I've a had a few teachers email me asking about how to begin to use stations in the science classroom, so I thought a quick How-To Post was in order.
My students are doing stations this week (4 out of the 5 days), so I will refer to those stations throughout this post, in addition to adding some pictures I snapped in class today.
First and foremost, I've discovered that not all content easily lends itself to stations. And not all students are 100% ready for this different way of doing things. This year, I teach five 8th grade Pre-AP classes and one 7th grade regular science class. I do stations a lot with my 8th graders because I have spent time (since the start of the school year) introducing more and more stations and I feel comfortable knowing that they will take the stations seriously and be more responsible for their own learning. If you teach lower grades, you may have to ease them into it or start with some stations that are typically easier content to comprehend.
My 8th graders are beginning their weather unit. Weather tends to be a unit that is quite challenging and fairly unfamiliar to most of my students. Last week we did several labs to remind the students how density and temperature are related. I also provided them with some simple models that would help them remember more difficult concepts. For example, I blew up a balloon and we discussed where the pressure was greater (inside the balloon). Then I released my fingers from the neck of the balloon and allowed the air to escape. The students were able to verbalize that this created wind. So, we discussed that wind is simply moving air. Then, we took it a step further and got to the big idea of the whole demonstration which was ... Air moves from high to low pressure. They've all experienced letting air out of a balloon, so to have this simple model/memorization tool to help them remember a more difficult concept (how air moves in relation to pressure), was priceless. They even remembered it today (after a 3 day weekend)! Woo Hoo!
Today my students did stations on wind and air pressure. There were a total of 5 stations (I always set up two of each station, so that there is always somewhere for my students to go). That is pretty important in my opinion. You don't want students to be standing around, so make enough stations to always have an empty one. It's also good to consider the amount of time that each station may take. If all of your stations take 10 minutes, but you have one station that is taking them 15-20 minutes, you are going to have a major traffic jam at that "longer" station. Have a plan.
At station 1, they were doing a card sort in which they identified different tools used to measure both wind speed and/or wind direction. Each station has a sign with directions and all of the handouts, tools, and resources needed to complete that station. I even have directions telling them where to glue it into their Interactive Science Notebook (ISN).
At station 2, students were modeling high and low pressure systems. They had a booklet at this station that led them through a mini-lab, had a short passage to read, and conclusion questions to check for understanding. With a little thought and discussion with their partner(s), they discovered that much like when you use a screwdriver to put a screw into wood and remove it, pressure systems behave in a similar fashion. It is more difficult (requires more force and more pressure) to put a screw into the wood than it is to remove it. High pressure systems rotate clockwise and sink (just like putting the screw into the wood) and low pressure systems rotate counter-clockwise and rise (just like removing the screw). I also provided additional images and explanation at this station (for students who needed it). Basically, I believe that the content is more memorable when they are able to experience it and come to the conclusions on their own versus me just direct teaching it. But, I am always moving around the room checking for understanding or answering questions. I never just give my students an answer. I will help guide them to a helpful resource or I will ask them a series of questions that will lead them to the answer, but they know better than to expect an answer to be given to them (And yes, it frustrates the living daylights out of them, but oh well....DEAL WITH IT!)
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Station 3 was a booklet with a short reading passage about the movement of air in Earth's atmosphere in addition to some questions that check for understanding. This station was pretty quick (sorry no pics).
At station 4, students learned about land and sea breezes. They had a booklet to read a short passage from that included images and some questions to check for understanding. It also included a Venn Diagram to force them to think about the similarities and differences between land and sea breezes. They had the Dell tablets to watch an animation about land and sea breezes (for those who are more visual learners). Click here for the animation. After completing the booklet and watching the animation, students added information to a sea and land breeze diagram, such as the convection current created, labeling the areas of high and low pressure, and drawing an arrow representing wind direction. This flippable can be found in my Weather for Interactive Notebooks product in my TPT store.
Station 5 was about Jet Streams and how they compare to Land and Sea Breezes. Since this station required prior knowledge of land and sea breezes, students were instructed to complete station 4 before moving onto station 5. At this final station, they had a very short passage to read about jet streams, then they watched a YouTube video that talked more about them. At this point they were able to compare and contrast jet streams to land/sea breezes.
