I must admit that I was a bit nervous about stepping back into the classroom full time after having been retired for three years. Teaching a new subject made me feel excited and a bit anxious. I did not know what to expect! I am happy to report that my first month of teaching in the 3-5 science lab has been filled with many unique teaching opportunities, and it has been so rewarding to me already.
Eclipses
The first day of school was a science teacher’s dream! We had a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse phenomenon taking place across the United States that very day, and we were very fortunate to spend the entire day learning about it. It was very special for us to be outside together to experience the partial eclipse we had here. One of my favorite moments was when the bugs, thinking it was dusk, started buzzing loudly as they headed home and the sky turned darker. Telling students about that as compared to them experiencing it first hand was remarkable! As a teacher, it simply does not get any better than that. What a great moment in science history that we were able to share together!
Hurricanes
After studying the eclipse, my plan for fourth grade was to begin teaching about the steps in the Scientific Method, but wait! Hurricane Irma was on the way! Weather is a topic in fourth grade science. I paused my initial plans and quickly switched gears to teach about hurricanes as Irma was looming in the Atlantic spinning closer and closer to Florida. Having students beg to watch the Weather Channel again was exhilarating. They were as into learning about Irma as I was. It was so rewarding to hear students use the weather vocabulary they learned as they came back to school after being out for two days due to Hurricane Irma. I loved how many of my students shared that they had taught family members about the hurricane during their two days off.
My favorite lesson was when we recreated a hurricane in a bowl, and they were able to see that the eye does indeed stay calm while the eyewall spins frantically. As we created the hurricane in the bowl, and I quizzed them on what was happening, they did not miss a beat applying the scientific terms they had learned! This week as Hurricane Maria is gaining momentum in the Atlantic, I have had students stop me in the hallway to give me updates on it as we have passed.
Here's a clip from our hurricane in a bowl. Note - the video has been sped up a bit.
Skittles
I love candy, and I think most kids do as well. With that in mind, the fifth-graders have had fun using Skittles to practice the steps in the Scientific Method. They have developed their very own testable research questions using Skittles. Will vinegar or water dissolve a Skittle faster? Will a red Skittle or yellow Skittle coating dissolve faster in water? I have found that creating a hypothesis with Skittles is much more fun than using a boring “A” or “B” variable. (Think: If red and yellow Skittles are placed in vinegar, then the red Skittle coating will dissolve first because...) Of course, after a class period filled with experimenting, sharing a handful of chewy Skittles is a fun way to conclude the class.
Getting back into the classroom has been very rewarding to me already. I told someone it was kind of like riding a bike. If you haven’t done it in a while, you may swerve a bit at first but then you quickly remember how to do it and peddle on. I can’t wait to see what the remainder of the school year may bring!
