Online Sites and Apps For Science

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There are so many options available for teaching science with an online component.  One is called Study Jams.  It combines learning with music and singing.  This can get your kids out of their seat and we all know that we can remember lyrics to songs we have not heard in 10 years!  Science A-Z is an online resource that integrates science and literacy while assisting teachers in satisfying standards in both science and English language arts.  Learn 360 enables you to manage, share, and collaborate using a variety of resources located within the site.  Brain Pop is a site that uses videos, text information, games, and quizzes all provided by the site.  I have not seen any online resources used for science in my classroom.  One of the focuses of the class I am writing this blog for is to make sure you are not just lecturing at the front of the classroom.  Science can be difficult to understand if you do not provide your students with some hands-on opportunities.  While online sites are not hands-on, they provide a different level of interaction and opportunities that lectures do not.

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There are certain aspects of science that are much more enjoyable to do rather than to watch.  Using baking soda and vinegar to fill a balloon with gas or making jello to show how a liquid becomes a solid are a few examples.  However, there are some aspects of science that cannot be recreated through hands-on activities in the classroom.  Being able to see how blood moves through the body or what a functioning organ looks like in real life are a few examples of how technology brings science to life.  

Online resources can bring aspects of science that have previously only been shown through pictures.  Students can view body functions and see the universe through vivid videos and interactions.  Online resources can provide students with the opportunity to actually see how the universe works or how the human body works.  They can also provide students with the ability to do experiments that would not be possible because of safety concerns.  There is so much opportunity to give students more applicable learning methods then the traditional pictures and lectures. 

 

Science Vocabulary Content

 Science Vocabulary Content

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I have seen a variety of strategies used in my classroom.  My teacher has a word wall with science terms posted over most of the back wall on laminated squares.  These squares are colorful, neat, and informative.  They all contain an example or have a drawing that describes the term. Here is a picture of the wall (I apologize for the quality of the picture).

The kids regularly look back at the wall during science instruction and try and find the term they are looking for.  Most of the students have difficulty spelling these word and use the word wall to assist them in the spelling of these words.  She also had the students make flash cards to help them with the meaning of the terms and the spelling.

She has the students play bingo.  They get to pick a prize if they get bingo.  Last week she called it “Hingo” instead of Bingo because they were going over heat, radiation, convection, and other terms involved in this portion of the science lesson.  This really motivates the students because if they do not know the terms, they will never get bingo.  Several students thought they had bingo, but they had incorrectly identified some of the terms.  They were going to play again the next day, and I am sure the students that did not know a lot of the terms went home and studied so they could win a prize. 

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I think the students would benefit greatly from using the Time to Talk strategy.  It is difficult for students to understand the meaning of the word if they cannot use it in a conversation.  Giving them the opportunity to use the words in their colloquial language will aid them in understanding the concept.  It also gives the teacher the opportunity to show them how to make the transition into using the word or concept in more conceptual way.  

It might also benefit them to use graphic organizers.  It is more visual and can help to display words with a range of contextual information.  Students have different learning styles.  Using a graphic organizer can make the data seem less overwhelming and complex just because of how it is displayed.