Science – Astute Hoot

The Ugly Truth About Halloween

October 15, 2018October 15, 2018By astutehoot

Halloween is just around the corner and kids are focused on costumes, candy and creepy creatures–it’s enough to make you batty before Halloween even arrives! It’s tempting to use Halloween coloring pages and other fluffy activities to keep students calm and help maintain your sanity, but don’t succumb to the pressure. Here are 5 secrets for creating engaging, academic Halloween activities:
1. Select an interesting topic: Most students love bats so I created Going Batty: A Stellaluna and Nonfiction Bat Unit. This comprehensive book study centers around our reading and writing strategy animals. It engages all learners while teaching research-based, standards-aligned decoding, comprehension and writing strategies within the context of authentic text. Students retell, compare and contrast characters, determine cause and effect, use text evidence to analyze character traits, make text connections, ask and answer questions using text and participate in shared bat research2. Decorate classroom: I turned Hazel’s Reading Roost, my guided reading area, into Hazel’s Reading Roost Visits the Bat Cave. I added a large bat from Party City and spider webbing for a creepy effect.

I added magnets to these 3-D bats, Beware, and Stay Out signs, all inexpensive treasures from Target’s Dollar section. I also found this adorable bat doormat at Target.

3. Incorporate dramatic play: Act out key vocabulary terms and the important events in the story to build comprehension and increase active engagement. Here are my students acting out a few Stellaluna vocabulary terms included in the book study. vocabulary 1

Bat Vocabulary

4. Integrate art: During our bat research, students ask questions, and use text features to find answers and record answers on this adorable bat foldable. After they finish writing, they color, cut and fold bats and I hang them up in our Bat Cave. In this unit, students also create foldable KWL bats and write reports on a large bat template. Students also decorate and cut out both and I hang them from the ceiling with fishing wire, giving the bats a flying effect.

ask and answer questions

Bat question

5. Add food: Bring in food items or make a theme-based snack. Stellaluna eats mangoes, so I brought in one for students to touch and smell. I passed out small pieces for students to try; many had never tasted a mango before.

During the unit, I randomly hand out these chocolate eyeballs for on-task behavior, organized desks or any other positive behavior that I spot.

I've Got My Eye On You

At the end of the bat unit, students read a recipe and follow directions to make Bat Snacks, one of their absolute favorite activities.

Bat snack_600_2

Love these ideas? Download our complete Going Batty Unit, our FREE Bat KWL foldable and FREE Bat Name Tags, all guaranteed to keep students actively engaged in learning during the Halloween season.

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5 Tips to Survive Science Fair

January 31, 2016January 31, 2016By astutehoot

The Science Fair usually brings a mix of emotions. Students love the hands-on learning but for teachers, the Science Fair can be nightmare. What project(s) should the class do? How can I organize students’ work samples? How do I involve parents? Use these 5 tried-and-true tips to survive the Science Fair.

PicMonkey Collage 1. Select experiment: Since my students are required to learn the life cycle process, I bought caterpillar and tadpoles for them to study. I also picked a variety of leveled text on butterflies and frogs to use during my guided reading groups to make it a cross-curricular project. It may to tempting to choose an experiment that just seems fun and interesting, but always be sure that it aligns to your grade level standards and curriculum. This helps to extend learning and create a richer learning experience.

Butterflies 2. Provide scientific tools: Use a variety of hands-on tools and materials. Allow students to use magnifying glasses and rulers and they observe their specimens. I bought a few men’s white button-down dress shirts and called them “lab coats’ which the students absolutely loved. They felt like real scientists!

Science tools 1.5 Lab coats 3

3. Teach journaling skills: The Science Fair is the perfect opportunity to teach vital journaling skills. My students learned how to tell time to the nearest minute, write a detailed observation in complete sentences, and draw a scientific diagram. They also highlighted new vocabulary terms which they compiled into a glossary. Plus, I used their observations as writing grades. Download this journal here

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Journal 2.5 Journal 3.5 Butterfly procedures 1.5 Science glossary 1.5 4. Showcase students’ work: Dedicate a bulletin board or showcase table to display students’ learning and scientific work samples. Creating a portfolio of their work is another great option.

