Chapter 7 - Voni

As the old saying goes, "Practice makes perfect" and to our students that means ample opportunities to practice new skills or concepts in a variety of ways. Looking back at a science unit that I taught my students, I saw hands on activities, an action song, writing and reading. Through these means, the students learned and expressed what they learned about the body parts of an insect.

I read "insect" books aloud to them and I also checked out books about insects from the library so the students had access to insect books in the classroom for independent or paired reading. We learned an "action" song that taught the vocabulary of the body parts of an insect. Last time I checked, some still remember the parts! Students also made a paper sculpture of a butterfly in which they could identify the body features of the insect. As a class we wrote a report, each student wrote his own copy, sentence by sentence. This gave them the opportunity to hear and write in complete sentences what they had learned.

Throughout the unit the students were able to practice what they learned by means of speaking, writing, and demonstration. The end.