For the first time in my 30 year career, I am teaching science most of the day. I am excited about the STEM initiative and am anxious to start incorporating this "new" science in my classroom!
We are a rural district that has fallen on hard times financially due to the economic climate of our state.
Our school has been transformed from a pre-K-6 building into a 3rd-5th grade attendance center due to the closure of another school. Since we now have three sections of each grade in one school, we have departmentalized math, social studies, and science in fourth grade.
I teach three classes of science to 27-29 students in a room that was formerly our preschool room. Therefore I have to be create with my space in order to do hands-on science activities. Needless to say, there is not much room to move around, let alone set up activities, but we do our best because busy hands mean engaged minds!
My Project
I attended a science conference and came across a digital microscope that can be projected on a white board. How awesome is that?!?! With this microscope, I can have 30 pairs of eyes looking at a cell of an onion AT THE SAME TIME versus those same 30 children waiting to take turns with the two (yes, TWO) microscopes I have. I can project anything with this microscope: a hair, a leaf, an ant....the possibilities are endless! I could also purchase a slide set that show many other types of cells.
The STEM Learning Labs kit would be an amazing addition to our text. Illinois has adopted the Next Gen Science Standards, and this activity kit would definitely help us to get on the right track towards meeting the standards. Each kit has 6 different activities which can be done in a group or in pairs, which allows me to differentiate for my students as well.
I am always purchasing items for my science classes-these items would be a great addition to what little I have!
I think this project will help my students be excited about science and therefore encourage them to learn how and why things in the world around them work.
Science SHOULD be activity-based; not just reading out of a text. Students learn when they DO; not just when they see. These science items will help us to actively participate in the DOing of science. And who knows....maybe a little fun will happen along the way while they are learning! :)
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