Resources for Teaching Science

This activity will allow students to produce a "marketable" product made from minerals in a product that many people use daily. Students will make their own toothpaste using the minerals, calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. Students get to test their product against the basic toothpaste that many people use. The activity and lesson familiarize students will the natural compounds that are used to make many everyday things. Students will see that the combination of these two minerals makes something profitable. Students can also compare the prices of toothpastes to integrate math and to learn about the economy. The activity can be used when we are learning about minerals and natural resources, geoscience, or how communities use science.

This is the webpage for Mrs. Sharp's 4th Grade classroom at Friendsville Elementary School. This activity is similar to a field trip because the students get to leave the classroom and investigate, but they do not actually leave the school grounds. The students get to go outside and walk around their school to find signs of erosion. They will keep a notebook with them to record their findings. I chose this activity because it is a fun interactive way for students to learn. They get to get out of their seats and learn through a hands on activity. I would use this activity to wrap up the erosion unit and to show students that erosion is everywhere. We would end the activity by coming back into the classroom and discussing the findings.

Students will learn about weather by taking walks in various types conditions: sunny, rainy, windy and snowy. On nice days the students can walk around and explore outside of the school, and on the not so nice days the class can participate under an overhang or by simply looking out the window. This teaches students how to identify seasons and weather change over a lengthy time period. I chose this lesson because I know kindergarteners love nothing more than to get up and move around, and what better way to do that than to learn at the same time. I like how the activity can be spanned throughout the entire school year and would give the class a steady routine and plan to look forward to. I would put this weather activity into part of the morning meetings to start everyone's day off on a fun educational note that they can use every morning at home with their parents also.

This activity is a great introduction or addition to learning about the rock cycle. By using chocolate, you can show students the difference between weathered, heated, cooled, and compressed rock. The students can use bars of chocolate to create "sedimentary," "metamorphic," and "igneous" chocolate. This is a simple way to effectively show students the difference between the types of rock. The hands-on approach will aid in the students seeing firsthand what the differences look like. It aligns with NGSS focused on the rock formation and cycle, as well as, the geosphere.

How sweet is this activity? It's an introduction to the rock cycle using chocolate! Chocolate can be ground into small particles (weathered), heated, cooled, and compressed - just like rocks. Unlike rocks, chocolate can undergo these processes safely and at reasonable temperatures. Use your chocolate to create "sedimentary," "metamorphic," and "igneous" chocolate. I chose this lesson because it is a great way to get the class focused during a not so exciting topic, not to mention chocolate is my favorite thing on the entire world. I think the chocolate creations are perfect representations of the changing rock, and would allow students to understand the rock changing process easily by using visuals. I would introduce this lesson in an earth science unit as a good tool to show the three stages of rock, and to get the class hooked and ready to discuss the different phases. I would also enjoy making these three phases at home because I am sure there would be lots of left overs!

This topic, called Bright Ideas at the Magic House in St. Louis, involves students doing an investigation on electric items. The website says that the students will create their own working switches, games, and working with magnets. It also says that this activity fits in with the standard 4-PS3. I like the Magic House because it requires the students to make their own discoveries through hands on activities. I would also have my students bring a notebook to detail any discoveries that the students have made.

This app allows students to watch videos and then they are able to answer questions about the videos. I like that this app includes multiple subjects besides science, so it is more effective. I also like this app, because the students can watch the videos as much as and as long as they want so that they will be able to understand the material. I also like that the app allows the students to answer questions about the videos they watched.

Is there a specific video you would recommend for a particular science topic?

For this activity you would need a glove, 5 cotton balls, and 5 different types of plant seeds. Label the fingers of the gloves, wet the cotton ball but rid the excess water, place one seed and one cotton ball in the correctly labeled finger of the glove and watch the seeds grow. You can plant cotton ball and seed in garden once they sprout. I chose this because I think that kids really enjoy growing their own plants. I have worked with children and done this before and they love to check on them daily and then be able to take home and grow. I also chose this because each individual child gets their own plants and individual participation for fairly inexpensive project. As we begin a lesson on plants, we would plant our own plants to watch them grown throughout the unit. We would also be able to journal about our plants and their changes over time.

This lesson involves watching plants grow from seeds. Students use a glove and place one seed in each of the fingers and thumb. A damp cotton ball is added to hydrate the seeds as they grow. Students can watch their seeds grow into seedlings and eventually transplant elsewhere to become full grown plants. I would add some things to this lesson (such as a daily or weekly journal to document the growth of the seeds). I chose this because during an observation I saw this lesson in action! The students (grade 1) loved it and were excited to see what their seeds were doing each day and excited to know that when the seedlings were big enough, they would be planting them outside their school. It's valuable to me because I think it's important for students to understand the plant cycle and to appreciate the act of growing things (not just trees or flowers, but we can grow our food too!) I would use this lesson with different books to get the students engaged; I would use journals to monitor and make predictions about our seedlings as well.

This is a game that requires students to identify simple machines around the house and compound machines in the shed. Once students select one of the objects, they are given two multiple choice questions about the use of the tool and then what type of simple machine is being used. Then the students are given a visual aid explaining the job of that simple or compound machine. I chose this interactive website because it gives students real life application as it shows everyday uses for simple machines. I would use this in the classroom during a lesson on simple machines so that the students would benefit more from connecting the simple machines to previous experiences.

