What's it all about again?

I've had a rather busy week travelling through Wairoa and I have a plan for a post that's going to take some time to set up so thought I'd Just do a quick one today with some musings I've been talking about through my visits this week.

Could these be dinosaur footprints at Coronation Reserve, Mahia... 

One thing that I'm really keen on is that science is everywhere! It's why I set up the Facebook page "science happening nz" to show articles, photos, and activities. But the problem is I'm not thinking about Tuesdays and Thursdays after lunch in Terms Two and Three! I'm thinking reading time, writing time, sharing in the morning at roll time, and after lunch when the kids all get back in! I'm also thinking a bit about maths time but generally that's not the subject at the top of my head (maybe I should start thinking a bit more about it). 
We need ideas to engage students and enthuse them. We need local contexts and stuff that's interesting!

Mahia beaches -incredible rock formations

If I can collect a dozen rocks off a beach and have a class focused and excited for 45 minutes, so can you! Use a photo as a warm up for writing to get kids brainstorming vocabulary, or offering predictions and inferences. Take a whole class reading session with a local newspaper's article that's science-based. What do you think about the article generally? What about reading it 'as a scientist'? What vocabulary was difficult? Were there any inferences? What about opinions? Does anyone have a question that we could ask to clarify our thinking? Who could we ask? Grab a picture and get the students thinking about the differences between an observation and an inference -who can come up with the most observations (or which group), write a descriptive paragraph from a science point of view and then from a writer's point of view -they might be quite different!
And here's my last point. Although we're doing science at a literacy time, and we are developing and learning literacy skills for example, can we be developing science skills too. I like my capability indicators and encourage teachers to think about deliberately developing 1 or 2. I know that quite a few may be in evidence but our 'deliberate acts of teaching' need to be focused on an indicator -checking where students are with it and then thinking about where to next. It's vital we do this if we are wanting to develop student ability in science!
Although I post often on Facebook, I have no idea whether they are being used at all but the page is turning into a big resource that I hope will be useful!
So do have a look: https://www.facebook.com/sciencehappeningnz/. Have a try and get back to me how it's all going! 

These might just be my faves at the moment... goosneck barnacles! They look extra-terrestial!

Keep on sciencing!
Paul

Science Fairs

Yes, I am sorry for using such swear words at the beginning of a post! However, I received an email from 'Science Sparks' which got me thinking about science fairs.
I know that there's a lot of bad press on science fairs -that it's an activity that a lot children switch off from, that parents spend hours and hours on them... I meant children not parents..., and that only a few actually enjoy these... and that's not even counting the resurrection of previous siblings' efforts with a few tweaks! However, I have worked with a few schools where our focus has been not so much attaining excellence in the local science fair association but simply to support children exploring how science itself works.
That last bit is out of the science essence statement in the New Zealand Curriculum. We aren't meant to be teaching 'stuff' so much as about science, how it works, how it is communicated, how scientists investigate, and what counts as evidence, etc. If we're serious about inquiry and student agency, the idea of science fairs could be really helpful -and that's not even counting the maths and literacy links as well: reading, writing up procedures, journal writing, and explanation writing. 

Science fairs on their own are a bit unfair on the general populace: pick a topic, go investigate and write up... all on your own! Homework at the best of times is not usually at the top of the list of 'what I like to do when I get home' and science fairs are no exception. And I haven't even got into the confusion for some students who've never really done one right in the first place!
So why not use Term Two as an opportunity for children to inquire in small groups, perhaps on class-set questions, investigate in a scaffolded environment and then present their ideas to the class, perhaps via video, google docs, or a poster. I certainly wouldn't go the whole way with publishing a la science fairs for the first efforts. Because my goal is always the development of the capabilities, that's my learning intention for the students -we're learning how to gather and interpret data and then use evidence to explain. We might need to be interpreting representations too. Later down the track, especially with the older students, we could critique the evidence of each others' projects. 

If the first half of the term was set up like this, with students learning how science works, making mistakes with investigative procedures and correcting, repeat testing, making sure results are reliable and valid as well as communicating as scientists, perhaps students would be inspired to carry out investigations on their own or in pairs (I'd have students in groups of 3 or 4 for the first half of the term). I might jot down questions and encourage students to do so as we investigate in the first part of the term and stick these questions on a wonder wall as it could encourage children with their own science fairs. 
From this, you might find quite a group that would like to go on to science fairs. It would be great if it was the whole school with juniors doing larger group investigations that may be whole class based whilst Y5-8 students are working more individually or in pairs. I think they could be more confident because of their prior work at the beginning of the term. 

