Science Investigations Month-By-Month
If you LOVE teaching science using investigations and experiments…check out this blog post about how I implement Fahrenheit Friday in my first-grade classroom!
First, you need to look at your district’s scope and sequence and see which units you are teaching in what month. During those units, you will need to look at your science standards and see which of those standards you can use for your investigations and experiments. In this post, I will give you a month-by-month layout of my thematic units for science and social studies and what investigations/experiments I have used for each one.
How do I set it up?
On Fahrenheit Friday, we all go out to our neighborhood and put our lab coats on. We sit on the carpet and listen to a story. We make an anchor chart of our learning. We review what the scientific method is and then talk about what we are going to investigate that day. We talk about what scientists do: investigate, observe, ask questions, think, experiment, discovers, collect data, sort data, take guesses, and tests their data.
We review this anchor chart:
At the beginning of the year, we do this scientific method foldable and glue it into our science notebook:
There are a lot of great discussion questions that you can ask your students during science and I use this to engage the students into being excited about what they are going to investigate. I had a parent make my lab coats one year and it has been one of the best things that I use in my classroom. The students really feel like scientists and are so excited to wear them.
But, I have some rules…
Don’t spill anything on your coat.
If you use the restroom, take it off and put it on your chair.
Button it up when you put it on.
After you take it off gently lay it on the back of your chair.
I have had these lab coats for many years and I always wash them about twice a year.
Investigations/Experiments Month by Month
Here is a month-to-month breakdown of my thematic units and which science investigations/experiments I do within that unit.
August/September:
What is a Scientist/The Blooming Flower/Investigating 5 Senses/ Apples and Properties
If you’re interested in checking out my Blooming Flower, click here.
Check out my Apple Investigation here.
If you’re interested in checking out my Measuring Apple Investigation click here.
October:
Force/Motion/Energy: Investigating Types of Energy
Owl Pellets
November:
Leaf & Corn Investigation/Layers of Soil
Check out my leaf investigation here.
Here’s my Corn Investigation click here.
December: Investigating Evergreen Pinetrees
Here’s my Evergreen Investigation click here.
January: Objects in the Sky/Weather
If you’re interested in checking out my Object in the Sky Home Project click here.
February: Groundhog Day Shadows/Lincoln Log Cabin/Pretty Pennies
March: Oil Experiment/Rainbow Experiment
April: Rainforests/Life Cycles/Plants
Why not check out my Sunflower Seed Journal? Click here.
May: Volcano/Whales, Sharks and Seashells
I hope you got excited and are interested in doing Fahrenheit Friday with your students. Check out my science investigations resource for the WHOLE YEAR here. You will not be disappointed and your students will LOVE science! This resource includes step-by-step materials and directions, classroom photos, lesson plans, and science notebook templates.
Happy Teaching!
Love, Kara
