Some elementary schools on a “year-round” or “modified calendar” are about to begin a new school year on Monday, and many others begin in September. Children from my “fours” classes are among the new kindergarten students and I feel so protective of them even though I believe they are ready for the the work, the [...]
“Would you like to be a student in your classroom?” This month’s guest editorial says it all when it comes to classroom management. A well-organized science lab with students that are engaged and enthusiastic—it doesn’t get any better than that! But it takes a lot of planning, effort, and reflection to make it so. The [...]
For the first time, I’ll be teaching two different subjects (biology and environmental science). Do you have any suggestions for how to organize my unit plans, lesson plans, and other resources? —Don, Cedar Rapids, Iowa I’m not an organized person by nature. So when I taught four different courses in two different labs, I had [...]
Read “Safety First” by Sarah Pounders and you can reassure your director and students’ parents that you are informed about how to avoid potential health hazards in eating food from a school garden. Did you guess that washing hands is one of the safety steps to take? Sarah writes, “Grow it, know it, try it [...]
One misconception about science is that discoveries or new ideas are “discovered” then agreed upon by scientists in a complete form. Talking to children about the process of scientific inquiry as they do an activity may help them appreciate the long, exploratory, route to being certain in science. Foster discussion by letting children know it [...]
Here’s a tip for simplifying the clean up of dry, fine materials. Put a smooth cloth down under the item, such as a Tenebrio beetle container or a tabletop sensory box. Use a cotton cloth that is larger than the container, perhaps a tablecloth—large enough so it covers the table or children can sit on [...]
It takes my students a long time to settle down. By the time I take attendance and collect or return assignments, a lot of valuable time is gone. I’ve heard of “bell-ringer” activities. How would I use them? Do they really work? Nick, Paterson, New Jersey Even good classroom management can break down at times [...]
I would like to curl up in a cave until this sore throat and runny nose goes away. And I would like to know exactly how to prevent the spread of cold viruses—me and every other early childhood teacher! Here are some resources on cold germs: A December 8, 2008, article from The Boston Globe by [...]
Two particularly inquisitive and bright former preK students (siblings) unexpectedly attended a workshop I gave for early childhood teachers about bringing local butterflies into the classroom for observation. Instead of distracting from the planned workshop, they added to it and made me look good! It was gratifying to have them model how to ask questions, [...]
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 [...]
