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Fun to start with

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Awesome Lesson Ideas to Integrate Science Across the Curriculum | TeachHUB

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Awesome Lesson Ideas to Integrate Science Across the Curriculum | TeachHUB

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"On Wednesday in science class, Mr. Newton says, 'You know if you listen closely enough, you can hear the poetry of I listen closely. On Thursday, I start hearing the poetry. In fact, I start hearing everything as a science poem. science in everything.'
Mr. Newton has zapped me with a curse of SCIENCE VERSE!"
~ The Science Verse by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith

It's easy to feel as if there aren't enough hours in the school day to properly address all the curriculum expectations that we must teach our students. The challenging part is addressing curriculum expectations in a meaningful way where students are engaged and motivated throughout the lesson.

One of the most powerful strategies that we have ever learned as teachers is taking a cross-curricular approach in planning lessons and units for the school year, as we are able to incorporate curriculum expectations from various subject areas to create an engaging activity.

By developing cross-curricular activities that are both fun and motivating, teachers can easily integrate science into different subject areas-it only requires a bit of planning and creativity!

We all know that Science and Math are easy to teach together, but did you know that Science can be creatively woven into other subject areas? Science can be integrated into English Language Arts, The Arts, Health & Physical Education and Social Studies to create engaging lessons and activities that your students will just love!

Here are some easy ways to integrate science across the curriculum.

Teaching Science with English / Language Arts

Science can be integrated into English Language Arts in order to touch upon curriculum expectations for reading, writing, oral communication, and media literacy.

Science poems!

Teachers can begin by sharing science poems with their students. There are so many excellent resources available.

Some great examples are:

Your students can then have their own Poet's Corner by writing various poems (e.g. haiku, tanka, free verse, sonnet) to reflect science concepts and then sharing them with the class!

Science Video Writing Activities

An excellent short movie to share with your class is The Story of Bottled Water. This lesson is a great way to incorporate media literacy into your science lessons (and vice versa!) and promote a healthy discussion with your students regarding the environmental implications of their daily actions. The Story of the Waterbottle Worksheet

Students can also watch the movie Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest (1992), which discusses how the rainforest is being destroyed and various animals and characters are losing their homes and natural habitat.

Students can write letters, journals, narratives, poems, or newspaper articles as one of the movie characters.

Organizing Science Info

Give your students a particular topic and have them use Venn Diagrams, T-Charts or other graphic organizers to compare and contrast the main ideas. This activity can then be extended if students prepare a written response, deliver a speech or participate in a classroom debate.

In the past, our students have taken part in a classroom debate where they act as characters determining whether a deposit should be mined in a fictional town. It is lots of fun and students really take their roles seriously!

Teaching Science & the Arts

By incorporating Science and the Arts together, students will be immersed in activities that allow them to experience and then express the natural world around them.

Teach the Elements with Mixed Media

Try to provide students with media related to the science unit they are studying.

For example, students learning about the water cycle can:

produce water color paintings,

use clay to discuss the earth's crust and the effect temperature and pressure have on materials, or

or sitting outside using oil pastels to depict the changes in the fall foliage.

Upcycle Art Projects

Have students bring in a variety of items from home that would have either been recycled or tossed in the trash and use these items in their artwork. Students can upcycle these items into interesting works of art.

Examples include:

painting jars,

using scraps of fabric to make braided bracelets, or

creating interesting 3-D/mixed media paintings.

The possibilities are endless and students will be able to express their creativity while learning about recycling, reusing, upcycling, and sustainability.

Demonstrate Science Concepts through Movement

Have students get up and out of their seats to move around! Not only will students be incorporating science concepts throughout their drama activities, but being able to get up to stretch and move around will help students release a bit of energy and help them refocus on the task at hand.

Students can act out changes of state by starting off as a frozen piece of ice, melting into a pool of water, and then evaporating into vapor. The same concept can be used to learn about the water cycle, particles, and the four layers of the Earth.

