Students will gain an understanding of the unit topics in a variety of ways. Instruction will be guided by individual learning styles and ability levels. Materials will be presented on several different levels. A variety of literature relating to scientific topics will be made available, in the classroom, to the students. Students will select books to study and read based on their individual interests and reading abilities. The teacher will interact with the students in order to inform, explain information, and to clarify ideas and concepts. The teacher will read aloud to the class from appropriately selected material, and will present information to the class through lecture, demonstration, and guided group discussion. The teacher and students together will investigate scientific principles, and conduct simple experiments relating to the unit topics. Creative expression will be addressed through hands-on projects and creative writing assignments.
Classroom materials will include teacher generated informational sheets relating to specific unit topics. Science books rich with photographs, illustrations, and diagrams will be brought into the classroom from local and school libraries. General art supplies, and experiment equipment will be provided as needed. Students will have access to research information available to them through the use of encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet.
