Oh no, not liking science in elementary school! I hear ya'. When I was in school, science was rarely taught in elementary school, and when it was, it was all about remembering facts and vocabulary. BLAH-YUCK-SNOOZE!
What did you like about middle school science? Was it interactive? Were you involved and immersed in the learning? If so, that's just what you want to bring to our youngest learners.
Even though elementary-aged students are young, it does not mean they can't be fully engaged in investigations. My recommendation is to start with what students are interested in. Ask them? What do you wonder about? What questions do you have? From this, you can create a learning environment where students' ideas are valued, and students will be more fully engaged in the learning.
Investigations should start with wonder (phenomena)! Get the kids excited and interested to try to figure things out. Allow them to be part of the process of what is needed to answer the question. Don't be surprised if answering one question leads to ten more questions! That's science for you!
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