The Barefoot Teacher: standards

Showing posts with label standards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label standards. Show all posts

(Not familiar with the NGSS standards? Then take some time to read "Getting to Know the Next Generation Science Standards: Kindergarten" first.)

Today, we're going to take a look at resources that will help you meet the "Earth & Human Activity" standard....which I just simply call the "We Love Earth" unit. I'll show you all the different parts to my We Love Earth Interactive Notebook and a few other resources too.
I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!
Just like the other interactive notebooks we've already covered, this one too comes with a set of corresponding classroom posters to hang in your room. But for this We Love Earth unit, there are only 4 simple posters included:
The We Love Earth unit also comes with its own interactive notebook cover.
The cover pages for each core idea will help your students keep their notebook well organized.

And just like all of the other core ideas covered, here is the vocabulary reinforcer for We Love Earth:
The Pocket full of Vocab matches the poster set (shown above), and also has additional words such as  love, care, and celebrate.  Have students pull the cards out of the pocket and review the meanings of the terms or how they apply to the topic of loving our Earth. They can quiz themselves, quiz a neighbor, and even write short definitions on the back to help them remember.

The Worm Challenge for this unit challenge students to consider what can be done with food that is waste. Rotten vegetables, scraps, uneaten leftovers...how can they help our Earth?

If you're up to it, a classroom compost would be an awesome addition to your discussions. 
Not sure where to get started? 
A Few Short Cuts will take you step by step to get you going. It's easier than you think...


...and the kids will LOVE digging up some worms! If you don't have an area at school that they can worm-search, then have them look around at home for some. They can put them in a clean 20 oz. bottle, or some other container with a secure lid, and bring them in. 

The next two pages of the interactive notebook encourage your littles to get up close and personal with caring for the Earth.
What can THEY do to make a difference? Have them come up with some ideas, and then write & draw them out. Then challenge them to keep track of ways that they put the 3 R's into practice.

Humans aren't the only living things that impact the Earth...animals and plants do too. In fact, they impact us as well! 'Living on Earth' gives you an opportunity to talk about how animals change their environment. The example given, is the groundhog, who digs holes in the ground to make his home. An example of how the Earth impacts us is when tree roots break the sidewalks we've created.

The next three pages shown in the above picture give students a chance to brainstorm and illustrate different objects in their day to day lives that they can reduce, reuse, and recycle. 

As I've mentioned in each of the different interactive notebook post, I've noticed that kids LOVE to prove how smart they are. So I created this page that not only reinforces your class discussions during this unit, but also give the kids a chance to feel smart, review with their friends, and practice what they've learned.
Students simply pull out one of the many questions and either answer the questions or do what it says.

If your looking for a great 3R's song for your students to listen to or learn, Chelsea Woolhouse has put together a great video with Jack Johnson's 3Rs song:

If you're looking for additional activities to use during your Earth unit, I have a few more to show you, that are not part of the interactive notebook.

 Here is a Non-Fiction Reading Comprehension resource that includes various reading passages with corresponding comprehension question sheets.
I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!
You can help your little sweethearts develop a confidence in their reading skills while having fun at the same time! The kid-friendly font that is used in these passages makes reading the text even easier. 
I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!
It's a perfect pack to send home for parents who are asking what they can do at home to help their little readers. All of the passages included have between a .1-1.0 reading comprehension level based on the Flesch-Kincaid reading comprehension level formula.

These FREE Earth-Themed Pathway Mazes are fun for early finishers or indoor recess.
I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!
These block-free mazes ensure that all students are able to successfully complete them! For more advanced mazers, have them draw in their own blocks...maybe some litter to clutter the path.

Learn about different types of biomes with this Our Earth Biomes Emergent Reader.
I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!
This "Our Earth" reader practices reading the sight word "our" while teaching your littles about the various types of biomes in our wonderful world. Each page has the repetitive pattern: "Our Earth has..." and covers deserts, oceans, forests, prairies, mountains, ponds, and more! 

Well, that's it for Earth & Human Activity. Next, we'll cover some helpful resources that will help you cover the Engineering Design standards.

-Til next time


I love celebrating Earth Day in Kindergarten with a variety of interactive activities that are geared just for them. Let me show you how to increase science engagement in your classroom, while having tons of fun at the same time! Did somebody say WORMS?!

(Not familiar with the NGSS standards? Then take some time to read "Getting to Know the Next Generation Science Standards: Kindergarten" first.)

Today, I'm going to focus on the Energy Interactive Notebook.

Each science interactive notebook set, including this one, comes with a set of corresponding classroom posters to hang around your room. Here are the posters that come with the Energy set:
Each idea covered also comes with its own interactive notebook cover.

The cover pages for each concept will help your students keep their notebook well organized.

And just like the first standard we covered, the next page is the vocabulary reinforcer:
This Pocket full of Vocab matches the poster set (shown above). Have students pull the cards out of the pocket and review the meanings of the terms. They can quiz themselves, quiz a neighbor, and even write short definitions on the back to help them remember. 

