Do you stress out every year over teaching all the content standards? I know I do! As teachers, we want students to master the content truly. However, providing the needed time, support, and activities can be hard when there are so many standards to teach. After I had enough of this stress, I realized I needed to look at the standards differently. Instead of teaching the standards in core subject blocks of time, I decided to merge this time together. This might mean teaching social studies and reading at the same time. Or, teaching math and science at the same time. By doing this, I could dive into the standards and ensure students had time to work. That is why I am SO excited to share my Science Smash Ups sneak peek! This smash up is such a fun and creative way to practice reading skills with science activities!
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Science Smash Ups
You’re probably wondering what science smash ups are. Don’t worry, you are not smashing anything in your classroom or doing something to make the fantastic custodians upset. Science smash ups mean that we are actually smashing two subjects together. So, we are working on reading skills and strategies while working on science standards. This is such a creative way to work on important content throughout the entire day! Now, let’s dive into all of the fantastic pieces to these activities.
Student Reader
Do your students struggle to understand fancy science terms? It happens! One of my favorite parts of smash-ups involves students using their reading skills to understand content in other subject areas.
The 15-page full-color nonfiction student reader breaks down the Scientific Method into 4 distinct categories. There is a table of contents, index, and glossary to help assist students. This is a great way to ensure students learn the material in consumable pieces! The teacher guides students through reading the information while applying scientific reading strategies to comprehend the material. Since this is a smash up product, the science-related information was written in a way to help students focus on specific reading skills. There is even a teacher copy of the student reader and a prompting guide to ensure students are working on science and reading skills!
Science Notebook for Students
It is essential to have activities that allow students to review this challenging topic. So, a science notebook includes activities for each of the 4 headings in the reading. Each activity ensures students apply focus skills through written activities. This includes journal pages, student reflection sheets, vocabulary application, reading skills/strategies, and exit tickets. These activities are an excellent way for students to show their comprehension of the Scientific Method through reading-based activities. The science smash ups even include answer keys.
Vocabulary Practice
Science includes so many fancy terms. This is often why students feel they cannot learn the material. Thankfully, this will no longer be the situation with the daily vocabulary activities included in the notebook. Additionally, there are 6 vocabulary posters to ensure students have visuals to support them while completing this science smash up.
Hands-On Labs
Students LOVE science labs! They are such a fun way to bring the content alive! So, there are 2 hands-on labs to learn about the scientific method! Both labs are simple enough for a teacher to quickly prep yet so engaging for students! Students will love practicing what they are learning in a real-world setting.
Close Reading Passages
Every classroom has many levels of learners. Therefore, differentiation is so important! Thankfully, this is taken care of within the science smash up through 12 differentiated close reading passages. There are three levels for each close read: below, at, and above the third-grade reading level. Each passage focuses on a subtopic to ensure students learn about the Scientific Method at a deeper level. These are great to use as warm-ups or during small group centers.
Review Game
Students love games! They are a great tool to see what information students remember and what needs further review. Since the Scientific Method is a rigorous topic, the included review game is the perfect way to check for understanding! Students will have a blast playing while gaining confidence about how much they know.
Assessments
Let’s be honest- teachers do not love giving assessments. They do not like the time they take away from teaching and the pressure students feel. However, assessments are a huge part of education to ensure students learn. So, the science smash up includes two assessments. One is for vocabulary, and one is for a final assessment. Since students will have so much fun with this resource, they won’t even mind taking these assessments! They will be confident and ready to take them.
Teacher Materials
Teachers want students to love every minute of class. Honestly, it takes a ton of work to make lessons hands-on, engaging, and enjoyable. There is just so little time in the day to accomplish everything needed. That is why the science smash ups include a teacher guide, daily lesson plans, and I can statements. Planning will be a breeze with science smash ups!
Expanding Comprehension Work
Do your students do well at understanding surface-level information but struggle with a deep understanding? This is because comprehension is HARD! It takes time, practice, and patience to build. It is one of the many reasons I love to use reading skills throughout the day! For more tips, check out Building Comprehension! It will show additional ways to incorporate comprehension skills no matter the subject area.
Teachers have so many standards to teach each year. This means that students have to learn SO much. However, if we want students to learn, we must get creative with the standards. The Science Smash Ups sneak peek does exactly this! Students will have a blast learning the scientific method by applying their reading skills.
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