Science, Health & Physical Education

Students can take part in fun and lively physical education lessons that incorporate science concepts in a unique way.

Biology & Nature Walks

When learning about habitats, environmental awareness, ecosystems, or the diversity of life, have students go out on a hike in your area or to a nearby conservation area. Be on the lookout for various environmental programs offered by your state or province that would provide students with a science lesson while participating in physical activities; for example, students can plant trees, visit local parks to remove litter, or measure and inventory trees.
Science & Fitness Circuit Cards
Phys Ed Physics

What better way to learn about physics than to get students physically moving? In this invigorating activity, students can measure the amount of time it takes them to walk, jog, or sprint a particular distance and then calculate their speed and average speed. Students can alter the variables to determine what affects the speed of their performance.

Science Fitness Circuits

Set up various cardio, strength-training, and stretching circuits during your Phys Ed classes where students learn about the human body while visiting each station. During the fitness circuit, students could learn about the aorta while doing jumping jacks, triceps while completing push-ups, and Achilles tendons as they perform front leg raises.

Teaching Science with Social Studies

History and science fit together seamlessly. Scientific innovation has been a driving force in societal change.

To put it in perspective for students, have them consider what life would be like without the internet, phones or electricity. Or what it would be like to look up at the stars and not know what they are.

If you're teaching an historical time period, you can focus on scientific discoveries and technological advances during that time. Have students create a presentation that highlights one or more scientific innovations and how they effected society (both then and now).

To tie in current events, you can track the activities of the Mars Rover and its historic missing taking place right now. Check out video of Curiosity's landing on our neighboring planet.

Creating Activities Across ALL Subjects

The last cross-curricular suggestion can actually incorporate several subjects into one engaging lesson where students work together to develop commercials or public service announcements.
Share your lesson ideas for teaching science across the curriculum in the comments section!
This fun and motivating activity will allow teachers to cover expectations in reading, writing, oral communication, the arts (both visual arts and drama), media literacy, science, and, depending on the topic, even health & physical education.

Pollution PSAs

For example, students can create a public service announcement in small groups on the topic of pollution. As a cross-curricular activity, students would be gathering information, writing a script, acting out their roles, designing props and backgrounds, understanding the role of media, and delivering a powerful science and health message. Students can then present their public service announcements to other classes within the school to spread their message.

As a way to help you get started, we have included two resources for you to use with your students: first, the "Ban the Bottle" worksheet to be used when viewing "The Story of Bottled Water" and, second, three samples fitness activities to integrate the human body study with physical fitness. Good luck and start planning!

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Awesome Lesson Ideas to Integrate Science Across the Curriculum

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"On Wednesday in science class, Mr. Newton says, 'You know if you listen closely enough, you can hear the poetry of I listen closely. On Thursday, I start hearing the poetry. In fact, I start hearing everything as a science poem. science in everything.' Mr. Newton has zapped me with a curse of SCIENCE VERSE!"

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4th grade Scientific Method Family Night

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4th grade Scientific Method Family Night

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Just get messy and make mistakes

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How to Think Like a Scientist for Kids - GoPhineas.com

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How to Think Like a Scientist for Kids - GoPhineas.com

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By David L. Kaufman

Science is largely a frame of mind, a way of looking at the world. Sure there are facts and figures. There are observations to make. There are experiments to conduct. But whether you are studying eagle feathers or worm poop, you'll be using the same basic approach. This approach is called the scientific method. The scientific method is simply a logical way of discovering things about the world.

The good news is that there is nothing especially complicated about the scientific method. You don't even have to be a scientist to use it. If fact, you probably use parts of it already without realizing it.

The articles in the following pages will walk you through the scientific method step by step. Like any good guide on how to think like a scientist for kids, these articles cover the important principles in scientific thought, but along the way you'll encounter kittens, chocolate chip cookies, space zombies, dogs that bark at midnight, astronauts, and more.

So why don't you get started? You'll find the articles listed to the right.

