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Early Childhood

Teaching Science to Young Students

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Azaria Vasquez Azaria Vasquez 555 Points

Hello, my name is Azaria, and as a future teacher, I want to learn about the best practices for teaching science to younger elementary students. Does anyone have any tips or recommendations for helping keep students engaged in lessons?

Jazmin Mendoza Jazmin Mendoza 565 Points

Hello Azaria,

I am currently working as a substitute teacher and to keep students engaged is important to communicate the goals and objectives as soon as you can. This gives students an idea of the expectations we set for them.

Chardene Williams Chardene Williams 1060 Points

I think that trying to heighten engagement is the most important. Including a lot of hands on experiemnts or food experiments is a million times better than just having a worksheet.

Erika Dawson Erika Dawson 995 Points

Hi Chardene,

I completely agree with you about heightening engagement for young students. I am a first year teacher and when planning science lessons, I work to incorporate as many hands on activities/experiments as possible. I have noticed that it really helps to pique their curiosity and get them thinking. As a teacher listening to them articulate their thoughts and work through the concept is great and also provides insight into areas we may need to talk more about.

I have also found that when conducting an experiment, allowing students to participate in the preparation (as long as it is safe) helps as well. This really allows them to take ownership of their learning. 

Thank you for sharing! 

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