Learning About Our World

Science is defined as "knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation" (www.dictionary.com). They key words here are observation and experimentation. These activities are an essential part of learning about our world. Therefore any lesson on science is not complete without experimentation and observation. I finally understand what it is that draws me to science; it is the fun and excitement of discovering the world for myself and not through someone else's eyes. As I have shared science with children I have found that they too enjoy learning through their own observations and experiments.
As an adult, I still delight in the wonder of discovering the world through experimentation. Over the summer I tried some new ideas in my garden. It has sparked an interest in horticulture. My latest experiment began with a scrap of onion in the kitchen. I simply placed a toothpick through a small piece of onion and hung it over the top of a cup filled with water. Roots have sprouted from the bottom and a green plant emerges from the center of the onion. Everyday it gets bigger.

Rhythm, Movement and Social Studies

Second grade social studies is a very important part of building a foundation for learning about our world. A simple concept like learning how to use a compass rose became an opportunity to use rhythm. When there is rhythm we have to incorporate movement. This simple and enjoyable lesson began with a picture of a compass rose. The children had already seen one before. There were directions (north, south, east and west) on each wall in the classroom. A compass rose was mounted on the wall beside the chalkboard. To help students remember the order of the directions on the compass rose I had them point up and say "north." Then they point down, and then side to side, saying the directions as they do so. Rhythm came from a poem. The poem I used was Eve Merriam's Snow in the East. The children enjoyed moving their hands side to side as I said east and west. There were other movements for words like eyelashes, window and bed. Since we had discussed the fifty states in our last lesson I pasted my compass rose onto the map of the United States. I simply used tape to hold the compass rose onto a Post-it note. The children were surprised that I was able to stick the compass rose to the map. Students were then asked to name a state west of our state. Then they were asked to find states in the east, north and south. This activity was fun and engaging for the students.

Matter

The concept of matter may not seem difficult to grasp, but for many children it can be. Without interaction with our environment many scientific concepts are easily misunderstood. Textbook definitions can seem very confusing and the photos often used in these textbooks show images that children cannot relate to. ESL students and visual learners can benefit from the use of pictures. Although there are many objects in the classroom that can be used to illustrate the idea of matter, having students look through a magazine helped broaden their perspective. Each student looked through magazines and cut out pictures. They had to decide whether it was a solid or a liquid and glue it in the appropriate column. This activity helped strengthen their understanding of matter because it reinforced the idea that everything in nature is made up of matter, not just the pencils, desks and water.

Researching the Continents

I really felt that my students would benefit from doing a research project on the continents. Many of them had no idea where the continents were in relation to the oceans and other continents. I also thought that it was important to know at least three countries on each continent. I put students into groups and assigned each group a different continent. Each student was given an outline map of their continent and a research study sheet to record their data. The research sheet listed the things they should be looking for such as: Oceans and other continents near by, animals, countries, landmarks, and landforms. Students used the Internet, maps and books to do their research. When their research sheet was completed they were given a large piece of construction paper cut into the shape of their continent. They decorated their continent with photos and facts from their research. Finally, each student was required to write two sentences about their continent and present their poster as a group to the rest of the class. They were so excited about what they had learned that many students wrote much more than two sentences. Many students were surprised to learn that certain countries they had heard of were on their continent. Best of all they did a great job presenting their posters and discussing their continents with the rest of the class.

Sentences and Fragments

Many of my students were not writing in complete sentences. With the ELA exam coming up, I had to get them into writing appropriate responses. I gave a mini-lesson on sentences and sentence fragments. Then the class worked in groups to sort sentences and fragments on a large mat. The mat was simple to make. I simply made two columns by gluing "sentences" and "fragments" above each column.
Each group received 10 cards to sort out. They simply placed the cards in the right column. I walked around and asked each student why they placed certain phrases and sentences where they did. To extend this lesson, the students then wrote their own sentence or fragment on a card. We put the mats in the front of the room and the students took turns reading their card aloud to the rest of the class. The other students had to decide if it was a sentence or fragment. Then, each student taped his or her sentence onto a sorting mat.

Gearing Up For School

To get ready for school I hosted a small gathering for the children. We had stations set up where the children can create their own school supplies. They made erasers and bookmarks. Sculpey put out a type of clay called "Amazing Eraser Clay!" The children mold it just like clay, but when you bake it in the oven it becomes an eraser. While their erasers were baking they decorated their own bookmarks. I provided a variety of materials such as markers, crayons and stickers. The children had a great time and I quickly realized that using centers worked well with them. The children enjoyed moving around from one table to the next and they were happy with the items they created. Hopefully they will be looking forward to the first day of school.

Painting to Music

My fourth and final course this summer focused on using shapes, colors and lines to create a design. The inspiration for these designs come from music, an so the artist for this project is Wassily Kandinsky. The kids enjoyed listening to the music while painting. When discussing Kandinsky's work I helped the students understand the connection from this work to previous projects by recalling other paintings we studied. Then I showed them Kandinsky's abstract design and asked them what this was a picture of. Many children, without any help from me, said that they saw musical instruments. I then expanded on their observations by explaining that Kandinsky used music to influence his design. I explained that we would listen to different styles of music and paint to each song. I also tried to get the children to focus on colors that work with different sounds. For example if the music is light and playful we might use bright colors. The students are free to let their brushes do the dancing. They can paint an image that comes to mind or simply play around with colors and shapes to create something abstract. When the paintings are finished we can compare the different styles of music by putting paintings side by side.