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How to Think Like a Scientist for Kids - GoPhineas.com

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By David L. Kaufman Science is largely a frame of mind, a way of looking at the world. Sure there are facts and figures. There are observations to make. There are experiments to conduct. But whether you are studying eagle feathers or worm poop, you'll be using the same basic approach.

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In the Highly Scientific Notebooks of Phineas L. MacGuire, Frances O'Roark Dowell gives us 'Mac,' a curious young scientist who Kirkus Reviews calls " one of the most charmingly engaging new characters in the modern chapter-book scene."

There have been four books in the Phineas L. MacGuire series. They are available individually, as well as in a boxed set, from your retailer of choice.

Here's what you need to know about Phineas L. MacGuire, boy-scientist extraordinaire, aka Mac:

1. He's allergic to purple, telephone calls, and girls, and can prove it.

2. He's probably the world's expert on mold, including which has the highest stink potential.

3. He does not have a best friend. He does, however, have an un-best friend, who he does not - repeat, not - want to upgrade to best friend status.

Here's what reviewers are saying about the Highly Scientific Notebooks of Phineas L. MacGuire:

"[P]roves that kids can be smart and funny." - "Publishers Weekly"

"Mac [is] one of the most charmingly engaging new characters in the modern chapter-book scene." - "Kirkus Reviews"

"Full of amusing faux-scientific observations as well as actual scientific facts, this lighthearted...book should appeal to any young reader who can stand a little mold." - "Booklist"

"This is a funny, easy read that will entertain both average and reluctant readers. The characters are thoughtful, genuine kids who are creative in their problem solving and truly understand the meaning of friendship." - "School Library Journal"

Awards and Nominations for Books in the Series
California Young Reader Medal Nominee
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Master List (VT)
Georgia Children's Book Award Nominee
Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee (AZ)
Land of Enchantment Children's Master List (NM)
Maud Hart Lovelace Award Master List (MN)
Nevada Young Reader's Award Nominee
NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award Nominee
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award Master List (FL)
Virginia Readers' Choice Award Master List
William Allen White Children's Book Award Master List (KS)
Bank Street Best Books of the Year
Eleanor Cameron Golden Duck Award

Here's how Phineas L. MacGuire was introduced to a ton of new readers in 2014:

In 2014, General Mills asked Frances to write a fourth installment in her popular Phineas L. MacGuire series so the company could include it in boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios cereal as part of its Spoonful of Stories campaign. The result was Phineas L. MacGuire... Gets Cooking, a book that was released in three parts by including small paperback books in boxes of cereal. So in this way millions of kids across the country were introduced to Phineas over breakfast. Frances's publisher also released the book in the regular way so that readers who missed an installment or who don't like cereal.

Here's what young scientists should know about Mac:

He has his own website. GoPhineas.com is full of scientific information and news for your scientists who want to Be Like Mac!

Phineas L. MacGuire... Erupts!

In Phineas L. MacGuire... Erupts!, Phineas Listerman MacGuire (a.k.a. Mac) does not have a best friend. He does, however, have an un-best friend. And he does NOT, under any circumstances, wish for this un-best friend to become his friend. But the teacher does not know this, and has paired them together as science fair project partners. Worse, this un-best friend wants the project to be on dinosaurs, which is so third grade. But is Phineas going to convince this un-best friend to do the project on mold instead when he doesn't even want to talk to that person?

Phineas L. MacGuire... Gets Slimed!

In Phineas L. MacGuire... Gets Slimed!, Mac's goal for the school year is to be the best fourth grade scientist ever. It's a tall order, but he's confident that he can achieve his goal, especially since Aretha has asked him to help her earn a Girl Scout badge by creating the mold that produces penicillin. After all, who knows more about mold than Mac? And how many fourth graders can say that they've reproduced penicillin? But the school year gets a lot busier when he has to manage Ben's class president campaign and deal with his new babysitter, Sarah Fortemeyer, the Teenage Girl Space Alien from the Planet Pink. How is he supposed to focus on mold now?

