How to Incorporate Science Process Skills in Your Classroom
The mastering of science process skills can help the student in more than just science. The skills promote logical and sequential problem-solving which can be used in many areas of school and life. Incorporating science process skills into your classroom will help your students practice problem-solving skills throughout the school day.
Instructions
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Choose an object that will be hidden "in plain view" in the classroom each morning. As students enter and sit at their desk, have them use the science skill of observing to visually locate the object and write on a piece of paper where it is. In addition, announce on the blackboard each morning what the "word of the day" will be. Each time you incorporate that word into your speech have the students tally it on a piece of paper. You use a clicker to do the same. At the end of each day, ask students how many times they heard you use the word of the day. Those who get the correct number should be rewarded with a small token, such as five minutes of extra computer time to be used by the end of the week.
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Fill a jar each Monday with small pieces of candy such as jelly beans, sticks of gum or hard candies. Ask the students to examine the jar without counting or touching it and use their previously gathered math information to infer the number of items in the jar. They can use multiplication, division, percentages, fractions or any other method they desire to make an educated guess. Have them write the number down and give it to you. This uses the inferring process skill. On Friday announce how many pieces were in the jar and award the jar of candy to the student who had the closest correct number.
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Incorporate the measuring process skill by having students move their desks and chairs around the room each month with a different distance between each one. For example, telling the students to place the desks 18 inches apart one month and 2 feet apart the next will allow them to use their yardsticks and problem-solving skills to design a new desk pattern for that month.
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Introduce the communicating science process skill by having the students produce a graph each week of their grades. Have students keep track of each graded paper they receive and mark its percentage on a graph. At the end of the week ask them to color it, decorate it and turn it into you.
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Tips & Warnings
Vary the items in the candy jar so students don't get bored or used to looking at the shape and knowing the approximate number. Don't ever give out the exact number when awarding the student with the closest guess, so that the next jar of similar shapes will not be easily guessed.
