January was always a fun time in our little classroom! The little learners come back and are so refreshed, they have somehow magically grown so much over the two week break, we are reading well, writing well, nailing math concepts, and it’s the perfect time to begin to dig deeper into science concepts as we are teaching science in January.
My little scientists were also super engaged anytime we talked about animals. There are many arctic animal activities, penguin activities, day and night activities, and objects in the sky activities for teaching science in January. From writing, to sorting, to honing those fine motor skills as we cut and glue, keeping kids engaged in science is easy with interesting topics that align to our science standards.
Anchor charts are a must! I love using them to integrate some shared writing or interactive writing, but here I simply typed up responses and printed them. Then they can be sorted into the right categories. Nothing fancy about them because sometimes you just don’t have time and that’s okay! Done at 80% is better than not done at all, busy friends.
Science experiments are a great way to provide hands on experiences for students! Students can experience how animal blubber works as they learn about arctic animals, how craters on the moon are formed as they learn about day and night, and how sunscreen protects our skin as they learn about objects in the sky!
For doing these in the classroom, I like to have visual directions for the students to follow! Even if we are doing them together, it helps then see the process and the plan. We also like to write in our science journals. You can do this freely and have them simply record what they noticed, or you can use the simple outline I have provided. All 3 of these experiments are a part of what is included for teaching science in January unit.
Shared reading is a favorite way to integrate science! I could go on and on about shared reading, but I’ll spare you. 🙂 You can see my routine here. If you are wondering how shared reading aligns with science of reading research, you can read more HERE.
To make teaching science in January a breeze, there are 4 shared reading songs and poems included in my science units for arctic animals, penguins, day and night, and objects in the sky. R-controlled vowels are carried over from December’s shared reading, too, to provide more practice after a short and crazy month of teaching!
Reaching comprehension passages have a great value for our little readers. I think it’s important to remember that close reading does not replace reading small groups, which is the time that you meet them where they are at with their reading skill progression.
You can grab the Winter Reading Passages or Fall Reading Passges. They are FREE when you purchase the year-long First Grade Science Bundle.
The whole month is jam-packed with activities for science, reading, and writing to help you easily integrate science! It also is broken down into 4 weeks and each week has a unit teaching plan to help make your lesson planning simple!
Go HERE to check out Science for January!
pin it
I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers. Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!
4 Responses
Thank you
You are very welcome !:)
Where can I purchase this?
Hi! In my store right here. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-Science-for-January-Arctic-Penguins-DayNight-SunMoonStars-2931290