Phineas L. MacGuire... Blasts Off!

In Phineas L. MacGuire... Blasts off!, Mac is less than up-to-date on planetary happenings. If he's going to be the best scientist in the fourth grade, Mac has to set his sights a little higher. Well, actually a lot higher: Outer Space. But, space camp is expensive and Mac's mom says he can go only if he earns the money himself. But, where is he going to find enough money for a week on Mars (or a pretty close simulation there of)?

Phineas L. MacGuire... Gets Cooking!

And in Phineas L. MacGuire... Gets Cooking!, Phineas L. MacGuire - scientist extraordinaire - has a new chore: cooking dinner every night. He may be a genius, but he knows nothing about following a recipe. A pinch? A dash? A smidge? This doesn't seem very scientific to him. But he'd better learn quickly if he and his friends are going to win the $10,000 Bake-Off prize. And to make matters worse, Evan Forbes, the school bully, has taken a liking to Phineas's brownies... too much of a liking. Cooking is kind of like chemistry. So maybe this whole recipe thing won't be too bad after all. But can Phineas keep his cool in the kitchen?

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Welcome to the online home of Phineas L. MacGuire!

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In the Highly Scientific Notebooks of Phineas L. MacGuire, Frances O'Roark Dowell gives us 'Mac,' a curious young scientist who Kirkus Reviews calls " one of the most charmingly engaging new characters in the modern chapter-book scene." There have been four books in the Phineas L. MacGuire series.

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Science Experiment Vs. Investigation - What's the Difference? | Learning Lab Resources | Bloglovin’

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Science Experiment Vs. Investigation - What's the Difference? | Learning Lab Resources | Bloglovin’

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science experiment vs. investigation - what's the difference?

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Science Experiment Vs. Investigation - What's the Difference? (Learning Lab Resources)

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When I was in middle school, I had an amazing 8th grade science teacher who made the class so engaging and fun. Although I can remember in detail many of the activities we did, one thing really stuck

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Science Process Skills Anchor Charts — The Science Penguin

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Science Process Skills Anchor Charts — The Science Penguin

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In order to effectively prepare students for STAAR, we need to know what the test is assessing. It's not as simple as saying that the test assesses the TEKS. When we understand the information that has been provided to us from TEA, we can more effectively prepare our students and actually make test prep simpler.

No matter how we feel about testing, the state and districts use STAAR data to determine the quality of instruction. Higher scores often lead to more classroom autonomy for teachers. My goal with this planning guide is to make test prep as simple as possible so you can focus on your students both as learners and people.

In preparation for STAAR 2018, I am offering a free resource, 5th Grade Science STAAR Toolbox. When you sign up, you will receive super helpful information and tools to help you prepare your students.

What will you receive?

2017 Released STAAR student analysis page and goal-setting page

my personal vocabulary list for readiness standards

SE Priority Table that I swear by

ideas for review organized by SE

Readiness Standards Table

resource recommendations

Sign up!
Subscribe to 2018 Science STAAR Toolbox below!

Thanks for signing up! I hope the content helps you remain cool, calm, and ready to ROCK the STAAR!

Ari's Top 5 Picks

What do I recommend for STAAR prep?

1. 5th Grade Science TEKS Planning Guide: Science STAAR is a free resource that includes information about how the test is structured, suggested activities and resources for each of the 12 Readiness SEs, and my personal recommendations.

2. I love Observation Stations throughout the school year, but if you haven't used them yet, they make an awesome test prep resource! They are available for 15 specific TEKS-aligned topics.

3. Vocabulary is a huge part of Science STAAR. I have lots of blog posts with fun vocabulary review ideas.

4. Closely aligned to the 5th Grade Science TEKS with STAAR in mind, I created the Science Test Prep Scenarios to help teachers maximize their instruction time and provide students with a high quality test prep resource.

