Writing About Science Using Pictures, Mindmapping and Inquiry

Writing About Science Using Pictures and Inquiry focuses on communicating our understandings of science topics Students will use critical thinking for analyzing, inferring, and observing real-life science in photographs. Targeted skills include making observations and growing scientific vocabulary, writing definition and explanations and completing a graphic organizer. The goal is for students to write about what they observe in everyday life from a science perspective.

Taught in a group where students will deconstruct the picture posed to brainstorm the science they see in it, we will research the ideas they generate and complete a weekly graphic organizer. Each week will be entirely different from the one before, so join in and leave as your schedule demands. 

Structure: 
2- 5 mins          look at the picture and suggest science ideas you see
2- 5 mins          the teacher will keep track of the brainstorming suggestions
2 -5 mins          the group will decide on what ideas need further research (definitions, better understandings of processes, etc)
10 -15 mins       research for better understanding
10 -15 mins       students will complete the graphic organizer 
5 -10                  group sharing,  suggestions, recommendations. 


Your child will learn to think scientifically and we will teach and use scientific language as much as possible. 

The pictures each represent at least one branch of science – physical science, earth science, and life science – and will be utilized for nearly any topic of study in the science curriculum. Regardless of what grade level or content studied, students will be be able to recognize many examples of science in all pictures. This class will help to build understanding of broad topics in science and build confidence writing about science as well. 

Upcoming schedule: 

Week of March 12:   A picture of the night sky
Week of March 19:   A picture of a messy desk
Week of March 26:   A picture of a racoon in a tree
Week of April 2:        A street light