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Science Statement

The University of Alaska Southeast, Alaska College of Education states that candidates

know, understand and use fundamental concepts of physical, life and earth/space science.

Candidates should also know how to design and implement age-appropriate lessons to teach

science, build student understanding for personal and social applications, and to convey the

nature of science. The following framing statement gives an examples of age-appropriate science

lessons that build student understanding both personally and socially that convey the nature of

science.

Past students have gleefully reminded me of science lessons I have taught. One was a

STEM project with 2nd graders spring 2015. We learned the history of corn, how it grows, and

how heat makes the corn kernels pop. Volume was the main objective of the STEM lesson. So,

with popcorn, the students designed and made containers to fit a certain amount of popcorn.

Showing the students 10 pieces of popcorn, the questions was asked, “What size container would

you need to hold 313 pieces of popcorn?” Using paper, glue, tape, staples, and scissors, the

students ate popcorn, threw popcorn, and made several shapes and sizes of containers. The

messy classroom was full of laughter. I had a bag hidden of 313 pieces of popcorn. When the

students were ready, we poured my popcorn into each constructed container. Groups took turns

explaining how they came up with their container size and the design. The students left class

saying, “Science is so fun. I love science!” Most recently a mother of a previous student told me

her son still talks about and plays with his model of the phases of the moon, which I taught

during my student teaching fall 2016. The two examples above demonstrate age-appropriate

science lessons. The following is an updated science project for the near future.
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While taking science ED 617 during spring 2015, I presented the following artifact as a

class assignment. I had forgotten about this presentation. I was excited to find this artifact

because it gave me ideas to incorporate in the bird section of the Alaskan Animals unit for 1st

grade. For example, reading How the Raven Stole the Sun by Maria Williams, which

incorporates the social application of Alaska’s traditional Tlingit tale. My all-time favorite

children’s raven book is Snow Ravens by Bruno Hächler. Knowing that I will be referencing my

Birds of Alaska slideshow (my artifact) in the future, I made a few changes to it. My title slide

now reads like a poem. I added the six Anchorage School District (ASD) bird lessons to the slide

show. Lastly, I included sharing my life-size raven puppet, Frito, as a raven visual for my

students.

During my second year of teaching, I taught my 1st graders Alaskan Animals with the

content being, “Investigate how the characteristics of Alaskan animals can be very different and

have adapted to allow for survival in specific Alaskan ecosystems with particular conditions”

(ASD, 2019). Learning about Alaska birds is one section of the Alaskan animals science unit. I

volunteered to attended a couple of Saturday science professional development trainings on how

to teach the 1st grade science unit. I never would have had the time to figure out the unit on my

own. The professional instruction was crucial to the success of my lessons. Research states,

“Well-designed and well-implemented professional development activities have the potential to

increase teachers’ beliefs about teaching science. Theoretically, such beliefs may play a role in

the quality of teaching and ultimately student learning” (Lumpe, Czerniak, Haney, &

Beltyukova, 2012, p. 164). Attending the training helped me to confidently present science

lessons to my 1st graders, which built student understanding to convey the nature of science.
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Research states, “Science provides a rich context for children to apply and further

develop their language and mathematics skills” (Bass, Contant, & Carin, 2009, p. 8). The authors

go on to say, “Science experiences from the earliest grades are essential for helping students

learn to think and understand” (2009, p. 7). Each semester I print off and make the students a

science notebook. The notebooks have pages that go with each chapter in the science unit. The

pages provide students room to measure, graph, write predictions and observations, etc., which

supports the science lessons. The notebooks also provide an opportunity for students to read,

write, and to practice math and language.

In addition to the science notebooks, this year I plan to have students keep a nature

journal purely for the pleasure of observing, drawing, sketching, and experiencing nature. Ideas

for drawing can be what they see on the way to school, what they see out the classroom window,

or I can even bring the “outside” indoors. During the bird unit, we will sketch, label, and

measure the unique features of birds—their feet, beaks, wings, and bone structure. Authors

Leslie and Roth remark, “The most important thing we can teach our young people is to

observer” (2000, p. 157). The authors further say journaling nature is one way we can help teach

kids about the world, and experience it with them (2000). I have nature journals where the entries

take me back in time, to the place, the smell, and the feeling I had about being there. I want this

rich learning experience for my students.

The question is asked why science should be taught in elementary school. Authors Bass,

Contant, & Carin answer the question by stating, “Developing understanding in science involves

processes of inquiry, including observation, raising questions, engaging in meaningful

investigations, combining, comparing, and reflecting on data, and using existing knowledge to
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make sense of what is seen” (2009, p. 6). Science helps students learn to think and understand

cultures and the world around them.

References

Anchorage School District (ASD), Science, First Grade Science, 1st Fall. Alaska Animals.

https://www.asdk12.org/Page/7870, website retrieved June 2019.

Bass, J., Contant, T. L., Carin, A. A. (2009). Teaching science as inquiry. (11th edition). Boston,

MA: Pearson.

Leslie, C.W., & Roth, C.E. (2000). Keeping a nature journal: Discover a whole new way of

seeing the world around you. Hong Kong: C & C Offset Printing.

Lumpe, A,. Czerniak, C., Haney, J., & Beltyukova, S. (2012). Beliefs about teaching science:

The relationship between elementary teachers’ participation in professional development

and student achievement. International Journal of Science Education, 34(2), 153-166.

https://doi-org.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/10/1080/09500693.2010.551222.