Mrs. Duda's Kindergarten Classroom
“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book.”
- Dr. Seuss
"The science of today is the technology of tomorrow."
Edward Teller
What is science?
Science is the study of taking what we already know about the natural world, observe it, and experiment with it. Science gives people the opportunity to work with and enhance their senses of natural phenomenon. While experimenting in science, students are able to use multiple senses to discover the natural world. They seek to explore the answers to the questions why, when, where, what, and how something in the natural works. During kindergarten, students' curiosity is at an all-time high, and in science, it's all about exploring and discovering how things work in the world.
Why teach science?
Teaching science is important because it's a part of our everyday lives. Students are able to observe, gather information, experiment, and discover things and ideas in the natural world around them. Science gives students the opportunity satisfy their curiosity and answer the questions why, when, where, what, and how something works. Through their learning of science, students learn how explore, test, and discover ideas that will help them to become critical thinkers and make well-informed decisions. Science is also an opportunity for students to be inspired and discover new interests.
What is expected to be learned in science in the state of Illinois?
The websites below show the standards that are expected to be learned by students. I follow these standards when I make lesson plans to make sure that I am teaching the requirements of the state. These standards are guidelines to assist in providing coherent transitions for students from one grade level to the next. Since everything that they learn is based on what they previously learned, it is important to follow them. I recommend that all parents and students are familiar with the standards so that they know what is expected.
Illinois Common Core Science Standards
The Next generation Science Standards
PBS is an excellent website that provides a great amount of resources for teachers, parents, and students. Although it could be used for all subject areas and grade levels, I find it extremely helpful for my kindergartener's learning of science. There are age milestones with a development tracker to make sure that students are learning what is important and expected during different ages. This website offers activities, crafts, worksheets, games, and videos to enhance the instruction and learning of hundreds of science topics. I will use this website to enhance my instruction and to give students activities that will help them to build a connection with the content being taught. I recommend that parents and students are familiar with the PBS website. Once students are familiar with the website, I'm sure that they will love it and continue to discover science outside of the class.
PBS: Public Broadcasting Service
How to teach science?
In teaching science, it is especially important to get students involved in their learning. Students are already very curious in kindergarten and want to know everything. They want the answers to the 5 questions of why, when, where, what, and how, as mentioned earlier. Since students are already interested in these questions, they want to observe, explore, and discover ideas and concepts to answer these questions. It's important to show students how science is connected to their lives, interests, and natural world around them. Today's technology can make learning much more fun, engaging, and interactive. It gives students the opportunity to explore and learn things in ways that are exciting. There are virtual field trips, Webquests, games, and simulations that give life experiences.
Science Kids is another excellent website that I discovered that is an excellent teaching and learning tool for science. People of all ages can go to the website to explore and discover hundreds of ideas and concepts in science. The website offers different experiments, games, facts, quizzes, projects, lessons, images, videos, and topics that are engaging and interactive. This website’s resources give students connections, inspiration, and experience with the natural world. I will use this website as a guide for my lessons and instruction in science. This website will give me the opportunity to open the doors of exploration and discovery for my students. I encourage parents and students to explore and use the website to learn about science and all the different ways that it connects to our lives.
How do I assess my students?
Assessment is key to knowing how my students are doing and we're they are at. They give me insight of the knowledge that students have gained and how they are able to apply it. To assess my students I use rubrics and performance descriptors from the from the Illinois State Board website. This ensures myself that my instruction and my students' learning are in line with the state standards. I like using the rubrics more because they are easier for all of us to understand. Below is the Illinois state website that I use for assessing my students.
Additional Websites: