I’m interested in your opinions on what should be included in early childhood science standards. We don’t want to underestimate the abilities of young children to understand relationships in natural systems, nor overestimate their ability to understand the concepts of a “fair” test or the importance of collecting data. Many states have early learning standards, and the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996) begin in kindergarten.
Is anyone very satisfied with their state or program content standards for preK-grade 2 science?
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards describes a rigorous delivery of science curriculum that is the mark of an “accomplished” early childhood teacher: “This NBPTS Standards document describes in observable form what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.” It sounds wonderful to me, but perhaps out of reach for the majority of early childhood teachers who have not studied science in college. Read the Early Childhood/Generalist Standards, for teachers of students ages 3–8, Second Edition (2001) by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards  (science on pages 35-37).
A sample of the expectations that are part of Standard V: Knowledge of Integrated Curriculum, science content:

[Accomplished early childhood teachers] understand that discussions can transform a class from a collection of individuals into a community of learners sharing their interpretations of the natural world with their peers. Such experiences help children reform and refine their theories and explanations—to learn how to think through their ideas, to pose additional questions, and to reconsider their ideas on the basis of others’ views.
They realize that science is everywhere and that it can be integrated into the curriculum in a variety of ways. They provide sufficient time to develop a deep understanding of essential scientific ideas rather than a superficial acquaintance with many isolated facts.They show a love for science and generate in children curiosity and wonder about the world around them. The importance of having ongoing exploration, investigation, and inquiry in science is clearly understood by accomplished teachers.
Teachers design learning experiences that will help children build their knowledge and understanding of science and uncover for themselves the counterintuitive nature of many scientific principles. They incorporate a variety of experiences from each of the three major categories of science. They realize the importance of safety, environment, and conservation. They understand the scientific method and provide experiences in which the children can explore the scientific method and document what they observe.

If you have become Board Certified as an Early Childhood/Generalist, please let us know about your experiences and your favorite science standards. Anyone who is very satisfied with their state or program content standards for preK-grade 2 science, please let us hear from you too!
Peggy

Many NSTA journal articles refer to working in “Outdoor Classrooms.” I teach in a neighborhood school with no grass or trees in the schoolyard, so I’m thinking of bringing the outdoors indoors by adding some plants and live animals to my classroom. I’ve never had animals before. Do you have any recommendations?
—Jack, St. Paul, Minnesota
Live plants and animals in the classroom can be a wonderful learning opportunity for students. More than just decorations, these live plants and animals can turn a classroom into a center for observing, questioning, data collecting, and developing a respect for living things.
Before you start, check out district or school policies or guidelines on live plants and animals. Look up Ken Roy’s article on the Responsible Use of Live Animals in the Classroom in July 2004 issue of Science Scope (you can access it online in NSTA’s Science Store if you don’t have your own journal archive). Take a look at the Principles and Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Precollege Education from the National Academies. Also review NSTA’s position statement, Responsible Use of Live Animals and Dissection in the Science Classroom, for some recommendations. I’ll elaborate on a few.
Consider your curriculum and standards. What learning goals are supported by having plants and animals in your classroom? Rather than relegating the animals to the back of the classroom and the plants to the windowsill, creating a learning center can focus students’ attention with questions (especially student-generated ones) and related resources. For example, in two elementary classrooms I visited, I saw very different approaches using butterfly chrysalises. In one classroom, the container was on a table surrounded by papers, books, and other miscellaneous materials. The other classroom had the same kind of container and chrysalis, but the container was the focal point of a learning center titled “How (and Why) Do Butterflies Change?” The teacher had posted students’ questions about the topic. She had insect field guides for students to look at, pictures of other kinds chrysalises and cocoons, and a magnifying glass. There was a chart on which students recorded their observations each day. In their journals, students included their questions, observations, and drawings. The students were tracking butterfly migrations on the Journey North website. All of these activities were part of a larger theme on “Changes” which incorporated topics in scientific processes, insects, and life cycles.
Choose animals carefully. You do not want venomous animals, ones that make distracting amounts of noise, or ones requiring controlled environments (as some reptiles do). Before you make any decisions, find out if any students have allergies to hair, fur, or feathers. Wild animals such as chipmunks or songbirds do not belong in the classroom (and possessing them may be in violation of state or local game laws). Small rodents such as guinea pigs, mice, or hamsters are popular classroom residents. (Of these, I personally preferred gerbils—being desert animals, their containers did not need as much cleaning.) Teachers also recommend hissing cockroaches, snakes (such as ball pythons or corn snakes), and other “herps” (such as bearded dragons, iguanas, turtles, or tree frogs). Get animals from a reputable pet shop or other provider (including rescue organizations) who can advise you and the students on their housing and care.
Aquariums are also popular in classrooms. Students (and teachers) find them relaxing and interesting to observe. If you’ve never set one up before, try a small “starter kit” and some inexpensive tropical fish. It would be a great experience for you and your students to learn together.
There are some practical and logistical issues, too. Will someone be able to get in to feed the animals or water the plants on weekends or holiday breaks? How much does the temperature fluctuate in your classroom? Do the custodians use potentially harmful cleaning chemicals or pesticides? What happens to the animals over the summer break? I never sent animals home with students, unless I was personally acquainted with the parents and knew they would be properly cared for.
There are many opportunities for inquiry with plants, especially if students start them from seeds or clippings. Choose plants that do not have poisonous leaves or berries. I know an elementary teacher who has a small houseplant for each student in his class. The students decorate the pots and take them home at the end of the year if they wish.
Your neighborhood might be a living laboratory, too. Take a look at the resources provided by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, including Project PigeonWatch and Celebrate Urban Birds.
Be ready for the impromptu “teachable moments” live animals can provide. During a standardized testing session in my homeroom, a student returning from the pencil sharpener remarked, “One of the gerbils is having babies!” I don’t remember what our test scores were that year, but it was an exciting live lesson in mammalian reproduction.

