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As a student intern I am realizing how difficult it is to teach all that I plan to teach. I want to be better at time management. I realized this when I taught a lesson on friction. We did an experiment using three ramps with different surfaces. We used the same item, and let them roll down the ramps at the same time. The students were really engaged which was great! I didn't want to rush it. Students were asking so many "What if" questions. They were talking about science so I didn't want to ignore comments. They were not talking about friction though. I tried to bring it up during the experiment. We even discussed the definition before the experiment. Most of them knew it. After the experiment students sat at their seats, and we were going to have a class discussion on the friction we saw. However, there wasn't enough time. I am afraid we did a really good experiment that made students really engaged but only discussed friction a little bit after it. The students walked away knowing the definition of friction, but I am not sure if they knew how to connect friction to the example they saw. How do you manage time so that students can actively learn and reflectively discuss science content in the same lesson?

Hi Kimberly, Your question is a classic one - and one that there is no hard and fast answer for. How do we encourage academic discussions among students and still have time for everything else? First let me commend you on engaging students in these types of activities so early in your career. Many new (and unfortunately some veteran) teachers are afraid to attempt any type of inquiry activity. It's hard to stop student discussions when they're rolling like that. I'm not sure I want to encourage you to stop them - but I know there will be times when you just have to. It sounds like your students might have been able to recite the definition for friction, but maybe didn't have a good working understanding of it. When you let them experience it first hand they took the opportunity and ran with it. Some of the methods I've used to help manage student discussions are "Flaming Comments." I set up a small bulletin board in my classroom in a flame-theme. When I called time up on student discussions students were given one or two minutes to write down any additional comments they didn't get to share on a post it note (or similar sized paper) and attach it to the bulletin board. I used the bulletin board for a quick review or to refresh their memories about what we were doing in class before the weekend or a school break. There are also going to be times where you have the opposite problem - an extra 5 or 10 minutes you didn't plan for. Flaming comments to the rescue! (I've also done "Flaming Questions" as well - the groups are different every year.) You're going to be swamped with student comments/questions in the beginning, but it will eventually slow down to really important stuff once it's no longer the new bright shiny object in your classroom. So don't fear the onslaught of comments the first time you try something like this...they'll slow down in time. I'm attaching a great NSTA resource on classroom management. It covers several broad issues with classroom management, but it's a good read for any teacher. The other book chapter I've attached is on the 5E instructional model as support for what you're already doing. It discusses giving students the time they need to learn, discuss, and process. I'd also like to hear from other teachers. How do you manage student discussions so that every student feels valued and heard? Great topic! Kendra

Attachments

Classroom Management: Setting Up the Classroom for Learning (Journal Article)

BSCS 5E Instructional Model (Book Chapter)

Thank you so much for your response! I really liked that article. It was a good way to think about setting expectations in the beginning of the year so that students know how to behave. I also like the example of using toy cars in the chapter you showed me. I am actually doing a lesson on Newton's second law, specifically focusing on the relationship between force and mass as mass increases. We are using toy cars and making a pendulum. On the end of the pendulum (made out of string attached to a table) is a paper clip with washers on the paper clip. We are going to keep adding washers. We will hold the pendulum at a 45 degree angle. Then we will let go and it should hit the toy car. We will measure the distance the toy car went after each time we add more washers. I want kids to predict what will happen. Also, I want to discuss at the end. I am afraid there won't be enough discussion time again. I will try and give students expectations ahead of time like how the article explained. I will have a preset amount of time on the experiment. My mentor-teacher showed me this website: http://www.online-stopwatch.com/ I am going to use this so that students will be able to clearly see how much time they have on their experiment. They will be doing three trials for each three different amounts of washers tested on the pendulum. We have a video clip we are going to watch before hand but I'm unsure if it relates to Newton's second law of motion. (Which is something I will be going over before the assignment). It actually might confuse this students which is why I might not use it. It goes over how when gravity is the only force acting on objects with different mass, the objects should fall at the same rate. I'm still confused as to how to explain Newton's second law to fifth graders. I will do more research. Any ideas? Also, should I bring up terms before experimenting or after? Students should be familiar with Newton's second law so I think I am going to bring it up in the beginning and refresh their memory (If I can teach it well). Normally, if a topic is new, should I bring up vocabulary before or after doing an activity related to it? Should I bring it up before AND after? Any ideas?

