Lessons

Taking Root Monthly Lessons

• September - Senses and Observation Skills

• October - Autumn

• November-December - Seeds

• January - Tracking

• February - Journaling

• March - Honeybees

• April - Bird Behavior

• May - Birding

Thinking/Science Routines for the Year

We introduce these science processes at various lessons during the year—don’t forget to remind and reinforce their use as *routines* and thinking tools, building and growing students’ scientific thinking toolkits all year.

· “INIWIRMO” from the first lesson—use ALL Year:

· Observation— “I Notice...”

· Asking Questions— “I Wonder...?”

· Making Connections— “It Reminds Me Of...”

· Possible Explanations from Evidence— “I Think Maybe...” Introduced (formally) in the Seeds and Animal Signs lessons

· Testing ideas—through experiments (such as in the Seeds lesson), or further study (such as looking things up in the tracking books), and also through discussion.

· Recording Data/Information—Journaling Lesson, Birding Checklists (and in the metadata and Magic Spot writing/drawing (if done) all year)

· Sharing—discussions, discoveries, observations—scientists share their findings and learn from each other. We also learn from books written by other scientists, like our bird books and posters in the birding lesson. The journaling lesson is also sharing information so that someone else can find your object!

Think of ways you can incorporate and reinforce these thinking routines in each of your classes this year.