An Epiphany

I had an epiphany this afternoon, in my Social Studies Methods class of all places. Science is EVERYWHERE!

Our professor had us make butter as a class. As we passed around the jar to shake it, and as it went around, I thought to myself, "how could I teach science with this?" Then I thought back to the atlas and standards for science, and decided where this would fall: states of matter.

How great would it be to introduce how liquids can turn to solids by making butter? To start the unit, teachers could have the students make this butter and watch what happens to it after it's been shaken for a while. Students could even make predictions about what would happen--will it stay the same? will it change? It's a good concrete example to start with that students would definitely enjoy!

I imagined seeing this as a good choice on the evaluating lesson plans activity we did today in class. I loved that activity--I feel like I finally have a good idea of what goes into a science unit. And I will stress the word "unit", because it became clear to me today that it is hard to make just a "lesson" in science; it's better to work the content in throughout a week or two in unit-form.

I'm glad I had this epiphany--maybe I'll see more science opportunities now that my brain is in that mode!

Goals for Students

1. Students will acquire the skills necessary to continue learning on their own.
2. Students will build knowledge in all content areas.
3. Students will work together in small and large groups for a common goal.
4. Students will read throughout the day--have more than 3 hours of reading/week
5. Students will think creatively to demonstrate their learning.
6. Students will acquire good study skills to help them succeed.
7. Students will enjoy learning.
8. Students will feel safe in their learning environment.