Brittanie Priest

EELB 532
Stories about Science
General information about student demographics in your classroom
Grade: 4
Age Range: 9-10
Total # of male students: 13
Total # of female students: 16
Total # of students: 29
Area in which students live: Most of the students live in a nearby housing track. Others live in
older houses nearby. A few students transfer from nearby cities such as Banning and Yucaipa.
Ethnicity of students:

Caucasian- 13
African-American-3
Hispanic-11
Asian-2
Language Proficiency, Special Needs, Gifted:

English as a first language: 25

CELDT Level Intermediate: 3
CELDT Level Beginning Intermediate: 1
Students with Special Needs: 5
Gifted: 6

Briefly describe the class, including areas in which its located, grade level, general
information about student demographics.
The class is located in one of the hallways of the main building where the office and
stage for assemblies are located. It is a fourth grade class with mostly Caucasian and
Hispanic students. The class has math and science with one teacher, then language arts
and social studies with a different teacher. These two teachers share two different classes
and switch every day.

What are their ideas about scientists AND science?

After speaking with each student, most say that they like science and learning about it. I
asked them what scientists are and most said that scientists are people who are really
 smart who work in labs with chemicals. I asked them what they think scientists do, and
many said that a scientist is someone who mixes stuff together. Others said its
someone who studies dinosaur bones, and a few said they study the earth.
What resources do they have at home that can be used to support their science
learning?
When I asked the students this question, I had a few say that for Christmas or their
birthday they were given a science lab toy of some sort. The one I recognized was a
geode, in which kids can break them open to reveal crystals or some other mineral inside.
One described a lab kit that let him make ooze, but he hadnt tried it yet. Once I gave the
students a few ideas about simple science projects, they realized they had more than they
thought. I told them they could try projects like the cup of water and an index card. I also
told them they could put a different number of ice cubes in bowls or even the same
amount of ice and see where the ice melts the quickest. Once I got them thinking about
simple experiments, they realized they have more resources at home than they thought.

What experiences do they have that you can use to teach science (make relevant and
accessible to them)?
Many of the students have little no experiences with science other than facts. There are
rarely (if any) actual experiments and tests done with the students. The teachers focus on
facts and theories during science. One way this may help, is if a teacher does decide to
work on a project where the students have to experiment, the students will have the
background knowledge needed.

What challenges do they have that you need to pay special attention to in science
teaching?
In previous years, the teachers tried doing science experiments and projects with the
students, but there were a lot of problems with behavior. Many students found this to be
their opportunity to horse around and play. The students were not careful with the
equipment they were using; so many teachers have done away with science projects and
experimentation all together. Another problem is that many students were not paying
attention to directions and slowing down the group. These problems may be a challenge
when teaching science and allowing the students to work on experiments. Another
challenge is their lack of experience in projects and experiments.
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