5. This 5th Grade Science STAAR Bundle is packed full of test prep resources for 5th Grade Science STAAR! It's all aligned to the TEKS and ready for you to use! It includes 11 sets of task cards, 20 test prep lessons, over 75 pages of printables for student work, review stations activity menu, a STAAR study folder, and practice questions.

My best to you 🙂

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5th Grade Science STAAR for 2018 - The Science Penguin

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In order to effectively prepare students for STAAR, we need to know what the test is assessing. It's not as simple as saying that the test assesses the TEKS. When we understand the information that has been provided to us from TEA, we can more effectively prepare our students and actually make test prep simpler.

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9 YouTube Channels to Help You Teach Science - Tales from Outside the Classroom

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9 YouTube Channels to Help You Teach Science - Tales from Outside the Classroom

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I'm always looking for new videos to show my kids, especially when it comes to the content areas where I feel like I don't have enough resources. We have an old science textbook, and we get FOSS kits, but there's so much more to show students for them to really understand science concepts. I'll be honest and say that my content areas get planned last, I don't have nearly enough time to teach them, and I always feel like they could be so much better if I knew of better ways to show students what they need to know. Science videos from these YouTube channels have been some of the best I've found during my strolls through the internet to help keep my science instruction engaging, relevant, and high quality! Click on each header below to head to that YouTube channel to see more science videos they have to offer.

Crash Course Kids offers engaging video lessons on various science content. They're playlists are super helpful because they're organized by science strand. The host is a relatable girl who gives a good mix of vocabulary words while relating topics to things kids can understand. Here's their video introduction on resources.

David Newman gives videos with songs & lyrics to teach educational standards. They're easy songs to learn, and he does each one is unique as compared to the others. I love using songs to teach concepts because the kids catch on and learn it before they even realize they do. Here is a song on simple machines that'll be easy to teach to students.

Idaho Public Television offers a series of videos in their D4K (Dialogue for Kids) Science Trek playlists. It features videos on science content like muscles, light, simple machines, and the Earth. The quality of the videos is a little older, so they won't always be the most engaging for students, but the quality of the content is top-notch! Here's a video on light and color to give you a glimpse into what they offer.

Make Me Genius gives educational videos on a wide range of science topics that are great for the primary classroom. The videos are geared towards little learners and are often slow paced enough to really give students a chance to absorb the content while also quick enough to keep them engaged. The characters do have an accent, but that could also be a great teaching point in your classroom if students aren't familiar with accents. This is a quick, helpful video on light reflection and refraction.

Fun Science Demos offers videos for many of the Next Generation Science Standards. They have videos for physical science (matter, force and motion, energy, sound, and light); earth and space science (weather, rocks, solar system, water); and life science (habitats, life cycles, the human body). Here's a video about sound and light traveling in waves.

SciShow Kids explains many science topics for kids. While the videos aren't exactly aligned to standards, their videos explore many topics the kids are interested in (paper snowflakes, oobleck). They do have a lot of science videos that can match your units too (rainbows or sound). Their partner channel, SciShow, also offers many different videos you might find useful for your classroom. Since they're not geared towards kids, preview each one for relevance and appropriateness before showing. Here's a video on making your own rainbow that would be a fun hands-on lesson for kids.

ASAP Science has many visually engaging videos explaining a diverse range of science content. The channel itself is not suitable for children. However, many of the videos are and they're such great quality that they're worth including here. They also explore many fun topics that'll get your kids interested in what they're learning. (Farts, anyone?). It's a fun channel to explore at home to look for videos that might fit with what you're studying. Here's a video on optical illusions to connect with your unit on vision, or the 5 senses, especially for intermediate students.
One of my favorite tv series when I was growing up was Mr. Wizard. The fact that I can even remember the name of the channel 25 so many years after I stopped watching it, is a testament to its awesomeness. Either that, or I was a big nerd back when I was in elementary school. Either way, these science videos are still relevant and give great explanations that can be brought into our everyday lessons. Here's a short video on how home thermostats work.

