Can You Walk On Water? (Scientific Method Awesomeness)

I LOVE SCIENCE. I LOVE SCIENCE. Can I tell you that I used to hate science? I was so nervous to teach it because a) I didn't like it b) I WAS totally not a science person! So I had no choice and I decided to set some science aspirations for myself. My goals were to be the science teachers that was FUN/ENGAGING, FULL OF EXPLORATION AND UNDERSTANDING, AND HANDS ON. If you teach science...I'm pretty sure we have that in common! Well, now science is easily the thing I look forward to almost and I may or may not say "hurry up and read for thirty minutes so we can do SCIENCE!" eeeeeks. I value reading too! I do! I just can't make up my mind which one is my favorite!

I just want to share a QUICK and FUN thing/activity/groupish thing that I do with my kiddos--I don't really know what to call it! (But if you do please let me know! ;)

By the time kiddos get to me in 6th grade they are Scientific Methoded Out. Have you ever seen this syndrome in kids? Like I get blank stares and I can't rumble any enthusiasm because there is absolutely none. SO. Nothing gets kids excited more than Bill Nye right??! WRONG! Episodes of MYTHBUSTERS! I watch and select edited episodes {without language} but it still feels so rebellious and AWESOME to watch them at school. And 6th graders just wanna be rebellious sometimes, so I humor them every once in a while (ha!). 

Let's start. We go over the scientific method and each group gets this handy dandy and cute speech bubble. Each group is to look for and recognize the steps in the scientific method but be the CLASS EXPERTS on a specific part--determined by their handy dandy and cute speech bubble. Si! So they are paying attention the whole time and are accountable by having to present!

So we watch this Mythbusters Video about walking on water...is it possible??? The bonus is it's like 4 minutes long--so quick and easy and fun (I promised that...delivering). Sorry about the super weird screen shot. There are something's that I just can't make cute! My students have a recording sheet but I tell them not to write anything down...just watch! It's a quick clip and as a group they can all work together to fill out the information.

They are pumped and excited and gawking over that facial hair because mustaches are still a thing! They've watched and are discussing what in the awesome world just happened in this video. In groups, they discuss the scientific method and how they saw it in action.  They are also perfecting their part that they need to present--full of detail and information. Then I begin asking each group about their specific part and lo and behold...the SCIENTIFIC METHOD IS alive and well. They turn in their lab sheet, I check it, and then they keep it in their science binder and jot down the info in their note tracker.

I love this because they love it and see that the scientific method isn't this long drawn out process all of the time {it is sometimes kids!}. I try and pull clips of several of these (mythbusters or other experiments) so they can see the real process throughout the week and throughout the year. If I see something on the news, we discuss it! We also do lots of quick labs (there are two types of labs in my classroom--big labs and little labs :) that have them exploring the scientific process!

Anyways, SCIENCE IS AWESOME. And grab this handy dandy printable about the scientific method HERE. I couldn't decide on past and present tense or which pronouns I liked so I added them ALL. Sometimes I like my students to plan things out in advance but sometimes they also use these to reflect on things? It's in my store and as always I LOVE feedback "This is so cute!" "Can't wait to use this" "I LOVE SCIENCE TOO"...let me know and FOLLOW me too! I appreciate it all! So SCIENCE. YES.

Over and Out!