Forums

Hi, I am a teacher candidate studying to become a future elementary teacher! This semester I am placed in a 1st grade classroom teaching a few science lessons. My students have all of their science lab time in the afternoon. My question is, have any of you tried science in the morning? What time of day do you find works best for science? I am interested to hear because I know typically reading is done in the morning at most schools. Thank you so much, Matt Hirsch

Hello! I am in a 5h grade class that has science in the morning as well as in the afternoon when we switch blocks. The morning group really enjoys science and they are very engaged. The afternoon group is a bit more out of task and doesn't engage in science as much as the morning group. Sometimes I think that they have energy from lunch and being active throughout the day, that they don't pay much attention to the science topics.

In both of my teaching assignments, students have science in the afternoon. I personally think it is a great way to end the day because science should be hands on and engaging. In my fifth grade placement, all the lessons are hands on labs and its a fun way for the students to end the day. I think it does not really matter what time of the day you have science, as long as it is engaging. The more engaging the lesson is, the more the students will enjoy it, no matter the time of day!

In my two student teaching placements I have seen science done in two different ways. In my second grade class, science was completed once a week in a three hour block on Thursdays. It was started directly in the morning. I noticed this sometimes helped when students had to complete scientific writing pieces in addition to hands-on activities because they tend to be more focused in the morning and are better able to concentrate on writing. In my fourth grade class, though, students do science activities in the afternoon, after lunch. What I have found works well in getting them ready to do science in the afternoon is engaging in a relaxing activity, like an ongoing read aloud, before starting science. This lets them cool down and calm down from lunch and gets their minds ready to focus on science.

During my field hours, I have been able to teach science both in the morning and afternoons. From experience, I have noticed that the students in the morning are always more concentrated and pay more attention to what they have to do. The afternoon group is usually distracted and see too tired to concentrate on their tasks. Science lessons, especially experiments are best done in the mornings.

I've seen a trend in student engagement in general that they are far less focused after lunch. I agree with Crista. She said reading a story to cool down before launching into a science lesson helps, and I totally agree. Students are usually going to have a higher energy level in the morning so you're really just going to have to feel out your students' energy levels. This isn't exclusive to science lessons, it's a trend with whatever subject comes after lunch. Find what works and stick with it!

Hello, At the 1st grade level in my classroom, I think mid morning is the best time. The kids are more on task and more focused. As the day wears on (and there's recess, lunch, and PE) they tend to not be as focused. I have seen teachers try to do a science lesson at the end of the day and the students associate it with almost time to go home so they are less focused on the material.

I am currently in a second grade classroom. Science works best in the afternoon but we tried having science in the morning once and they loved it. It really depends on how you present the material, since in the morning they are used to more quiet activities and science requires for them to be more dynamic.

I am currently a student teacher in a 4th grade class. Normally my guide teacher will teach science in the afternoons. This is especially helpful when they are doing science experiments since kids tend to be more energetic after lunch. By doing science experiments after lunch it gives them a chance to focus that energy in engaging, hands on activities.

I have also been in a 4/5 combo class and we also did science in the afternoons. I think it is a great place to put it in the day because you can use it for an incentive for great behavior. Kids love science so much that putting it at the end of the day, you can hold them to being well behaved all day prior.