During the first weeks of school many preschool and kindergarten teachers have their students draw self-portraits as a way of getting to know children’s fine motor skills and developmental age in drawing, as well as teach vocabulary for parts of the body and sense structures. (See the lovely gallery of self portraits from Clipston Primary School in the UK.) Copies of the beginning-of-the-year self-portraits are kept in a portfolio of student work. When students make final self-portraits for the year, they can be used to see the child’s growth in abilities in fine motor skills and in using symbols to convey meaning, such as hearts drawn around a family group.
Drawing a self-portrait is just one of many activities that can be part of an investigation into the human body. Children may have stories to tell about visits to the doctor, the birth of siblings, learning to use the toilet, losing a tooth, and developing physical abilities such as jumping or riding a bicycle. The Illinois Projects in Practice article, “Helping Children Sketch and Draw from Observation,” lists the many ways drawing and telling stories relate to Illinois Early Learning benchmarks throughout the curriculum.

As children get to know the parts of their body, they can make comparisons with the body structure of other animals. They begin to understand that animals can be grouped—worms have no legs and a soft body, insects have six legs and a hard exoskeleton as contrasted with our four limbs, soft exterior and hard skeleton. Using playdough to make models is one way to document observations. If the children find an earthworm or a cricket, contain it for an hour so children can observe it and record their observations by drawing, modeling with playdough, clay, or pipe cleaners (aka “fuzzy sticks”).

Children like to make models of their family pets. When children find their larger playdough models won’t stand up, ask them, “What helps you to stand?”, beginning a discussion about bones. Pipe cleaners or sticks representing the skeleton can be added to the models to make them able to stand. In the September 2012 issue of Science & Children I write about looking at bones and making models to learn about our bodies. Children are often very interested in bones—read about Jake in Scotland who began collecting bones when he was 6 years old with the support of his father. To observe animals with and without bones, visit the Smithsonian National Zoological Park’s OctopusCam and view the giant Pacific octopus–and its human visitors as they view it in the Invertebrate Exhibit.

Science teachers often integrate topics in health/nutrition/wellness with science. Most children know that nutritious food and exercise are important for good health, and science classes provide opportunities for children to explore how and why.
Teaching Young Scientists About Their Bodies uses observation and model-making for students to begin to understand the complexity of the human body, particularly the skeletal system. [SciLinks: Animal Bones]
Children aren’t the only ones who have misconceptions about health. Even adults have misconceptions or incomplete understandings of science phenomena. In this month’s Formative Assessment Probe, Confronting Common Folklore: Catching a Cold, Page Keeley presents a way to uncover what students do (or do not) understand about infectious diseases, specifically the common cold. As usual, a brief background discussion accompanies the probe document. [SciLinks: Viruses, Germs, Germ Theory of Disease, Infectious Disease]
Several articles focus on food and nutrition. From Soda to Smoothies has a 5E lesson in which students learn about nutrition and food quality by developing recipes for fruit smoothies. The author of Chef of the Week describes a project that gave students a way to learn about and incorporate healthy snacks. How Much Have You “Bean” Eating? describes a simulation that looks at the relationship between food production and population growth.   [SciLinks: Nutrition, Vitamins, Foods as Fuel, Human Population]

Knowing and using social skills can be another facet of healthy living. Morning Meeting and Science has a rationale for using this time to model and practice appropriate social skills which can be applied in science lessons (and other lessons, too). For example, students may need explicit guidance on what listening to others “looks like” and “sounds like” and these are suggested in a table in the article.  It might be harder for secondary teachers to carve out time from a 45-minute class period—perhaps a brief “Monday Meeting”?
When one of their school’s teachers participated in a research project in Antarctica, the students not only followed her experiences, they were inspire to meet goals in reading and physical fitness. The authors of Read-and Walk-to Antarctica suggest how similar projects could be done at other schools, even if teachers don’t have a similar adventure.    [SciLinks: Polar Climates]
The title Inquiry Takes Time says it all. The authors document a year-long project in a third-grade classroom to incorporate inquiry experiences. Each season (fall, winter, spring) focused on a level of inquiry (structured, guided, open) with familiar topics (rocks, circuits, plant growth. The authors provide a template for a student form and an example of a completed one [SciLinks: Rocks, Electricity, Plant Growth] This Is Inquiry, Right? has suggestions for updating activities to become more inquiry-focused. There is an informative table that shows how sections of a traditional activity on magnets could be modified. [SciLinks: Magnets, Magnetism]
Note: From Cookbook to Inquiry is the theme of the September Issue of The Science Teacher and other NSTA blogs. Inquiry was the year-long theme for the 2010-2011 Science & Children.
Kindergartners, Fish, and Worms…Oh My! shows how younger students can engage in observations and discussions when studying living things. The article includes a rubric and examples of student work. (I wonder if for some students this was the first opportunity they had to touch a worm or fish and observe them up close.) [SciLinks: Earthworms] In Life Cycles, trade books are used to stimulate student interest in science, and the article includes lessons for observing life cycles of insects and frogs. [SciLinks: Butterflies, Amphibians]
Case studies aren’t just for advanced students. Using a story about the spread of the kudzu plant, On the Case shows how fifth-graders can use this learning strategy [SciLinks: Invasive Species]
Many of these articles have extensive resources to share, so check out the Connections for this issue (September 2012). Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, there are ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, and other resources.

