Introduction
My students’ are, for the most part, low income. We are about 75% African American and about 75% free and reduced lunch. At our school, K-5 students all attend science one day a week for one hour with a science teacher as part of their schedule. Science is not a focus in the main classroom. I have discovered that with so little time spent on science students are uninterested in science. This is in part due to the lack of time as well as very little, if any, hands-on time to explore the material. The lack of background content knowledge from previous grades inhibits their ability to grasp content at the 5th grade level. With such a short amount of time, the science teacher really only focuses on book work and notes. This lack of exploration time has disinterested students and frustrated the teacher. The district does not emphasize the importance of the sciences. There is no official district wide evaluation process throughout the year. The only science evaluation comes from the state. The state shows their lack of interest in students’ science education by testing students in science at the conclusion of only two grades, second and fifth. 5th grade Next Generation Science Standards are also a very difficult set of standards to find explorative lessons for. The large part of the curriculum for 5th grade focuses on our earth systems and our solar system.
We are currently in the process of moving towards the Next Generation Science Standards. In making the switch I would like to incorporate more hands-on/discovery lessons in my classroom 4 days a week. I would also like to collaborate with the science teacher so that he is able to do some of the more hands-on activities in his room and I can do follow up notes and discussions in my class. This may help students to gain interest in science. Also, this unit is something that all students can relate to. We all eat. I would also like to incorporate more hands-on activities that will help students conceptualize the standards. By using a more kinetic and relatable approach, I am hoping that students will re-engage with science and pique their interest and curiosity to probe deeper.
There are not very many women that go into the field of mathematics or science. I feel that many girls in my class would be excited about science if I used cooking as a vehicle to show them how fun it could be. By developing a unit around cooking, it may help the girls bring that information home with them as well. I’ve learned that when students bring their learning outside of the class they are more interested, their depth of knowledge increases greatly and it helps to generate conversations with friends and family. When students “show off” what they learned in school when they get home, they have truly taken responsibility for their own learning. I have also seen that more parent involvement increases my students’ chances of continuing their education. By relating science to something my students already enjoy I may be able to assist them in exploring more about science than they have in the past.
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