Naturally Teaching

An elementary teacher science blog

Tag: Science

Teaching with Phenology: How to Plan Your Science Standards Around the Seasons [Ep. 11]
Podcast
Teaching with Phenology: How to Plan Your Science Standards Around the Seasons [Ep. 11]

Teaching with Phenology Organizing science standards with phenology in mind can truly benefit your students’ overall learning. Not only does it encourage the use of all the senses, lends itself well to a variety of different science activities, and provides a scaffolded approach to understanding of content, it most importantly gives your students authentic phenomenon […]

10 Best Nature Apps to Use in the Elementary Classroom [Ep. 10]
Podcast
10 Best Nature Apps to Use in the Elementary Classroom [Ep. 10]

Best nature apps We’ve made it to the 10th episode of this podcast! Statistics show that more than 80% of podcasts don’t make it to this point, so to celebrate, I’ve put together a list of the 10 best nature apps that I use for teaching elementary students. 🥳 All of these apps have free […]

Read this list to find books about invasive species to read to your students
Picture Books
7 Invasive Species Books to Read in the Elementary Classroom

Are you looking for a way to introduce invasive species to your elementary students? The concept of invasive exotic species can be challenging for young students to understand. Picture books are an amazing way to learn about the world and can be an invaluable tool for introducing children to scientific skills and concepts. This list […]

10 Science Activities for Elementary Students That Aren't Experiments [Episode 1]
Podcast
10 Science Activities for Elementary Students That Aren’t Experiments [Ep. 1]

Science activities for elementary students Science activities for elementary students are often thought to be limited to experiments. As children that grew up in the era of the scientific method, as teachers, we think: question —> hypothesis —> experiment —> data —> conclusion But the reality is – scientists explore, learn, and explain new discoveries […]

Read this article to learn about reusing recyclables to make 10 different science tools for your elementary classroom
Science
Reusing Recyclables: 10 Science Tools to Make for Students

Reusing recyclables to make science tools could be the difference between your students repeating scientific information and actually understanding it. Let me give you an example: one day I was coaching a 3rd grade teacher on how to use mineral testing kits that I brought for her students to try. The school had textbooks about […]

Read this list to find books about how butterflies grow to read to your students
ELA
Picture Books
How Butterflies Grow: 8 Picture Books About Butterfly Life Cycles

Butterflies are a hot topic for students and teaching about how butterflies grow can be a great way to tie their interests into the standards. If your district uses the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), 3rd graders are supposed to “develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have […]

Read this list to find books about the moon, sun, and eclipses to read to your students
ELA
Picture Books
12 Stellar Books About the Moon, Sun, and Eclipses

Are you looking for a way to get ready for the upcoming solar eclipse or to get a better understanding of the moon and sun? Picture books are an amazing way to learn about the world and can be an invaluable tool for introducing children to scientific skills and concepts. This list of books about […]

Read this interview to learn about the conservation implications for using a raising butterflies kit in your elementary classroom
Science
A Raising Butterflies Kit for the Classroom: A Conservation Conversation

If you’ve thought about adding a raising butterflies kit to your list of activities this year, you’ll want to read this article first! While these kits have great reviews and many teachers praise their benefits in the classroom, there’s a bigger picture to consider. I had the opportunity to interview Jenn Kirts and Michelle Fournier […]

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