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October 2022 Editor's Pick

Create a sure-to-impress flashing birthday card or design a light-up holiday card-all with paper circuits! In this activity, students are guided through the process to create simple paper circuitry using only copper tape, a coin cell battery, a light-emitting diode (LED) ...

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Ignite STEM learning in K-12 - TeachEngineering

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October 2022 Editor's Pick Create a sure-to-impress flashing birthday card or design a light-up holiday card-all with paper circuits! In this activity, students are guided through the process to create simple paper circuitry using only copper tape, a coin cell battery, a light-emitting diode (LED) ...

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Aug 22, 2017

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(Russ Gossett for MindShift)

Many elementary school teachers love to teach reading and writing, but are less comfortable with science and math. It’s not a hard and fast truth, of course, but learning to read is a big focus of the early school years, so it makes sense that teachers who gravitate toward elementary school like teaching literacy. But it’s also important to expose kids to science early and get them excited about the practices that define scientific inquiry. And literature may be the perfect starting point. Stories are full of tension, conflict and dilemmas that make wonderful departure points for engineering projects that weave subjects together.

Researchers at Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach partnered with teachers to design a program they call Novel Engineering, which plays on the literary strengths of elementary school teachers to help them explore hands-on science-oriented activities in their classrooms. Teachers pick a book with tension in it to read, but stop halfway to ask students to generate a list of problems the character is facing. Then students split off into pairs to design, prototype, test and iterate on solutions to their chosen problem.

Martin Daignault’s fourth-grade class at Winthrop School in Massachusetts tried Novel Engineering in one of the first weeks of class with Kate DiCamillo’s book, The Tiger Rising. The story revolves around a boy who finds a caged tiger in the woods near his house. When the class stopped to identify problems, one boy noted that he wanted to give the tiger more freedom, but he also realized that if the tiger were free it would not only endanger the community, but that very freedom would also put the tiger at risk. During the design and engineering time, he built a leash system for the tiger.

Students test mouth parts they designed for creatures adapted to the salt marsh wetland near their town. The activity was based on the book "What If You Had Animal Teeth?" (Courtesy Martin Daignault)

Later, when the class finished the story, it turned out this student had correctly predicted what would happen to the tiger a hundred pages before it did. “I think he felt tremendous pride,” Daignault said of the student, who happened to have difficulty reading. All Daignault knew about the student at this point in the year was that he had an Individual Education Program (IEP) and struggled with reading, but after this activity he saw what a deep thinker the kid was, too. That helped set them on a positive course for the rest of the year.

Brainstorming a list of problems in the book helped all students to read the text more deeply and got them excited to try to solve the issues they generated themselves. “Every person in the room had different takes on the big important parts of a story,” Daignault said, and the activity set a tone of exploration, deep reading and hands-on play for the rest of the year.

“We all agreed it was time well spent,” Daignault said of the team of fourth-grade teachers who have been working together to use Novel Engineering to deepen and extend their experience with practices in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). There’s no extra time in the school year, so the week that Alicia Thomas, Gretchen Marinopoulos, Katie Norris, Robbyn Wile and Daignault spent with their classes reading, discussing, brainstorming, designing, problem-solving, testing and designing again was precious.

Designing a program that wouldn’t be an add-on to what teachers are already doing, but that would offer opportunities for them to experiment with interdisciplinary learning, was a goal for the Tufts staff designing Novel Engineering. Originally intended for third through fifth grade, staff now work with K-8 teachers and don’t see why it can’t work with high school as well.

“We really wanted to make sure it was flexible and it was based on books teachers were already using in the classroom,” said Elissa Milto, the program manager and a former classroom teacher. She understands teachers aren’t looking for a whole new curriculum, but that they do appreciate ideas that can be flexibly used within their existing standards.

Students in Daignault's class designed multiple versions of their adapted mouths before testing them out in the wild. (Courtesy Martin Daignault)

“It’s really focused on the students’ ideas rather than the teacher coming up with the problem they’re going to solve,” Milto said. This part is crucial because it not only requires students to read and understand the book deeply, but it builds their interest and motivation for the project. Teachers also encourage students to look to the text to guide their design choices so that they make something the specific characters would use.

In Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, for example, Peter’s younger brother, Fudge, is always annoying him. At one point the 3-year-old messes with Peter’s turtle, but their Mom says Peter can’t lock the door to his room. Students might see keeping the turtle safe from Fudge as the problem, but they have to develop a system to do so without keeping the little boy out. In one class Milto observed, the students designed a pulley system that could raise and lower the turtle out of Fudge’s reach.

