My students need hands-on science materials including a table magnifying glass, specimens of insects, plants, and sea life. They also need a sink or float science station and a motion discovery kit.
Despite the fact that it's a school rule to walk in the hallways, I love the fact that every morning students are running from the playground to enter our classroom. Our classroom is a fun, exciting place to learn. Students thrive as they explore and learn through hands-on activities and games.
My kindergarten children live in a small community in Western Maine.
Our children come from diverse backgrounds within our town. Many live in downtown apartments, hang out on the playground after school, and walk to and from home. Our rate of students who receive free or reduced lunch is around 75%. Our school has become one of the most important places in the community for these children and their families.
My Project
Our school district is adopting the new Next Generation Science Standards. "Quality science education is based on standards that are rich in content and practice. Major advances in science and our understanding of how students learn science have taken place and need to be reflected in state standards. The time is right to advance toward Next Generation Science Standards."
Some of these standards are new to our district's science curriculum, requiring me to collect new resources. It is important for students to have hands-on activities instead of just worksheets. Daily students in my classroom visit the Science Station. Students are able to explore bird nests, magnets, plants, insects, and shells, etc. This station is always one of the most popular. Students can view objects from the world around them, which carries over to when they are outside in their environment.
Currently the science materials provided by the school district are limited.
I collect all of the science exploration materials myself from the woods, garden, or beach. It will be fantastic to have real specimens of insects, sea life, and plants. Boys and girls love using a magnifying glass to get a closer look at objects. They feel like true scientists.
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