Tried it Tuesday...All things Science

Happy Tuesday friends!

It's time again for Tried it Tuesday with my sweet friend

Holly from Fourth Grade Flipper.

This is long...I'm sorry!

Here in Florida...we are beginnin' to talk about "the test"

that should not be named...

FCAT.

3rd grade takes Reading and Math in April.

4th grade does Writing in February. Reading and Math in April.

5th grade takes Reading, Math, and Science in April.

As many of you know, I'm a loopin' teacher.

I had my lil' rockstars in fourth grade last year.

One of the major benefits of this is...

I know what they learned last year.

I know which areas I need to hit hard with them

and what concepts they instantly grasped 

and need just a little bit of review on.

Since Science is such a big deal in 5th grade,

I try to incorporate as many resources as possible to 

reinforce the different standards we are coverin'

and integrate this in my Literacy block...

not just the textbook.  

Here are some of the things I've tried:

#1: Science Saurus: A Student Handbook

These were purchased by my district to go with our 

Science series, Science Fusion. 

When plannin'...I will pull out the Science Saurus

and pair it with the text and vocabulary from our Science textbook.

I like that Science Saurus has the book pieced 

together by different categories.

Doing Science, Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science, 

Natural Resources and the Environment, Science, Technology,

and Society, Almanac, Famous Scientists and Inventors.

#2: Bill Nye Videos

Many years ago, a 5th grade teacher

ordered Bill Nye videos to match our standards.

She pulled out the questions that go with the videos 

and designed a Science video notebook.

For nine weeks, the 5th graders watch

three videos a week and take notes while tryin' to answer

a few questions that go with the video.

On Fridays, they take a Science video test

with the same questions from their note-takin'.

This week our videos are 

1. Earthquakes, 2. Erosion, 3. Rivers and Streams.

To help my students organize their notes,

I have them color code the titles on their papers

with the same color for one week.

This helps them visually know which video notes to study.

Week one: red

Week two: orange

Week three: green

etc.

After the video I put up my color-coded notes on the board to see if they 

wrote down the important points.  

They copy my notes into their binder.

If a student misses a video, I search my friend YouTube

and link the video to our Edmodo Science library folder

for them to watch at home.

#3: Study Jams

Study Jams is somethin' else I use...a lot.

They have just about every topic in Science.

This summer I found a list of StudyJams videos

on TpT for Science and Math.

I printed this list and paired the titles with the units in 

our Science textbook.

#4: Symbaloo Science boards

 I have a classroom website geared towards upper elementary.

I have added over a thousand links to my site 

in the past few years.

In Science, I had over 250+ links.

They were a little overwhelmin'.

I condensed them to several Symabloo boards to make

it easier for the kids to search for the site they want to use.

Class website

Example of the Solar System Symbaloo board

#5: Science Leveled Readers & Digital Lessons
We use Houghton Mifflin Harcourt-Science Fusion
We are fortunate to have a digital version of our textbook with
virtual labs, lessons, and leveled readers.
The students are able to access this at home and school.
We also have a consumable textbook and leveled readers
that match each unit. We do complete a lot of
graphic organizers and extension activities to go with the leveled readers.

I really like the virtual labs because sometimes we might not
have all of the materials for an experiment in the class.
Students are able to self-quiz themselves also...
which in an added bonus.
It took me well over a year after our Science adoption to
realize the potential of some of the resources included
and which ones were just fluff.
There is NO possible way to be able to utilize every resource.
We'd be here on the weekends too if so.
Science links to accompany units in 4th Grade Science Fusion &
5th Grade Science Fusion.

#6: Science Vocabulary Word Wall Words and Definition Cards
We use these for word wall words and Science games.

#7: Science passages from ReadWorks

If you are a K-8 teacher and don't already know about 

the benefits of ReadWorks, 

be sure to check out their website.

Good stuff!

Recently I received an email about STEM passages.

Of course I can't locate it now.

The sample below shows one student's color coded answers

 and highlightin' of where she

found her evidence in the passage.

She came up with his method on her own!

#8: FCAT Explorer Science

This program is designed for Florida students in the areas of 

Reading, Math, & Science.

This is presented to us to use by the Florida Department of Education.

If you teach in Florida in upper elementary and middle schools,

but don't have this program...ask your Media 

or Technology Specialist.   

I'm sure after I post this I will think of a million other things I have
tried recently in Science.