Teacher Strategies
The main instructional strategy that I use is Interactive Notebooks. This is helpful in so many ways! First, we start with the act of note taking and learning how to paraphrase information to take notes more efficiently. The next main goal is using the information that they are given on premade note sheets and turning them into symbolic representation. I start off by assessing prior knowledge, we cover misconceptions that come up and then introduce the information. We read the notes together, pull out main ideas, summarize, clarify, compare and contrast, sequence, classify, and find cause and effect relationships to name a few. Whenever we are using our notebooks, we are journaling, note taking, and using graphic organizers that are reviewed and monitored. Some of my favorite graphic organizers include venn diagrams, flow charts, and KWLU charts (what I know, what I want to know, what I learned, and how will I use it). We constantly check with informal and formal assessments simply by drawing pictures and taking notes. We include a vocabulary section and a historian section as well. By far, the most important aspect of this notebook is for my students to be able to make a memory key by drawing a picture to explain a concept. Before an assessment, I allow time for them to make a memory key for extra credit. My goal is to train them to make it for themselves instead of me so they will actually use it on the test.
I am a firm believer that science is not learned in a book, but by doing, experimenting, and using inquiry to make new discoveries and interdisciplinary connections from one concept, use, or application to the next. Much of our fifth-grade content is based on abstract ideas, so I use as many demonstrations that I can think of to interest them and raise their curiosity. I love using scientific phenomenon or “magic” to hook them with a concept or idea. We create acronyms for students to use, making studying and memorizing bigger chunks of information easier. An example is the scientific method, which I have broken down into five steps (observe, hypothesis, experiment, results, & conclusion). We turn that into OHERC and something silly like “only humans eat rusty cookies”. This allows them to make content easier on their memory key, so that they will use it when the assessments are only trying to trick them. N.O.S. stands for the “Nature of Science” and is a list of several guidelines for them to follow when thinking about scientific theory. We constantly use reading and math skills to make connections and reinforce ideas and strategies. One of my favorite strategies is called “Social Discourse Circles” where we use sentence starters to generate discussion. My goal is to have them stand behind their decisions but be able to debate them with others in a civilized manner (argue in an agreeable manner). I also use foldables (creative graphic organizers by Dinah Zike) as much as possible to make work, organization, sequence, and classification skills easier. Another favorite I have is using an LCD display and showing them science content movies like Bill Nye the Science Guy. We are also lucky to have computer resources like BrainPOP, Flocabulary, Discovery Streaming, Physics in the Classroom, and Gizmo’s (Explore Learning) to name a few.
We are required to have word walls, so I use them for many things that help review concepts previously taught. Just a couple are “name that concept”, “what is that related to”, “and who can use that in a sentence.” We constantly summarize nonfictional science content books for extra credit and play a game called Google the Unknown. When something comes up that I don’t know, google it and teach it to the class later for extra credit.
Finally, specific strategies and demonstrations for this unit included in the light lesson are: create a power point, radio antenna experiment, demonstrate infrared light with a tv remote, refract light with prisms, refract light with special glasses, refract light with water in a glass (pencil, thumb, & a solution and laser), model wavelengths with a slinky, hit translucent rocks/materials with a laser, refract light with concave & convex lenses, refract light with a spoon, put the colors of the rainbow back together with a color wheel and make observations with UV light (bugs, the bathroom floor, tonic water, and a secret message pen). I also get X-rays from hospitals and show them to the students.
Plant activities include many AIMS activities (Activities Integrating Math & Science) and science content games. We also act out several situational things with sock puppets.
For ecosystems we use Aquatic & Terrestrial pictures of food chain/food webs and play a predator / prey game, name that habitat, and classroom jeopardy.
Last, for this unit we will have a culminating activity where we create a diorama of an ecosystem of their choice and model it. It can be aquatic or terrestrial. They can also make a power point if they choose.
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