Monday, April 2, 2012

Daily Science Warm-ups - an Excellent Resource!

I recently wrote about my search for the Arithmetic Developed Daily (ADD Math) series and the treasure trove of resources I found as a result. I've tried out another one of the resources and want to share my discovery.

This one is called Daily Science Reinforcers. I've been using the Daily Science in class for just over a month now. I have found these quick daily activities to be excellent for spiraling science content, which is something we don't do enough of, if at all! An additional benefit is the creation of background knowledge.  Occasionally we come across something not yet discussed in class. This gives me a wonderful opportunity to establish background knowledge (or brain hooks as I like to call them) to tie future learning into. Students learn more when they have an existing schema (brain hooks) to tie into...the daily science activities can help provide it. Both review and background knowledge are vital in all subjects for optimum retention. With this resource, it only takes about 5 minutes a day.

Projection of 2nd grade Daily Science
Another thing I appreciate about the Daily Science is the way content is presented. It prompts students to THINK! Even content they haven't learned is presented in such a way that if they will just THINK it through, they might just be able to make an educated guess. I have found this to be somewhat of a confidence booster for students as they get a deeper understanding of science processes and skills.

Like ADD Math, you can get a Daily Science teacher manual with black line masters, a DVD containing interactive whiteboard resources and printable masters, or small (about the size of business checks) student booklets.  These are available for grades 1-8 at the Grow Publications website.

Hmmm, I think I'll try the daily Social Studies next, or the writing...no, maybe the reading... I love these warm ups!