Science Tools #PoetryFriday

While I am teaching Kindergarten remotely this year — ZOOM-ing and Seesaw-ing my heart out — I was determined to keep up the “Poem of the Week” routine that I’ve found a powerful teaching tool for so many years. Since September, we begin each week with a new poem that is often related to our current curricular focus. The poems are always brief, easy to learn, and, from time to time, written by me. My students love when I write poems just for them, and I think that it sends a powerful message that I live the writerly life I am encouraging them to have, too. They always pepper me with questions about the process.

This week’s Science focus is on the tools that scientists use. My students have been outfitted with their own hand lenses, rulers, and thermometers. They have also built their own rain and wind gauges during STEM challenges this winter. They’ve learned first-hand how important tools are to any scientists for collecting and interpreting data, as well as making observations. Science Tools came to me as I was preparing curricular plans for the week.

Here are just two of their artistic responses, the first a ruler and the second hip waders — an essential “tool” worn by our Biologist-in-Residence, Emilie, as she explores our campus vernal pool. With every poem, we take the time to think through the images or even “the movie” that comes into our heads. It’s fun to hear them share on ZOOM what they imagine and see them begin to expand their thinking.

Many thanks to this week’s hostess, Molly Hogan, for inviting us to join her on this Poetry Friday. You can find the roundup on her blog, Nix the Comfort Zone.