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I was in a classroom last year before I took my teaching science class this year. While I was there, I noticed that there was barely science being taught and the reason the teacher gave me was because there was no time. As an incoming teacher, I have always wondered what teachers should do in order to make sure that science is being taught in a classroom?

I have also seen this play out in some of the schools I've been observing at. Currently in my field placement I've noticed that the students get only an hour and a half of "science" via a science lab, a week! I thought this to be ridiculous! One thing I have noticed though that maybe integrated lessons are the way to go.

I would have to agree because in my field placement I only get to see a couple of minutes of a science lesson a day and during the week it is only maybe 2 days if the students get lucky 3!

I am in a science methods class currently and my teacher just went over how to do this. She talked about a whole unit she planned by starting with science then integrating other subjects. She was in California at the time and studied rocks and minerals in science, then in social studies they studied the gold rush and statehood(using a company called Interact). For math they studied perimeter, area and problem solving (in the context of mining for gold). And in ELA they read books about the gold rush and wrote research papers about mining for gold and such. They even went on a field trip to pretend mine for gold. I think it would be really simple to create a good science unit and then integrate everything else. Then if you have a principal who doesn't really want you to be teaching science so much then just make sure your teaching the math/ELA aspects when they are watching you. :) I hope this helped! It really helped me to have my teacher explain how she incorporated everything!

What I don't understand is why some schools are now stressing STEM and others do not address science at all. I have seen schools not far from each other at all that vary incredible amounts when it comes to their science instruction. I think that as Jenica said, if you end up at a school where it is not being regularly taught, that you integrate it into other subject areas.

I have to agree. As sad as it is, I have been in classrooms where science was not being taught. However, I can also understand where the teachers are coming from because there really is limited amounts of time for everything else going on. Bu,t that is not an excuse as to why students are not being taught science. In this situation, integrated lessons are the way to go! Integrating science into different content areas will help to incorporate science into the curriculum without having to block off hours of time for strictly science. As a future educator, I hope to plan and integrate science in other content areas to hit my science standards.

When I was a student teacher in a third grade class we used the QTEL (Quality Teaching for English Learners) approach for teaching literacy. Due to the common core adoption, we also have been working to include more non-fiction texts into the curriculum. With that being said, we planned and designed lessons that incorporated QTEL with science non-fiction texts. The students were engaged in the close readings and the activities that followed. Not only were the students immersed in science and literacy simultaneously, but the QTEL strategies also provided extra support for students who were English Learners.

It's my opinion that many of us are under the common misconception that teaching science only comes in the form of doing physical experiments or rattling off concrete facts about a particular subject (i.e. - parts of a plant or planets in the solar system). However, if we can teach the students how to think through things using the scientific method, we are in fact achieving science learning. If we teach the students how to ask questions, make hypothesis, gather information, analyze findings, and make conclusions based on evidence, they will naturally be incorporating science into their learning. As teachers we must support this process of thinking and help to make connections to the students' everyday life. I will also agree with what others are saying about incorporating science into the other subjects. We can choose readings which support the science fields and still teach phonics and grammar. Likewise, math classes can relate basic mathematic principles to science fields such as astronomy and chemistry. One of the greatest examples I witnessed of the incorporation of science into math was through the use of the periodic table of elements. Instead of instructing students to add the numbers 1 and 8, each student possessed a periodic table and was told to add hydrogen and oxygen. Of course this was not an accurate representation of how chemistry works but it effectively introduced the topic of elements and the periodic table.

I am currently completing my student teaching year in a second grade classroom. My cooperating teacher is the math and science and around noon, our student switch to our partner's classroom who teaches reading. Being able to be in a math and science classroom has allowed me to see that science is a very important subject. After reading these posts, I have realized how lucky our school is that we even have a science laboratory as one of the specials/block periods student get to go to once a week. I like that my cooperating teacher integrates other subjects with science, she not only does experiments with the students, but she will include reading, music, art, and even poetry! This goes to show that it is possible to integrate science into other subjects as well if the school does not give this science much importance.

I think the best thing any teacher can do is push themselves to integrate subjects into their core classroom. Science is this beautiful opportunity to do so, the historical, mathematical and linguistic application weaved into all aspects of science gives students, especially those that struggle in those areas to comfortably approach things in context and at higher levels, so they can really apply those higher level Blooms skills in real time. As new teachers we struggle with the minimal amount of science education we receive in conjunction with classroom application, and as educators outside of a "science" classroom we have to juggle the remnants of past curricular structures and expectations while moving into the future and preparing our students with the structures that need to be in place such as teaching with the Next Generation framework and supporting skill development versus rote concepts. This is difficult, however while we conduct our juggling acts, it is important to utilize and reach out for resources, supports and never being afraid to try something new, especially if our students will enjoy it. Science provides the context and tangible experiences for students to really learn material. It is so exciting that some of you have had the opportunity to learn from educators who make that a part of student teaching experience, as this will come naturally to you when you reach the landing in your own classrooms. Your students will greatly benefit.

This happened to me as well. I would advise you to set a specific day and time out of the week to do science. For my class, fridays worked well after math tests. Integration could be another solution as well.

This is my situation as well. At the school I am student teaching they have a required ELA block from 8 - 10. In my opinion, this is insane. What I have noticed that my CT does is that she does her science lesson during this ELA block but for her engage she'll use a read aloud. Then for her assessment she will have a writing activity. You can always combine two subjects for your lesson. Hope this helps.

Same

I have had this experience throughout my placements too. I think that I have only observed one full science lesson throughout my classroom experiences. I am not a teacher yet, but I do feel that the only way we will be able to incorporate science into our day more is through other subjects. We can create inquiry based projects that overlap in many subjects rather than just one.