Hi Kimberly,
You mentioned, 'I'm still confused as to how to explain Newton's second law to fifth graders.'
I thought you might be interested in a couple of the resources in the Learning Center on Newton's second law:
One is a Science Object: Newton's Second Law. Going through it should take about 90 minutes, and it is filled with great information for teachers.
The second one is a 7 minute podcast featuring Dr. Bill Robertson: Podcast-Newton's Second Law.
The third one is Bill Robertson's archived Force and Motion webinar. I love his webinars. He makes it sound so simple and his explanations are outstanding: Force and Motion: Stop Faking It.
If you don't have time to go through the webinar, you can download the ppt presentation at this same URL.
Finally Bill Robertson's chapter on Newton's Second Law is available in the Learning Center:
Newton's Second One.
I hope this helps. Do let us know how your lessons go! It is so exciting to hear how our newer teachers are using the NSTA Learning Center to increase their content knowledge and create engaging science inquiries.
Best of luck!
Carolyn

Thank you so much for this helpful discussion on time management. I am a grad student at UMBC so I am not yet in the classroom, but I can see how this could pose a problem. As a new teacher I will need to be able to plan a lesson while taking time into account. When children are engaged in science discussion it a good sign they are motivated, so disrupting that motivation seems difficult. I think that if you revisit the experiment by encouraging another class discussion they could make the connection you wanted them to make on the day of the activity.

I am interning at a charter school in Baltimore, and am in the Science department only. I've discovered that students usually have a lot of trouble with figuring out the point of the labs that you give them, so we normally have an introduction before the lab even starts that is about the purpose of the lab. Perhaps in your case that should take up about 1/4 of your class time, so that students understand exactly what they should be doing. Perhaps for your prep for the lesson you could write down any confusing parts of the lesson that you think your students would have trouble understanding. Then you could build the answers to those questions into your description of the lab, so that there will be less of a Question and Answer section before the lab begins. I would highly recommend that you do the lab first yourself, at a pace that you think is appropriate for your particular grade level and the students that you work with. This way you can account effectively for the amount of time you think you will need to conduct the actual lab, which should ideally be about 1/2 of your class time. Before you begin the lab perhaps you could group the students into smaller groups, assigning one student to each ramp. If each student is responsible for one ramp, then each student can make observations about what happened on their particular ramp, and then the class can come together and come to a consensus on what happened on Ramps One, Two, and Three. The observations that would be made would then be made by the whole class, and error could also be discussed if some students' findings were different. I believe that this would leave more time for discussion about the effects of friction in the last quarter of your class time, since you would have been prepared for and already explained so many of their common questions. Thinking ahead is a great place to start, and perhaps reviewing college-level explanations on friction could help you explain it more simply to your students. In this last section of class you should already have a table set up with group members into one group (ex. Group 1-3, with one observer and one roller per ramp for a total of 6 students per group). The students can write their findings into the table, and then you can talk about what happened in each ramp as a class.

If I am really pressed for time and looking for a way to introduce a science concept, I use Brainpop or Brainpop Jr. My school purchased this online resource to help us (teachers) with introducing topics of any kind. This website has short movie clips that introduce different subjects, topic, people, etc. The clips are between 2-5 minutes and also includes quizzes, note taking sheets, and other activities. There is a free trial that you can use to see what is available. Hope this can help with time management.

When I was doing my student teaching, I incorporated science into all of the other academic standards. My main focus was on butterflies and their life cycle. I brought in reading, math, social studies, PE, art, and of course, science. Everything was focused around the butterflies in some way or another. The kids had a lot of fun and I was still meeting the standards in the other areas.

