Florida Elementary Teachers Attend Teaching Science Through Children’s Literature Workshop

Diana Wehrell-Grabowski — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:16:43 +0000

Thirty elementary teachers attended a full-day hands-on-minds-on, inquiry-based teacher training workshop entitled Teaching Science Through Children’s Literature. Teachers were introduced to a wide-array of children’s literature that can be incorporated into the science classroom to teach intermediate level science concepts covering the New World-Class Sunshine State Science Standards. Teachers conducted a wide-array of hands-on-minds-on investigations to explore nature of science, earth and space, physical science, and life science concepts. Investigations undertaken by the teachers were directly connected to the Big Ideas within the New World-Class Sunshine State Science Standards. Teachers explored the states of matter with a unique non-Newtonian substance called . They also were introduced to how to use Oobleck to teach numerous earth and space science concepts. Teachers designed and constructed bottle biology ecosystems to reinforce a wide-array of life science concepts including: food chains, food webs, interdependence, limiting factors, oxygen cycle, nitrogen cycle, carbon-dioxide cycle, photosynthesis, and the water cycle. Teachers were introduced to many of Leonardo daVinci’s innovations and inventions by exploring the book Who Was Leonardo daVinci by Roberta Edwards. Teachers constructed simple parachutes and helicopters, and compared bird feathers to airplane wing design to explore force, motion, and energy concepts as well as make connections to the contributions of Leonardo daVinci to society. Teachers explored weathering and erosion concepts and the rock cycle by conducting hands-on investigations with Coquina Rock. Lastly, teachers observed and studied mangrove seedlings to reinforce numerous life science concepts. Each hands-on-minds-on investigation was directly related to selected children’s literature. All investigations undertaken during the teacher training workshop are directly related to FCAT Science annually assessed benchmarks. A sample of children’s authors included: Lynn Cherry, John Himmelman, Dr. Seuss, Ellen Prager, Kristine and Robert Thorson,Cherie Mason, Jean Craighead George, Carl Hiassen, and many others. All of the children’s literature introduced to the teachers and used within the teacher training workshop can be found and ordered from the following site.

FCAT Science » earth and space science

Florida Elementary Teachers Attend Teaching Science Through Children’s Literature Workshop