Showcase student work My students made these “Meet the Scientists” for our Science Fair night. They were a huge hit!

Meet the Scientist 1.5 5. Invite families: Have students create a formal invitation inviting families to the Science Fair. This is a great opportunity for students to share their new learning; parents are always so proud and impressed. You may also want to consider providing probing questions for parents to ask their children and an activity for children to showcase their skills. Be sure to provide refreshments (I bought inexpensive cookies from Target).

Invite families I’d love to hear your great Science Fair ideas!

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Informational Text is a Hoot!

January 11, 2015January 11, 2015By astutehoot

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to incorporate additional informational text and shared research into my classroom so I created Owls Are A Hoot: An Informational Text Unit to meet these these needs in an engaging way. Before the unit, I gathered a variety of leveled informational text sources, purchased owl pellets from amazon.com and created these cute owl folders to hold student work. I set up a an owl research center as part of our daily reading rotations.

Owl research center

Leveled informational texts

Owl folders

Before starting the unit we brainstormed a list of questions and students completed a foldable KWL owl.

Owl foldable KWL

Owl KWL bulletin board

During reading time, I grouped students by instructional level. I provided a variety of owl informational text sources including brochures, books, poems and magazine articles. The sources provided were at a variety of levels–most were at students’ instructional level, but I also included more challenging text to increase stamina and push students to read complex text. I’ve found that when students read high-interest text, they are motivated to tackle difficult text, even if it is slightly above their level.

Owl research 1

Owl vocabulary

Students read to find answers to their owl questions, citing textual evidence with owl pointers. They recorded their information on the owl report template.

Owl pointers

Owl graphic organizer

Students edited and published their own owl report, adding craft feathers and googly eyes after completion.

Owl report 2

Owl report 3

Owl reports

During science time, students worked in groups of 2 to dissect an owl pellet. They formed hypotheses, discussed observations and recorded conclusions in their own Owl Pellet Investigation Book (included in the unit). I gave them ‘lab coats’ (a.k.a. men’s white button down dress shirts) to wear during the investigation which they absolutely loved!

Owl pellet predictions

Owl pellet observations

Owl pellet dissection 1

Owl pellet conclusions

After a thorough hand-washing session, I passed out these owl pellet snack bags using the owl treat bag topper included in the unit.

Owl pellet mix

As a culmination to the unit, students played an owl review board game. Students answered all questions on white boards, citing textual evidence to support answers.

Owl Game 1

Students had so much fun and learned so many new facts during our owl study. I wanted to display this in an engaging way so I created our O.W.L: Observe, Wonder, Learn door.

OWL door

I started with a large piece of white butcher block paper and sketched the owl using a projected image from my document camera. I used white paper because my classroom door is brown and I wanted a contrast between the two. I added large googly eyes (from Target dollar section) and colored craft feathers. I then cut brown flap feathers to hold and display our new facts. After completing the L from our KWL foldable owls, I had each student write his/her new fact(s) on a white square and glue inside one of the brown feather flaps. I then glued all of the brown feather flaps on the owl and used a glue gun to adhere the owl to our classroom door (don’t tell the janitor).

Owl Q&A door 2

Students, teachers, and parents have all stopped by and read our facts as they pass by our classroom. My students are so proud when they see someone stop to read our owl. This was a powerful closure activity, one that my students will always remember.

Download the complete unit to get your students to hoot and holler over informational text and shared research!

Owl Informational Unit

Check out some other great lessons linked up on the “Loved that Lesson” Linky!

http://www.theteacherstudio.com/2015/01/loved-that-lesson-january.html

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Ready to Research

May 7, 2014May 7, 2014By astutehoot

We are nearing the end of the year (seriously summer can’t come soon enough) and my students are growing more hyper and less productive by the minute. In an effort to increase engagement and keep my sanity, I channeled their love of animals into a cumulative animal research unit. Follow these steps to implement this project in your room; download the complete unit here.