This graphic organizer page will help your students remember all the things you talked about during class discussion time.
You could also project this page on your smart board and fill it out together as a class before students do it on their own.

After you take your students outside to experiment with shadow making, you can bring them back in to complete this activity page.
The boy in the picture is getting too warm on the beach. Your students will need to draw something that will reduce the warmth of the sun on his body. Some ideas might be a beach umbrella, a sun hut, or some type of tarp lean-to.

This is a great unit to bring up astronomers in! Who are they? What do they study? What do they use?
Lift these flaps and write some information down about them. 

As I mentioned in a different interactive notebook post, I've noticed that kids LOVE to prove how smart they are. So I created this page that not only reinforces your class discussions on Energy and the Sun, but also give the kids a chance to feel smart, review their friends, and practice what they've learned.
Students simply pull out one of the many questions and either answer the questions or do what it says.

An ice cube investigation is included too!
Here's what kids will be investigating:
Can you slow down the melting of an ice cube?
You'll need to make up some ice cubes ahead of time.
Have your students predict the outcome and write it in under the flap. Then they can survey and tally up the predictions of their classmates. Have them graph out the results.
Place an icecube on a tray or paper plate and set it somewhere in the room on or on the window sill. Time how long it takes that ice cube to melt. Draw and record the results. Then have students create two different types of structures that could reduce the warmth of the sun on the ice cube. Place ice cubes under them and time how long they take to melt. This will be something you'll want to do and then come back to from time to time. Maybe you do one of your center rotations and then come check on the cubes. And you can totally be flexible with the time it took. If your kids were out to recess when the cube melted, just create an estimated time for your kids. They won't know the difference! ;)

This 'Our Sun Warms' Emergent Reader is a great way to bring up initial discussions with your Kinders on the sun.
Each page gives facts and information about the sun and what it does to the Earth and living things on the Earth. 

Well, that wraps up the "Our Sun Warms" portion of the NGSS. Writing about the warm sun makes me wish it were summer time right now! Next up on our NGSS list will be "Earth's Systems"...which I call my Weather Patterns unit. 

-Til next time,
         

Ever since the Next Generation Science Standards came out, I have overheard or often been asked for help by teachers who flat out admit the struggle they have with effectively implementing these still fairly new standards in the classroom. Especially with kids at the Kindergarten and First grade levels. 

So today's post is the first in a series I'm going to do on the Next Generation Science Standards for Kindergarten and First grade teachers. 

Here's what it's going to look like: 
First, (today) I'm going to do an introduction to the standards, (including the standards themselves and the performance expectations as well). Then I'll jump right into the Kindergarten standards and then move on to the First grade standards. By the end, I guarantee that you will be feeling more confident about boosting science instruction in your classroom while effectively engaging your cute little learners! I also have some FREEBIES for you today!

For you to be successful in teaching the science standards, it's important that you know and understand them yourself...to know what they are asking of students...to know what future ideas or concepts you are building a foundation for.

There is a great series of videos on YouTube from Bozeman Science, created by Paul Anderson, that goes into great detail explaining everything you need to know about the Next Generations Science Standards-great in depth behind-the-scenes information that will help you understand them at a whole new level. 
I highly encourage you to check these videos out. If anything, even just the first video in his series on the NGSS. You won't be sorry you did.

So what exactly are these standards asking our students to do? Well, at the Kindergarten level, here is what is expected of students:

And at the First Grade level, here is what is expected of students:
It's important that students know what's expected of them, so here is a FREEBIE that you can hang around your classroom. Having a visual hanging up will help them stay focused and on task.
Now let's move on to the standards. Do you already know what ideas you'll be teaching?

At the Kindergarten level, you'll be covering these Core Ideas:
-Motion & Stability: Forces & Interaction (I call this the "Fore & Motion" unit.)
-Energy (I call this the "Our Sun Warms" unit.)
-From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
(I call this the "Living Things" unit.)
-Earth's Systems (My "Weather Patterns" unit.)
-Earth & Human Activity (My "We Love Earth" unit.)
-Engineering Design

At the First Grade level, you'll be covering these Core Ideas:
-Waves: Light & Sound
-Structure, Function, & Information Processing
(I call this my "Grow. Survive. Thrive." unit.)
-Space Systems: Pattern & Cycles
-Engineering Design

When it comes to the NGSS, I firmly believe it's important to keep the standards simple. The more you complicate them, the harder of a time you're going to have getting your littles to understand the concepts that are involved.
Here are two sets of FREE "I CAN" Poster Sets for your classroom. One is for Kindergarten and the other for First Grade:

Tomorrow I'm going to share a topic that I like to cover before I dive into the standards with my students. If you have any questions about NGSS or the standards, please feel free to email me at TheBarefootTeacher@gmail.com. Just remember, I did not create these standards and am in no way affiliated with them. I'm simply a fellow teacher, sharing my interpretation and ideas on the NGSS!

-Til next time
           

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