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Whenever I have students engaging in an experiment or activity, I usually make sure they have nothing in their hands so they don't get distracted when we are having discussions or during instruction time. I think it is also important to set the expectations and procedures ahead of time before starting with the experiment or the hands-on activities that you have planned. Also, setting a timer or giving the students a time limit for each step or each activity can be useful for students so they don't get distracted or play around.

I just taught a science lesson to first grade students a couple of weeks ago. I found that giving the students some time to observe and handle all of the materials, before starting the activity, helped to satisfy their curiousity. This definitely helped with management because the students did not play with the materials after. I also recommend clearly communicating your expectations with the students at the beginning, before conducting the experiment. 

The best technique for myself when handling classroom management and engagement is by setting the classroom expectations first. By telling and showing what is expected from the class and lesson will help students know and understand what they need to do. Also, timing everything helps for me because sometimes I can get carried away with a lesson which will sometimes get students carried away too.

Hi Abigail! I was encountering this same problem too and am always trying to find ways to keep students engaged not only in science experiements but also other lessons. I think all these replies are awesome and I agree with a lot with what they are saying and I think it would all be very helpful! I feel like another way to help engage students that are struggling to stay engaged is to work with them a little closer and try to find things that they enjoy and connect the two together. 

Hi Abigail!

In my opinion, if I was doing an experiment to show to the students, I would most likely have them gather around the table or on the floor so that they aren't distracted by other things on their desk or other things. Possibly practicing with patience with the students might be good to understand what you as a teacher can do so that students are behaving well and so students can understand what is appropriate and what isn't. 

Tanya

The best way that I have found to handle classroom management is to give instructions prior to giving the students anything. Another thing that I found caused behavior issues during experiments was the student's ability to see what is happening. It is important to make sure that all of your students can see what you are doing, so they do not argue or become disrespectful to each other.