Novel Engineering is meant to be accessible to any classroom, regardless of materials, so often students are only building prototypes of their solutions, not life-size pulleys. However, Milto stresses that the solutions should be functional, not representational, and there should be a way to test if the prototype works. So, for example, does the cardboard and rope contraption hold the weight of a turtle?

“We don’t want it to be a craft project,” Milto said. The goal is to use literature as a way for teachers and students to get their feet wet with engineering cycles and concepts, as well as to offer authentic entry points to discussions of required science content. In one classroom Milto worked in, a group of students realized packing foam floated. That led to a whole class discussion of buoyancy and things that float or sink.

“The open-endedness is more scary to teachers than the engineering part,” Milto said.

She has observed that when teachers are less comfortable with a subject, they naturally tend to try to control the activities around it more. So when students pick the problem they work on and the materials they use -- and not every student is working on the same problem or using the same materials -- it can be a little scary at first.

“They really have to let themselves be open to their kids and the kids' ideas,” she said. “They don’t need to be responsible for everything.” Her team tries to help ease teachers into that mindset by having them do their own design challenge in professional development. When they experience the process they are often more open to leading it themselves.

PITFALLS TO WATCH OUT FOR

1. Kids are used to looking for a right answer

While kids often love the freedom of Novel Engineering when they get the hang of it, there’s also a learning curve. Milto recommends that teachers start with a picture book so that they can go through the process quickly once as a group. Often student designs aren’t very functional at first, so picking one problem to work on as a group gives the opportunity to model critiquing a first iteration, problem-solving through any issues, and easing students into an activity that may feel strange to them at first. It also gives teachers a chance to practice facilitation before setting students loose on their own projects.

2. A mid-design share out is very important

While it’s easy to focus on the final presentation, incorporating a chance for students to get feedback from peers on their designs is often the most important part of the experience. Sometimes kids commit to an idea early and have a hard time changing direction without a moment to hear and reflect on feedback. And often it’s this mid-design check-in that spurs the most authentic and creative problem-solving.

3. Choose the right book

Since the goal of the project is to integrate literary and scientific thinking, the books that work best have concrete problems. Science fiction or fantasy doesn’t work well because the solutions shouldn’t involve magic.

Daignault’s team used the Novel Engineering approach with an I Survived book on extreme weather to introduce the topic. One group was trying to find a solution for an uncle in the story who was caught in the storm, cut off from help. The group decided to design a bunker that could be quickly assembled when a storm came on quickly. They decided a tarp rolled over a ditch would do the trick. But when they tested how it would hold up in a tornado by blowing a fan over the top, the students realized the tarp wouldn’t hold its position. That’ when they designed stakes to secure it.

“They went through three or four different designs to find something that worked well,” Daignault said. Along the way they took notes on what worked, what needed changing and how they planned to redesign the bunker. They also drew diagrams that they used to guide their work. Daignault was impressed with how students stuck with the project even when they hit difficulties, and while the learning about weather didn’t go very deep in this project, it gave students prior knowledge for later learning.

“It really was better than something we might have come up with that would have been more contrived,” Daignault said. He’s already scheming up ways he might use the practice to integrate social studies, but also recognizes that it’s a first step for his team as they try to develop their science teaching.

Ultimately he’d like science to be all about kids thinking for themselves, making sense of topics, and he doesn’t think Novel Engineering goes deep enough. But, he said many people on his team weren’t comfortable with design principles or science concepts before starting the project, and afterward they are more prepared to dig deeper. He thinks a workshop model like the one his school uses for reading and writing might work. It’s something he and his team are exploring now.

One of the hardest parts for students is often working together. But helping them find ways to be collaborative, to compromise on ideas, and to learn from one another is also a valuable skill set and one that Daignault recognizes. But he and his colleagues are having a harder time documenting what progress looks like on those “process skills.” Milto suggested that one way to emphasize these skills is through reflection at the end. Students could write about the experience of working in a group, what was hard, what worked and what they might do differently next time.

One group of fourth-grade girls she worked with spent so much time planning their design that when they went to build it they didn’t have much time or many materials to use. She came back the following year and that same group of girls were able to have a clear conversation about where their process went wrong before. On their second try they set strict time limits on each stage of the project so they’d keep moving along.

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A Literacy-Based Strategy to Help Teachers Integrate Science Skills | KQED

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Teachers using Novel Engineering find that students read more deeply and incorporate engineering concepts more easily when they identify problems in the stories they’re reading.

