Science Circus

In my Elementary Science Curriculum and Instruction class we have been exposed to and taught about the use of a science circus. For those who do not know, a science circus is a large activity that has 5 or 6 stations based around a theme. The theme could be weather, animals, plants, motion, energy, etc. It is great to use as an introduction to a unit or as a wrap-up at the end of a unit. The stations are meant to have students explore some aspect of the theme and each station should only have 2-3 students at it. For younger students, it is best to have a teacher or helper at the station to assist them with the directions. Each station has student directions, teacher directions and all the supplies necessary for the activity. The students are given a certain amount of time to complete each activity and answer a variety of related questions. The teacher or assistant at each station should follow up with more discussion questions that are on the teacher instruction card. Prior to my elementary science course I had not heard of a science circus and now I am hooked. I think they are great for exploration, inquiry and imagination. Students are given the ability to discover and work through problems and potentially develop a curiosity for the subject matter. I think that more teachers should use science circus' often in their classrooms and maybe aim to have one for every other unit and eventually one for every unit. It would be easy to work with other teachers to share circus ideas or plans. I know it takes a while to create a science circus, but once it is created it can be saved and used over and over again. This is a great way to engage students and let them become junior scientists.

Agriculture in the Classroom

Last week I had an amazing experience in my Elementary Education Science Curriculum and Instruction class. We had a presentation by Tammy Maxey, the Education Program Coordinator, of Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. The Ag in the Classroom homepage gives a great description of what the foundation is all about. It states that "The Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) is an integrated educational teacher training program designed to foster an understanding of how agriculture affects the quality of our lives. The AITC program is aligned with Virginia's Standards of Learning (SOL) and provides lessons and hands-on activities appropriate for incorporation into current classroom curriculum." Tammy came to our 5o minute class and did a wonderful presentation on how to incorporate agriculture into the classroom for a range of grade levels. She gave a bit of history about the program, tested our knowledge of agriculture, and simulated multiple activities that support Ag in the Classroom. All of the activities were very engaging and were tied directly to the SOL's. She provided us with a ton of materials to take back with us. This included two different CD's with multiple lesson plans and activities to use in our own classrooms. We will also now have a lifelong connection to the VA Foundation for Ag in the Classroom through yearly publications that will be sent to our homes that all include lesson plans based around the theme of the newletter. This presentation was absolutely amazing and a great resource for teaching science. I would highly recommend that anyone use this in-service with their teachers.