I think I would begin the first week with all investigating the same question, perhaps set by the teacher (and yes, I know that isn't real inquiry or student agency but we need to start somewhere!) and then have a selection of questions for them to investigate for the following weeks. Doing this means we have results that we can compare... it would make a great reading task: read through group x's report on their experiment... what do you think of their procedure? Do you think their results are valid? Are they similar to yours? If not, why do you think that is? Write up to 3 questions that you'd like to pose to this group challenging their evidence.

So where do I find these delightful experiments? Well, the place that started my thinking is here: https://www.science-sparks.com/science-fair-project-ideas/. Find a few of my experiments and pose a question that would cause the children to carry out the first experiment and then pursue further answers. If you were part of my term four mailing list, there's a pile there that children could use. I might start with a simply one week investigation and then perhaps a two or three weeks investigation with some options before embarking on something bigger for science fair judging. 

In the Waikato, science fairs seem to be for Year 7 and 8 students only but that doesn't prevent schools having their own science fairs set up with the best four or five from each classroom in the hall. I guess smaller schools could have them all set up in one room whilst larger schools might have the classrooms all set up for the day because, and this is the important bit, others need to see the investigations. At the least, children from that classroom, but why not other students too? Perhaps it could be a parent evening. 

Last bit... the judging... more and more, I've noticed that science fair organisations are using the nature of science or capabilities to judge and this is fantastic! By the time we reach Level 4 of the curriculum, we should be beginning to see the importance of the content or knowledge but we can still score based on the capabilities: How well did they gather data? How well did they infer from the data -was it reliable and valid? In communicating with the reader, do they write tentatively and in that science-style genre? You may want a visitor to judge (and yes, I've been called in!) but be certain to share the school's criteria. 

Science Fair in the Waikato is in early August making Term Two perfect for this kind of science. Wrap your literacy programme around this too, critiquing pieces of writing and websites (tree octopus anyone?) as well as learning how to write journal or diary entries (lots of examples online) and experiments.

And that's next term planned for! I do hope some of you have a go, even if it's not to enter 'officially'. I think investigations for students can be really engaged ensuring that you as the teacher ask good questions to get the investigation going and continuing on. 

Keep on sciencing
Paul

Part Three: Return of the Facilitator

Okay, not as catchy as Return of the Jedi but probably just as good -it was an awful movie after all, although it was better than the prequels and the next bunch... I better stop before this becomes a post about Star Wars!
I wanted to use this last post to tie in a few further ideas not specifically about the capability Gather and Interpret Data but that can be developed as the lessons progress.

Footprints -a great thing to photograph and get children talking about. In the background are moa nests. 

The Front Half...
I love our New Zealand Curriculum. The front half is packed full of thinking that can be a part of what we are doing in science... All of the Vision components (p. 8) and Values (p. 10) can be reflected in activities based around students observing closely. If you move some of the activities outside, you can bring in an ecological aspect -where are all the bees or native birds?, as well as thinking innovatively or creatively. Schools are keen to develop the Key Competencies as well and children drawing and labelling diagrams (using language, symbols and text), learning how to infer (thinking) and back to ecological matters (participating and contributing) can all pop up. One matter is that sometimes we can tick off these ideas and believe Yup, I'm doing that, whereas I want to encourage you to be thinking about how you are deliberately developing, for example, the relating to others Key Competency. It's not just going to happen for some students but by using an observation activity in a group and being deliberate about the focus, things can happen! Okay guys, we're going to be looking at these minifigures as a group. I am going to give out roles to each of you. Who can tell me how we could act in a group. What should I as the teacher be looking for if you think you are being a valuable member of the group?
Just as an aside, the science capabilities are often seen as being similar to the Key Competencies.

I've no idea what I was doing either... I think I'm modelling "I'm thinking"!