And no list of science channels is complete without Bill Nye the Science Guy! His channel does not feature full episodes but has shortened clips. (Tip: Just searching for topics on YouTube with his name will usually result in a full episode uploaded elsewhere)

Looking for more YouTube channels? Click the image below to see 6 YouTube Channels to Help you Teach Math!

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6 YouTube Channels to Help you Teach with Science Videos

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I'm always looking for new videos to show my kids, especially when it comes to the content areas where I feel like I don't have enough resources. We have an old science textbook, and we get FOSS kits, but there's so much more to show students for them to really understand science concepts.

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A Simple Introduction To The Scientific Method

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A Simple Introduction To The Scientific Method

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The Scientific Method may seem ominous and confusing, but really simply put, it's just a way of asking a question and then finding an answer to that question.

Scientists use the scientific method to learn and study the world around them. It's based on asking questions and trying to come up with logical answers through experimenting. Scientists start by making observations so they form a hypothesis (a big word that just means a good guess!). They experiment to test whether or not their hypothesis is right. They often keep experimenting over an over again to test and prove their answers.

There are tons of cool science experiments for kids out there, but the key to teaching science is helping them to think and solve like a scientist so they can understand WHY they got their results. Taking them through the scientific method will help them start thinking like scientists!

To introduce kids to it for the first time, you'll definitely want something hands on, with clear results, and of course - fun. I think it's also important that you give them something they can do themselves (not just a demonstration) for a first-time run through. Here's an Experiment Write-Up sheet for them to record their steps on that utilizes the scientific method.

And here's an outline for older kids to use as they are working on more formal lab write-ups. I have them type their first one, then save an empty version of it to use in future labs. They leave the heading and bold words, then save it as their template. Click right here or on the picture to get the printable outline.

Experiment One

Try this:
1. Ask what will happen if you drop an egg from 6 feet above the ground. Kids can record the question and then also record their hypothesis (their prediction of what will happen). Any known information can be written down before the actual experiment is conducted.
2. Now let them give it a try! Measure 6 feet off the ground. Have a kid hold an egg up from that height and drop it. {GASP! I know it makes a mess, but the poignancy of that moment is worth a bit of clean up, don't you think? Besides, I didn't say to drop it over carpet.} Have the kids record their observations and write a conclusion.

That's your basic method, but let's not stop there. Why not go for another egg question?

Experiment Two

1. Can you spin an egg like a top? Kids will record the question, the hypothesis, and their materials, along with their plan for the experiment.
2. Now give it a try. Let everyone have a egg and give it a go. {This time have some eggs raw and some eggs hard boiled, but don't reveal this.} Some will spin and others will not. Ask, "Why do some eggs act differently than others? Do you think some of the eggs will break differently too then?
3. Drop one egg that spins and one egg that doesn't. After dropping the eggs, no doubt kids will see the difference.

You may want to go back to their original scientific method experiment sheet and have them modify their results. Real scientists are always doing that. A scientific question is rarely completely and definitively answered. Instead, scientists accept the best answer until a better one comes along...and with each new answer our knowledge and understanding about our world grows.

More Experiments

Once they understand the scientific method they can use it on all their experiments.

Here are a few more experiments to try:

More From Layers of Learning

All of our units come with a complete science topic to explore. Read our curriculum guide to learn more about Layers of Learning, our family-style hands-on homeschool curriculum. And if you need more science ideas to make your homeschool day fantastc, just go here:

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A Simple Introduction To The Scientific Method

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The Scientific Method may seem ominous and confusing, but really simply put, it's just a way of asking a question and then finding an answer to that question. Scientists use the scientific method to learn and study the world around them. It's based on asking questions and trying to come up with logical answers through experimenting.

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This is a basic lab where students observe an alka seltzer tablet as it dissolves. They take data on how quickly it dissolves in hot, cold, salt, and viegar water. This lab is often used with classes during the chapter on the scientific method.