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Engineering is Elementary | Developed by the Museum of Science, Boston

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EiE is an excellent inquiry-based STEM curriculum that teaches students thinking and reasoning skills needed for success. Built around the engineering design process, EiE teaches kids how to solve problems systematically . . . creating skills, optimism, and attitudes important for their futures. Life is not multiple choice.

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What is a Makerspace? Is it a Hackerspace or a Makerspace?

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A makerspace is a collaborative work space inside a school, library or public/private facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing. Maker Education

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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Curriculum - California Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI)

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Home page for the Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) Curriculum. Includes a program overview and links to downloadable curriculum files and training opportunities for teachers.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Traditional science lessons have often begun with teachers presenting students with science vocabulary words and asking them to write the words, find the definitions in a dictionary or the glossary of the textbook, match the words to definitions, or use the words in a sentence. In this model of instruction, words are often presented in isolation and students are tested on the words alone, without application to concepts.

Many of us were "taught" this way, so we remember how little these practices contributed to conceptual development. These traditional strategies stem from the assumption that students absorb the meanings of many science terms simply by writing the words and their definitions. To many English-speaking students science words seem like a new language, and to English language learners, these words are a new language.

The job of science education is to teach students how to use thematic patterns of science to communicate meanings, "talking science" to solve problems in writing or speaking about issues in which science is relevant. The goal of helping students learn to communicate about science is important, but we must also be aware of potentially harmful messages that can be unconsciously communicated to our students. As science educators, we not only teach science but we may communicate a "mystique of science" attitude, promoting the idea that science is authoritative, impersonal and humorless, lacking creativity or values. This communicates a view that scientists are "experts" or "them," rather than seeing ourselves as scientists.

Scientific writing and talk often project science as a description of the way the world works rather than as a human social activity that tries to make sense of the world. We instead should help our students learn that science is all around us, influenced by human uncertainties, judgments, values, and interests. It's important that we emphasize the human side of science. These well-established ideas about the nature of science have a lasting effect on students, so we need to be sensitive about the messages we communicate. Science is creative and science is tentative, which means that scientists recognize that we understand things based on current research. Just think how our understanding of the world has changed as a result of the invention of telescopes or microscopes!

Making sense of science

Science time in schools is often limited, and as a result teachers find it difficult to include science vocabulary instruction to help students make sense of text. In addition, teachers are often eager to teach content, and consequently provide only a brief introduction of science terms.

English language learners have the added burden of trying to learn science in a language they have not yet mastered. The increase of English language learners in schools has spawned research about elementary students and science vocabulary that focuses on ELL students and curriculum. Many teachers mistakenly believe that ELL students must first learn English before learning science and fail to understand cultural influences on learning.

Through hands-on inquiry instruction, all students can develop context-based content knowledge along with language development. Lee, Buxton, Lewis, & LeRoy identify inquiry-based science instruction as beneficial to students in the following ways: a) students participate in activities as they learn vocabulary, b) students work collaboratively and interact with others about science content, and c) hands-on activities offer students written, oral, graphic, and kinesthetic forms of expression. Coupled with science activities, intentional and explicit vocabulary instruction can benefit both English proficient and ELL children's vocabulary and literacy development as they learn science content. As students combine science experiences with discussions of words' uses and meanings, their vocabulary and content knowledge can grow.

In order for students to develop scientific literacy, they need to gain a knowledge of science content and practice scientific habits of mind. Knowing science vocabulary supports the development of these understandings. As Wellington and Osborne point out, "science teachers are (among other things) language teachers."

By using scientific terms and phrases during science activities, science educators can model scientific thinking and questioning, including the doubts and dilemmas that are part of making sense of the world. The more opportunities we provide for students to experience scientific endeavors, the more natural their scientific talk will develop. Teachers can maximize these opportunities by beginning with very young students.

Strategies for teaching science vocabulary

The suggestions in this article are designed to enhance science vocabulary development for English proficient students, students who depend on school to learn academic English, and English language learners. By using these strategies, teachers can begin to help all students engage in the language of science.

Time to talk

It is important to promote students' dialogue as they have instructional conversations. We need to provide students with opportunities to use their colloquial language and translate back and forth with scientific and technical terms. We can use this strategy, called interlanguage, to discuss the different explanations of the students' experiences in the classroom. For example:

Student: "We put this smooth powder in the bag along with the crunchy powder and the bag blew up and got hot."

Teacher: "We mixed baking soda and calcium chloride with water resulting in a gas, and heat was released."

