Science Talks
Overview
A “science talk” is a strategy that borrows concepts from “number talks”. Students are presented with a science problem that they need to solve on their own. Students should use hand signals to communicate their thinking process. When they have a strategy to solve the problem, they should put their pointer finger in front of their chest. When they have a solution, they should hold a thumbs up in front of their chest. Raising hands may cause anxiety for students who do not solve the problem as quickly as others.
The teacher then facilitates a class discussion, first by asking for answers and writing them on the board, not saying if they are correct. After all answers are displayed, students can share how they arrived at their answers. The teacher should then write down their thought process as students described, so the whole class can see how their peers are thinking.
When planning a science talk, decide on the following:
- What kind of problem will be presented?
Science talks help develop early scientific literacy in grades K-2, and further polish those skills for older students. The beauty of a science talk is that there isn’t always one right answer! You can pose questions with a smaller range of responses, such as “What kind of ecosystem is this?” or something that will generate a wider range of responses, for example, “What types of animals would survive in this ecosystem? What pollutants may affect those animals?”. Science talks can be used in every unit at every grade level. Use this to your advantage!
- What point in my lesson will I run a science talk?
Science talks make an excellent warm-up or “do now” activity. They can be used to review older content from a previous year or unit. They can help create class discussions when there is an extra 5 or 10 minutes before a scheduled activity. Older students can gain a lot of practice explaining their mathematical reasoning with problems that may challenge a student in K-2.
