Teacher Training By Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski

Thirty-five early childhood teachers were actively engaged in exploring early childhood science concepts through pre-primary children’s literature during a early childhood teacher training workshop on a recent Saturday in June. The teachers attended a full-day hands-on-minds-on standards-based early childhood teacher training workshop conducted by Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski. The goal of this particular workshop Teaching Science Through Pre-Primary Children’s Literatureis to introduce teachers to how to incorporate children’s literature in the classroom to teach science concepts. Teachers conducted many hands-on explorations to investigate early child science concepts through pre-primary children’s literature. Additionally, teachers used a variety of scientific and mathematical tools in their explorations of a wide-array of science and mathematical concepts. Throughout the day teachers were introduced to approximately 100 children’s books written by popular children’s authors that can be used in the classroom to reinforce science concepts. Teachers explored the behavior of soap bubbles by making numerous bubble blowing contraptions. Teachers observed and touched live pill bugs, earthworms, and garden snails, and then read children’s literature that have science themes connected to exploring common invertebrates found in gardens, backyards, and school yards. Beach and sand toys were used to explore the concepts of erosion, weathering, and the rock cycle. Several children’s books that cover beach geology, erosion, weathering, and the rock cycle include:
Sand by Ellen Prager and Beach Day by Karen Roosa. Teachers also dissected a dried whelk egg case to observe how offspring resemble their parents as well as observing that all animals that are born with shells make their own shell, aside from the Hermit Crab. Teachers were introduced to numerous children’s literature books that cover animal coverings, sea shells, and marine life including: What Lives in a Shell by Weidner Zoehfeld, A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle, Seashells by The Seashore by Marianne Berkes, Is This a House for Hermit Crab? by Megan McDonald, Clam I Am by Tish Rabe, and several other children’s books. Teachers explored botanical concepts including seed and leaf types, and seed dispersal. There are many wonderful children’s books that cover botanical concepts including: Oh Say Can You Seed? by Bonnie Worth, The Tiny Seed by Eric Carole, From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer, Apples by Gail Gibbons, A Dandelion’s Life by John Himmelman, The Reason For A Flower by Ruth Heller, How A Seed Grows by Helene Jordan, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, I Can Name 50 Trees by Bonnie Worth, and many others. Teachers also explored force, motion, and energy concepts by using toy cars, trucks, and ramps, related children’s literature books were also introduced. The workshop was a great success, the participants were actively engaged in the learning process throughout the entire session. At the end of the full-day session participants left the workshop with numerous models they had constructed to reinforce specific science concepts and principles, art work from their observations, a manual, and prizes won from raffles that took place throughout the session, and we all know that teachers love to “win cool stuff” to bring back to share with their students. Once again, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to have met such a great group of dedicated and professional early childhood teachers as well as the very dedicated administrative support of the Early Childhood Coalition.

On a balmy Friday in June on the Gulf Coast of Florida thirty elementary teachers took part in a six-hour hands-on-minds-on inquiry-based teacher training workshop. Teachers were immersed in exploring intermediate level (grades 3-5) science concepts through popular children’s literature. Children’s authors included Dr. Seuss, John Himmelman, Anthony Fredericks, Jean Craighead George, Carol Hiaasen, Roberta Edwards, Robert Byrd, Janis Herbert, Laura Driscoll, Jennifer Dussling, Lynne Cherry, Kevin Kurtz, and many more authors. Teachers explored Big Ideas within the four of the new world-class Sunshine State Standards (Nature of Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, and Life Science) through hands-on-minds-on- inquiry-based investigations. Teachers explored the states of matter by making Oobleck, a unique Non-Newtonian substance that takes on the characteristics of both a solid and a liquid. Teachers also used Oobleck to teach earth and space science concepts including: mudslides, landslides, and volcanic eruptions. Dr. Seuss’s book Bartholomew and the Oobleck was the literary connection in this investigation. Teachers designed and constructed terrestrial or aquatic bottle biology ecosystems to explore a wide-range of life science concepts including: ecosystems, food chains, food webs, consumers, decomposers, consumers, limiting factors, oxygen cycle, water cycle, nitrogen cycle, photosynthesis, and the animal kingdom. The following children’s literature were reviewed during the designing and construction of the bottle biology ecosystems:Everybody’s Somebody’s Lunch by Cherie Mason, A Pill Bug’s Life and An Earthworm’s Life both by John Himmelman, Under One Rock by Anthony Fredericks, and others. Teachers observed and studied mangrove seedlings and learned all about mangrove ecology. Lynne Cherry’s children’s literature book The Sea, The Storm, and the Mangrove Tangle was used in this investigation to reinforce mangrove ecology concepts. Teachers were introduced to the vast array of ideas and inventions of Leonardo daVinci by exploring simple machines, airplanes, helicopters, and parachutes. Who Was Leonardo da Vinci by Roberta Edwards was the primary children’s literature book used during the investigations. However, teachers were also introduced to many other children’s literature books that cover Leonardo daVinci’s life, innovations, and inventions. Teachers studied bird feathers to make connections to bird anatomy, aerodynamic concepts, and gravity. There’s an Owl in My Shower by Jean Craighead George as well as books about Leonardo daVinci were used during this investigation. Teachers explored the concepts of erosion and weathering, and the rock cycle through the Ellen Prager’s book Sandand Kristine and Robert Thorson’s book Stone Wall Secrets. Teachers explored the concepts of erosion and weathering through hands-on investigations using Coquina Rock. The culminating investigation involved the teachers exploring the behavior of light waves with emphasis on reflection, refraction, visible spectrum, electromagnetic spectrum, the use of spectroscopes by astronomers to analyze stars. Teachers constructed a simple spectroscope out of a mailer tube and diffraction grating material. The children’s literature used during this investigation was The Rainbow Mysteryby Jennifer Dussling part of the Science Solves It! Series. The teachers left the workshop with children’s literature books listed in this article, science references, Teaching Science Through Children’s Literature manual by Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski, models made during the workshop, and a wealth of additional knowledge. Once again, I was elated to have had the opportunity to meet a wonderful group of teachers willing to expand their own scientific knowledge during their summer vacation. All of the books used during Teaching Science Through Children’s Literature can be found and ordered from this site on the books page.