Science Anyone?

Flipping in Fifth

Last year was my first year flipping and I only flipped math lessons on a consistent basis.  Yea, I threw in a couple of content videos here and there but my main focus was math.  Hence the name:  "Mostly Math  . . . Sprinkled lightly . . ." This year I have noticed that I am assigning science and social studies videos on a more regular basis.  It seems that watching the videos at home or even independently in class has allowed me to make better use of my face-to-face time with my students. 

 Granted, I am using videos from Discovery Streaming, Wonderopolis, and  Study Jams to help teach content.  Discovery Streaming allows you to set up a class and give each child a username and password.  Last week I assigned a video about electricity and provided my students with guided notes to fill in as they watch the science videos.  I think the guided notes helps them to identify the important concepts they need to focus on as they are watching the video.

Watching the videos independently frees up more class time to devote to completing projects and conducting labs.  I have wonderful parents (we call them our Science buddies) who come in on Fridays.  After we briefly discuss the concepts from our video, the students spend their class time involved in hands-on activities.  I am finding that I have a lot more time to devote to labs than I did in previous years.  The kids love it!

The biggest change has been in my attitude about what it means to be a teacher. I find myself constantly telling my students I am not the "Keeper of Knowledge".  They understand there is a world of knowledge at their fingertips.  I give them a list of the content standards at the beginning of each unit which they keep in their interactive notebooks.  I let them know it is perfectly okay for them to find information on their own. I encourage it.  They don't have to wait for me. It's nice to see them taking the lead in their own learning.

Why Would I Do That?

Why did I decide to flip other content areas?  Well for me it was an issue of time.  What would be best use of my face-to-face time with my students: watching educational videos in class or actually using class time to complete science labs and social studies projects?  For me that choice was easy.  So I did what made sense. I decided to flip some of those lessons as well.

Fortunately for me, there were some great online resources that I could use to deliver content to my students at home. I recently found out that Discovery Streaming now makes it possible for teachers to enroll their classes in a group.  That means each child will have a unique log in that they can use at home to watch the videos and take quizes.  Wonderopolis is another source that students can use at home.  I simply entered key words in the search bar and found introductory videos and passages that correlated with our Common Core Standards. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosie the Riveter, The Tuskegee Airmen, and The Wright Brothers are a few of the topics I have found to share with my students. 

So . . maybe instead of asking "Why would I want to flip other content areas?" a better question might be "Why would I not?"