Science Content Area Introduction

When teaching science, it is important to focus on only one, maybe two MA Curriculum Standards. Focusing on too many can be overwhelming for unattainable. This makes it easier for students to learn the material. It is important to have a specific goal for every lesson. In science, it can be easy to create cool experiment, but the kids didn’t actually learn anything. Making sure you are have a focused goal for every experiment will be more successful. Science notebooks can be incorporated into science lessons for all grades. It is useful for recording observations, thoughts, drawings, and evidence of learning. Differing from writing journals, the students cannot chose the topic they write about and have to do it in a specific, structured way. Doing outside observations can be a great learning tool in science to get the students moving and noticing the world around them. In science, collecting evidence of learning can be done through various types of assessment. Their writing, drawings, and oral conversations can be assessed for learning, not just in the form of a test. When teaching topics in science it is important to not only cover the basics, but push students thinking to a deeper level. Doing the basics is not enough. This takes time during the school day and good planning of a unit. When teaching science it is important to “provide your students with exciting science experiences that extend their natural fascination with the world and help them learn the science skills and concepts they will need in later schooling and life.” Technology is a great resource for teaching science. Kids can use it to research and explore things that are not possible to do in the classroom. When teaching science it is important to encourage curiosity in the students. You want them to raise questions, and have their questions be answered. Science can help students be more open minded and sensitive to the living and nonliving environment around them.