This is an overview of Alief's Kindergarten Earth and Space unit, presented on July 23rd.

1. DISCOVERY,
DISCOURSE
& DEPTH!
Vickie Callaway – Cummings Elementary
Debbie Mott – Rees Elementary

2. Welcome!
During the workshop, please feel free to
• Take necessary breaks!
• Contribute with the great ideas that you
do in your classroom!
• Ask questions!
We do ask that you
• Silence all cell phones.
• Keep an open mind.
• Stay the entire session.

3. Introductions
Please tell us your name, school,
and how long you have been
teaching kindergarten!

4. What is Discovery, Discourse and Depth all about?
It all ties into the 5-E instructional model
• Discovery – Engage and Explore
• Discourse – Explain
• Depth – Elaborate or Extend, and Evaluate

5. The 5-E Instructional Model
The 5 E's allows students and teachers to experience
common activities, to use and build on prior knowledge and
experience, to construct meaning, and to continually assess
their understanding of a concept.
http://enhancinged.wgbh.org/research/eeeee.html

6. ENGAGE
1.Make connections between past and
present learning experiences.
2.Focus students' thinking on the
learning outcomes of current activities.
http://enhancinged.wgbh.org/research/eeeee.html

7. EXPLORE
This phase of the 5 E's provides students with a
common base of experiences.
1. They identify and develop concepts,
processes, and skills.
2. Students actively explore their environment
or manipulate materials.
http://enhancinged.wgbh.org/research/eeeee.html

8. EXPLAIN
This phase of the 5 E's helps students explain
the concepts they have been exploring.
1. They have opportunities to verbalize their
conceptual understanding or to demonstrate
new skills or behaviors. Quality questions are
a way to help students do this.
2. Provides opportunities for teachers to
introduce formal terms, definitions, and
explanations for concepts, processes, skills, or
behaviors.
http://enhancinged.wgbh.org/research/eeeee.html

9. ELABORATE
This phase of the 5 E's extends students'
conceptual understanding and allows them to
practice skills and behaviors.
1. Through new experiences, the learners
develop deeper and broader understanding of
major concepts.
2. Obtain more information about areas of
interest, and refine their skills.
http://enhancinged.wgbh.org/research/eeeee.html

10. EVALUATE
This phase of the 5 E's encourages learners to
assess their understanding and abilities and lets
teachers evaluate students' understanding of key
concepts and skill development.
http://enhancinged.wgbh.org/research/eeeee.html

11. USING SCIENCE NOTEBOOKS IN KINDER
Science notebooks can be used to help students
develop, practice, and refine their science
understanding, while also enhancing reading,
writing, mathematics and communications.
Use of science notebooks by every
student, in every school, every day
improves achievement in reading, writing,
and science for all students.
- Amaral, Garrison, and Klentschy, 2002

12. WHY TEACHERS SHOULD USE SCIENCE NOTEBOOKS
• Provides feedback to you regarding the lessons/activities the students
are engaging in. A look at student entries provides formative
assessment information to help guide your instruction.
• Provides insights into students’ thinking, misconceptions, and their
procedural and conceptual understanding.
• Supports differentiated instruction, allowing students to work at their
own level.
• Provides evidence of learning.
• Provides a record of learning and growth over time.
• Engages students in meaningful, purposeful and authentic tasks.
• Offers a convenient forum for teachers to provide feedback to students
to help them improve their performance or develop deeper
understanding.
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/marine-ed/curriculum/science-
notebooks.html

13. WHY STUDENTS SHOULD USE SCIENCE NOTEBOOKS
• Provides a thinking tool.
• Assists in organization.
• Enhances literacy skills.
• Helps make sense of their observations and investigations.
• Provides a place to keep vocabulary words.
• Replicates how scientists in the field organize and
document information and observations.
• Helps develop writing skills.
• Increases communication skills.
• Provides evidence of learning and a record of activities
completed.
• Helps develop understanding of scientific processes.
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/marine-ed/curriculum/science-
notebooks.html

14. WHAT KIND OF NOTEBOOKS SHOULD I USE?
Any notebook format that you feel would be
appropriate for your students is acceptable. The
purpose of the notebook is to keep everything
organized, so take this in consideration as you
pick your notebook
• Spiral – one downfall of a spiral is that the
pages can easily be torn out.
• Composition – these notebooks are much
more sturdy than a spiral.
• Teacher created – this may allow for you to
have separate notebooks for different units of
study. They can easily be displayed.

15. HOW SHOULD I SET UP MY NOTEBOOK
Notebook setup for kindergarten can be tricky. Science notebooks
traditionally contain a table of contents. Some teachers like to use the last
few pages for vocabulary, this is usually for higher grades.
You may want to try a paste in table of contents for your kindergarteners
WHAT INFORMATION GOES IN THE NOTEBOOK?
The amount and type of information that can be included is up to you and
your creativity! The most common type of information that goes in the
notebook includes
• observations, procedures, ideas, thoughts, questions, explanations,
descriptions, drawings, illustrations, etc.
• Drawings are very important in kindergarten, especially at the beginning
of the school year.

