Science Notebooks can be useful tools, even with young students who are just learning to read and write. See how kindergarten teacher Kathryn Kaatz incorporated science writing and drawing as she took her students on “A Walk in the ‘Tall, Tall Grass’” after being inspired by Denise Fleming’s book entitled, In the Tall, Tall Grass (1991).
In his book Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms, author Michael P. Klentschy offers gives useful suggestions for sentence starters and writing prompts that can be used with young children.
What are your best ideas for incorporating science writing and drawing with your young observers?
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2 Comments
I am a pre-k teacher for 2-5 year olds. This past year I introduced journals to one of my classes. They went over really well once the students got into the habit of writing/drawing in them they would use them all the time. I made it a point not to dictate to them when and what to put in their journals, although I let them know they could come to me for ideas if they needed help. They draw pictures in them, practice writing their names and/or words they found around the room. I had a fewwho liked to draw pictures of the plants and grass we had growing on the science table. The kids really seemed to enjoy the idea of having something that was just theirs. During group time they could share something from their journal with classmates.
What kind of notebook or paper do you use for the journals? A few children really like the small (4″ x 6″) clipboards that are in the “Tree House” Room at one of the preschools where I teach. I’m wondering if children would like to write/draw in small flip-open note pads as journals, such as steno pads (do they still call them that?). What do you suggest? Peggy