Story Starters and Science Notebooking

Price: $30.00
ISBN13: 9781591586869
ISBN10: 1591586860
Book code: LU6860
Teacher Ideas Press
Paperback | 216 pages
Publication Date: 05/19/2009

DESCRIPTION

The basis for each scientific concept presented in Story Starters and Science Notebooking is embedded in a story appropriate for elementary-aged children. The activity that follows each narrative encourages learners to observe, compare, gather data, organize or classify, and draw conclusions about the problem posed from the story. Because current scientific knowledge and understanding guide scientific investigations, background information in each chapter provides teachers with a synopsis of the scientific concept involved in the activity for that story.

The story starters present a framework for inquiry, which eliminates the free-wheeling, uncontrolled, and unstructured view some teachers have of inquiry. These are either original stories or familiar childrenÕs stories that ask learners to investigate a possible scientific explanation for a problem or scenario. Learners then communicate their findings in an oral, written, pictorial, or technological form back to a lead character from the story. Extension activities provide an opportunity for learners to compare their answers with what scientists already know about the world and also motivate them to frame new questions.

Grades 3-6

Story Starters and Science Notebooking: Developing Student Thinking Through Literacy and Inquiry is designed to provide a meaningful, comfortable framework in which teachers and parents can encourage elementary children to explore scientific ideas in an inquiry-oriented format.

Everybody knows the story of ÒGoldilocks and the Three Bears.Ó But what if students were asked to write a scientific report of lab findings about variables that might account for the temperature differences between each bearÕs porridge? What if they were then asked to rewrite the tale to match their lab results?

TITLE FEATURES

· Inquiry lessons are clustered according to overarching scientific concepts, helping young scientists discover connections and commonalities

· Some chapters feature an "inquiry activator," a demonstration or hands-on activity that will spark students interest, generate curiosity, and lead learners to design a measurable question for the inquiry activity

· Introduction

· Notebooking activities

· Problems to solve

· Background information for teachers

· 60 illustrations and halftones

· 24 figures

· Appendix