary Science Surprise
You’ll actually make ice cream—as well as build molecular structures and integrate elementary trade books—in the session titled “Infusing Literacy and Mathematics Skills in the Science Content of the Elementary School.” Science never tasted so good!
Earth Science as a Main Course
“Science, Math, and Literacy: The Three Essentials Needed for Success” will help teachers serve these three important ingredients, flavored with Earth science.
Chemistry Cookies
“Stirring Up Reading in Chemistry” will have middle school, high school, and college teacher “chefs” producing smart cookies who can understand what they read in chemistry. Are you hungry yet?
Creative Commons handwritten recipe photo posted to flickr by Deb Roby.