Iowa Core Science Curriculum

The Iowa Core Curriculum in science includes standards about Science as Inquiry, Earth and Space, Life Science, and Physical Science. I looked at the standards for 3rd-5th grade classrooms, and I saw a lot of connections to what we've been discussing in class. The fact that there is an entire section dedicated to Science as Inquiry shows the importance of the constructivist method of instruction. Students are expected to ask questions on their own and design experiments, not just accept what the teacher tells them is scientific truth. I also noticed that this section mentioned the use of computers in investigations. As we've been discussing in class, technology is very important in today's classrooms. I like the idea of using Google Documents like we've been doing to record data in our class. Finally, this section discussed critiquing and analyzing their own work. I think it's very important to make students comfortable with self-evaluation because it's a great method of formative assessment that increases independence. I always hated evaluating my own work, but I think if I had been exposed to it more, I would have had less trouble. Science notebooks would be a good place for monitoring their own progress.

In the other three sections of standards, I found some other areas of interest. The Earth and Space section discussed changes of earth's land and oceans (which can result in earthquakes, floods, etc.) and weather patterns. I thought that it would be very meaningful to integrate social studies and science together by discussing the science behind natural disasters, discussing a recent natural disaster, and raising money or doing a food/clothing drive to help the victims. Another focus area in this section was ideas about the solar system. As we've learned in class, this is a topic that is shrouded in many misconceptions, so I will make sure to address those misconceptions in my future classroom. In the Life Science section, there was a standard about environmental stewardship, and I was reminded of the School of the Wild. I think going to a camp like this, or even just doing a one-day field trip to a nature center, is a good way to make lessons about the environment more meaningful. Also, one could incorporate this subject with social studies by teaching environmental history or talking more indepth about policy. Developing a project to help alleviate an environmental problem in the community would be a very relevant learning experience as well. The standard about sound, light, electricty, etc. in the Physical Science section made me think of another cross-curricular idea--learning about sound through the musical instruments. The standards also mentions the use of math, so this is another area that should be integrated. I think that integrating the content areas like this would be a very meaningful way to learn (even though it might be a little tricky to implement) because real life isn't compartmentalized like school subjects.