The Students!
Which leads me nicely to the next idea: the kids! Let them bring in objects! Enable them to decide what a good observation looks like or to set out some criteria. If we want our students to improve their inference skills, then they need to know what a good inference might look like.
Get them to choose objects to observe or experiments to do. If you are doing experiments, then let them choose the 'where to next'. This can be difficult, especially if you are a bit of an OCD planner (yes, my hand is up!). Instead of planning all the activities, plan the initial ones and focus on what you are developing. Remember it's not about the content but the science capabilities! If your focus is observing closely from all angles or asking questions that can be investigated, what does it matter what the experiment is. After I have carried out the soda water and raisins experiment, I have no idea where children are going to go next! I always bring along some stuff just in case and usually I get it right or will scaffold what we could inquire about (for example, liquids, containers and objects) but I want it to be about their pursuing, not mine! I love it, that after six years in the job, I'm still surprised at what students notice or predict or want to try out with this experiment!

Tikanga
This year I am doing my dissertation on culturally responsive practice and am reading a lot of really interesting articles about the topic. What I want to say here is basically ask the question: How can I engage my Māori students? I'm thinking about topics, the way I teach, honouring te reo, and tikanga. It might mean not chucking out the soda water and raisins after the experiment, but watering the plants or adding to the compost. I might get the children to try and use as much te reo as I can when describing, for example shape and colour. If I was out observing the tui feeding off the flax flowers, I might search out some Māori stories about the tui for reading time. One great idea is using our local whānau. Take a walk out in your local bush and invite a kaumatua to share about what he notices and knows. There's lots that can be observed!
I do want to put here that I am not the expert here at all. I am keen to learn and understand further so that science can also have that cultural responsive aspect needed, promoting biculturalism and enabling and engaging our Māori students. I'm on a learning journey and happy to share my thoughts as long as you all recognise I'm a student too -I want to know how others do this as well!

Should we be worried about this amount of wood being washed ashore?
Is it good for the creatures that normally live here?

Local Curriculum
Last one! The Ministry of Education is very keen on schools developing their own curriculum. When I head into a new school, one of the questions I ask is How is the science here different to what I would find at another school? Regardless of rural vs town school, or the size of the school, it needs to have its own character. Are you close to a river? Then science should have some aspect wrapped up around the river, perhaps working with the local environmental council, the local marae, the local community, etc. And it should be different to a school that's on the coast. I'm not talking all of the science but at least some of it. I've been connecting with an EnviroSchools coordinator in Hawkes Bay who is doing fantastic work! They shared with me some of the things that the school is doing that blew me away -it's no going to be hard to find science contexts for these schools although getting the pedagogy and capabilities to sit alongside will take some work (that's why I'm here!). There are resource people everywhere willing to help!

Some student work that I'll be sharing next blog... I think... unless something else comes up in the meantime!

Integration
One of the issues of science in schools is that many students talk about how they don't like science because it's full of writing. At the same time, reading and writing time (and maths too sometimes) can sometimes seem very disconnected to the topics. Many schools are starting to move towards integrating our topics and although I do have some hesitations about this, I think science can be an effective tool. I have again and again seen students who could be considered struggling in writing, scribing notes and jotting down ideas in science time. I've seen children not really understanding how to measure their lego car's progress and not making the connection back to how they were measuring in maths only a few hours ago. By utilising maths and writing skills with science, children seem to be more engaged and willing. I'm not talking about unnecessary writing, i.e. copy out the experiment that's printed on the board, but writing that they need to do! I want to share back my findings with the others so I better make sure my measurements are accurate... or that my observations and inferences are clear... I don't ever tend to ask students to write screeds but I do get them sharing their thinking with me (and often it can get quite long!). If I'm looking at Measurement in maths time, do some observations of objects with children estimating the dimensions and weight! The other side is reading time. If we want to see children creating great diagrams, then there needs to be examples. Pick articles that have diagrams the children can examine as well as the text to explore and discuss this genre of writing.

And that's it! Next time, I'm heading back to assessment and looking at diagrams that a school kindly allowed me to use -there'll even be a slides show! If you're still with me, thanks for reading these and I hope they have been really useful to you. They will slow down a little -I just really wanted to keep this series together.

I went through  phase of being fascinated by the way the sea water drains around rocks -it always reminds me of comets and meteorites. I wonder if it's a similar effect?

As always, feel free to contact me or ask a question. Watch out for my Facebook posts but most of all, keep on sciencing!