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Science: Candidates demonstrate and apply understandings and integration of the three
dimensions of science and engineering: practices, cross cutting concepts (differentiation and
technology), and major disciplinary core ideas - within the selected content area(s) of science.

In this paper, I will reflect on the strategies I use to implement meaningful science

inquiry skills with limited time in the daily academic schedule for science. Unfortunately, with a

high number of state mandated instructional minutes required to be spent teaching core ELA and

math, science instruction in the elementary classroom often seems like an afterthought. To help

boost scientific inquiry and processing skills in my 4th grade classroom, three ways that I try to

incorporate science instruction are through prepped science centers, interactive scientific

websites, and state programs designed to help educators bring science instruction to life in the

classroom.

One of my favorite scientific learning activities I designed in the MAT program was a

Five Senses Science Learning Center. Facing the challenge of limited time for science

instruction, I spent a lot of time planning and preparing materials for the science center at home.

I wanted the stations to resonate with students and deepen their understanding of sensory

perception. I created and set up five stations: one for sound, smell, sight, touch, and taste. It

wasn’t just an experiment; it was a path to discovery, designed to get students excited about

scientific inquiry.

To hook students’ interest and buy in before the activity, I strategically incorporated

elements of mystery and intrigue. Before unveiling the stations, I showed a brief video

explaining the five senses, setting the stage for the immersive journey. The class had been

learning about the function of the human eye and optical nerves. With this background

knowledge, I decided students should be blindfolded for most of the centers, compelling them to
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rely on one specific sense during the activity. Drawing inspiration from the Understanding by

Design (UbD) framework, I structured the activity to involve some mystery, be hands-on, and

built on real-world challenges to identify common household items (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).

From identifying mystery items by touch to discerning sights and sounds, each interaction was

meant to deepen appreciation for our sensory experiences.

After participating in each station, students were asked to hypothesize and write down

predictions of the items they were seeing, touching, tasting, etc. For the sound station, I placed

dried beans and cotton balls in covered containers. For the touch station, kids felt dry rice and

cooked spaghetti noodles. For the smelling station, I soaked cotton balls with cooking extracts

from home like banana, lemon, and vinegar. I used common household items for all stations.

Student engagement was high, and the kids were excited to test their hypotheses against the

actual items during the final reveal. This activity helped me tap into the students’ funds of

knowledge and understand more about their home-based ways of learning, as described by

Hammond in Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain (2015). Culturally responsive

teaching isn’t only race-specific; it’s grounded in the context of students’ lives. This scientific

exploration was designed to both challenge students’ thinking and connect the items to what they

see, smell, taste, hear, and touch in their own day-to-day lives.

Another way I try to boost science inquiry and visual literacy in my classroom is by using

science websites like Mystery Science and an Interactive Salmon Dissection website. In I See

What You Mean (2012), author Steve Moline writes about how interactive diagrams, like this

interactive salmon dissection game, are a new way of learning text. At

https://interactive.salmonsociety.com/games/dissection/ my students can slice open, look inside,

and take apart a salmon interactively to see what it’s made of and how it works. Moline posits
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that interactivity of this kind adds something deeper to a visual text, strengthening one’s

understanding. Our school holds real-life salmon dissections led by Fish & Game experts, goes

on ice fishing field trips, and raises salmon eggs in cooled tanks to be released into nearby lakes.

Most kids in our district have seen salmon at various stages of their life cycle. The online

salmon dissection tool helps to pre-teach useful life science content and reinforce background

knowledge. Plus, the kids have a ton of fun doing it!

Similarly, I use Mystery Science videos and projects to support teaching elementary

science standards, because they offer excellent activities and resources that kids love. I often

show Mystery Science mini-lesson videos during any downtime in my classroom, such as while

the students are eating lunch or after they’ve packed up at the end of the day. This is my way of

“sneaking in” educational material when science, social studies, and art instruction are all

lumped together in a 30-minute time block each day. For example, during the week leading up

to this year’s Leap Day, we watched a Mystery Science video explaining the purpose of Leap

Day. Gail Tompkins (2017) notes that learning happens when students connect new information

with prior knowledge. In this way, students were able to connect what little they had heard about

Leap Day (they’ve only lived through two) to factual scientific information as to why we

celebrate this unique day. Then they were better able to process the reasons why we celebrate

this special holiday.

Finally, my 4th grade team reaches out to Alaska Resource Education each year. This

program allows guest speakers to come to classrooms around Alaska and teach science lessons

all about our great state. Whether the guest speaker comes to talk about rocks & minerals, oil

production, energy, or mining, my students can participate in hands-on learning activities that

relate to science in Alaska. For most students, these topics spark interest and students share
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background knowledge that helps me connect to their learning process and what they already

know. As with the aforementioned salmon studies and targeted online mini lessons, my goal as a

science educator is to make connections between real life prior knowledge and learning new

information. In this way, I try to solidify the science lessons through buy-in, incorporating visual

literacy elements, and connection to prior knowledge.

Teaching science in upper elementary grades can be tricky; it’s often hard to find the time

to really dive deep into the subject matter. Despite the challenge of balancing the demands of a

packed curriculum, I will continue trying to incorporate hands-on learning opportunities

whenever I can. I’ve found that my science lessons are often the most memorable and lay a

foundation for enduring curiosity. It’s important for educators to not lose sight of teaching

inquiry skills through science, because it supports critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Likewise, educators who incorporate inquiry-based learning cultivate a learning environment

where curiosity is not only valued, but it thrives.

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References

Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching & the brain: Promoting authentic

engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin.

Moline, S. (2012). I see what you mean: Visual literacy K-8. (2nd ed.). Stenhouse Publishers.

Tompkins, G.E. (2017). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (7th ed.). Pearson.

Wiggins, G. & McTighe J. (2005). Understanding by design. Pearson.