Scientist: "The combination of baking soda and calcium chloride is an exothermic reaction with the products of sodium choloride, calcium carbonate, and carbon dioxide."

Giving instructions

We can support students' information processing by supplementing auditory information with visual clues. When we can provide students with multi-sensory experiences observing and communicating, it helps all students, especially emerging readers and English language learners. Instructions should be given using a variety of visual or aural support materials:

drawings, diagrams, and pictures to support the spoken word

written instructions on word cards or SmartBoard along with verbal instructions

set-up examples to supplement written lab instructions

audiotaped instructions alongside written directions

pictures with words in stages of lab procedures that students can sequence

Reading science text cards

Text cards help students interact with words and their meanings. Teachers can create science text cards by writing statements about science concepts on index cards. Working individually or in small groups, students discuss the statements before sorting. A number of different formats can be used:

True/false cards. These cards include statements drawn from the text. Students sort the cards into true and false piles. For example, when teaching a unit on plants, use statements such as: "Plants use light from the sun in the process of photosynthesis" (true), and "Plants must depend on animals for food" (false).

Agree/disagree cards. This format works well for more value-laden or controversial topics. One statement (including appropriate vocabulary) is written on each card. Students sort the cards into three categories: "agree," "disagree," or "not sure."

Matching pairs. Students are given a stack of cards and asked to match a term with its associated function, symbol, scientific name, etc. For example, a stack might include cards with the names of body parts and other cards that name the body parts' functions. Students match each part to its appropriate function. Other topics for matching pairs could include:

parts of a device and its function (e.g. simple machines)

types of teeth and their functions for classification of animals

common name and scientific name

material and its common use

technical term, meaning, image

chemical name and symbol

Sequencing. For cyclical concepts like the water cycle or the seasons, create one card for each stage in the cycle. Have students arrange the cards in a circular formation to represent the stages of the cycle. Examples include:

egg, larva, pupa, adult

spring, summer, fall, winter

evaporation, condensation, precipitation, accumulation

Classification. Make a set of index cards naming vertebrates, for example, and another set with characteristics of each group - one characteristic per card:

These cards can be used in two different ways: 1) Pass out one card to each student, and have them find the other students who belong in their group. 2) Mix up the cards and have students work in small groups to sort the characteristics into the appropriate groups. Additional examples for this strategy include:

simple machines and examples of each

insect orders and characteristics of each

ecosystems with plants and animals that live in each

Word lists/word banks

Many teachers use word walls to provide visual clues to words introduced in class. It's also important for teachers and students to use the words as much as possible. Students can look at the written words as teachers use them during class discussions, and teachers should encourage students to use the language of science in their verbal and written communication. Work with students to group words by their features:

Procedure words: compare, describe, investigate, test, recognize, alter, minimum, similar, same, size, support

Opposites: strong/weak, long/short, fast/slow, soft/hard, cool/heat, cold/hot

Movement words: slide, travel, roll, slow down, speed up, accelerate, sink, float

Word games

Traditional games can be adapted to help students experience the language of science. For advanced students, making their own games using science vocabulary promotes in-depth understanding of words and their meanings.

Hangman

Odd One Out

Charades

Bingo

Scrabble

Trivial Pursuit

Pictionary

Dingbats

Twenty questions, Who am I?

Breaking words down into smaller words. For example:

invertebrate - in, brat, tea, tear, rate, vertebrae...

photosynthesis - sit, sin, thesis, photos...

temperature - rate, temper, rut, tear, ate...

Word parts

Teachers can reinforce the structure of words as students identify and interpret prefix, suffix, base word and their meanings:

photosynthesis - photo (light), synth (make), isis (process)

metamorphosis - meta (large), morph (change), osis (process)

Multiple meaning words

Words with multiple meanings can be confusing for students proficient in English and are especially troublesome for English language learners. It is important to discuss these meanings with students. When we confuse common definitions with meanings used in science, students' understanding suffers. For example, in common use, "theory" means a hunch, while in science, a "theory" is a well-established explanation of the natural world based on solid empirical evidence. "Reflections" are commonly thought of as thoughts or musings, which contrast with "reflections" of light rays. Many other words appear in both scientific vocabulary and in everyday speech, including:

Work with students to identify the different meanings and applications of words with multiple meanings.

Graphic organizers

When students interact with science words in multiple ways, they are able to approach words and their meanings more fully. Graphic organizers can help to present words with a range of contextual information.

Additional strategies

The following strategies regarding vocabulary instruction were designed for English language learners, but are helpful to all students.

