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4 Things to Teach in Science at the Beginning of the Year

October 1 By Linda Kamp 12 Comments

One of my most often asked questions during back to school time is, “When do we start science?”. I’ve never met a child who didn’t love  science and especially science experiments. These teaching ideas and beginning of the year science activities will help you introduce science in your classroom and lay a foundation for future science lessons.

Teaching ideas and beginning of the year science activities for 2nd and 3rd grade.

Beginning of the year science activities

Most students arrive in my classroom knowing what a scientist is and have an idea of what a scientist does. Expand on that knowledge by reading books about scientists and the process they use. Take the opportunity to discuss science as knowledge and understanding about our natural world that is based on facts that scientists learn through observation, experimenting, collaboration, and problem solving.

Science teaching ideas for the beginning of the year- Find back to school science activities, teaching ideas and anchor charts to help you plan the first week and lay the foundation for future science lessons.

I like to center my lessons and  back to school science activities around questions students have. Each day we have a mini lessons to ask and answer a new question. Students are paired for partner talks to discuss them further before coming back to the group and sharing their thoughts. Some of the questions they discuss are, “What jobs do scientists do?” and “What skills do scientists use to do their jobs?”. Build on this throughout the year as you introduce technology, engineering, and math into your science lessons.

Science teaching ideas for the beginning of the year in 2nd and 3rd grade- What is a scientist? These back to school science activities, teaching ideas and Power Point lessons help you plan the first week and lay the foundation for future science lessons.

Identify ways we use science

Students are always amazed by all of the ways they use science in their daily lives. Most have been taught in prior grades that science is all around them but when they think about the daily impact and get specific, the list is pretty impressive. Have your students write their ideas on sticky notes and add them to a class chart.

Science teaching ideas for the beginning of the year in 2nd and 3rd grade- Find back to school science activities, teaching ideas and anchor charts to help you plan the first week and lay the foundation for future science lessons.

Familiarize students with science tools and their purpose

In addition to learning the names of  science tools it is important to teach students their purpose. Many tools can be used for more than one task while some are used specifically for one job.

What to teach in science at the beginning of the year-Back to school teaching ideas and science activities for 2nd and 3rd grade to introduce scientists, science tools, safety, and the scientific method.

Use  picture cards to introduce science tools and explain their purpose. Help students categorize the tools by asking, “Which tools are used to measure?” and “Which are used to magnify?”.

Back to school ideas for teaching science safety

At the beginning of the year, and definitely before conducting experiments in your classroom, introduce science safety rules and teach the routines, and procedures you will use. Setting expectations at the start and reviewing them before each class activity and experiment will help avoid accidents, keep behavior in check, and keep things running smoothly.

Science teaching ideas for the beginning of the year- Teaching science safety rules. These back to school science activities and teaching ideas perfect for 2nd and 3rd grade help you plan the first week and lay the foundation for future science lessons.

Use practice activities to reinforce the rules and give students situations to consider.

What to teach in science at the beginning of the year-Back to school teaching ideas and science activities for 2nd and 3rd grade to introduce scientists, science tools, science safety, and the scientific method.

Set up  a science journal routine

As you plan beginning of the year science activities, set up a journal routine. Whether you use blank composition books or make lesson response journals for each science unit you teach, have your students keep a science journal. Students can use these to record new vocabulary, write to explain procedures, take notes, record data, and plan experiments.

Science teaching ideas for the beginning of the year- Setting up a science journal routine. These back to school science activities and teaching ideas perfect for 2nd and 3rd grade help you plan the first week and lay the foundation for future science lessons.

Introduce the steps of the scientific method

There are many processes scientists use to test ideas and and answer questions. One process is the scientific method.  Teach students the steps to this method that scientists use to guide them while experimenting and testing hypotheses. Help students to understand that all scientists use this method as an organized and formal way to answer questions and prove or disprove a theory.

Science teaching ideas for the beginning of the year- Teaching students the scientific method. These back to school science activities and teaching ideas perfect for 2nd and 3rd grade help you plan the first week and lay the foundation for future science lessons.

While there are many other processes scientist use that include math, engineering, and technology, teaching the scientific method is a good place to start and solid first step in laying a foundation that you can build on throughout the year.

Conduct an experiment to practice

Conduct a simple science experiment for students to practice the steps and apply what they have learned. always a favorite is this experiment using milk and cookies to explore buoyancy.