I recently started teaching in an elementary school. When I first walked into my classroom, I was surprised that there were no supplies or equipment for teaching science. My colleagues said that the requisitions and orders were all placed last year, the budget is tight, but eventually I can request supplies for next year. What can I do now?
—Brenda from Alabama
If you talk to teachers, you find that most (more than 90%, according to some studies) spend an average of close to $500 of their own money on school supplies instructional materials, and personal items for their students. (See Ed Week, the Huffington Post, and T.H.E. Journal)  Unfortunately, this situation has become even more critical as school budgets are shrinking.
Fortunately, science teaching at the elementary level does not necessarily require a lot of expensive equipment. Browse through issues of Science & Children, and you’ll see many featured activities that use everyday materials. Students can investigate plant growth, examine rock samples or insects, study mechanics and motion, and collect weather data with simple and inexpensive materials. For more science-on-a-shoestring ideas, you can also refer to The Frugal Science Teacher, PreK-5 from NSTA Press.
Check your science curriculum guide to find suggested activities for your grade level. Some teacher’s manuals list the materials used in the textbook activities. Compile a wish list of what you’ll need to implement your curriculum. However if you do not have safety equipment such as goggles, there may be activities that you cannot do this year.
Even simple activities require basic supplies. Before you spend any of your own money, describe the situation to your principal. She may ask other teachers to share their materials or scavenge the building to find things for you. She may be able to use discretionary funds to reimburse your purchases (save the receipts) or to order safety equipment. Find out if your parent organization gives gift cards to teachers for classroom materials.

Many families have limited incomes, so I’d hesitate to ask parents to send in supplies, although in some schools this is acceptable. But I would never give students extra credit toward a grade for bringing in supplies.
As a last resort you may have to purchase things yourself. Your local discount stores are treasure troves of things that can be repurposed for science. I’ve attended many NSTA conference sessions where presenters had us investigate science concepts with marbles, balloons, straws, paper clips, plastic cups, rubber bands, craft sticks, and small plastic cars. Take your wish list everywhere you go—you’ll never know what you’ll find at a flea market or yard sale. And save your receipts.
Enlist your family and friends to help find things for you. For example, when the bank where my husband worked changed to electronic manuals, they had dozens of three-ring binders they were going to put in the dumpster! My husband collected them and I gave them to students to use as science notebooks. The binders had various logos on them, but the students decorated them with stickers.
For larger projects, there are organizations (such as Adopt a Classroom or Donor’s Choose)and stores that give mini-grants for teachers.
It would be wonderful if our schools were fully funded so students and teachers had access to the resources they need for learning and investigating in science. Until that happens, teachers will continue to be generous and caring toward their students to make sure they have what they need. Welcome to the profession!
Photo: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6736170827_3b8b51b12e_t.jpg

Oscar Pistorius attracted our attention in both the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. First, he fought long and hard to become the first amputee to run in Olympic events. Then, during competition in the Paralympics he expressed concerns that other Paralympic runners were using the same assistive technology as he does—“blades”—to a competitive advantage.

So… what are these blades? How are they used? Do they confer a competitive advantage? If so, how? Find out in this installment of the NBC Learn/NSF videos series Science of the Summer Olympics—The Strength and Flexibility of Oscar Pistorius. Use the NSTA-developed lessons to guide inquiry investigations through hands-on and Internet research.

We hope you try them out. If you do, please leave comments below each posting about how well the information worked in real-world classrooms. And if you had to make significant changes to a lesson, we’d love to see what you did differently, as well as why you made the changes. Leave a comment, and we’ll get in touch with you with submission information.

–Judy Elgin Jensen

Image of Oscar Pistorius in 200-m Paralympics final courtesy of Karli Watson

Video

“The Strength and Flexibility of Oscar Pistorius” features Oscar Pistorius, a Paralympics Gold Medalist, who qualified to sprint in the Summer 2012 Olympics. Various researchers, including biomechanical engineer Rory Cooper and physical therapist Justin Laferrier at the University of Pittsburgh, explain the physics involved in using prosthetics designed especially for sprinting, as well as the biomechanics involved to compensate for the loss of active body components. Also briefly discussed in this video is whether or not Oscar’s prosthetics give him a competitive advantage over other sprinters.

