The content in kindergarten science isn't too tough and the lessons are fairly straightforward. Here are a few comments on each of the lessons.
Lesson 1: The Night Sky
The first lesson asks students to, in the words of the New Mexico Science Performance Standards, "observe that there are many objects in the night sky and that some are brighter than others." Short of visiting each child's home and dragging them out of bed, the only way you're going to get children to go out after dark and look up is to be excited about what you saw in the sky the night before. They'll want to be part of the discussion of the big round full Moon or the halo around a Moon high in the sky.
Remember that students in kindergarten are not developmentally ready to make the connection between themselves or a globe turning around and the rotation of the Earth. Stick to real things that they can observe and don't try to explain what's going on through the use of models.
As you work with your students in science, be careful of errors in children's non-fiction books. We have quite a collection of books with big mistakes or misleading pictures in them. One shows the light coming from the Sun as yellow then magically turning white as it bounces off the Moon and travels to Earth. That's not even mentioning the incredibly misleading relative sizes and distances portrayed in that illustration. Check out the books you read to your students for these kinds of mistakes.
Lesson 2: Wonderful Weather
Wonderful Weather helps you talk about yesterday and today -- an important concept for five and six year olds. If you want to add a tally graph to your calendar that keeps track of the weather over time. It's a great way to make graphs out of meaningful data.
Lesson 3: Seasons
Seasons may not reflect the seasons that your children know about. Consider adding some pictures of what children do or wear in your summer and winter to the pictures provided in the kit.
The Seasons sorting book is a favorite of everyone. Be sure to try the same format with other subjects -- matching numerals and quantities in math or letters and pictures in reading would be very nice.
Lesson 4: Wind Energy
Wind Energy lets children have some fun with wind. They'll have additional experiences with making things move in the Physical Science unit so just focus on how wind energy can make things move.
There's another way to make the wind spinner move. Hold it above an incandescent light bulb and the rising heat will make it spin.
Lesson 5: The Sun's Energy
The Sun's Energy looks at the warmth and light we receive from the Sun. Make sure you make ice cubes the day before. We've had many comments from kindergarten teachers that making the ice cubes is a lesson in itself. In these days of refrigerators with ice dispensers in the door, it's amazing how many children have never made ice.
Have some fun with the color changing objects. They're a great source of What If . . ? questions that can be explored.
Lesson 6: Shadows
Shadows has two parts: one outside where they look at their shadows during the day and the other inside when they make their own shadows.
And remember, the Sun doesn't move through the sky -- it appears to move because the Earth is turning. No need to model it or explain it further. That's the way it is.
To learn what's going on in the sky this month, try Stardate from the University of Texas's McDonald Observatory.
Be sure to check out KidsAstronomy.com.
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