I agree with Kathryn that you can incorporate science in all other areas but sometimes it can be very hard. My students are always a excited when it time for science and I would always over plan and never have enough time to go over what I really wanted too because of their questions about what were learning or the lab may take longer then usual. Now I more so under plans my science lessons because the student questions and the labs take up more time them we as teachers realize and my science end on time and we able to close our lesson and talk about what we learned today rather then times up so clean up and off to their next class.

Marianne said, 'I would highly recommend that you do the lab first yourself, at a pace that you think is appropriate for your particular grade level and the students that you work with.'

This is a very good idea. I have done frog dissections in my kitchen and removed the shells from raw eggs using acetic acid (vinegar) in my refrigerator for years. The best was when my husband and daughter stumbled into the kitchen on an early Saturday morning to find me crushing minerals with a mortar and pestle, and then sprinkling the powder into the gas flame on the stove. I still haven't lived that one down - but I needed the flame test! I really did!

Anyway, Marianne gave some very good advice. And on top of that, if you put a few experiments in the staff refrigerator and label them as such, no one ever steals your lunch. They're too afraid it might be something else entirely. :)

But on a more serious note, doing the experiments in advance is an excellent way to make sure your class runs smoothly. So many unexpected things can happen, especially when you turn an entire classroom loose with materials that go beyond paper + pencil + book. It's exciting and frightening at the same time. I remember lighting my first bunsen burner in class - it was only one and I was working with it - but just the thought of all those kids so close to an open flame and live gas lines scared me to death. I suddenly had the desire to send my high school chemistry teacher a very large bouquet of flowers.

Great idea!
Kendra

There is lot of great dialogue happening here. Kendra, I agree it is very important to practice the inquiry or experiment ahead of time. That gives you as the instructor time to anticipate questions that may come up as well as any possible glitches when students take this on. And this plays into time management. A little more time in preparation will most likely give some etra time in science class. Helen, sometimes it is hard to integrate other subjects into science. I think that mathematics is a discipline that is sometimes hard to integrate. And talk about over planning..I still do that sometimes. i think it is better to be over planned than under planned. Something I have learned is that sometimes we need to say to the students, I realize you are still working on that investigation, but it is important we all get together and talk about today's lesson before the class is over. I think for learning to happen we need to bring closure to the instruction. What do others think? Kathy

Excellent topic! As a teacher, I've learned that sometimes there are times where you have to extend your lesson because something didn't quite work the way you wanted to. Other times there are what we call "teachable moments" where something comes up (a comment or a question) that is too good to ignore and you end up extending and/or changing your lesson to address that teachable moment. In any case, I think a successful lesson is one where you have "just enough time." not too much time or not too little time...hope that makes sense?????

Hi Kimberly and other Thread Participants, There are lots of great comments and ideas in this thread! Kimberly, I also struggled with pacing my lessons as a student teacher. It seemed like I was always either coming up against the bell or I had 15 "empty" minutes at the end of the lesson. Learning time management is definitely a challenge for new [b]and[/b] veteran teachers. I think it's in the nature of young learners to "get off task". I really like Kendra's Flaming Comments Bulletin Board. I usually try to redirect my students to stay on task by say something like, "Wow that's vey interesting, but remember we are talking about...". If I start having multiple students who are making tangential comments I bring the class back in by "reminding" them that if they have something that's off topic, to please put their hands-down and they can share later. Another great way to monitor your students during a discussion is to use sign language. During a class discussion, when my kids raise their hands they either use a sign language "c", "a", or "q" for a comment, answer, or question. This helps keep the discussion on topic because the kids need to think about why they are raising their hand and how it relates to our discussion. Another great tool I've just discovered is an iPhone app called "Class Cards" that organizes how I call on students and helps me track my class participation. Marianne and Kendra had a great idea for trying out the lab in advance to see how long it take you to complete. This really helps you develop your pacing and helps you anticipate where students may struggle. Another tool I use to keep my lessons on track is to use a kitchen timer. I set the timer for the amount of time I expect to spend on each part of the lesson (for instance, I'll tell my kids "You have 3 minutes to whisper your idea to a neighbor"). When the timer goes off, we move on. Of course with this tactic, you do need to be flexible. I also have a chime that I use to bring the kids back if things start to get loud in my room. Best of Luck and keep us informed on how everything's going for you! Maureen