Impasto

The third project in the art series is Impasto painting by Vincent Van Gogh. Impasto painting is applying thick layers of paint, so thick that the brush or palette-knife strokes are visible in the paint. When dry, the paint leaves a rough texture to the painting. Van Gogh is famous for using Impasto painting and bright colors. Van Gogh himself was not famous in his day, although he is one of the most famous artists today. He tried many different jobs before turning to painting. He only painted in the last ten years of his life and in that time he painted over 800 paintings.

Collage

Collage was the second project in the series of workshops that I worked on this summer. For this project Romare Bearden was the artist of focus. Students analyzed a poster of Bearden's collage "The Return of the Prodigal Son". Most students had not heard of this story, but those who had enjoyed telling the rest of the class about it. Once students heard the story it was easy for them to recognize elements from the Prodigal Son represented in the collage. Students then told their own story through their own collages. Some students made up stories about their pictures. It was fun to hear them share their own stories. The most valuable aspect of this lesson is that students learned that pictures are a form of communication (in this case the picture tells a story). Students also learned how to create a picture from a variety of materials. Students were able to cut materials into the shapes they needed or build new shapes by putting other shapes together.
For more information on Romare Bearden visit www.beardenfoundation.org

Pointillism

This summer I had the pleasure of teaching children about art. One of the classes in this series of art classes focused on Pointillism. I showed the children a poster of a painting by Seurat and explained that the technique involved using dots of paint to create a picture. The students then painted their own pictures using paint and Q-tips. The Q-tips help the students to make dots, rather than using a paint brush. I also helped students to look into the idea of using dots in our everyday lives. Newspapers, magazines and computers use "dots" to build an image. DPI or Dots Per Inch is a clear example of the use of dots in images today. The more dots there are, the better the picture looks. The students use magnifying glasses to look at the dots in newspaper and magazine samples. Students can actually see the difference in the space between dots in these two samples. Newsprint uses a lower DPI than magazines and that is why the students will see the dots more clearly on the newsprint samples. The idea of printed materials being created by dots gives students the basic idea of how the computer and printers works. A digital camera will build the image out of pixels (dots) which in turn are printed in DPI on a page. The printer actually drops dots of ink onto the page to form the complete picture. The kids really enjoyed using the magnifying glass to see what else was made of dots. They also grasped the idea of creating a picture from smaller pieces. With every press of the Q-tip they were building their pictures.

Growing Minds

I believe that children learn best through hands on activities. By becoming an active participant in an activity children grasp concepts and gain an appreciation far beyond any text book could provide. This idea is best carried out through the learning of science. When children experiment with a variety of materials they learn about their world.
I have always enjoyed growing a variety of plants in my garden. I find that children can easily take pleasure in planting and gardening while learning new concepts in science. If it is possible to use a part of the school grounds for planting it would yield positive outcomes for the students while providing a pleasant landscape. Children delight in watching their efforts produce a flower or even fruits and vegetables. They can learn how plants reproduce, what conditions work best for different plants and where our food source comes from. If planting on school grounds in not an option students could also greatly benefit from planting indoors near a window. They can experiment with different seeds, soil types and amounts of water and discover what helps their plants produce better results.
Even as an adult I am still experimenting in my garden. I have tried some new ways to naturally repel bugs without using harmful chemicals. Because I am still experimenting I cannot say what works best, but I am enjoying learning through experimentation. I can say, however, that I am trying out biodegradable materials such as onions, peppers, and other spices that bugs seem to dislike.
Children can learn to protect our planet and produce food for the future. By allowing them to experiment they can learn for themselves how nature works and perhaps they can invent their own recipe for a cleaner and healthier future.

Eric Carle

I have always loved Eric Carle's story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. As a child I always enjoyed counting all the things that the caterpillar would eat. This wonderful story also teaches children about how caterpillars become butterflies. Another favorite of mine is The Grouchy Ladybug. This book incorporates manners, shape and size as well as time in to a delightful and humorous story. The ladybug learns to be polite after a series of confrontations with other creatures in which the ladybug begins with "wanna fight?" I also love Carle's use of collage illustrations. His designs use beautiful and bold using vibrant colors. These illustrations are great designs that really appeal to children and make reading fun.

Couriers or Kings?

I recently read Existentialism which was selected and introduced by Walter Kaufman. I found Franz Kafka's Three Parables very interesting, especially in how it relates to education. The first is entitled Imperial Message. It tells the story of an Emperor who is sending his message to you. The Messenger forever fights many obstacles to bring you this message. The Emperor dies and his message, therefore, becomes meaningless. The Messenger never gets to deliver this message and you are still waiting for this message from above.
The second is entitled Before The Law. Here a man tried to gain entrance to the Law. A guard blocks the way. The guard tells the man that he cannot enter at the moment. The man waits until he can enter, which becomes his entire life. Just before he dies, the guard tells him that the door was meant only for him and since he will not enter the guard must shut the gate.
The last one is entitled Couriers. Only one paragraph long, this parable simple states that when given the choice of either becoming kings or couriers of kings the children chose to become couriers. Since there are no kings the messages are meaningless.
Teachers are couriers in many ways. Their purpose is to deliver a message. When students don't understand the materials the teacher is presenting the message is meaningless. Like the messenger in the first parable, teaching may sometimes feel like a never ending obstacle of trying to get your message across. However, we may also choose to stray from the crowd and become kings. Kings make meaning and perhaps a good king can do this by getting to know his subjects.

Civil Rights

History.com has some great resources for lessons on the Civil Rights Movement. One thing I found particularly fascinating was Voices of the Civil Rights which can be found at www.history.com/classroom/voices/. There are songs, lyrics, video and audio clips. Incorporating this site into your lessons will give students a feel for the time period. Analysis of the lyrics, which are also provided on the website, will also give students some insights to the emotions and situations faced by those who struggled through the movement. Using music and the Internet are just a few ways to make learning more interesting for your students.