What a bonanza for chemistry/physical science teachers this fall–first, the September issue of The Science Teacher (with the theme of Chemistry for a Changing World), and now the October issue of Science Scope (with the theme of Chemistry). No matter which grade level you teach, there will be ideas in both issues for advanced students and those who are novices at learning about chemistry.
Physical and chemical changes are difficult concepts for younger or less-experienced students. Check out activities with real-world applications: No More Leaks in which students explore super-absorbent polymers through an inquiry-based investigation, Korean Kimchi Chemistry which looks a chemical reactions such as fermentation, Watching the Pot to Improve Inquiry Skills (who knew that watching water boil could be so interesting!), Chemistry in Action: Triple Delight which looks at the chemistry concepts in making ice cream (but not in the lab – try the FCS kitchens), and Enhancing and Student Understanding of Physical and Chemical Changes with lots of examples for demonstrations. And if you ever wondered what inquiry-based science looks like in a classroom, the authors of Inquiry-Based Dissolving give you a peek into their classroom investigation, complete with a step-by-step description of the activity, questions, student discussions, photos and examples of student work.
How many of our students have been assigned the traditional “element report”? In the BI times (Before Internet), the main goal of this activity was to get students to find information about a particular element. This was usually accomplished in the library, using text resources. But today, with a few clicks in a browser (or better yet, a search in SciLinks with the keyword “periodic table”) students can get pictures and lots of information about the characteristics and properties of any element. So finding the information is not the exercise it used to be. Why would we ask students to copy facts about an element when the information is already and readily available? Consider the activities in That Is Not Where That Element Goes or The Element Walk as alternatives. If you go to SciLinks and search for “Periodic Table,” you’ll get many versions of the periodic table with information on each element (which could be used to make the cards for the above activity. Some of them are downright fun. The Poetic Table of the Elements has a traditional-looking periodic table, and for each element there are poems about it But it’s really fun to see what people came up with. In the Periodic Table Printmaking Project, artists created blocks for each of the elements. The descriptions of each element include some of its physical properties, but the interesting part is how and why the artists chose their designs. And I really enjoy the Periodic Table of Videos with a short video segment for each element.
Go to SciLinks for more resources to Explore Chemistry. Two of my favorites are Metals in Aqueous Solutions – a simulation that would be great if you have an interactive white board or other projection device and Biochemistry – Carbohydrates, which is part of a larger site on biochemistry with descriptions of other compounds, such as lipids, nucleic acids, proteins, and enzymes, in simple language.
As a former chemistry major, I’m really excited by these two issues!

