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.