Our class periods this year are about 50 minutes, so most of the students completed all but 1 or 2 stations today. They will finish up the stations tomorrow and then we can start going over the answers and checking for understanding, etc...
You can take material that seems somewhat "dry" to you and spice it up simply by putting the material in stations format. Add in videos and animations where possible. Keep the kids moving and engaged - that's the key!
Worried about how you should teach the "big ideas"?
If you still feel like students won't be understanding the "big ideas" in this format, you could always pre-teach before the stations or make yourself a station. Meet with small groups. As a middle school teacher, I was rarely able to sit down with a small group of kiddos (like I imagine the elementary teachers doing), because I knew all hell would be breaking loose with the rest of the class, until I started doing stations. Now, I sit at my big lab demo table at the front of the room looking out, and students come to me. I am able to teach/talk in a 2:1 or 3:1 situation, while still monitoring the rest of the class. I love that time, because I can really get to know my students and find out what they know. It's a much more unique experience this way.
Need ways to supplement what is happening in the classroom?
I have a weekly homework assignment that my students receive on Monday and have until Friday at the latest to turn in. We call it the "DL Homework", which stands for "due later". This assignment always supplements what we are learning in class and/or reinforces material from the previous week that I felt needed a little more attention. I don't believe in piling on the homework, but this weekly homework has become routine for all of my classes. It's part of their week and they've become used to it. There is also some flexibility built into it. If there are certain nights that are busy because of extra-curricular activities or church, they still have opportunities within their school week to get it done. I even allow early finishers to work on their DL Homework - as long as they are working alone. My rate of homework not being turned in has significantly decreased since moving to this method.
There are several teacher authors that sell pre-made stations for various topics that you may want to try before creating your own. The pre-work is a bit more for you, but I think the benefits far outweigh the work you will have to put in ahead of time. And after doing it once, you are ready to go for future years. Just keep everything organized, so that all you have to the next year is pull out the materials. The kids will almost teach themselves!
Some science teacher sellers I would recommend if you are interested in science stations:
Science Teaching Junkie Science Stations and Learning Centers
Mad Science Station Labs
The Science Penguin BIG Science Stations Units (upper elementary)
My students are doing stations this week (4 out of the 5 days), so I will refer to those stations throughout this post, in addition to adding some pictures I snapped in class today.
First and foremost, I've discovered that not all content easily lends itself to stations. And not all students are 100% ready for this different way of doing things. This year, I teach five 8th grade Pre-AP classes and one 7th grade regular science class. I do stations a lot with my 8th graders because I have spent time (since the start of the school year) introducing more and more stations and I feel comfortable knowing that they will take the stations seriously and be more responsible for their own learning. If you teach lower grades, you may have to ease them into it or start with some stations that are typically easier content to comprehend.
My 8th graders are beginning their weather unit. Weather tends to be a unit that is quite challenging and fairly unfamiliar to most of my students. Last week we did several labs to remind the students how density and temperature are related. I also provided them with some simple models that would help them remember more difficult concepts. For example, I blew up a balloon and we discussed where the pressure was greater (inside the balloon). Then I released my fingers from the neck of the balloon and allowed the air to escape. The students were able to verbalize that this created wind. So, we discussed that wind is simply moving air. Then, we took it a step further and got to the big idea of the whole demonstration which was ... Air moves from high to low pressure. They've all experienced letting air out of a balloon, so to have this simple model/memorization tool to help them remember a more difficult concept (how air moves in relation to pressure), was priceless. They even remembered it today (after a 3 day weekend)! Woo Hoo!
Today my students did stations on wind and air pressure. There were a total of 5 stations (I always set up two of each station, so that there is always somewhere for my students to go). That is pretty important in my opinion. You don't want students to be standing around, so make enough stations to always have an empty one. It's also good to consider the amount of time that each station may take. If all of your stations take 10 minutes, but you have one station that is taking them 15-20 minutes, you are going to have a major traffic jam at that "longer" station. Have a plan.
At station 1, they were doing a card sort in which they identified different tools used to measure both wind speed and/or wind direction. Each station has a sign with directions and all of the handouts, tools, and resources needed to complete that station. I even have directions telling them where to glue it into their Interactive Science Notebook (ISN).
