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Hello! 

My name is Emma True. I am a preservice elementary education/special education teacher. I was wondering how I am able to engage my students although Science has not been one of my strongest subjects growing up. I was not fond of any science subject until I entered college, and now I am curious on how I am to engage students in my elementary classroom with little science block. Since I have little time to work with, how can I make sure that students see how fun science can be? With little time given, I am nervous not being able to cultivate the curiosity needed at an early age for science. What are some ways that I am able to implement this into my classroom to better my students? 

Hi Emma,

It's tough when science wasn't your 'thing' as a kid, but I would suggest that you should look at this as an opportunity to share science with kids in the way you wish it had been shared with you. Consider letting your interests lead the way. If you're excited and curious about a topic, learners will feel that and be curious too.

You can also connect with age-appropriate books as a starting point. Often the narrative and illustrations can help you set the stage for learning. Your local library will have lots of ideas.

On the flip side, let them lead. The best way to engage students in STEM is to give them the chance to explore real-world things that matter to them. Look in your local area to find stakeholders who can connect students with community projects. Construction projects are always exciting for kids. I've done projects with my local farmer's market too. Are there local museums, planetariums, zoos, aquariums, or forest preserves you can partner with? What kinds of businesses are in your community? Reach out to local 4H and scouts. I'm on a panel tomorrow (Nov. 8, 2 pm ET) about community connections in education. It's free and you'll get a certificate. https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4331691/DA9D0F617E5509652CDA6173E7C44AE6

Find out if parents are working in STEM and ask them to share what they do. If you're working with marginalized or minoritized youth, find people from similar backgrounds who can share their experiences in STEM.

Focus on phenomena, something they can observe. I'm a big fan of using a sense of wonder to guide my STEM programming. I presented on that last spring for Share My Lesson. Also free and counts as PD. You can learn more here: https://sharemylesson.com/webinars/why-wonder-matters

If you're looking for more ideas InformalScience.org has many resources. This may be a good starting place: STEM Identity, Interest, and Engagement, https://www.informalscience.org/stem-identity-interest-and-engagement

Hope this helps!

Sandy

Hi there,

Science was never 'my thing' growing up either. This is strange because my father was a research scientist for 30 years, and my daughter is studying Wildlife Biology at Berry.  When I don't have a big block set aside for science, I have found the best option is to embed it into other areas of my day. How can you bring science into math, writing, and literature time?  The outside is just filled with hands-on science for little ones. Invest time in going outdoors and exploring science there. Can you go for a nature walk?  Go on a rock hunt?  Search for living and nonliving things.  Can you make shadows and measure them?  Can you collect leaves and sort them? Then, you could bring in read-alouds to support them and have them write about their discoveries in a journal. I am also finding that there are some great virtual field trips out there!!   Good luck, and I hope this helps! 

Hi Emma, 

Science wasn't my 'thing' until later on in life either. As a teacher, I strive to make science more for my students, than I felt it was for me. Time crunches can make it difficult, but I still have the mind set that science equals time consuming. I had to slow myself down and remember to start small. I recommend starting by integrating science into other subjects. Can you tackle a science activity, by solving through the math standard you are currently working on? Could you read a science article that would meet the reading standard you are focused on? Also my biggest advice would be not to recreate the wheel. Check your county curriculum pages, ask across peer teachers or just google simple science activities to get started. I frequently use science to enhance writing lessons that we are focusing on parts of speech, descriptive writing, sequencing and/or providing supporting details. I meet my writing standard, the students are excited and engaged and I tackle the science standard at the same time. And, again, it doesn't have to be complicated. 

What would be an effective teaching technique or approach to aid pupils in understanding a scientific concept? What websites do you suggest for finding activities for lesson plans, as well?