Kimberly, you asked so many great questions in your first two posts. I didn't want them to get lost in the thread with all the other great information being shared. Here's is another question that you had asked: 'Normally, if a topic is new, should I bring up vocabulary before or after doing an activity related to it? Should I bring it up before AND after? Any ideas? ' Vocabulary development is such an important part of learning and understanding. There are a couple of discussion threads you might be interested in perusing. They are filled with great ideas. One is under General Science and Teaching: Building Science Vocabulary.
The other one is called Practical Reading Strategies for Science.
I would love to hear if you try any new ones that you found here at the Learning Center and how they were helpful to your students, Kimberly.
How does vocabulary development and time management intertwine?

Hi, I just wanted to say that I've enjoyed this thread and have gotten some really great ideas. I find that I rarely have time to observe and talk with other teachers at my school and I so appreciate your taking the time to share ideas here. Time management comes with practice and with knowing your class each year. I have years where I can get through activities or "experiments" comfortably and years where my class (kinder) just can't focus long enough to do what I had planned. I liked the comment I read about using sign language to help guide kids when they raise their hands. I hear so much about students' puppies during lessons on other topics and I spend a lot of time refocusing! I find that I work best when I keep my schedule flexible. My class follows the same routine every day, but I am very comfortable with scratching something like our writing lesson for the day if my students are really engaged in a science activity. By no means am I saying that the writing for the day isn't important...I just find that my class does really well when I allow them to continue something they are really interested in...Plus I sneak in the wriitng...

When trying new lab activities I often "piloted" them with one class or enlisted several students to do a dry run of the lab. Their input helped me to make alterations and corrections that were both time-saving and acted to clarify the procedures. Allowing students enough time to process what they have learned is important; studies have shown that students retain information if allowed the time to reflect on their learning. Several articles in the Learning Center are helpful regarding this idea. They include Perspectives: Thinking About Thinking in Science Class by Sandra Abell and

Attachments

After the Bell: Strategies for learning and metacognition—Identifying and remembering big ideas (Journal Article)

A Ladder of Thinking (Journal Article)

If you don't already have an account, you should try and check out discoveryeducation.com. This resource has many short, but concise videos that introduce and discuss many different topics. While it doesn't replace the classroom discussion, it may help to set up the lesson beforehand.

Will I agree with you about the benefits of a Discovery Education account - I use mine in class and for assignments. Unfortunately it is a fee based service and not everyone has access to it. Free and also very effective - I use a lot of NOVA Science NOW video segments (extremely easy to search) and Scientific American Frontiers (not as easy but wonderful) both shows on pbs.org. Many of the video segments have activities, teacher information and viewing guides.

I love maureen's idea about using sign language for students to indicate that they have a question, comment or answer. This would really make them think about why they are raising their hand and how it applies to the discussion. Thank you for the idea.

I have the same problem managing time. I always feel rushed because the time I have to teach science is so limited. Sometimes my students are really interested and have really great questions but I have to cut them off. They always look extremely discouraged if they do not get an opportunity to ask their question. To deal with this issue, I have my students place a "Free Response" sheet on their desk. This is a simple sheet of folder paper. If they have a question while I am teaching and cannot share it during class time, they can write their question on their "Free Response" sheet and turn it in at the end of the class. I try to answer their question during the next class session or provide them with a written response. I think "Free Response" sheets are also great for students who have burning questions but are too introverted to ask them in front of their classmates. I want them to continue to be curious about the world around them and I think the "Free Response" sheet is a great way for students to get their questions out.