16. WHERE CAN I FIND IDEAS?
Kindergarten Blogs
http://www.kindergartenkindergarten.com/2010/07/getting-my-science-
notebooks-ready.html
http://www.kindergartenkindergarten.com/science-notebooks/
http://aplacecalledkindergarten.blogspot.com/2012/06/science-notebooks-
week-monday.html
Websites
http://www.sciencenotebooks.org/
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/marine-ed/curriculum/science-notebooks.html
http://www.cscope.us/docs/conf_pres2010/creating%20the%20K-
1%20notebook/creating_the_class_science_notebook_k-1.doc.pdf

17. WHERE CAN I FIND IDEAS?
Printed material
Campbell, Brian and Fulton, Lori. Science Notebooks, Writing About
Inquiry. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 2003.
Douglas, R., Klentschy, M., Worth, K. and Binder, W. Linking Science and
Literacy in the K-8 Classroom. NSTA. 2006.
Fulwiler, Betsy Rupp. Writing in Science. Heinemann. 2007.
Klentschy, Michael. Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms.
NSTA. 2008.

18. SETTING UP YOUR SCIENCE NOTEBOOK
We will set up a science notebook for this
workshop. We will do several hands-on
activities relating to Earth science and will be
using the notebook just as your students
would in the classroom.
If you have been using notebooks
successfully in your classroom, please share
some of your ideas.

19. SETTING UP YOUR NOTEBOOK
 Safety Contract
 Notebook Expectations
 Label The Unit (optional)

20. NATURAL RESOURCES (ROCKS, SOIL, AND WATER)
The student knows that the natural world includes
earth materials. The student is expected to:
K.7A observe, describe, compare, and sort rocks by
size, shape, color, and texture;
K .7B observe and describe physical properties of
natural sources of water, including color and clarity;
and
K.7C give examples of ways rocks, soil, and water
are useful.

21. EXPLORE - ROCK ACTIVITIES

22. EXPLORE – SOIL
According to the TEKS, kindergarten students only need to know how we use
soil in our everyday life. However, before they can tell us that, they need to
know some things about soil.

23. EXPLORE - WATER
K .7B observe and describe physical
properties of natural sources of water,
including color and clarity;

24. OBJECTS IN THE SKY
K.8C observe, describe, and illustrate
objects in the sky such as the clouds, Moon,
and stars, including the Sun

25. WEATHER
K.8A observe and describe weather changes
from day to day and over seasons

26. PATTERNS IN THE NATURAL WORLD
℗K.8B identify events that have repeating
patterns, including seasons of the year and day
and night

27. BOOKS - ROCKS
Let’s Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans & Holly
Keller
· Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
· Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock by Eric A. Kimmel
& Janet Stevens
· If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian
· Rocks: Hard, Soft, Smooth, and Rough by Natalie M.
Rosinsky
· My Ol’ Man by Patricia Polaaco

28. BOOKS - SOIL
Dirt: The Scoop on Soil by Natalie M. Rosinsky
A Handful of Dirt by Raymond Bial
Dirt:Jump into Science by Steven Tomecek

29. BOOKS - WATER
Water by Frank Asch
Water Everywhere by Christine Taylor- Butler
WaterJ Water Everywhere by Mark J.Rauzon
Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James

30. BOOKS - WEATHER
Like a Windy Day By Frank Asch
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs By Judi Barrett
Down Comes the Rain By Franklyn Mansfield Branley
Flash, Crash, Rumble and Roll By Franklyn Mansfield Branley
What Will the Weather Be? By Lynda DeWitt
Feel the Wind By Arthur Dorros
Sunshine By Alice Flanagan
Wind By Alice Flanagan
Clouds By Alice Flanagan
Rain By Alice Flanagan
Snow By Alice Flanagan
Thunder and Lightning By Alice Flanagan
Weather Words and What They Mean By Gail Gibbons
Learning about Weather By Jo Ellen Moore
W is for Wind By Pat Michaels
Salamander Rain By Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini
Oh Say Can You Say, What's the Weather Today? By Tish Rabe
You Say, What's the Weather Today? By Tish Rabe
Clouds By Anne Rockwell
The Storm Book By Charlotte Zolotow
When the Wind Stops By Charlotte Zolotow

31. BOOKS – DAY AND NIGHT
City Night by Eve Rice
Dark Day, Light Night by Jan Carr
Good Morning, Good Night by Michael Grejniec
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger
Into the Napping House by Audrey Wood
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw
The Napping House Wakes Up by Audrey Wood
Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Petey's Bedtime Story by Beverly Cleary
Shine Sun by Carol Greene
What the Sun Sees, What the Moon Sees by Nancy Tafuri

32. BEGINNING OF THE YEAR
 Setting up the classroom – What is a
scientist?
http://www.kindergartenkindergarten.com/20
10/07/we-are-all-scientists.html