Concept Mapping
Students use concept maps to break down a subject into its main points and draw connections between these points. They brainstorm the big-picture ideas, then draw lines to connect terms, details, and more to help them visualize the topic. These are a great insight to how your students remember, the concepts they find important, and how they feel they are connected. These can include all types of formats from pre-arranged to free-flow.
To introduce concept maps, you may consider creating one as a class one or even two times before assigning individually. This will also be a great partner activity. Some adaptations for emerging readers or struggling readers giving them a word bank to use or allow them to draw pictures instead.
Some examples are below. Let me know if you try it in your class!
Teaching the Science of Sound Through Music
October 2nd 3:00 - 4:00 (register to receive a recording)
What is a PA system? How does it work? In this edWebinar, we’ll explore amplification from Les Paul’s early experiments to The Beatles’ struggles to be heard and will ultimately consider why we should thank the tinkering scientists of the 1960s and 70s Grateful Dead entourage for many of the standard elements of how we experience live music today.
TeachRock’s Bill Carbone and Gina Machado will be joined by craftsman Anthony Coscia, builder of the internationally acclaimed Wall of Sound replica. Anthony’s work brings rich context and history to TeachRock’s resources.
Attendees will explore hands-on science lessons that help students define and demonstrate sound through interactive activities, as well as identify the basic components of a PA system by assembling a working loudspeaker. They will also discover effective techniques for teaching the history of amplification and leave with engaging, ready-to-use lessons from TeachRock’s free resources.
Students in the Lead: Game Design for Learning Earth Science
Games are increasingly used in classrooms to help inspire curiosity, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving skills. They can introduce real-world challenges and encourage systems thinking while learning Earth science content in non-traditional ways.
This presentation will introduce ways to help you create a design atmosphere in your classroom, how to get started in game design and potential game challenges that will excite and motivate your students to dig into the Earth sciences.
Indoor Shadow Play
In cloudy or rainy environments, take the shadow play indoors.
Using overhead projectors or flashlights, display different objects’ shadows on a blank surface. Show students how the size of shadows changes as the objects move closer or further away from a light source.
STEM benefit(s): Students use spatial reasoning to investigate basic concepts about shadow and light.
Color Mixing
Students experiment by mixing primary colors to create new colors. Use washable paints or colored water for easy cleanup. Have them make predictions about the colors they’ll create, then lead a discussion about secondary colors.
STEM benefit(s): This activity introduces students to basic color theory and engages them in simple chemistry.
Animal Habitats
Students sort animals into different habitats after stories or instruction on the topic. Keep things simple with laminated printables, or use animal toys and plastic pieces for a 3D experience. Leave some time for play at the end of the activity.
STEM benefit(s): Students practice drawing conclusions about what animals need to survive in unique habitats.
Kinder: A Stroll Through the Seasons
Discover the seasons, from bright spring blossoms to sparkling winter snow, and everything in between. Children have lots of questions about the world around them, and this book helps them discover many amazing and wonderful scientific facts about nature. The collage-effect illustrations are charming, and the lively texts engages children and makes this book a favorite to return to again and again.
1st: Sending Messages with Light and Sound
Young readers will learn how we send and receive messages using light and sound in this accessible, photo-filled book. Simple text explains different methods of sending messages and shows how light and sound make sending these messages possible. Vibrant photos bring basic science concepts to life and encourage kids to explore light and sound on their own.
2nd: Earth's Landforms and Bodies of Water
This informative book explains how Earth is covered by landforms and bodies of water, all of which change shape over time. Interesting images feature landforms such as mountains, valleys, and sand dunes, as well as waterways such as oceans, rivers, and ponds. Children will learn how they develop and why they change.
3rd: Magnet Max
Magnet Max loves experimenting with magnets. He knows all about how they work and loves using them to attract new types of things. But when he shows them to his friend Nick, the other boy is baffled. Will magnets stick to a paperclip? A refrigerator? A horse? How do they work, anyway? It must be magic! Join Max and Nick as they explore the science behind the magic. Discover which objects are attracted and why some are while others aren't.
4th: Earthquakes
Kids are fascinated by the amazing power of earthquakes - one of nature's most dramatic displays. Colorful illustrations and kid-friendly text make complex geological science fascinating and easy to understand. Every Jump Into Science book ends with a hands-on experiment to fully engage readers and extra material to further stimulate learning.
5th: The Boy Who Grew A Forest
As a boy, Jadav Payeng was distressed by the destruction deforestation and erosion was causing on his island home in India's Brahmaputra River. So he began planting trees. What began as a small thicket of bamboo, grew over the years into 1,300 acre forest filled with native plants and animals. The Boy Who Grew a Forest tells the inspiring true story of Payeng--and reminds us all of the difference a single person with a big idea can make.
6th: Modeling Light and Sensory Receptors
Light allows humans to see things around us, but we can only see a sliver of all the light in the universe, also known as the electromagnetic spectrum. Renowned science communicators Kim Arcand and Megan Watzke bring the entire spectrum to life and present the subject of light as never before. Organized along the order of the electromagnetic spectrum—from Radio waves to Gamma rays—each chapter focuses on a different type of light. From ultraviolet light, used in microscopy to image plant cells and bacteria, to X-rays, which let us peer inside the human body and view areas around black holes in deep space, Arcand and Watzke show us all the important ways light impacts us. With hundreds of stunning full-color photographs, including new images from the James Webb Space Telescope, Light is a joy to read and browse.
(No read aloud available - check with your media specialist about ordering)