Simple Machines is a science game for students in grades 2 - 6 to identify simple machines around the house, and simple machines that make up compound machines in the tool shed. This is a very interactive activity. I chose this because it is informative and interactive as well as a free resource. I love that there is a free teacher's guide available and the national standards are listed so that you can see where this activity falls in the standards. I think this would be a great tool to use throughout the chapter or lesson on simple and compound machines. This will help reinforce the concept.

This is a music video about the sun. It talks about the many characteristics of the sun, like how hot the sun is or how far away from us it is. I selected this video because it was very informative, it had an inviting art style, and the song was really catchy. I personally found the song to sound just like things kids listen to today like the "Everything is Awesome" song from the Lego Movie. I think this video is going to show up a lot in my future classroom. I think it will engage the students as well as spark some interests in Astronomy.

If you have a hard time getting your child to brush his teeth, it might be time to try the Egg in Soda Experiment and its companion, the Egg in Vinegar dental health experiment. In theory, a hard boiled egg's shell works similarly to the enamel on a child's tooth. I picked this activity because I worked in the dental field for two years and I want my students to know how important their teeth are! I think this activity really gives the students a visual to how harmful some things can be to our teeth. I would use this during dental health month, during a time when we are learning about healthy eating. It would be neat to see what happens if we left the eggs in the cup over a weekend!

StudyJams is a website sponsored by Scholastic that has a plethora of math and science (not to mention free) activities. Most topics have a video or slide show to present the information as well as a test so that the student (or teacher, if formatively assessing) can see how well they have retained the information. My cooperating teacher during my second block introduced me to StudyJams. The reason I selected this resource is because I have seen this site in action and it really does engage the students. I do not see this site being as frequently visited as it was in my cooperating teacher's classroom (which was about everyday). However, I think the short videos and review tests are great ways to grab the interests of my students.

Is there a particular science topic on StudyJams you would recommend?

This video helps students remember the three states of matter. I would use this in my class as an introduction to science each day. I like how it includes examples that the students readily encounter on a daily basis in the song. This is a great way to introduce students to a concept they have experience with, but are going to learn more about the specifics.

Students will use oreos to create the phases of the moon. Each student needs 4 oreos and a paper plate. After the students know the phases of the moon and the significance of waxing and waning we would create the phases using the oreos. After they create their phases they may consume their creations while creating a foldable that they will place in their science journals. I am not a huge fan of this resource, but it was one of the better ones I was able to find.

This collection is meant to be of the best resources we can find. If you don't love this one, please remove it from the collection. Also, please note that the moon phases are incorrectly represented in the oreo image included here.

This Dr. Seuss tale opens the eyes of the students to the world of recycling. After we read the book students will participate in a recycling relay. I chose this book because Dr. Seuss is a fun way to learn and the rhyming engages the students.

This link goes to a collection of Seuss ideas. Which are you meaning to reference here, and how would you use it? I don't see a recycling relay activity on the link.

This site was created by NASA's Planetary Science Division. Their hardworking robots explore the planets and more on the wild frontiers of our solar system. NASA keeps their websites up to date and are user friendly. I would utilize this website in conjunction with a lesson on the solar system. I would pair students up and the group would use the website to explore their planet and then they would create a travel brochure using publisher. Incorporating technology into the classroom is important and this allows me to do that.

I think I would take three days to go through the scientific method from testable question to conclusion with my students and in the process we would do the experiment. Testable Question: Do Skittles dissolve faster in warm water or cool water?On the first day, I would introduce the question, hypothesis, plan, variables, and materials. Then on day two we would perform the experiment the students created while recording our findings in our science journals. On the third day we would improve our experiment and address any inaccuracies that developed. I like this resource because it gives clear directions and it is an affordable experiment to introduce students to a difficult process. The ability to make it hands-on makes it more memorable.

This is a great environmental field trip! I would use this in conjunction with a unit on the environmental impact and/or the various plants/animals present in our local communities. This is a beautiful nature preserve. I chose this resource because I have spent time on this preserve and it is remarkable. You feel like you are in your own little world and there is so many possibilities to explore. Students could be partnered up and sent on a photo scavenger hunt. They would journal their findings and upon returning to school we would discuss the many things they encountered.

This project allows students a concrete example to include in their science journals. I like how the students place stickers on the examples to show the molecules. We would do this as a class, while exploring the dynamics of the three states of matter.

This resources lists instructions on how to make Ice Cream in a bag. I think this is a great way to reward students for all the hard work they do while not completely letting them rest their brains (like they would if they were watching a video). Another thing I like about this lesson is that it could be performed with students at various ages. I could definitely see my future classroom participating in this activity after a lesson on reactions. I would also plan to use this activity on a partial day to keep the learning going instead of an activity like watching a movie. This is also a great way to incorporate an educational activity into a party.

Off the Rail is an exciting app that let's kids build and enjoy their very own roller coasters in a virtual environment. The fun is in the on the fly building while they are riding the coaster. With varying difficulty levels and extras to add lots of interest to each coaster, this app is one that will have little creative minds going for hours. I like this app because it will get my students creative minds thinking! It really encourages the students to use STEM! This app could be used when students finish their work early or it could even be used as a center.

This application allows for students to build their own roller coaster in a virtual reality. I really like the idea of students creating and constructing things. This application lets students create whatever their mind wants to. I believe that creativity is an easy way for students to become engaged in a lesson or activity. I would personally use this app to supplement a lesson focusing on force.