ABCs of Elementary Science in CMS!
Align activities with the North Carolina Essential Standards for Science.
You can find these objectives at this
website…. http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/new-standards/
Be creative in making time for science.
Three 45-minute periods per week is the expectation, with one period being
devoted to hands-on learning? Several schools teach science to all 5th grade students everyday --- 5 x 45 min!
Consider the different ways to organize science education for your students.
Three major options are: 1) classroom
teacher responsible for all science lessons, 2) departmentalize into science/math, or 3) establish a science learning center
with a one science teacher working with all students in inquiry based learning.
Dare to be Different!
There are numerous ways to engage students in learning through science. Make science a theme
for parent nights, host a science fair competition, take a field trip to the Raptor Center or Discovery Place, start a program
like Engineering Is Elementary or Science Olympiad, or have a go at creating a Layered Curriculum.
These are the 5E’s, a research tested approach to organize
learning in science and the basis for how the textbook, Discovery Education, and hands-on lessons are written.
Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate!
Focus on Formative Assessment!
Yes, EOG’s are important, but they are examples of summative assessments to
determine how well students have mastered science concepts. To maximize results on the EOG, teachers need to be
masters of formative assessment. You can find formative assessments on the Science Wiki.
Go to http://scnces.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/2004+SCOS+Resources+K-8 and down load the DPI Curriculum Units for
your grade level. Although written for the 2004-2005 Standard Course of Study, many of these units are “spot-on” with
regards to what we need to do to excite students about learning through science.
Help teachers become better grounded in content and how to teach content by making time..and funds…available for
teachers to take advantage of professional development opportunities listed on MyPD, or offered by area universities.
Integrate science with other subjects, especially mathematics and language arts!
The Common Core State Standards
encourage teachers to use science content to address the reading and writing standards.
Join the listserve for elementary science! There are over 1050 teachers on the science listserves.
We have listserves for
K/2, 2/3, and 4/5. Here is the link to sign-up for the listserve … This listserve is open to any educator.
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartments/ci/mathandscience/Pages/Listserv.aspx
Kits for science are recognized Best Practices to engage students in the learning process, excite students about learning,
and increase student achievement on standardized tests. To supplement the McGraw-Hill kits, new kits have been
designed to help teachers provide hands-on experiences in science for their students.
Leadership is the #1 key ingredient for success of elementary science and its impact on student learning.
Principal
leadership, yes …. but also teacher leadership. To assist in this important area C&I sponsors an Elementary Science
Leadership Corps. For more information on this program, contact w.fisher@cms.k12.nc.us.
Make time for science!
Most schools have scheduled three sessions of science each week, but many are not really
following through with actually doing science. Make science an integral part of the daily routine by helping teachers and
students make connections between science and other subjects. Even recess is all about science if you think about force
and motion!
Wayne Fisher, Elementary Science Specialist, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools
w.fisher@cms.k12.nc.us
ABCs of Elementary Science in CMS!
Nominate outstanding teachers for local, state and national awards!
Besides the CMS Teacher of the Year contest, there
are numerous other awards available for elementary teachers. These include the Phil Mickelson Exxon/Mobile
Teachers Academy, the Arts and Science Council’s CATO Excellence in Teaching Award, the Burroughs Welcome
Fund Career Teaching Award, and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. Our teachers can
be…and have been….very competitive in these contests when nominated!
Organize a science fair, science family night or similar event for your school. Another outstanding program is Camp
Invention. CMS had 30 elementary schools participate in the summer 2014 program. Teachers receive professional
development and all materials for the course….and a nice stipend! Information on the program can be found at
http://www.invent.org/camp/default.aspx.
Professional Development is at the heart of teacher growth.
Whether it’s a MyPD course offering, the SITE Science
classes at UNCC, or attending the K-12 Science Conference at UNCC in Jan 2015, teachers need quality and sustained
professional development courses to change the way they teach and impact student learning.
Quality teachers make the difference!
An excellent way to practice and promote quality teaching is to challenge your
teachers to pursue National Boards. This program offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards can
help any teacher improve. The CMS NBCT Support Team has more details.
Many elementary teachers excel at building relationships with their students. It’s
equally important for student success in science that teachers relate the science to students’ lives and keep a focus on
rigor.
Rigor, Relevance and Relationships!
If you do only one thing to improve students’ achievement in science, math, and language arts,
require all students to use science notebooks in their classes. Here’s a good place to learn about science
notebooks….http://www.sciencenotebooks.org/.
Science Notebooks.
Trust classroom teachers to use their professional judgment to organize and deliver science instruction in ways that make
sense for their students. This may mean spending more time on one topic and less on other topics, depending on the needs
of their students.
Understand that the Science Resource Guide is simply that…. a guide!
Teachers know their students best and which
activities work best to excite students about learning. Pacing in the guides is suggested but not mandatory.
Visit teachers’ classrooms while students are engaged in inquiry learning.
What you should observe are students asking
questions, gathering data, taking measurements, recording results, and exploring their understanding of the science being
investigated.
-- This is the place to go for specific resources to help plan an effective elementary science program. Here’s the
link … http://elementaryscience.cmswiki.wikispaces.net Encourage colleagues to join and contribute! 1576 members
and counting!
Wiki?
eXpect science to be confusing to many elementary teachers. The number one request from elementary teachers is for
professional development to help gain an understanding of the content, and how to teach that content. That’s the focus of
the SITE Science courses at UNCC and the Summer Teacher Conference at the end of the school year.
You can have any of your questions, comments or concerns about elementary science education answered or addressed
by emailing Wayne Fisher at w.fisher@cms.k12.nc.us.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
What science is NOT about!
Wayne Fisher, Elementary Science Specialist, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools
w.fisher@cms.k12.nc.us