Science Super Star: Susan Jones
April 9, 2020
We are honored to name Sue Jones, a 3rd Grade Teacher from Bridges Elementary in Oakland, as a 2020 Science Super Star!
Sue advocates for her students to express all of their ideas, questions, and thoughts and is always sure to include open conversations that allow for her students to develop their throught processes. Her classroom recently studied adaptations of crayfish, and she was determined to make it a lesson that would deepen their understanding on all levels.
While her students observed crayfish, Sue maintained that they should consistently fill out their journals with comments and scientific sketches. Many students would not only observe their own crayfish, but would walk to other tables to see how others crayfish were faring. Many were so excited that they would spend their lunch recess time watching over their crayfish.
Sue immediately noticed the benefits of having such an independent experiment.
“One student that I am thinking of struggles to stay focused during the day. She is often off-task in small quiet ways and can easily slip through the cracks. During hands-on science activities she is 100% engaged. Actively doing, talking, and questioning.”
Throughout the in-class experiment, students would share with one another what they were observing: “Ooh, he is trying to get to me!” Others would hypothesize with each other: “I wonder what what they will do if I…” and “Let’s try…”
Susan had them expand on their critical thinking by taking their initial observations and questions and fitting them into more complex sentence frames that she provided. Their statements turned into “I think the crayfish uses its claws for protection, because I observed the crayfish put up its claws when he saw my hand.” Other students would follow up, by adding if they agreed or disagreed, and why.
Sue’s top tips for other teachers? “Lead with phenomena, include as much hands-on as possible. Structure the work to provoke thoughtful discussions. Make lots of space in the class for conversations among the students. Push their thinking with your thoughtful questions, and be sure to listen carefully to their ideas.”