Time management is one problem but I noticed in your first post you said the students were super engaged but missed the point of the lesson. That problem can be addressed by really front loading. If you are studying friction, use the word friction at least a hundred times before they hit the lesson. (I'm not exaggerating) You can work it in to all your discussions prior to the experiment. Have them do as many 2 sec. mini demonstrations of friction as you can before you have them start the experiment. EG. rub your hands together, scrape your feet on the carpet, try to slide something heavy over the carpet, always discussing friction. Once you've got them really focused on how friction affects motion they will more naturally notice it during their lab work. If You've ever watched on of those brain pop movies with the kids, they repeat the vocab as much as they can possibly work it in. That keeps the kids focused on what you were hoping they would observe. Sounds like you had a successful lesson. Keep going forward. It gets easier in some ways. Never in others. Have fun.

Hi everyone,

Just to add to Joachim's comments - it's important to remember that no matter how engaging your lessons are, students need to interact with the content at least three times in different ways. This is true for vocabulary. As science teachers, we're swamped with vocabulary and technical jargon, so this is especially important for us. Provide as many hands-on experiences as you can, but drive home the vocabulary even more so. Language arts teachers at the middle and high school levels are often fantastic resources to find new ways to practice vocabulary without letting your lessons or activities get too dry.

On that note...what kinds of quick activities for vocabulary do you use? Does any one method seems to be more effective than another?

Thanks everyone,
Kendra

I find that posting word banks in class really helps keep me and the students aware of the vocab. I also have a game called word Wizards. Anytime they hear a vocab word in context anywhere they can write down the word in context, write a definition put in on a slip of paper into the word wizard box. We pull out a word a day from the word wizard box. If the word is in context and defined correctly for that context students pull from the prize bucket. (this works better if you keep word banks up.)

Sorry, P.S. to my post word banks are as simple as a category of words posted on a long piece of tagboard hung anywhere easily visible in the room. I have used shades, walls, walls too high to reach easily are great since I like the words to stay up all year and cannot use that space easily for anything else.

Joachim, I like your ideas. One thing I did in the classroom is attach the actual object to the word wall. This was critical for ELL students and students with disabilities but it was also a helpful instructional strategy for all students. For am example, when I was doing a science unit inventory of materials, a sponge might be included. I put the sponge in a plastic bag and taped or pinned it up right next to the word, Kathy

Personally, I try to get the core portions of the material covered in about 80% of the time. Then, try to include plenty of extensions and additional analysis. This way, if I go over (which I find I often do) I don't find myself rushing through. I like learners to have a little time to contemplate. Students who finish early should also have alternatives so they don't encourage others who are still working to get off task. I think it is important to prioritize our content. As a former software designer, there was always stuff our clients wanted to add, but we started with the core, then added the other "features" as time allowed. Maybe we need to take a page from project management?

Kathy, I love the idea of putting the object or a picture up. I also learned you cannot take anything for granted. I had a student who did not know what a faucet was. Not only did he not recognize the word, when I told him the word he could not point out the faucet in the room. This is 5th grade. I have 60% ELL. Maybe I should label things in the classroom. We could make a game of it. How many legitimate names can you come up with for this object. Thanks, Jackie

Another thing I do is have the students keep a reading notebook handy all the time when they are reading. (I insist on this and work to build it as a habit) I have students write down new words they notice and the context, then if they can tell the meaning from context write down the meaning. If not, look it up later. I have lots of dictionaries in the room and students love to use them. Some days we will stop our reading a little early and share really good words we have learned. Joachim

This thread has good dialogue occurring about many different strategies that influence the use of time in the classroom. There has been a discussion where maybe front loading might help students understand vocabulary and therefore more concepts during a science lesson. Jennifer talks about getting to the core content in 80% of the allotted time, therefore allowing more time for discussion or further analysis. I think I once heard that I should introduce my new material in the first 10 minutes of class and then make sure I was closing by reviewing the important concepts in the last 10 minutes. Practice time was that middle time because students' attention wanes after the first 10 minutes. I think in applying this to my science classes, I made sure to stop the hands-on part of the investigation ( even if they did not finish) so there was time for the scientists' meeting and closure. Kathy

I do think it is important to remember what you guys are saying, that kids really can only track for a maximum of 10 minutes (that's 5th grade, younger, less) After that they should be trying things if they are going to remember and use what they learned. I also really agree with Jennifer that you need to prioritize and simplify. What is really important. Focus. Kids do better when things are really focused.

