Hands-On Vocabulary

I enjoyed this article because it gave a new and engaging way to teach vocabulary. In my classroom, I am always looking for new ways to teach vocabulary and this article captured that perfec... See More

I enjoyed this article because it gave a new and engaging way to teach vocabulary. In my classroom, I am always looking for new ways to teach vocabulary and this article captured that perfectly. I am also a big fan of hands-on learning and this article shows a very feasible way to incorporate hands-on learning while teaching new vocabulary.

A Neat Way to Teach Vocabulary

I really enjoyed this overview of a long-term project used to bolster students vocabulary (and many other science practices!) through the growing of cucumbers. I appreciated the way that stu... See More

I really enjoyed this overview of a long-term project used to bolster students vocabulary (and many other science practices!) through the growing of cucumbers. I appreciated the way that students engaged in multiple aspects of planning, observing, questioning, and researching. It is true that the project described does involve resources not all classrooms would have (such as access to a greenhouse structure and raised garden beds), but I love the concept and imagine it wouldn't be too hard to reproduce in a more contained version.

Vocabulary and NGSS

I enjoyed this article because it connected the dimensions of the NGSS models with vocabulary building skills. I think this is important because it then turns a single content area into a mu... See More

I enjoyed this article because it connected the dimensions of the NGSS models with vocabulary building skills. I think this is important because it then turns a single content area into a multidisciplinary skill. Learning science vocabulary before the lesson takes place, during, and after must happen in order for students to fully grasp and understand the material. This article covered a PBL, where students grew cucumbers. It covered areas of the 5-E learning model, such as; engaging, explaining, exploring, elaborating and evaluating. It also showed how student engagement was much higher due to it being a hands-on exploration lesson. Students were able to plan, observe, investigate and research through all stages of the project. I think it was also very important that the article higlighted the fact that all schools may not have access to the same materials, which may pose some problems in the implementation portion of this lesson. However, it could be easily modified to serve various purposes.

A New Twist on Teaching Vocabulary

I enjoyed hoe this article articulated and responded to the need for students to build and use science vocabulary while engaging in NGSS. This article is about a four month long project wher... See More

I enjoyed hoe this article articulated and responded to the need for students to build and use science vocabulary while engaging in NGSS. This article is about a four month long project where students gre cucumbers. Students were very active in the science process during this project. They planned, observed, investigated and researched. Students got to see a real life example of science in this interactive, hands-on activity. This unit describes using resources that may not be available to everyone (like a greenhouse). But the good news is the project can be recreated in a smaller environment.