Students in a hands-on science program will remember the material better, feel a sense of accomplishment when the task is completed, and be able to transfer that experience easier to other learning situations. We want to see how plant and animal samples look under a microscope.
Our school is a California Distinguished School nestled in a beautiful neighborhood.
Here, students receive a well rounded approach to curriculum which includes high standards, differentiation, and challenge. Being a GATE identified school means academic rigor is an important focus. At our school, administration, educators, and support staff are dedicated to ensuring students have the highest quality education in a safe and nurturing environment. My class includes 33 AMAZING 6th graders who are eager to share their ideas and learn more about science.
My Project
I hear and I forget
I see and I remember
I do and I understand
- Chinese Proverb
Although these words may not be the exact translation, they underscore the need for a hands-on approach to science teaching. Without this approach students must rely on memory and abstract thought, two methods which restrict learning in most students. By actually doing and experiencing science, students develop their critical thinking skills as well as discover scientific concepts. This self discovery stays with students throughout their lifetimes while memory fades. Carol J. Stadium, The Planetary Society (producers of Marslink teaching packets), Pasadena, CA. We need a microscope, plant and animal slides and a volcano model in our class. These tools will be fun to use in the classroom. The prism set will help us to see how light can be refracted.
If students are not doing hands-on science, they are not doing science.
Science is a process and if students are not actively engaged in the process, they are not doing science. Most science classes in elementary school teach the vocabulary of science and nothing else.
Study after study has shown the value of hands-on learning. Students are motivated, they learn more, even their reading skills improve. How can you justify not doing hands-on science?
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