Teacher Week 2015: Spotlight on SCIENCE!

Hi, Teachers!

Today is the last day of Teacher Week 2015, and the focus of today's post is my favorite subject to teach: SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!

The reason I love science is that it is so hands-on. There are tons of opportunities for inquiry-based teaching and learning, and it is so easy to create cooperative learning groups in science. I LOVE it! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT! 

Of course, as the huge animal lover that I am, I get critters involved in my classroom as much as I possibly can. We raise Monarchs in my classroom, and that is something we're doing now! Click the picture below to read my recent post on how to do that if you're interested.

In the late spring, I also raise chicks in my classroom. THEY ARE SO CUTE. I can't even handle it! But more importantly than that, the kids learn a lot about life cycles, birds, and how to care for animals. I recommend doing this, but ONLY IF YOU FIND A RESPONSIBLE FOREVER HOME FOR YOUR CHICKS WHEN THEY HATCH!!!!! I cannot stress that enough. This is a lot of work, but it's worth it. Local farmers are a good place to start.

This little guy is named Flappy. I loved him and totally wanted to keep him, but he wasn't a practical pet for my little apartment. One day I'll have a chicken coop, but not until I own a house! The farmer who has Flappy says he is doing very well. :)

In both my Monarch and Chick units of study, the kids get to observe the caterpillars or chicks/chicken eggs (we candle the eggs so you can see inside!) over time and see how they change. It's really awesome! These are great opportunities to teach kids how to observe. Talk about how scientists only record what they see, but they can write their hypotheses too as long as they differentiate between observations and hypotheses. Model how to draw like a scientist!

I love science. I think it lets the kids see and experience the world in such a special way. I will definitely be writing more posts about science-related ideas in the future, but I NEED A NAP and I still need to go to school! I think I will set my alarm clock for Monday morning when I get home tonight. Ha! What is your favorite subject? Why? Comment below!