Science in My Classroom
Blake Reidy
Evolution and Creationism
A science topic that makes me nervous is the idea of having to teach evolution if there are students who believe in creationism in my classroom.
Evolution: Evolution in the broadest sense leads to an understanding that the natural world has a history and that cumulative change through time has occurred and continues to occur.
Creationism: In its broadest meaning, creationism is the idea that the universe is the consequence of something transcendent.
(National Science Teachers Association)
Strategies For Teaching Evolution and Creationism
- Let parents know ahead of time and send a letter home explaining the upcoming unit and ask for any questions or concerns
- Be sensitive to all beliefs and thoughts
- Have an open environment where students feel safe to ask questions and share their personal opinions
- Have an alternative plan for students whose parents do not want them to take part in that particular unit of study
- Teach evolution as a theory and present students with ideas that have been well researched and are well supported with textual evidence
*This will hopefully not be a problem in the lower grades that I plan to teach, but in middle school it might be something to think about!
Incorporating Science Into My Future Classroom
Literacy!
There are great ways to incorporate science into a literacy lesson or unit. Last year, the teacher I was observing used scientific reports to allow students to perform experiments and then learn a specific writing technique.
- Journaling about science
- Reading non-fiction science texts during reading time
Math!
There are many opportunities to incorporate math into science ideas! My students are currently working on shapes, and it would be very easy to overlap and talk about shapes in the natural world!
- Measuring and calculations (for experiments)
- Science can help provide relevance to math (edutopia)
Theme!
There is usually time in the day for theme, even if it is only 30 minutes. At my school, we alternate between science and social studies units. When there is time for science as its own subject, there are tons of opportunities for learning!
- Life Science
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Earth and Space Science
Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character. - Albert Einstein
Science Content vs. Science Practice
Although both content and practice are important for science, I am always a firm believer that it is better to do than to know. I believe in learning by experience, and if you practice doing and getting experiences, the knowledge will follow. However, I always believe that it is important to practice learning how to be safe in the classroom with each other and with materials. Knowing what you are working with and what the outcome will be is an important part of safety, but in terms of content I think that encouraging the practice of science and exploration is more important than knowledge. After all, it took someone curious, who did not know the outcome that would happen, to discover everything about science that we know so far!