Lesson plans

Two versions of the lesson plans help students build background and develop questions they can explore regarding how the body adapts to assistive technologies as well as the potential competitive advantage in using them. Both include strategies to support students in their own quest for answers and strategies for a more focused approach that helps all students participate in hands-on inquiry.

SOTSO: The Strength and Flexibility of Oscar Pistorius models how students might investigate the impact of body motions on running speed.
SOTSO: The Strength and Flexibility of Oscar Pistorius, An Engineering Perspective models a research effort to find out what is known about a design solution.

You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans:

[contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

The National Science Education Standards use the word “inquiry” in two ways. It was to be a form of content while also being a way science must be taught. Some argue that the term inquiry needs to have “scientific” in front of it (that is, scientific inquiry) before it has real meaning and use in science education. Such varying positions certainly can cause communication problems and often interfere with success with current reforms.
Inquiry was so important that the National Research Council (NRC) in 2000 prepared a 202-page volume to clarify the use of inquiry in the reform of science advocated in the 1996 National Standards. That volume identified five essential features of inquiry and what it should mean for teachers, students, and model classes. These five features include: 1) learner engages in scientifically oriented questions; 2) learner gives priority to evidence in responding to questions; 3) learner formulates explanations from evidence; 4) learner connects explanations to scientific knowledge; and 5) learner communicates and justifies explanations (NRC, 2000, p. 29). The focus is clearly on learners!
The NRC document also focused on the important variations that inquiry could be approached in science classrooms. In many respects teachers should know about the features that can justify changes in typical teacher actions that characterize traditional teaching. The list of Essential Features was followed by ways each feature could be used and illustrated in four levels for success in accomplishing each feature. But, why are the four “variations” for approaching the Essential Features considered to be important, or necessary? They start with a focus on student actions–but move finally to a focus on teacher actions.
Unfortunately the fourth level for doing inquiry in classrooms identifies the teacher as the “guider” of inquiry in the classroom. Most teachers are content with such “guiding” and clearly relate it to the teaching they have always done. It requires minimal change in “Teaching.” Do the other levels for realizing the Features of Inquiry really work? Do they or are they but ways of lessening the real meaning of inquiry for students?
In several Action Research projects central to two major Professional Development efforts in Iowa over three decades science teachers new to the notion of current reforms were polled. Over 90% were clearly at this fourth level indicating what teachers often do to illustrate inquiry in their classrooms and labs; none were found in level 1 (student-centered). They displayed stated actions for all five of the essential features. The specific descriptions of level four are: 1) learner engages in questions provided by teacher, materials, or other sources; 2) learner is given data and told how to analyze it; 3) learner is expected to provide evidence; 4) learner is asked to suggest possible connections; 5) learner is given steps and procedures for communication about teaching as inquiry (NRC, 2000, p. 29). Ideally reformers would hope to see much more use that would illustrate student-centeredness.
All of the variations in teacher use of inquiry suggest ways teachers can achieve and encourage inquiry for their students; the greatest success is with teachers who give guidance (while not being too “directive”). But, is that an accurate/desirable evaluation of reform teaching? Does it achieve student-centeredness in terms of experiencing and carrying out inquiry? Does it make sense for teachers to set all perameters for what is taught and how?
If inquiry is to be recommended as essential content as well as a way of teaching to accomplish the current reforms, we once more need to focus on what changes are basic concerning teaching and less on it as information comprising the curriculum. It may be impossible to guide most students in the typical “teacher-in-control” classrooms if it is something students can do for themselves. Perhaps inquiry for all teachers (and students) must exemplify what science actually is if current reforms are to succeed? Again, it starts with questions and varying attempts to answer them– by students not teachers!
–Robert E. Yager
Professor of Science education
University of Iowa
Image of students in science class courtesy of Pennstatelive.

Olivia Bouler at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art

Last week, I traveled to the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art  (in central PA) to hike some of the trails. It was a beautiful summer day, and I stopped in the building to get a trail map and to fill up my water bottle. I saw that the current gallery exhibit was “Olivia’s Birds,” a collection of watercolor drawings by Olivia Bouler.

As an 11-year-old, Olivia was concerned how the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010 would affect wildlife, especially the birds she loved to study and draw. She contacted the Audubon Society and offered to send one of her drawings to anyone who contributed to the recovery efforts. Her idea resulted in $200,000 in donations!

Her project took off to include a website, a FaceBook page, and a Twitter account. I learned that there is a book of her work (Olivia’s Birds: Saving the Gulf), and she’s also appeared on TV interview programs. The collection on display at Ned Smith’s is the first in a series of traveling exhibits to Audubon centers and other venues. The Ned Smith Center is coordinating the tour and you can contact the Center for more information and dates).

As I walked through the gallery, I was impressed at how the efforts of one person (in this case a young child) could catch on and make a difference. I wondered how many children are in our classes right now who with encouragement and support could also make a difference? What can we as teachers do to help other children find their interests and passions?

Graphic from the Ned Smith Center