I love the way two-year-olds inexpertly sniff, to sense an odor. They crinkle up their nose and snort, or gasp, and blink their eyes, not quite putting it all together to inhale through their nose. Yet they have an expert sense of smell—nothing comforts them like their favorite “lovey,” a much worn toy or blanket that has achieved a certain smell.
What did your grandmother’s house smell like—boxwood bushes along the sidewalk and old feather pillows on the window seat like mine? I loved the smell of those bushes but my father thought they smelled like cat urine! My great aunt used to light her late husband’s cigars because the smell brought his presence closer. Smelling muddy ooze left by a flooding creek brought the memories of my childhood closer, reminding me of watching the pattern of water-flow past overfull creek banks. The scent of lilac flowers reminds me of my childhood home too.
Scientists study the way smells affect people and our perceptions of smells. In the October Early Years column in Science and Children, I write about a smelling activity using lemons, cinnamon, onions, and coffee beans. In my ten+ years of using this activity, I have never had a student who was allergic to any of those foods. There is always a first time so I check every class.
Here are a few more ideas for engaging students’ sense of smell as they explore the world. Please teach the Safe Smelling method of wafting (waving) an odor towards your nose with your hand instead of sniffing directly from a container.

Cinnamon Shapes, a smell recipe

½ cup of cinnamon
½ cup of applesauce
2 Tablespoons of white school glue
Ground cinnamon lifts into the air very easily so monitor students closely as they slowly add the powder to the other two ingredients. Have the children touch each ingredient and talk about how it feels. Is it dry? Wet? Mix all three ingredients together and roll out onto wax or parchment paper to about 5 mm thick. Have children use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Roll out the scraps again and cut more shapes. Poke a hole near the edge of each shape so when they are dry, you can put a loop of ribbon through the hole to hang the shape. Youngest children can just make a pancake shape from a ball of dough. Even after completely dry (air dry for several days) the cinnamon smell is strong. This recipe makes about six small shapes.

Smelling, then planting herbs

What if you had to live in a small space for a long time with no windows to let in fresh air? Astronauts living in space breathe the same air over and over. A machine cleans the air and tries to keep the right balance of gases. NASA has many ideas for science activities, including one about using our sense of smell to identify herbs and spices. We can not be sure what’s in a container so it’s best to always smell substances the “scientific way”. Hold the open container about six inches away from your face, and with your free hand fan the air over the container toward you. The smell from the substance in the container will be mixed in the air and you will get a gentle sample of the substance—not enough to sting your nose or make your eyes water.
Some herbs are winter hardy in many regions and can be planted in the fall: oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, and garlic bulbs. The children can rub the plants’ leaves to release the smell, and plant them outside to make a “smelling” garden. After the last frost date in spring (also see the USDA plant hardiness map), plant tender herbs such as basil, fennel, and dill. Much more can be learned from The Herb Society of America’s Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking with Herbs, edited by Katherine K. Schlosser (Louisiana State University Press 2007). See the society’s website.
Read these books aloud to open up discussion and introduce vocabulary to your class:

• Dog Breath: Horrible Trouble With Hally Tosis by Dav Pilkey (Blue Sky Press 1994). Young children may not understand the title’s play on words but they will get the humor of a dog with smelly breath saving the day. Ask your class, “When is our sense of smell useful?”
• The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss, Marc Simont (Illustrator) (HarperCollins 1949). Children can guess what the animals are smelling but they will be surprised!
• Smelling Things (Rookie Read-About Science) by Allan Fowler (Childrens Press 1991). An easy reader introduction to the sense of smell. Fowler’s books pair simple, pertinent details about the topic with informative photographs.
• Two Eyes a Nose and a Mouth by Roberta Intrater (Cartwheel Books 1995). In a book full of photographs and rhyming text celebrating the variety in human faces, one page with repeated photos of just one face catches our attention, asks us to “imagine how dull the world would be, if everyone looked like you or me” and reminds us “…the variety is just fine.” Young children will enjoy pointing to the part of our body that we sense smells with, or see/hear/taste with.
• What Can I Smell? by Sue Barraclough (Raintree 2005). Opening with the question, “What is your favorite breakfast smell?”, this book invites discussion of familiar smells.

