Strategic Science Teaching
Kindergarten – Physical Science
Connecting Literature with the California
Science Standards
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SST K/Physical Science
A model lesson for each grade level:
• Literature selection
• Science Standards
• Literacy Strategy
• Science Investigation
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SST K/Physical Science
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/ll/
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SST K/Physical Science
Browse The Elements of SST Lessons
 Standards Alignment
 Lesson at a Glance
 Teacher Background and Resources
 Materials, Vocabulary, and Advanced Preparation
 Teacher Tips
 Common Misconceptions
 Explicit script for delivering the lesson through the
5E instructional model
 Teacher Reflection
 Teacher and Student pages
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SST K/Physical Science
The 5E Model of Instruction
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SST K/Physical Science
My Five Senses
by Aliki
What Does Matter Look Like?
 Essential Question:
What can we observe about matter?
 Student Outcomes:
 Students learn how to use their five senses to observe
and describe matter.
 Students observe, compare, and describe objects.
 Students gain an understanding of vocabulary associated
with the five senses from My Five Senses and generate
words for a “Concept Wheel”. (Concept Wheel)
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SST K/Physical Science
Learning Strategy: Guided Reading
 Students group words according to the sense that they use to
describe objects about which they read in My Five Senses.
They then use the words to describe other nearby objects.
 They brainstorm, use prior knowledge, and use visual
displays to connect the printed word, pictures and concepts.
Five Senses
See
Smell
Taste
Feel
Hear
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SST K/Physical Science
Modeling the Literacy Strategy
“Now that we have read My Five Senses, who can name one of
the senses for us to chart on our wheel?”
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SST K/Physical Science
Modeling the Literacy Strategy
What pictures in the book go with the word See? Hear?
Please explain your answer.
How do our five senses help us describe the properties of matter?
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SST K/Physical Science
Concept Wheel (it takes practice!)
 The Concept Wheel builds on students’ background
knowledge and visually displays the connection between
prior conceptual knowledge and new vocabulary.
 Whole class generation of the Concept Wheel leads to
individual record-keeping of new vocabulary by writing or
illustrating.
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SST K/Physical Science
The 5E Learning Cycle
Engage
Look at an object (a ball for example) and take turns
modeling how to describe the “matter” using
complete sentences.
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SST K/Physical Science
Explore
 Look around the room and collect objects – samples of
samples.
 With a partner at your table, share an observation about your
matter.
 Observing Matter:
 My matter looks round and has no edges.
 My matter smells like plastic.
 My rubber feels soft and squishy.
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SST K/Physical Science
Explain
 On the 5-coulumn Senses Chart record the properties of the
matter.
 Require that the description be in a full sentence and that the
sense used be named.
 Encourage the sentence frame “My matter looks ____”, “My
matter feels _____”, to produce one word per sample and
eventually written observations.
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SST K/Physical Science
Evaluate
Introduce the My Matter Book project that students will
complete. Show a sample book and how each sense will have one
page about their an object they select from a collection of
objects.
Ask students which senses they can use to describe a selected
object.
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SST K/Physical Science
Elaborate
 Play the “What’s My Matter?” game.
 Provide “black boxes” with unknown objects inside that
students use their sense of touch to describe, then compare
with seeing the object.
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SST K/Physical Science
Teacher Reflection
 How does the student work provide evidence of student
understanding that matter has properties that can be
described using the five senses?
 What instructional strategies were used in this lesson
promote student understanding? How do you know?
 How does the literature selection support student
understanding of the science concepts?
 How would you modify instruction to ensure
understanding of outcomes by all students?
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SST K/Physical Science
Strategic Science Teaching
Provided by CISC-Science Sub-Committee
Your presenter will provide local contact information or you may contact
your County Office of Education Science Specialist for more information.
The bibliography is located in the publication:
Strategic Science Teaching Grades K-12: A Sampler of Science Lessons Connecting
Literature with California Standards, 2002, CISC, Science Subcommittee
http://www.ccsesa.org/index/subCommittees.cfm?cid=120
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SST K/Physical Science