Use lots of pictures and labels. The use of visual reinforcement supports comprehension and retention.

Teach definitional information When you read definitions with students, be sure they understand how to read pronunciation keys, parts of speech, etc.

Use repetition. Repeating words as much as possible helps clarify pronunciation and provides opportunities to transfer words from working memory to long-term memory.

Present words in multiple contexts. Expose students to vocabulary words often, and in various contexts. This gives students a model for how words are used appropriately.

Use direct instruction of word learning strategies, including structural analysis. In structural analysis, students examine the component parts of a word - e.g. the root word, suffix, and prefix - to determine the word's meaning. Teaching students this strategy can empower them to decode unfamiliar words.

Conduct collaborative group work.

Build on students' prior knowledge. An important part of this is identifying students' misconceptions and addressing them.

Engage students in instructional conversations. In instructional conversations, students have discussions with other students and the teacher on topics that are relevant and have meaning to them. The goal of this student-centered technique is not to get correct answers to test questions, but instead to explore ideas. (For more on instructional conversations, see "Defining Instructional Conversations" by Professor Julia Scherba de Valenzuela of the University of Mexico.)

Integrate technology into your instruction. It is helpful to engage students - particularly ELLs - with a variety of visual and aural alternatives. The use of technology can help to reinforce word meanings and provide students with multi-sensory connections.

Encourage "science talk" brainstorming. Provide students with opportunities to brainstorm ideas about science and encourage them to wonder and talk about the natural world. For example, teachers can help students learn about the process of science classification. Provide students with sets of objects with varying features like buttons or dried beans and ask students to work in small groups and discuss properties for grouping the objects. When groups share their categories with each other, students have an opportunity to experience "science talk."

Limit traditional vocabulary instruction. Traditional science vocabulary instruction, in which words are taught in isolation, is not conducive to conceptual development.

Pair students with peers during reading.

Use active voice when introducing or discussing concepts. ELL students understand active voice better than passive voice. "Animals use oxygen," for example, rather than "Oxygen is used by animals."

Toward a shared vocabulary

While there are many more strategies for helping students learn and use science vocabulary, this initial list provides a starting point for combining science content and vocabulary instruction - and a way to avoid falling back on traditional vocabulary instruction practices.

It takes concentrated effort to fit even more time for science instruction into a school day. Modeling the use of vocabulary words throughout instruction not only reinforces students' comprehension, but it also maximizes teachers' instructional time. I try to audio record myself on regular basis as a self-check of my vocabulary use during instruction. In addition, gestures, dialects, intonations, semiotics, and norms specific to children's cultural experiences, especially English language learners, can positively affect student learning.

Additional research-supported strategies help build depth of vocabulary knowledge and foster word consciousness. Asking students to predict the meanings of words and compare their predictions with other students and the teacher can strengthen learning. Interdisciplinary approaches that blend literacy lessons with science can also support science literacy.

Additionally, teachers should expose students to various forms of reading and listening to text as we provide opportunities for students to use words in speaking and writing. Vocabulary instruction is effective when it includes visual, verbal, and physical support; therefore, physical scaffolding is critical in content-area teaching. Teachers' uses of nonverbal gestures or graphic representations convey understandings of science concepts and are beneficial for all students, including culturally and linguistically diverse students.

It is important for young students to recognize the value of science vocabulary used in discourse. Sutton described the path of initial communication among scientists in history such as Faraday or Darwin that began with very personal statements such as, "I am starting to think about..." or "I seem to wonder..." in letters to colleagues. Sutton laments the skewed view of science when it is presented to children as cold and static facts rather than a dynamic discussion of wonder. According to Wellington and Osborne, "Learning to use the language of science is fundamental to learning science." When teachers and students share science vocabulary, we learn to communicate while doing science.

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Effective strategies for teaching science vocabulary

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Traditional science lessons have often begun with teachers presenting students with science vocabulary words and asking them to write the words, find the definitions in a dictionary or the glossary of the textbook, match the words to definitions, or use the words in a sentence.

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Strategies for instruction- Vocabulary Science 

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Strategies for instruction- Vocabulary Science 

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Effective Strategies for Vocabulary instruction during Science lessons

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Effective Strategies for Vocabulary instruction during Science lessons

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Teaching Tools | Resources for Teachers from Scholastic

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Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science.

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Mystery Science offers open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science. The hook, visuals, and activity have all been prepared for you. Less prep, more learning.

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Lesson Ideas to integrate Science across the curriculum

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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!"
~ 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!"