I do agree that a timer helps keep me as well as my students on task. I have a smartboard in my classroom and use that so that my students can see it. But before then, I simply used a stopwatch (the one used for track racing) and when the time was up it was time to move on. I also think that if the students are really engaged and having their own discussions then you just have to go with it sometimes. I like to incorporate writing in science too so at the end, they are able to write in their science journal what they learned and if they had any questions about anything. I found this to be an excellent tool to use to find any misconceptions my students might have.

I actually use the clock on the wall. I also have students put the time they started each math assignment. I've noticed it makes them more aware of reading analog clocks as well as elapsed time.

Your post reminds me of the experience I had today... :) Some suggestions are to make sure your target is clear. What are the key vocabulary words you want to focus on and the key connection you would like to students make between vocabulary and experiment. Having the word/ meaning/ target posted somewhere is helpful. Throughout the lesson, you can draw the students back to the target. It is key to observe your students and their thinking to make sure it is focused learning. Wondering and question is wonderful, but not if it distracts from the key purpose of the lesson itself. Which brings me back to today...having a whole lesson planned and running out of time. I had to gauge an appropriate place to stop, based on my students and how much they could "handle." Then, as I recapped to make sure we were on the target learning, I noticed that some students were not showing what was expected, so had to use pair of students to model what was expected as I explained the skill with the criteria written on the board. In other words, making adjustments based on your students learning and thinking is important. I would have liked to complete the whole lesson, but knew it wasn't worth it if the learning was lost. :) It would take even more time to reteach. :S

I agree, you have to make sure they are getting the lesson before you move on. Scaffolding is so important. Otherwise you are building on sand.

Great ideas all the way around. I enjoyed reading this thread. I like to get my students to help me with time management. I assign a PI (Principle Investigator , or Person In Charge) to each group. They are in charge of making sure that everyone in their group stays on task. I can then just call out, "PI's - get your group back on task." and allow the students to focus themselves. They are also in charge of resolving conflicts in the group, and the only students allowed to talk directly to me during an experiment. Giving them the responsibility tells them that they are capable and competent, and that they are a very important part of the process. It also frees me up to evaluate the process and keep my timing tighter. When we do run close to time the PI is in charge of getting everyone in his group to summarize the most important thing about the experiment, write it down in one or two sentences, and hand it to me on the way out the door. (yes, I know that's very vague, but you'd be amazed at what they see as the "most important thing".) I can use those papers to judge how much of what I was aiming at actually was understood by my students. Analysis of those papers also gives me a springboard for our next day's adventures.

Linda, Sounds like you are having fun. I love the PI idea. What age kids do you teach? How much practice do you do with groups to get them trained to do their jobs in the group? Do you have other jobs in the groups?

There's actually 4 jobs: PI – Principle Investigator Is in charge of the experiment, is the only person allowed to talk to me. makes sure every person gets to do something, and in charge of solving arguments in their group. MM – Materials Manager Is in charge of getting materials to the group leader. The only person allowed to get supplies from the supply station. MD – Maintenance Director Is in charge of cleanup, Is in charge of making sure everything gets back to the supply station ready for the next class to use. SD Security Director Makes sure the group “practices safe science” All group members are responsible for their own notes If anyone comes to me with a question, complaint or comment, I ask them if they are the PI. If they say yes, I answer their question. If they say no, I tell them to talk to their PI. Roles change every experiment, so if you are mean when you are PI you need to expect when the person you were mean to becomes PI they will treat you the same way you treated them. I also suggest that they think how they would like to be treated in that situation and treat their team mates the same way. When the PI complains that their group isn't listening to them, I say, "Don't you hate when that happens? How would you like to be treated, try that." I teach preK to 6th grade. I do groups with all grades, but they don't get really good at it until maybe the end of Kindergarten, and the writing and notes thing I don't even start until the beginning of first grade. First graders are responsible for writing a lab sheet that included the problem and a hypothesis they create (we do as a group)that includes what they think the answer to the problem was and why they think it. Second graders and above are expected to write an entire lab sheet - name, date, problem, hypothesis, procedure. After we do the experiment they come back and write the results and conclusion. I'm attaching a pdf that I wrote for a workshop a while back. It's just my opinion, and that and $5 will get you coffee at Starbucks, but it might help. Linda

