Science Journals and Science Ideas

Last summer I took a Science Class and left feeling excited about teaching Science. I worked on these Science journals, and when I went to use them in the fall, they were a flop! The journal was too confusing for kindergarten, especially for the fall.  So this summer I worked on a simpler version. I made boxes that students could write or draw in.

 In my school district, we teach kindergartens about water and habits. These are set units taught in a chunk of time during the year. I would love to use these journals to incorporate science on a daily basis.

I loved reading about how Jonelle uses her Science Notebooks!

  If you have any suggestion on how you use Science journals, I would love to hear from you!

 click here for cover and page

The other thing that I want to do is have a 

Wonder of The Week

This comes from the amazing book

This kindergarten teacher designated a center in her classroom where the children could think about and respond to a posted question during center time or free time during the day. During the week, children wrote their explanations on a chart below the question. At the end of the week, the teacher set aside "pondering time" where the class participated in "shared research" and could discuss, research, and write about their ideas on a particular question. An example in the book from a child was: "How is money made?"

Incorporate Thinking Maps Into the Classroom Routines

Last month I took a Thinking Maps class and the instructor shared this great idea, the Bubble Bag.

The outside of the bags has adjectives describing the mystery object inside. This would be an excellent way to introduce describing words to kindergartners. You can see the clues on the outside of the bag.  The mystery item was a paper clip. 

In the fall, I hope to let the kids do this at home with parent help. Each day a child can bring home the bag, fill it out and have a  parent help with drawing /writing describing words. I have done the mystery bag before, and I know this will be a huge hit.