fish and worms

I'm not sure why my last review didn't post but I'm going to give it another shot. I thought this article had a lot of cute ideas and responses from her students. It just goes to show how sc... See More

I'm not sure why my last review didn't post but I'm going to give it another shot. I thought this article had a lot of cute ideas and responses from her students. It just goes to show how science starts at such a young age. From infants "observing" and recognizing their environment to preschoolers mixing colors to kindergartners recording data and so on! Fun article with great ideas.

Fishy Discussions and Wormy Observations

By combining observation skills with life science content, two instructors present their kindergarten lesson plans for teaching an inquiry lesson on the basic needs of living things. The te... See More

By combining observation skills with life science content, two instructors present their kindergarten lesson plans for teaching an inquiry lesson on the basic needs of living things. The teachers used animals that the students were familiar with and were easy to maintain - goldfish and earthworms. The teachers also included a nice selection of trade and fiction books that went along with the theme of the lesson and activities. Since the students were working with soil and living things, they wore non-latex gloves and were directed to wash their hands after each activity’s exposure. There are so many excellent connections to reading and writing literacy in this article. Also, kindergarteners were encouraged to care for living things in a responsible manner, to practice their powers of observation and to pay attention to details as they drew or sketched their findings. The article included a rubric for teachers to use to determine the level of engagement students exhibited as they questioned, predicted, observed and communicated their ideas and results.