[Note- Here are the notes I took that day, edited for clarity]
Notes – Day 3 Session 3
Science
1 1/2-hour session — limit 4 presenters
Kindergartners
11/17/2017 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Room B207 Georgia World Congress Center
Erica Green, Kinderarten Teacher, Bellows Free Academy Fairfax
Spend any length of time with young children and you will quickly discover that they are natural engineers. At the playground, park, beach, or sandbox, you will find children planning and constructing a multitude of ideas. This session will expand on the topic of engineering design challenge as it can be used in the outdoor classroom, harnessing the energy and desire of young children to build in their natural environment. Participants will learn about the importance of design challenge and how to create lessons of their own to use in any type of outdoor space, from rural to urban. We will explore different design challenges in action and discuss the number of learning opportunities that are available through this use of design, build, and play in the outdoors. This session will also link engineering design challenge in the outdoor classroom to the Next Generation Science Standards for each age group from kindergarten through second grade.
Ask – imagine – plan – create – improve
young children – easier to fail then older kids
if we teach them early enough – failing is commonplace
Book – Rosie Revere Engineer [amazon link]
the only true failure is if you quit
NGSS specific to K-2
=How do you set expectations of the outdoor classroom?=
continuously set expectations
- We do not go out for our science walks in the first 6 weeks of school, as we are beginning to establish our classroom and school expectations
- After 6 weeks we talk about what it looks, sounds, and feels like to walk through our woods as a group
- This is connected to general classroom expectations
- Our first walk is just to practice, practice, practice! We practice both the wrong and right away to spend time in our outdoor classroom
- an anchor chart is created and shared before every outdoor classroom session
[An anchor chart outlines or describes procedures, processes, and strategies on a particular theme or topic and is posted in the classroom for reference by students.]
connecting how others perceive – re rules
expected
what happens
how others feel
how I feel
connect NGSS
science – they also have the imagination and the fantasy
chipmunk house with sofa
books
google images – habitats for specific animals
age appropriate the habitat is “pretty” like that
how do I engage other children?
what kind of design challenge could you do in your area
[peer – teach – habitat]
explain to younger kids
mud box – bugs, ants, small space
motion
push and pull
fast and slow
new books on forces of motion
newton and me – good
launch something as far as you can
=Qs to think about=
- What happens when you push?
- What happens when you pull?
- What happens when you use different force to launch the marshmallow?
- What type of force do you use to launch as far as you can?
- What type of force do you use to launch close to your feet?
- Does the placement of your sticks matter in how your design works?
- Does the placement of your sticks matter in how far you can launch your marshmallow?
- What happens when you try different sizes?
4 sticks – marshmallows
one kid wanted to be proud of herself for a success
A logs life – book about type of sticks
writing challenges kids
because it is a new way of thinking
how do we engage children on an autism spectrum?
teacher put together the teams
its less and less that they choose – they will go to the person they have the hardest time with
one child became the photographer
– who wasn’t ready
“That’s what he needs right now”
that’s just where he was developmentally
preschoolers – classmates brought in log together
small things
get used to space and materials
egreen@fwsu.org
listening int he woods – listening walk
books – I thought I heard a pin drop
beware losing the ‘play’