My Master’s Curriculum Research Project, “Teaching Science Through Hands-On Learning”, was built on the need to include science into the school curriculum. Often times, science is overlooked in favor of highly criticized curriculum, such as math or ELA. According to Judson (2013) and Blank (2013), ELA and math are held to higher accountability standards and not only state, but federal requirements as well. However, with the lack of students learning STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and math), there is a growing gap in positions available in these fields (Blank, 2013). Therefore, with the need for inclusion of science curriculum, I wanted to showcase ways to implement science in the classroom that would not only be simple, but also highly engaging for the students. There were two questions that served as the basis for my project: (1) How can hands-on learning experiences be implemented in elementary school Science lessons? (2) Does implementing hands-on learning experiences in Science increase student engagement and understanding? These questions remain important as they focus on including students in their own learning and increase engagement. Taking learning into their own hands and being engaged helps students “make sense of [their] perceptions and actions” (Satterthwait, 2010, p. 9).
Although these specific lessons and curriculum map pertain to second grade students, the anticipated participants include all elementary school students. Additionally, this project was created with the elementary school teachers in mind that may feel as if they do not have enough time in the school day or adequate knowledge to teach abstract science concepts. When science is introduced in the classroom, it tends to be a brief introduction of a topic with no follow-up. With this information in mind, alongside the participants, the lessons start with an abstract topic and slowly build upon it. There is a week full of plans that focus not only on one specific topic, but a focused standard. Throughout these lessons, students are engaged and using hands-on methods and their senses to explore a topic that they do not fully understand. Teachers have the ability to learn alongside the students and implement lessons that do not require expensive, time-consuming, materials.
It is my goal, with this project, to create simple, cheap, easy lesson plans to implement science into the classroom that keeps students engaged and increase understanding. These lesson plans do not require many materials nor large expanses of time, therefore, teachers will hopefully see how easy it is to include science into the curriculum. Additionally, although the lessons build up one another and are consecutive, they are not time constraining and can be spread out over a week or two if need be. I think teachers will find these lessons interesting and simple to use and students will find these lessons engaging and help them develop deeper understanding of topics.
Another goal of mine is that the general ideas of these lesson plans and this project can be implemented in any elementary school grade and can span a variety of subjects. Although this curriculum project caters to a specific topic, the overall ideas such as simple materials, basic hands-on experimentation, and focus on one idea over an extended period of time, can be applied to a variety of subjects, lessons, and students. Additionally, I want teachers to see that they do not require an extensive amount of knowledge to teach specific topics and can feel comfortable including science in the curriculum.
Not only is it imperative that we engage students in their learning, but that we introduce them to subjects like science and engineering. In the long run, by teaching students science, we will be helping them create their own learning experiences, create the connections they need to the real world and what they are learning, and closing the gap in STEM positions. Hands-on learning helps students learn new skills, and build upon the ones they already have. This Master’s Curriculum project provides teachers a starting block to implementing science into the classroom through hands-on, engaging learning experiences.
Resources
Blank, R. K. (2013). Science instructional time is declining in elementary schools: What are the implications for student achievement and closing the gap? Science Education, 97(6), 830–847. doi: 10.1002/sce.21078
Judson, E. (2013). The relationship between time allocated for science in elementary schools and state accountability policies. Science Education, 97(4), 621–636. doi: 10.1002/sce.21058
Satterthwait, D. (2010). Why are ‘hands-on’ science activities so effective for student learning? Teaching Science, 56(2), 7–10.
Teaching Science Through Hands-On Learning 