1. Create a research bulletin board: I created a research bulletin board with the text features poster set from Really Good Stuff. I enlarged an American black bear printout from enchantedlearning.com as my primary resource. I laminated 8 different colors of paper and hung up next to the bear printout; each color represents a different topic (i.e. anatomy, habitat, diet, etc.). I model how to record key words for each topic on corresponding card.

2. Select leveled nonfiction animal books: Look for books rich with text features (headings, captions, photographs, etc.) are best. I highly recommend selecting sets of these books for guided reading groups; this is a great way to teach children how to ask questions and effectively use text features to find answers in the text. National Geographic Kids and readinga-z.com offer a wide range of quality, engaging options.

3. Help children find research sources: I let each student pick animal to research (this promotes ownership and engagement) and print an animal printout from enchantedlearning.com. These printouts are easy to read and all include a diagram and headings. I send home a letter asking parents to send in supplemental research and colored photographs to use in report (I remind parents to preview first to avoid mating details and photos.)

During our research unit, I follow these steps:

1. Read a variety of animal nonfiction books, pointing out different features of nonfiction text and their purpose(s). I also use sets of leveled nonfiction texts during guided reading groups; students ask questions about the animal and use learned text features to find answers in the text.

2. Each student picks an animal and completes a KWL chart (included in the downloadable unit).

3. Explain the report process and review the rubric with them (included in the downloadable unit).

4. Model completing research with the American black bear printout from enchantedlearning.com. Each day I pick one topic to research (diet, anatomy, habitat, locomotion, etc.). If the topic is diet, model finding diet in the text. Write key words on that color-coded card. I organize the key words with bullets. They should fit all key words on one card; remind them not to copy whole sentences. If there is a word that students do not know, I have them highlight the word; these words will go into their glossaries.

5. Create an animal research report outline. First model how to write an interesting beginning (usually a question or interesting fact) along with a transition sentence. Model how to write a main idea and key fords for the supporting sentences. Students also write the heading above each main ideas so that it is ready for them when they draft. This outline can be completed during small group time.

6. Draft, edit, revise and publish report (drafting paper, table of contents and glossary are all included in the downloadable unit). Review elements of the rubric frequently and how to score each report using the rubric so students are familiar with expectations.

7. Share reports with class. Students can practice presenting to a partner or small-group before presenting to the whole class. This activity meets several listening and speaking Common Core State Standards. I put completed reports in the class library so students can read during silent reading time.

We’d love to hear any research project ideas you have!

Huge SALE February 27 & 28!!!!

February 27, 2014By astutehoot

Check out our store at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Astute-Hoot for 28% off of all our products for a limited time only!!!!

Why? The Simple, Yet Essential Question

February 2, 2014By astutehoot

As teachers, we are programmed to listen for the correct answer and are appeased when we hear it, assuming that students understand and are ready to move on. However, this is a serious misconception as students are missing out on a vital opportunity to explain and justify their thinking. Asking “Why?” provides critical insight to student understanding as students give the following responses:

A strong explanation that describes process to class
An inaccurate explanation that shows a student’s misunderstanding or inability to justify an answer

Besides assessing understanding, asking “Why?” provides students with opportunities to:

Notice mistake(s) and self-correct the answer
Reveal mistake(s) or misunderstanding shared by the class
Take risks and build confidence
Strengthen communication skills
Give alternate explanations
Summarize explanations given by other students

Including this simple question has major consequences: it promotes a language-rich classroom; supports inquiry-based instruction; and builds classroom community.

Asking good follow-up questions can open the door “why-d” to learning.

Download our FREE Essential Questions & Prompts, a sneak peek at our upcoming Common Core Problem Solving Unit.

