Science is Fun-damental!!!

Learning the Scientific Method is fundamental to understanding all things sci-en-rrific!

The Scientific Method consists of the following:
Posing a question/Gathering information
Forming a hypothesis
Conducting an experiment
Drawing conclusions
Recording/Sharing the results

Having background knowledge in the scientific method allows young students to develop real life problem solving skills.  Here's how:

Posing a question and gathering information enables students to think independently and create an authentic awareness of the subject.

Forming a hypothesis allows a student's possible answer to be tested and keeps the student enaged through critical thinking.

Planning an experiment allows the student to decide how best to gather and record data.

Conducting the experiment allows students to follow the steps in their plan and organize their data accordingly.

Drawing conclusions allows students to evaluate their experiment and to describe whether their hypothesis was supported or not.

Finally, sharing the results allows students to show what they learned during their experiment and may help them think of other questions to ask or ways to change their experiment.

Essentially, providing students with opportunities for developing their scientific process skills early allows them to build confidence in other everyday processs skills such as speaking, listening, reading, writing, and most especially, thinking as well.

Further, there are many opportunities to apply the Scientific Method during the school year.  Most Science textbooks provide step by step experiments for students to work on and these do not have to be assigned by a teacher.  Just take some time to work with your child, follow the steps and see what happens! Most of all, enjoy the process!!! 



 

A Proven Model

Take some time to learn from Barton Elementary School on how to incorporate a
parent connection program within your school.

Using the Internet to Connect

Parents, you may not think that you can relate to what is being taught in the classroom, but with a few simple exercises, you can really grow your child's understanding just by exploring the internet together.

Keep in mind, you must be vigilant in using safe and secure websites! However, there are so many resources on the internet that reinforce our class lessons, it is really a necessity to incorporate home learning time into your child's overall learning experience.

Here are a few of my favorite websites that promote our contents standards:
www.scholastic.com www.pbs.org  www.khanacademy.org www.brainpop.com www.merriam-webster.com and even www.youtube.com are all useful in expanding our lessons.

The best thing to do is log on to the website and type into their search engine a key vocabulary word from our lesson to see what activities are there. From there, let your child explore!!! Most of all, have fun and monitor your child's time on the internet often. Ask questions about the lessons and/or activities and listen to your child's responses. I do and I am amazed at what my students know.

Please share any of the things you and your child have done using the internet as an education tool here. I'd love to hear from you!

Techniques to Make Instructions Clear

"The Master Teacher knows specific actions enhance clarity. These actions make it more probable that more students in our classroom will undertand our instructions."  -The MASTER Teacher, Inc. c2000


From the Master Teacher Series:

Seven Techniques to Make Your Instruction Clear

1.  When you give instructions, avoid asking students to "get started quickly."  Otherwise, many students begin before you even finish giving the instructions. 

2.  Practice your presentation before you give students instructions.  Rehearsals reveal flaws that almost guarantee misunderstanding.  Determine what you want said based on what you want done. 

3.   Always start with the simple to complex route.  Start with the basics before moving to the complicated part of your instructions.  Give students time to ask questions.  If you don't provide time for their questions early on, it increases the likelihood of misinformation, and students may not understand.

4. Providing well-organized and relevant background information almost always aids understanding.  Having students write down the steps they must follow to complete an assignment or project before they begin, lays the solid foundationn necessary for students to perform the task properly.

5. Try and provide students with both written and oral instructions.  However, never hand out the written instructions before you deliver the oral instructions,  Also, do not communicate anything in one communication that isn't the other. 

6.  When repeating instructions to the class, which is inevitable at some point, be careful abut changing the wording the second (or third) time around. To achieve clarity, you must not vary from the last set, unless, it is because there was an error.  In this case, it is important to clarify the error as soon as it is recognized.

7.  Lastly, when finished giving instructions, ask students one specific question:  "What do you need to do?"  This will confirm whether students have enough information to know exatly what to do... and exactly what you expect.  Further, ask a number of students exactly the same question and go from there.


Education is not filling in a pail but the lighting of a fire.
                                                                                 -William Butler Yeats, Irish Poet