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Science Standard

Educators must be able to design and implement age-appropriate lessons to

teach fundamental concepts of physical, life and earth/space sciences and build

student understanding for personal and social applications of the nature of scientific

inquiry. Science is a subject that can be difficult to find time to teach but is

nonetheless very important. “Science and technology have become so important in

modern life that the ability of citizens to understand and use science can spell the

difference between prosperity and decline, between security and vulnerability”

(National Research Council, 1996). Scientific literacy can be key for a students’

success in life outside of school (Bodzin, 2003). As I teach science, my goal is to

instill in my students a curiosity about the world around them, the ability to seek

knowledge, and to discuss this knowledge with other people. As teachers we need to

model this by making our thinking visible to our students. “We’re showing them

how being curious, thoughtful, and reflective enhances and enriches who we are as

active teachers, learners, and citizens of the world” (Miller, 2008, p. 51). My goal for

my students is to become active learners and citizens of the world.

This Teacher Work Sample is a unit I taught in a 3rd grade classroom about

what a tree is including its parts and how to classify trees. During this unit students

were able to participate in real world scientific practices like observation, recording

data, classifying items, and drawing diagrams. “Successful science teachers strive to

help their students understand and apply scientific concepts, participate in scientific

inquiry, and understand the nature of science” (Bodzin, 2003, p. 40). Students were

involved in the inquiry process throughout these lessons. The inquiry approach to
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teaching science combines scientific teaching and principles with reasoning and

thinking skills (Newman et al., 2004).

A more student-centered approach to teaching science is appropriate as

students construct meaning from a hands on approach. Jean Piaget (1959) believed

that children build on their experiences and interactions with the world to create

their own meaning and understanding. Science should be approached from this

constructivist viewpoint. Students will learn the scientific principals and concepts

more thoroughly from having discovered them on their own. In my TWS students

worked together to make discoveries the similarities and differences between

different tree’s leaves.

That being said the teacher’s role is not one of a passive observer. The teacher

should be guiding and helping the students along their discovery. There are times

when the students are not ready to make the intellectual leap they need and the

teacher lends a guiding hand. “According to the National Science Education

Standards (NRC, 1996) [henceforth Standards], the development of scientifically

literate students involves providing classroom learners with a science curriculum

that teaches science as a body of knowledge and as a way of knowing about the

natural world based on evidence from observation and experimentation”. (Bodzin,

2003, p. 40) Students should be engaged and leading in this observation and

experimentation as much as possible rather than the teacher leading the activities.

After students made their observations they sorted the leaves into different

categories based on what they noticed. Then I explained how scientists do the same

thing when the classify objects. This is where I stepped in as the educator to
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enhance their learning. Afterwards we sorted the leaves all together exploring

scientific classifications.

In my teaching I find it important to integrate the teaching of science with other

content areas. “The integration of science often enriches student learning in both

reading and mathematics” (Lott & Clark, 2019, p. 68). Programs like STEM or

STEAM aim to incorporate science and other subjects. The subject of science lends

itself well to integration with other subjects. Often there is math required in science

with charting, measuring, collecting date. Often there is an art tie in to a lesson

whether it be as simple as a sketch of something or creating a model. In my TWS

students were asked to draw a detailed picture of a tree and label it. This is an

integration of art and science that is appropriate as scientists often sketch their

observations. A good scientist should be able to use language to communicate their

research and findings. “Speaking, reading, and writing are essential tools in science”

(Froschauer, 2016, p. 5). As cited in Johnston (2012), “Vygotsky argued that

cognitive growth is “more likely when one is required to explain, elaborate, or

defend one’s position to others as well as to oneself; striving for an explanation

often makes a learner integrate and elaborate knowledge in new ways”” (p. 65).

Asking students to explain their thinking in a verbal or written method heightens

their understanding. As part of my TWS unit pre and post assessment students had

to give a written response explaining what different parts of a tree are and their

function.

Just as scientists in the real world collaborate, students participating in

scientific inquiry need opportunities to work in groups and express themselves

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verbally. “Learning is fundamentally social. At the basic level, if a student is unable

to successfully recruit assistance or jointly participate, learning will suffer”

(Johnston, 2012, p. 67). In every science lesson I taught to a class of 2 nd graders there

was a component of group work. The students worked in pairs, groups of four, and

groups of six. Using groups to work on the science projects together was very

engaging for the students. It got them excited about the learning. I walked around

the room listening to their plans for how they were going to build their own

breakwater. Using groups or collaborative learning is also part of my philosophy of

science. Students can come together to share ideas and build upon one another.

In my current teaching of science I regularly incorporate videos, art, and

hands on activities. As a class we explore concepts through the use of models and

manipulatives. I use videos when they are engaging and appropriate. Often times a

video can highlight a specific principle better than my words because it can visually

show the concept with models. Every student keeps a science notebook where they

record their learning through a mixture of drawing, writing, and graphic organizers.

These notebooks also allow us to return to concepts when we need to revisit an

idea. My 5th grade students spend a month researching the planets of our solar

system. This project is independent with minimal teacher guidance that allows them

to build on their research skills and collaborate with classmates as they learn new

information. I find students’ look forward to our science lessons and are excited to

see it on the daily schedule.

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Resources

Bodzin A. M. (2003). Promoting inquiry-based science instruction: The validation of

the science teacher inquiry rubric (STIR). Journal of Elementary Science

Education 15(2), 39-49.

Froschaeur, L. (2016). Editor's note meeting the challenges of communicating

science. Children & Science, 5.

Johnston, P. H. (2012). Opening minds: Using language to change lives. Portland, Me.:

Stenhouse.

Lott, K. and Clark, S. (2019). No time for science? Using an integrated approach to

teach science inquiry. Science & Children 57(1), 68-73.

Miller, D. (2008). Teaching with intention: Defining beliefs, aligning practice, taking

action. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse.

National Research Council (NRC). (1996). National science education standards.

Washington, D. C.: National Academy Press.

Newman, W.J., Abell, S.K., Hubbard, P.D., McDonald, J., Otalla, J, & Martini, M. (2004).

Dilemmas of teaching inquiry in elementary science methods. Journal of

Science Teacher Education 15(4), 257-279.

Piaget, J. (1959). The language and thought of the child (5). Psychology Press.