Meeting State Standards Through Integration
Sun, Nov 11, 2018 6:35 PM
Great Integration Idea!
This article starts out strong by stating how “science is something students do, not something which is done to them.” It discusses such aspects of how teachers can integrate and work in science into many different areas of the classroom and subject’s students are learning. The article also points out the classroom needs to include and provide rich and engaging materials and hands-on lessons the students can experience. The author cautions though, that just because these wonderful materials are in the classroom will not mean a thing unless children are free to use them and explore them. Students need time to discover a concept, ask questions, record it and then discuss findings with others. The article then goes into laying out a guide for how to set up the classroom for exploration time.
The author explains there are seven different stations and the children choose one station a week and cycle around the stations throughout the month or more if they need more time in an area. The seven stations were puzzlement board, think station, trade-books, current science news, take home science kit, reflective science journal and student presentations. There are times each week where students are given the opportunity to share their scientific findings.
I love this idea and would like to use it in my classroom next year. I think one of the strongest aspects of this idea are how children are using so many components in learning and standards in a very child driven and independent way. The children are using reading skills deepening their comprehension skills by having to research certain information for their reports. They are using technology in their research and presentations as well as math for certain experiments. They are also working on their writing skills by entering thoughts into the reflective science journal. There is also an opportunity to discover the history of certain subjects in the puzzlement board area. There are so many opportunities for hands-on learning and student’s ability to build their research and deeper order thinking skills in this science integration classroom idea. In my opinion, the only downside to this might be in the prep time and setting up the supplies and keeping the supplies well stocked.