 Science teaching ideas for the beginning of the year- Teaching 2nd and 3rd grade students the scientific method. We did a simple sink or float buoyancy experiment for students to practice the steps of the scientific method.

Mini cookies and small cups of milk work great for 2-4 students to share and the results are not what kids expect! See more of our milk and cookies buoyancy experiment in action in my classroom.

Where can I get these teaching materials?

All of the resources pictured in this post are part of my introduction to science unit, Scientists & The Scientific Method. The unit also includes 11 days of detailed lesson plans, a 10-lesson teaching Power Point, student journal activities, science extension centers, plus 3 science experiments. It has everything you need to get started in science.

science unit book cover       Scientists and Scientific Processes digital science activities & lessons for 2nd Grade

Click HERE for the printable unit and HERE for the digital version. Save with the Print + Digital Bundle.

Beginning with the basics is beneficial to all students and a great way to begin the year in science.  As you plan your back to school science activities, I hope these teaching ideas help you introduce science in your classroom and begin building a foundation for all of your future science units.

Science teaching ideas for the beginning of the year- This teacher shares what to teach as well as fun science activities that introduce science and lay the foundation for future science lessons in second and third grade.

For more science activities and teaching ideas, visit these posts!

What do scientists do activities

Properties of matter activities and experiments for 2nd grade. Learn creative teaching ideas and fun, hands-on science activities for kids learning about solids, liquids, and gas in second grade.

See more of our milk and cookies buoyancy experiment and practicing the steps of the scientific method in action in my classroom!

A simple and fun science experiment using milk and cookies to explore buoyancy. Find easy science activities for teaching the scientific method in a way that kids love! Read more about 2nd and 3rd grade science.

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    Filed Under: Back to School, Science Tagged With: activities, back to school, first week, science

    Comments

    1. Lori levy says

      March 28 at 2:59 am

      I am being observed on a plant life cycle
      Lesson for Hs ENL students. I am interested in your materials. What is the best way for me to purchase them?

      Reply
      • Linda says

        March 28 at 6:16 am

        Hi Lori,
        Thank you for stopping by! You can purchase my materials including the plant life cycle unit in my shop on Teachers Pay Teachers. If you have not purchased resources on TpT before, it’s very easy, you will just need to create an account to get started. Once you purchase the unit you will be able to download it immediately, save to your computer and print out the resources to use with your students. Here is a direct link to the plant life cycle unit: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Life-Cycle-of-Plants-20-Activities-Labs-Printables-Foldable-Flower-Book-224144

        I hope this helps and best of luck with your observation!

        Reply
    2. Ida says

      July 9 at 9:10 pm

      Where can I purchase these scientific method poster displays?

      Reply
      • Linda says

        July 14 at 2:18 pm

        Hi Ida,
        The posters as well as all of the resources featured in this post are part of a complete science unit available here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Scientists-The-Scientific-Method-Intro-to-Science-for-Second-and-Third-Grade-4031475

        Reply
    3. Lana says

      May 22 at 6:13 am

      Can I edit the materials? I like the worksheets, but I would like to modify them slightly.

      Reply
      • Linda says

        May 22 at 6:27 am

        Lana, the materials are not editable.

        Reply
    4. Kathy says

      July 24 at 11:39 am

      Sorry I hit wrong buttons. Could this be used for older grades. Your pics appear clear for remote learning.

      Reply
      • Linda says

        August 7 at 9:54 am

        Hi Kathy,
        I designed the unit for 2nd and 3rd grades, but you could certainly use it with 4th grade.

        Reply
    5. Mandy A Adams says

      August 2 at 2:34 pm

      I tried to purchase the book “You’re Finally Here” from your link and it says it is unable to send to my address. It then says it is unable to ship internationally. I just wanted you to be aware. I live in Florida.

      Reply
      • Linda says

        August 7 at 9:49 am

        Hi Mandy,
        I’ve had some teachers report the same thing, but then said when they tried ordering a second time their order went through. If you don’t get the book I have added a fun read aloud book video to the unit that you can use instead.

        Reply
    6. Barbara says

      August 30 at 11:05 am

      I love science it is excited to some students and scary to other until realize how fun it really can be. i think yours idea are great love them.

      Reply
      • Linda says

        September 7 at 4:55 pm

        Thank you Barbara! I hope you found some ideas you can use.

        Reply

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