I.

II.

Observation 6:
Science
Grade:
Kindergarten

III.

Students:
11 Boys
6 Girls

IV.

Setting:
La Monte Elementary School
Kindergarten Classroom
17 Students, 1 Teacher, 1 Student Teacher

V.

VI.

Pre-Observation:
The purpose of this observation was to determine if the teachings of Science in the
classroom were meeting the standards set by the New Jersey Department of Education
(NJDOE). In order to complete my observation, I chose a kindergarten classroom with
children ages 5 to 6, at Lamonte Elementary School. I took one day to complete my
observation. Prior to going into the classroom to observe I became aware of the New
Jersey Science Learning Standards for Preschool and for Kindergarten set by the NJDOE.
I chose to become familiar with the Preschool and Kindergarten standards because I
wanted to understand what the students should already know and what they will know by
the end of Kindergarten. To collect my data, I took an anecdotal record of the childrens
activity in the classroom. I also observed how the teacher worked with the students to
follow standards. I followed key ideas of the NJDOE standards to observe how the
children were exposed to Science.
Data:
The observation was conducted on Tuesday October 11th, 2016.
8:00 A.M.
Before the students came into the classroom I observed the classroom stations
In the science station there was gears, different textured paper and cloth,
measuring cups, bowls, rulers, magnets and magnifying glasses
In the reading there was a whole shelf of science books that ranged from weather
to bugs to stories about science experiments, all age appropriate
9:00 A.M.
Morning routine
Daily Weather
A student is asked to go to the window and observe what the weather was outside
for the day
Student goes back to the carpet and lets the class know that it was cloudy outside

The student changed the arrow on the weather poster to cloudy

Another student was chosen to use a marker to color in a square under cloudy on
the weather tracker, they were tracking how many sunny, snowy, cloudy, rainy
and windy days they had so far
The teacher goes over how many cloudy days they have had to far this school
year
The teacher asked the students if they think it would rain because it was cloudy
Some students predicted yes and some predicted no
Morning Message
The students had a morning message that lets them know the class plan for the
day
One part of the message was what the weather was like for the day
A student was chosen to write cloudy on the space for the weather

9:30 a.m.
The teacher read the students two poems about fall
After reading the poems the students were asked to describe fall
Some said when the leaves fall off the trees, some said when the leaves get
crunchy
The teacher asked the students what happens when you step on the leaves
The students were excited to say they are crunchy and they could jump in
them
The teacher asked the students what colors the leaves changed to
Students replied with the appropriate colors
The teacher went on to explain what happens during fall, that the leaves
changed color because they no longer have enough energy to stay on the trees
and they fall off until the spring comes and they can get more energy from the
sun
The teacher also explained that the days will get shorter and the nights will get
longer
9:45 a.m.
The students go back to their seats to begin math and language arts
stations
I conclude my observation at this time
VII.

Analysis:
During the morning routine, Science was a large focus. The teacher created a learning
environment in which the children had many opportunities to engage in Science. As I
observed around the classroom I saw books about science and a science station as well as
some print-for-purpose science posters. During the morning routine, the students
discussed weather and our current season, autumn. The students were asked to observe
and predict the weather. They are also tracking how many sunny, rainy, snowy, cloudy
and windy days they have had. I found that the students were engaged in their morning

weather routine and learning about autumn. Overall, I feel the students were engaged in
Science and the teacher did a nice job of implementing science practices.
VIII.

Recommendations:
During my observation, I did see some things that could be improved to further the
students interests in Science. The way the teacher implemented science in the morning
routine by engaging the students in the daily weather showed that the environment of this
classroom is positive place for students to develop strong science skills. One
recommendation that I have is for the teacher to utilize the science station in the
classroom. So far throughout my five visits to the classroom, I have seen the students do
stations everyday. But these stations consisted mainly of math, language arts and art. I did
see some science when the students were doing a worksheet involving sorting but the
main point of the worksheet was not science. I recommend that the teacher create a
science station that allows the students to be curious and make independent observations.
According to the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), Elementary school
students learn science best whenthey are involved in first-hand exploration and
investigation and inquiry/process skills are nurtured (2002). If the students had a station
in which the main focus is science, I feel they would become more involved in exploring
science. By having a station that focuses on science the students are able to independently
investigate. Science is a necessary skill for students to develop understandings and skills
necessary to function productively as problem-solvers in a scientific and technological
world (NSTA 2002). I believe that the students would benefit from having a science
station being utilized in the classroom. It can enhance their investigative skills, their
observation skills, their knowledge of problem solving and it can allow them to
independently explore. I recommend the teacher implement a science station in order to
foster the continuous development of their students.

IX.

Post-Observation:
I go to Lamonte Elementary School every Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., during
my time there each week I observe the classroom and student activities. The environment
in this classroom is supportive, safe and respectful. I observe the morning routine as well
as other academic activities that engage the students in language arts, math, science,
social studies and art. I believe that from my three hours of observation in the classroom,
I was able to recognize examples of the teachings of science. Through studying the
NJDOE standards for teaching science in the preschool and kindergarten classrooms, I
was able to identify effective and appropriate practices that engage in the students in
science.

X.

Citations:
Board of Directors. (2002, July). NSTA Position Statement: Elementary School Science.
Web. 11 Oct. 2016
NJDOE. (2016). New Jersey Student Learning Standards: Science. Web. 11 Oct. 2016
Stuber, G. (2007, July). NAEYC: Centering Your Classroom. Web. 11. Oct. 2016