Teaching Strategies
Looking for ways to engage and excite your students? To enhance their study skills and mastery of key concepts? The tips presented here can help to improve content presentation, classroom management, inquiry teaching techniques, and student assessment.
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Connecting to Reading
A well-chosen book can spark students’ interest or make them more open to learning a new concept. The links below will help you identify useful trade books related to elementary science, and other resources that will help you incorporate reading into your science lessons.
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Cooperative Groups
Working in groups enables students to engage in cooperative learning that promotes both academic and social/emotional growth. This resources linked below provide information about the benefits and practical application of cooperative grouping.
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Formative Assessment
It is important to measure progress and growth during the semester/unit, as well as at the end. The content linked here provides helpful information about formative assessment, the benefits of implementing it in your teaching, and different strategies that can be used.
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Inquiry Teaching Strategies
Inquiry provides an effective, engaging framework for science instruction by promoting direct student investigation, cooperative learning, deeper learning and higher-level thinking. The resources below provide background information about inquiry science and suggestions for incorporating it into your classroom.
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Notebooks
Notebooks are essential tools of scientific research; they can be an important component of your science classroom instruction as well. They enable students to document their science work, demonstrate their skills and knowledge, and organize and reflect upon their ideas and discoveries. Science notebooks also can help to improve students’ literacy and writing skills and provide an assessment tool for teachers.
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Observation
Observation is the foundation of the scientific process. Seeing natural phenomena occur can spark interest and inspire new ideas for further study. Looking more closely, or from a greater distance, can give us new perspective on familiar, common objects. Use the resources below to help your students hone their observation skills and become better “scientists.”
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Questioning Strategies
Thought-provoking questions can promote student learning, engagement and interest in science. The links below provide strategies for, and information about devising effective questions that help to guide and motivate students, encourage them think more critically, and pique their interest.
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Safety
Most hazards in science class can be prevented through education, awareness and preparation. Teach your students to use safe practices when conducting science investigations in class or outdoors. The resources below include safety contracts, state safety rules and regulations, and safety graphics that can be used in your classroom.
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Summative Assessment
What is the difference between formative and summative assessment? What can you learn from summative assessment, and how can it help your teaching? The information in this section will provide a solid working foundation from which to utilize proven summative assessment strategies in your classroom.
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Test-Taking Strategies
Successful test-taking requires certain skills and understanding that do not come naturally to all students. The information linked in this section will enable you to provide your students with tools and confidence to help improve their test-taking abilities and outcomes.
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Tools and Measurement
Different tools are required to conduct different kinds of scientific exploration. Over time, better, stronger tools have been developed, enabling us to make new discoveries and understand more about ourselves and our environment, from the microscopic to the intergalactic. This resource page provides information about common scientific tools that all elementary students should be familiar with and be able to use.
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Need Assistance?
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