Your class might want to write and illustrate a book about odors they have smelled—their favorites and the ones they do not appreciate.  Share your experiences with sense of smell activities….make a comment!
Peggy

I’m feeling really frustrated. I thought the students were following along in my first unit, but I am really disappointed in the test results. What can I do differently in the next unit?
—Lisa, Topeka, Kansas
The first unit is the toughest one. You’re learning about your students’ capabilities and background knowledge, and they’re learning about your expectations and requirements.
If the purpose of your test is to just record a grade for the students, it can be tempting to “curve” scores so more students receive a passing grade. It might also be tempting to assume students just blew off the test. But neither of these solutions addresses the issue of student learning.
Look at the test itself. How well do the items reflect the concepts and processes in the unit’s learning objectives? If you used a test from a previous year or one from the textbook, you might have to modify the number and types of questions if you emphasize different topics, expand on a topic based on student interest or needs, or cut some topics short in the interest of time. One of my favorite strategies was to ask the students, “What did you learn in this unit that I forgot to ask on the test?” It was interesting to see what students found memorable or relevant.
Are any items ambiguous or confusing, especially from the students’ perspective? This can be hard to determine; if the test had a lot of multiple-choice or short answers, I usually asked students to circle three items (the number could vary) they did not want me to count. They still had to answer the question, and they had to explain why they circled it. In some cases, they admitted they didn’t know the answer; other times they did not understand how the question was worded, and sometimes there were words in the question they did not understand. As I graded the tests, I kept a tally of the circled items. If any item had a lot of circles, it was a clue something was missing during instruction or I had written a poor question.
You said “I thought the students were following along…” Do you have any evidence of student learning during the unit? Formative assessments are ongoing, classroom level assessments used to discover what students are learning so we can move on (if students have learned a topic) or revisit our instruction to correct misconceptions or fill in gaps. These focused check-ups can provide just-in-time information during the lesson and can have many formats: frequent thumbs-up/down responses, a notebook/journal entry, warm-up or ticket-out-the-door activities, quick responses on a dry erase board or piece of paper, or electronic response systems. Even traditional quizzes and lab reports can be used formatively, assuming we provide feedback on the students’ learning (more than just a grade or percent correct) and use the results to improve or validate our instruction. (See the Ms. Mentor blog from September 2008 for more examples and resources).
Finally, do your students know how to study for a test? We often assume, especially at the secondary level, students have a wide range of study skills and they know how and when to use them. These can be faulty assumptions! We may need to guide students through note-taking and review. The generic “study skills” students were exposed to—skimming, summarizing, questioning, highlighting—may have to be revisited and fine-tuned for your subject or grade level. There are teachers who reinforce the value of having organized notes by encouraging students to use their science notebooks for a few minutes during (or at the end of) a test to find or check their answers.
I’d love to hear from you at the end of your next unit!

Rather than competing with the commercial hoopla around Halloween, perhaps we science teachers could do our own special celebrations that relate to science concepts. For example, it’s not too early to plan events for Mole Day, celebrated on October 23 (10/23) from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. The timing of this event celebrates Avogadro’s number — 6.02 * 10^23 For more information on the concept of a “mole,” enter Avogadro into the SciLinks keyword search. You’ll get a list of websites related to moles and to the work of this scientist.
This day is also used to celebrate the science of chemistry and its applications. The National Mole Day Foundation’s website has background information, themes, and some suggested activities. The American Chemical Society has embedded Mole Day in its National Chemistry Week events. The ACS site has many resources for students and teachers of all grade levels.
The September issue of Learning and Leading with Technology has a product review of hand-held digital field recorders to create high quality sound files.
I’ve read of some websites that are worth a look: Biovisions from Harvard University has video clips and animations related to biology. Learn Bird Songs includes recordings to help you identify common bird by their songs. And Tech How-To: Podcasts has suggestions for creating and hosting original podcasts.
An online conference sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution focuses on the evidence, impact, and response to climate change. It features Smithsonian scientists, curators, and collections examining the issues surrounding climate change from a variety of perspectives. The conference is scheduled for 9/29/2009-10/1/2009 and it will be archived for later use.