At station 2, students were modeling high and low pressure systems. They had a booklet at this station that led them through a mini-lab, had a short passage to read, and conclusion questions to check for understanding. With a little thought and discussion with their partner(s), they discovered that much like when you use a screwdriver to put a screw into wood and remove it, pressure systems behave in a similar fashion. It is more difficult (requires more force and more pressure) to put a screw into the wood than it is to remove it. High pressure systems rotate clockwise and sink (just like putting the screw into the wood) and low pressure systems rotate counter-clockwise and rise (just like removing the screw). I also provided additional images and explanation at this station (for students who needed it). Basically, I believe that the content is more memorable when they are able to experience it and come to the conclusions on their own versus me just direct teaching it. But, I am always moving around the room checking for understanding or answering questions. I never just give my students an answer. I will help guide them to a helpful resource or I will ask them a series of questions that will lead them to the answer, but they know better than to expect an answer to be given to them (And yes, it frustrates the living daylights out of them, but oh well....DEAL WITH IT!)
.jpg)
Station 3 was a booklet with a short reading passage about the movement of air in Earth's atmosphere in addition to some questions that check for understanding. This station was pretty quick (sorry no pics).
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At station 4, students learned about land and sea breezes. They had a booklet to read a short passage from that included images and some questions to check for understanding. It also included a Venn Diagram to force them to think about the similarities and differences between land and sea breezes. They had the Dell tablets to watch an animation about land and sea breezes (for those who are more visual learners). Click here for the animation. After completing the booklet and watching the animation, students added information to a sea and land breeze diagram, such as the convection current created, labeling the areas of high and low pressure, and drawing an arrow representing wind direction. This flippable can be found in my Weather for Interactive Notebooks product in my TPT store.
Station 5 was about Jet Streams and how they compare to Land and Sea Breezes. Since this station required prior knowledge of land and sea breezes, students were instructed to complete station 4 before moving onto station 5. At this final station, they had a very short passage to read about jet streams, then they watched a YouTube video that talked more about them. At this point they were able to compare and contrast jet streams to land/sea breezes.
Our class periods this year are about 50 minutes, so most of the students completed all but 1 or 2 stations today. They will finish up the stations tomorrow and then we can start going over the answers and checking for understanding, etc...
You can take material that seems somewhat "dry" to you and spice it up simply by putting the material in stations format. Add in videos and animations where possible. Keep the kids moving and engaged - that's the key!
Worried about how you should teach the "big ideas"?
If you still feel like students won't be understanding the "big ideas" in this format, you could always pre-teach before the stations or make yourself a station. Meet with small groups. As a middle school teacher, I was rarely able to sit down with a small group of kiddos (like I imagine the elementary teachers doing), because I knew all hell would be breaking loose with the rest of the class, until I started doing stations. Now, I sit at my big lab demo table at the front of the room looking out, and students come to me. I am able to teach/talk in a 2:1 or 3:1 situation, while still monitoring the rest of the class. I love that time, because I can really get to know my students and find out what they know. It's a much more unique experience this way.
Need ways to supplement what is happening in the classroom?
I have a weekly homework assignment that my students receive on Monday and have until Friday at the latest to turn in. We call it the "DL Homework", which stands for "due later". This assignment always supplements what we are learning in class and/or reinforces material from the previous week that I felt needed a little more attention. I don't believe in piling on the homework, but this weekly homework has become routine for all of my classes. It's part of their week and they've become used to it. There is also some flexibility built into it. If there are certain nights that are busy because of extra-curricular activities or church, they still have opportunities within their school week to get it done. I even allow early finishers to work on their DL Homework - as long as they are working alone. My rate of homework not being turned in has significantly decreased since moving to this method.
There are several teacher authors that sell pre-made stations for various topics that you may want to try before creating your own. The pre-work is a bit more for you, but I think the benefits far outweigh the work you will have to put in ahead of time. And after doing it once, you are ready to go for future years. Just keep everything organized, so that all you have to the next year is pull out the materials. The kids will almost teach themselves!
Some science teacher sellers I would recommend if you are interested in science stations:
Science Teaching Junkie Science Stations and Learning Centers
Mad Science Station Labs
The Science Penguin BIG Science Stations Units (upper elementary)
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