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I was never a science person growing up as kid. I was someone who was a very hands on learner and had to do things myself in order to fully grasp the content. I have noticed in the second grade in my field observing that there are not many hands on activities in science. The students do love the group work and gallery walks that they get to do to help them learn, but for someone who needs to be doing things rather than just reading and writing/copying down the iinformation in their gallery walks, I am very interested in learning how to meet the needs of all learners in scenarios like this, and how to make science lessons a mix of hands on activitesand keeping it fun and interesting while also hitting all points they need to in order to learn the correct material. I would love to see science simuations used more often but I also feel like this could get challenging for second graders and they may not fully get what they are doing. What are the best ways to do this for second or third graders?
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I give my students (6th and 7th grade science) a survey at the end of the school year. I ask for their feedback on what made them interested and helped them to learn. Hands-on activities are always the most frequent answer. However, the most effective of these activites are often time-consuming and challenging to prepare. I've found by adding a just a few experiments each year to what I've already already been doing, I've been able to accumulate a fair amount of engaging hands-on activities. I've found that once I took the time one year to properly set them up there's much less prep in subsequent years (steep learning curve). Be patient and try to add a little at a time. NSTA journals have some of the best activities you can find.
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Simulations can be a great way to engage second and third graders in science learning, but it's important to make sure that the simulations are age-appropriate and accessible for young learners. Here are some tips for using science simulations with second and third graders:
Keep it simple: Choose simulations that are easy to understand and navigate. Avoid simulations that are too complex or require advanced reading or math skills.
Provide guidance: Offer clear instructions and guidance on how to use the simulation. Consider providing a tutorial or demonstration before letting students explore on their own
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As someone who also a hands on learner due to the fact that I can not keep still the best way for me to learn in school was through group experimentation on every lesson we where taught. This gives the student first hand experience with the lesson they just learned and helps them to remember why certain things occur better through a playful memory. Students learn more through real world experiences that they can recall because they enjoyed them a simple experiment in the class could be one such as teaching density with eggs and water. Through this expiremnt you are teaching density and how adding more salt to water makes it denser causing an egg to float while in regular water it is less dense it will sink. This is a simple fun experiment that will help them to be actively learning and help them to remember.
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I agree with you Lauren. Science should be more that galler walks and reading and writing down notes. The classrooms consists of an array of learners, so educators must serve them all. The most important thing is to keep it fun and interesting to ensure the students remain engaged even at the second and third grade levels.
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Keeping science fun and interesting is crucial for engaging learners of all ages. By incorporating hands-on experiments, interactive demonstrations, real-world applications, and multimedia resources, educators can ignite curiosity and foster a love for scientific exploration. Making connections to everyday life helps make science relevant and captivating for learners.
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I like what Peter had to say! I like that he is surveying his students to find what they enjoy the most! At my university, we are student-centered and its important to give the students a say in how we instruct them!
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