Throughout this entire journey to becoming a teacher, one of the things I've learned is that science along with social studies is being taught less and less in the elementary school classrooms. This really bothers me. I'm obviously here to talk about science on this blog, so that will be the focus of this post.
Why is science being taught as an afterthought? Basically, after ELA and math have been drilled to death into the students, it's FINALLY time for science. Why?! Without science, the world would not have progressed the way that it has. What if we didn't have these precious iPhones or 55 inch flat screen smart TVs with high definition? How will we ever find the cure for cancer? How will we ever have those flying spacecrafts that the Jetsons cartoon promised us? How will we ever figure out how to save the earth from global warming if a love for science isn't instilled early on in these students?
I'm sure that even with a very small background in science, some students will still go on to be great scientists. With that being said, science, just like most subjects, gradually builds up as the school years go on. Students should start with simple concepts in elementary school and work their way up as they transition from one grade to the next. They shouldn't start middle school struggling in science because their elementary school wanted to spend the majority of their time on math and ELA.
I mentioned an article in one of our beginning Literature Circles. It's from a textbook titled The Essentials of Science, Grades K-6. It is the first chapter, and it is titled "Trends in Elementary Science Education." I feel that it applies to this post, so I will link it here:
Just because ELA and math make up a bulk of the standardized tests doesn't mean that they should take away all the time set aside for science and other subjects. It's saddening how much people are forgetting how important science is. Although science isn't necessarily my favorite subject, I still feel that it is incredibly valuable to everyone.
Until next time,
Christina
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