How do you fit science in? Are you like me that has to pull various things in to create a Science lesson by looking through a bunch of books and online sites or perhaps you have a Science curriculum? Either way, I am tired of spending time searching and prepping for such a small chunk of my day. I want to ensure that my students are engaged and absorbing the objectives and goals! I need some quick fall science experiments!
Fall means a few things to me… routines are set, academics are in full force, and now the fun begins! Yes, I love introducing my students to our classroom. Sharing cool things we’ll do this year, modeling how to use various items and materials, and practicing our routines and expectations. However, now that all that is done and solid we can get to cool stuff!
Our schedule is jam-packed with Reading, Math, Phonics, and Interventions! But what about Science? Where do I fit it in?!? I don’t have to worry anymore because I have Science in a Snap!
Science In A Snap
Science in a Snap is a resource full of QUICK and engaging Science experiments! When I am thinking of science (and even lessons in general), I immediately try to find and include hands-on activities for my students. Prior to finding this resource, I had to pull a hodgepodge of topics and activities together to make a science unit. It took me so much time! Even with my teacher bestie and I sharing our units together. It was stale, not as engaging as I wanted it to be, and even though I had some cool experiments scattered throughout with some interactive notebooks… my students wanted even more!
Fall Science Experiment Read-Alouds
I am obsessed with tying in a read-aloud to my lessons. I try to find an appropriate book to share as my intro to the lesson before opening up discussions. For science, I like to introduce the topic, share a read-aloud, and open it up to student discussions on what they already know, what they want to learn, and even some hypotheses about an experiment. Thank goodness, I don’t have to search for any books because on these one-page experiments, there are QR codes!
Quick Student Records
I am such a data geek. When it comes to my students I like to have as much documentation as I can to show growth and even struggles. One thing in the area of Science that I struggled with was this recording activity. I tried interactive notebooks. I tried a Science Journal where students would document daily observations. They did it, but it didn’t indicate if they could stay on task and answer comprehension questions consistently. I love that there is a recording sheet for every single experiment within this resource! My students can document what they are hypothesizing, observing, and even predicting. It provides such a great student record of their writing, answering, and understanding of the topic!
Quick Fall Science Experiments
Science in a Snap has 24 experiments that you can choose from. I love that I am able to tie the ones that I want to use in when I need them. They were quick and easy. The best part is that the majority of the items you may need for the experiments are already in the classroom or at home! I rarely had to purchase anything extra! That’s a win-win in my book!
Kick-start all of your science experiments with a lesson on “What Scientists Do”. Feel free to use this anchor chart idea and refer back to it while experimenting.
These experiments are so much fun and so engaging! Don’t believe me, check out some of these videos below!
That is by no means a comprehensive list of every single activity in the resource. However, it shows a sneak peek behind the scenes of some of my favorite fall science experiments that I already did with my students or am planning on doing this fall season with them! So far I already did the apple taste test and glow stick experiments, which my students loved and thought were so cool! Next up for me is the dissolving candy corn and ghost eggs!
Out of these videos, which one(s) are you thinking of trying out this Fall season?!? If you are anything like me, you’ll want to try them all! Your students definitely will! I am thinking that we here at ETTC need to be working on Science experiments for ALL the seasons!!! Here’s hoping!
Written By: Christopher Olson
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