Science in Nature

"Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's 

most beautiful gift." - Albert Einstein 

The weather in Orange County, New York has been a little unpredictable lately. It snows about every week! The month of January has gone on the record as having the most snowfall in a single month. I have noticed something a little peculiar though. The night before it snows, the sky is an orange color. It's actually pretty bright too. I would like to find out more about this. I'm not sure what causes it. I think it has something to do with the clouds. I will definitely look more into it. 

Becoming a Scientist

Everyone has a "scientific self" as Janice Koch explained in chapter two of Scientific Stories. My translation of this phrase is that everyone can find an interest in some area of science. It could be anything ranging from astronomy to biology to physics. Personally, I find my scientific self in astrology. I love that scientists can come up with predictions for mankind based on the solar system. I am very intrigued by it. I get my love of astrology from my dad. I never had a teacher explain the stars and planets the way he did. He would always take me outside and tell stories about the stars. We would also look through a telescope all of the time. 

I had a notion of what a scientist was supposed to be when I was that little. I would always see movies with a crazy scientist with frizzy white hair who would blow everything up. The scientist is usually an older white male as well. I still have that picture in my head to this day and I'm sure many other people do too. The way scientists are portrayed in movies and on television is completely stereotyped and wrong. There are plenty of scientists that do not fit the usual description though. For instance, Marie Curie and Jane Goodall are two very well known scientists. Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize and discovered the elements Radium and Polonium. Jane Goodall is best known for her scientific work the chimpanzees. Not many would think of this type of work as being a scientific but that's because of the stereotype. 

Like Jane Goodall, there are many ways to bring science to nature. Simple things can be done like taking a walk in the park or the woods. Other things include driving in the snow or the rain. The weather affects many things in life. You just have to make sure you stop and look at what's going on around you. 

Teaching Science

After reading the first chapter of Science Stories by Janice Koch, I have started to think about my role as a elementary science teacher. Both the teacher and the student need to be open minded. This is important because everyone views science differently. They also exhibit scientific thinking differently. It is also important for teachers and students to work collaboratively. Working in groups is a great way to learn. For students, they get to hear opinions and observations from their peers. Not only is it fun for them to work with friends but working together develops team work. 

As I thought about working in teams, I remembered in fourth grade when I had to work on a project with my dad. We had to invent a compact machine that could be used in every day life. My dad and I unfortunately read the directions wrong. We ended up building what looked like a ski lift. The only problem with that was the ski lift had already been invented! This was a significant misconception. It showed the importance of reading directions. I ended up getting a bad grade on the project but I learned a valuable lesson. I have always read the directions to papers and assignments handed to me after that. This will be one of the first lessons I teach my students when I become a teacher. 

Not only is learning to read directions important but being able to recite and demonstrate what is learned is as well. Being able to do a science problem or an experiment is one thing but being able to explain it to someone shows that something was comprehended. Demonstrating a problem or an experiment is the next step. One way a teacher would demonstrate something is by using technology. There are many websites that contain educational games or videos. These are used to captivate students and they find it very enjoyable. When a student is learning something they have fun with they will remember more and understand more. 

I'm sure as I read further into Jane Koch's book I will understand how to make science lessons fun for students. I am looking forward to what I learn in chapter 2.