July is a distant memory of 6am wake up calls for my high-schooler who took PE over the summer, balanced with my getting more than five minutes of peace and quiet—time to read about early childhood and science, to think my own thoughts and get hungry for conversation. Summer school is a wonderful thing and I thank all the teachers who work it.
July’s reading, Thinking BIG, Learning BIG: Connecting Science, Math, Literacy, and Language in Early Childhood by Marie Faust Evitt, with Tim Dobbins, and Bobbi Weesen-Baer (Gryphon House 2009—also the publisher of my book), has become September‘s lesson plans. This book of activities reinvigorated my thinking which was in limbo because a building move had one of “my” schools on tenderhooks about our opening date and the use of space. Aligned with national standards in reading, literacy, math, and science, Thinking BIG helps me see where the science activities I know and love can incorporate more language and math goals. With intriguing, classroom-tested activities which are insightful about children’s desire to explore and imagine, Evitt also meets teachers’ needs for activities which are possible, teach concepts, and come with detailed directions for how to implement. Her approach expanded my thinking—although I usually think of sprouting seeds as an early spring activity, Evitt explains that children are curious about the seeds they discover in fall from flowers and inside apples and pumpkins. The playful spirit throughout the book is so enjoyable—predicting how far popcorn will fly, playing air hockey, and making a giant rainbow! The authors understand that children are attracted to all things BIG and they will remember the concepts they learn through those activities!
Marie and I became penpals before her book was published, and we collaborated on a workshop for an NSTA area conference. She’s a fun presenter—look for Marie Faust Evitt and Mr. Tim at the NAEYC national conference in Washington, D.C. this November.
Here’s what I found especially useful in Thinking BIG, Learning BIG: Movement ideas, Insights into children’s thinking, Teacher-to-teacher tips, games, book lists, skills assessments, and Discussion Starter questions.

• Instructions that involve movement with language—clapping when first saying vocabulary words (SCAD system of “Say, Clap, Act out, Do again”), crouching down to “become” a seed and then sprouting a root (leg), and using American Sing Language to say the new word.
• Insights about children’s thinking are on every page. For example, when children graph, they want to remember which object they put on the graph so teachers should make the graphs big, or should I say, BIG. For example, if graphing favorite flavor of apple (green, yellow, or red), give each child an apple shape big enough for them to write their name on before they add it to the graph. The graph is poster size, made from more than one sheet of paper. In the seeds chapter, a “How Our Seeds Germinate and Grow” number line chart with days 1-12 (more age appropriate than a calendar) is used for both predicting if anything will happen with the soaked bean seeds, and recording what is actually observed each day.
• Teacher-to-Teacher Tips are full of details, specific information to implement the activities. In the Seeds chapter, Evitt recommends using pre-cut bean shapes for children who become frustrated if they have difficulty drawing their predictions and observations, and describes steps to teach children to draw the bean shape.
• The games and stories (used in every chapter) creatively convey concepts. Children predict which square on a grid will catch the most popcorn kernels as they fly out of the popper, and act out The Little Red Hen while learning about seeds we eat, and play a “Traveling Seeds” game to learn how seeds travel.
• An extensive book list for every chapter (sometimes 2+ pages!) with descriptions takes the guesswork out of which book to read.
• The useful Skills Assessments are in the form of questions directing the teacher to reflect on the children’s abilities and understanding: What kind of pencil grip does the child use? Can the child use the vocabulary? Does the child see the connection between the wheat seeds and flour? Can the child count correctly the number of dots on the card?
• Use the Discussion Starters (in the form of questions) to “spark children’s thinking during and after the activity”. Sometimes I write such questions on an index cue card so I remember to ask specific questions, such as “How many more days is it until we think we will see leaves?”

This book is going to help me make the transition to the new physical space and to incorporating more specific math and language focus during science activities. Hope you get a chance to view it online or at a conference.
Peggy