Some Science Year Starters

A Quick Formative Assessment of Prior Knowledge

When starting your first science unit have your students create a cover page in their interactive science notebooks. Instruct them to show what they already know about the content in any way they wish. They can draw pictures, use words or phrases-let them be as creative as they want. Give them about 15-20 minutes to do this. As you circulate around the room you will be able to see what they already know and any misconceptions they may have, as well as a starting point for your teaching. Let the students share their pages, encouraging any new learning to be added to their pages.
 

The Following Directions Follies from Education World

Students follow written instructions and carefully observe tha actions of each person in the classroom. This fun activity assesses students' ability to observe and follow directions, It is also a great icebreaker!

The Nature of Science an activity for the first day of class. The purpose of this activity is to get the students to think about the nature of science, and also, to show the importance of being an active participant in the learning process.  Students have been given the definition of science in the past, but students should realize that science is dynamic, it is hands-on, and it changes as our knowledge of the world increases.

Learning How to use Basic Laboratory Equipment

The beginning of the year is the time to teach students how to use basic laboratory equipment. Set up several stations around the classroom with a balance, graduated cylinders and beakers, thermometers, rulers and other simple instruments. Microscopes would not be included in this activity, since they more complicated and require an entire lesson. After a whole-class introduction to each of the instruments, divide the students up into small groups and have them rotate through the stations and practice using the equipment. They can weigh a small object on the balance, measure out a certain volume of water with a beaker and graduated cylinder, take the temperature of a liquid with the thermometer, and measure the length of a piece of cardboard in inches and centimeter 

Terrie Schultz
AssociatedContent.com