Turn Your Students Into Mad Scientists

January 13, 2014February 2, 2014By astutehoot

Science projects are the perfect way to promote inquiry-based thinking, teach critical Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and motivate the most reluctant learners. Science projects allow students to: participate in shared research and writing projects; gather information from provided sources to answer questions; participate in collaborative conversations; and describe the connection between a series of scientific ideas or concepts.

Follow these 5 easy steps and turn your students into mad scientists:

Select an engaging project that aligns with CCSS. My second grade class loves insects and they are required to study life cycles. So I created a life cycle of a painted lady butterfly unit for them.Older students can choose their projects to increase engagement and ownership.
Set up a science center in the classroom. I created a large bulletin board complete with science project question, hypotheses graph, calendar to track observations and a vocabulary graphic organizer. I also selected a wide variety of nonfiction text (correlated to my students’ current reading levels) to use during reading group and read-aloud time. During observations, students go to a small circular table to observe the caterpillars and record results in their science journals. Magnifying glasses, rulers, pencils and crayons are available at this table to assist with journaling.
Encourage dramatic role play. Scientists wear lab coats while working, why shouldn’t the students? I borrowed 5 white dress shirts from my dad, the perfect sized “lab coat” for my second grade students, rolled the sleeves and hung up at the science center. While students work at this center, they are allowed to wear the “lab coats” and they absolutely love it. They really focus on their work and are very precise and detailed with daily journal entries. I take pictures and use them for the interactive bulletin board (see below) and put one copy on the inside of the each student’s journal.
Create an interactive bulletin board. My students had several questions about caterpillars and butterflies and were eager to learn the answers. I used these questions to make a scientific bulletin board. First I made magnifying glasses using brown construction paper handles, green paper plates (from Target) and a white construction paper magnifying glass lens. We brainstormed and recorded a list of questions together and then I partnered students to record and answer questions. One student wrote the question on the handle of the magnifying glass, the other wrote the answer on the white magnifying lens and glued inside the green plate. I added their pictures on top and displayed on a prominent bulletin board.
Hold a science fair. When the experiment is over, students can make personalized invitations for families (and possibly other classes) to come learn about the scientific findings. During the science fair, students can share journals and science report as well as show specimens and other related projects. I always put out refreshments (cookies and juice) to create an inviting atmosphere.

Download our CCSS science journal to start your new unit!

Going Batty!

October 8, 2013November 19, 2013By astutehoot

Halloween is just around the corner and kids are focused on costumes, candy and creepy creatures–it’s enough to make you batty! Use this “Stellaluna” and Nonfiction Bat Unit to engage all learners while teaching critical Common Core Reading, Writing and Science standards. In this unit, students will:
–Retell “Stellaluna”
–Compare and contrast characters
–Identify cause and effect
–Make text connections
–Pair fiction/nonfiction books (twin texts) to increase comprehension and build nonfiction reading skills
–Identify and use text features to locate important information
–Ask and answer questions using text
–Participate in shared bat research
–Plan, draft, edit and publish bat report on enlarged bat (teachers can hang from ceilings)

Supplemental homework and cooking activities are included as well.
A literature list and directions for making a classroom “Bat Cave” for classroom are also provided.
***Common Core Standards are listed next to each activity.

Download the Stellaluna & Bat Unit here.

Science Journal Promotes Inquiry-Based Learning

January 12, 2013July 28, 2013By astutehoot

Check out teacherspayteachers.com to purchase our new Science Journal that promotes inquiry-based learning, teaches crucial scientific skills and procedures and motivates even the most reluctant learners! This journal includes:

–Forms to complete the Scientific Process
–12 observation boxes, complete with space to diagram and record date and time
–Graph paper for data collection
–A blank calendar to record changes or growth
–A vocabulary bank
–Optional Science Center activity: a graphic organizer used to record bulleted notes/observations during center time. These notes will help guide the completion of a full journal entry.

Check out pictures of completed observations and a sample of a Science Center.