Attachments

Elements_of_a_Great_Science_Lesson.pdf (2.02 Mb)

Thanks, Linda. I appreciate how specific your plan is. I will be able to use it. Thanks for including all the rubrics to help the kids score themselves. I assume you have the kids score themselves as well as you scoring them?

I usually score the lab sheet and use it for a grade. The kids rate themselves on the participation matrix. They are much harder graders than I am ;) Hope that's helpful. Linda

Linda, This is very helpful. Thanks.

Someone asked about vocabulary earlier, so I thought I'd pipe in with that and still hit the time issue. First, I set up a digital notebook with an interactive presentation that keeps me on track. I go through the 5 E's (Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, Evaluate) with each of the E's having at least one slide. The Engage activity usually starts off with a review and discussion of the concept map we've been building OR introduces a new one if this is the first day of the unit. I put a set of words on the board and tell them that's the target, that by the end of class, they should be able to put those words on their concept maps. Then I work on their prior knowledge with a situational question (for example, we're studying erosion/weathering in my 5th grade class, so I asked them to talk to their groups and lay me out a timeline about what would happen if they left a candy bar on their back porch for 7 days. They had a lot of fun talking about the ants and rain!) and see if any of those vocabulary words come up during the conversation. Then I move on to the Explore activity, where I stop talking whole group and get them talking to their neighbors. In the case of my 5th graders, this was using a sugar cube to explore erosion and weathering (we put it in a film cannister and shoot it for a minute, blew air across it and then dropped water on it), during which I moved around to each group and acknowledged vocabulary and other scientific ideas as they worked through the lab. They recorded observations during the investigation and afterwards while the other groups were catching up, I had them explain what happened and brainstorm a hypothesis about why it happened. Once all of that was cleaned up (no need to start another lab on ants, right?) and everyone was back in the same page, we watched a BrainPop video on erosion and weathering, where they heard the vocabulary again and got a few extras, too. At the end of the video, I gave them a set of landforms (beach, sand dunes, canyon, cliff) and they used what they'd learned to identify how each landform was formed. THEN, I opened up the concept map and we started adding the vocabulary and making the connections. By that point, they'd heard the vocabulary at least 4 times (probably more) and we could have a solid "summary" discussion about the connections they made between the terms and how they related to each other. I've found that forcing myself to use the slides helps keep me from going crazy with time. My husband swears I have no internal clock and have no concept of time, so this is always an area where I have to work (because he's right. Don't tell him I said so, though!).

Tiffany. Thanks for the great ideas. Another great movie to watch is Bill Nye the Science Guy on erosion. It's one of his best ever.

Also, Bill Nye on water cycle is really great too.

Just an added note on vocabulary. Earlier I described the word wizards game. Students write down on a slip of paper when they hear a vocab word in context, write the context and a dictionary defintion for the word then we pull them out at the end of the day. Anyone who has 20 entries gets a prize. (I just keep a class list on the board and tally each time they enter. I have found that any students who engage in this activity at 20 or more entries per week move up significantly in their standardized tests. The best ever was a student who went up 30 percentile points on the state reading test from 4th to 5th grade. The least was a student who went up 10%. The trick is to get the kids to engage. It works better some years than others.