Strategies in Teaching Science

Draw a Picture
Drawing pictures is an effective strategy in teaching science to children of all ages. Visually representing organisms such an animal cell and its organelles, or the life cycle of a frog, allows children to make sense of the material by processing it visually. Science also has many new vocabulary terms to learn, and things to identify, such as the parts of a microscope. Drawing pictures of these things will help students commit them to their memory.

*I observed a lesson on mixtures and solutions. The students can draw chocolate milk and a bowl of cereal with fruit to show a solution and a mixture. Students may be familiar with these items and can draw pictures committing them to memory.

Classify Items
A very common strategy used by scientists, and that can be used in the classroom as well, is classification. Students can be given groups of items to classify, such as buttons or bottle caps. Once they sort them into groups, have the students discuss what characteristics made each item belong to each classification group. After this strategy is taught, students can use it to classify living things such as trees, multicellular organisms, bugs and cells. This strategy encourages students to ask questions about the organism they are learning about, and encourages further study of its characteristics.

Virtual Field Trips and WebQuests

Technology has opened up a whole world of opportunities to teachers. If you have access to a SmartBoard, projector or a computer lab where each student can use the Internet, you can teach science concepts through technology. There are various virtual field trips where students can experience black holes, the rain forest or a geological field excursion. Students will learn about scientific concepts through visual tours, short and descriptive accompanying texts and in some cases even a virtual tour guide. WebQuests--interactive online learning activities--are a good substitute for a lab. Some examples of WebQuests that are particularly effective for science are the dissection of a frog and interactive models of plant and animal cells.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers can be used to clarify and break down almost any type of information. Some organizers, such as Venn diagrams, help students compare and contrast things. Other organizers help students sequence events such as photosynthesis or the flow of blood from the heart through the body. K-W-L charts help students and teachers figure out what they know (K), what they want to know (W) and what they have learned (L). Graphic organizers can also be used to help students organize their thoughts when conducting experiments.

Predict, Observe, Explain

This strategy is effective when teachers choose to demonstrate something to a group. Students can predict what they think will happen, observe the presentation and then explain the outcome. If a teacher demonstrates the properties of mass by boiling water, students can predict what they think will happen to the water when it boils, then explain the process of the liquid changing to a gas. This strategy is also effective when used during student-led experiments. Students can predict what they think the outcome of their experiment will be, carry it out, and then explain what happened. For example, when testing the pH level of acids and bases, students should first predict whether each liquid is an acid or a base, and why they think so, and then records their findings.