I have been teaching for 10 years. I have taught middle school reading, second, third and fourth grades. I earned my BS in Elementary Education with a concentration in Science from Edinboro University. Currently I am teaching at Jupiter Farms Community Elementary. Previously, I taught for five years at Pine Jog Elementary, Florida’s first LEED-certified school. As the years have gone by, I have witnessed changes in the way children learn and want to be taught right before my eyes. The children are now digital natives; they enjoy using the computer to learn.

Last year, I had the opportunity to become a pilot classroom for Science4Us. My students loved each step. We would do whole group lessons in my classroom on the projector, then they would explore and finish each section individually in the computer lab. Labs were easy for students to do in groups. Students even logged in at home hungry for more.

Science4Us encouraged me to teach science the way it should be taught. Using hands-on experiences, whether seat-based or computer-based. I looked forward to teaching using the Science4Us lessons because they were not overly simplified as some textbooks lessons can be. They even included an Explain for teachers in case they were not familiar with the content. I cringe when I hear of teachers who have taught a concept incorrectly. Having the Explain helps all of us. Thanks to Science4Us, my technology usage increased, especially in terms of computer lab usage.

My second graders LOVED Science4Us. They really enjoyed the interactive Notebook, and being able to go back and see how their ideas changed as they learned more. Excitement rang out when they realized they could access their accounts at home or at the public library.

This curriculum is GREAT because it includes real vocabulary and hands-on labs that involve classroom materials, and it encompasses math, reading, and writing. I love the cheers, the interactive Notebook, and the Investigates. I like the Take A Note the best because it really encourages students to put their thinking caps on.

The feature that allows me to access the student records is definitely my favorite because I can easily track student mastery and encourage them to try again through assigned tasks if mastery was not met.

Science4Us is a program that meets the needs of our digital natives. It allows them to do experiments, practice reading skills and produce math in relation to science.

- Leaha, Second Grade Teacher

Who better to review a K-2 science curriculum than 2nd grade students!? Wanda Cooper’s second grade students had some things to say about Science4Us.

I think Science4Us is entertaining and fun.
-Kayla, 2nd Grade Student

I think Science4Us is educational and teaches kids about the world and science.
-Memphis, 2nd Grade Student

The games are really fun!
-John, 2nd Grade Student

Science4us is the only site that lets you learn by playing games and listening fun, educational, cool music.
-Hannah, 2nd Grade Student

The games are really fun and you don’t know you are learning.
-Samantha, 2nd Grade Student

Science4us helps us learn.
-Walter, 2nd Grade Student

Science4Us is learning mixed up with fun!
-Jude, 2nd Grade Student

And here’s Mrs. Cooper’s take on Science4Us…

My name is Wanda Cooper. I have been teaching elementary school for 16 years. I teach second grade at Nova Eisenhower Elementary School in Broward County, Florida.

I use Science4Us frequently as an enrichment tool for my science program. I introduce each new science concept by projecting Engage on the board in class. The short video ‘engages’ and excites the students. It is a great starting point! The students use Science4Us as a center at school using the five computers in our classroom.

I am able to create assignments for the students to complete at home or in their centers. I can easily check on students’ progress in the reports section and read their digital Notebooks, making it a simple and effective way to collect and record grades.

Using Science4Us has provided a fun way for my students to learn and review concepts. In fact, my students don’t consider their time on Science4Us as work, but rather as fun. They are thrilled to learn and play the games on Science4Us. Many of my students have even tried out experiments that they saw on the website and then report back to me about the results. I think it is exciting that Science4Us is motivating students to try experiments on their own.

Their favorite activities are Investigate, SillyBulls and Beach Rap. Joshua said “I love Investigate! I get to investigate the world and it’s like I am a detective.” Other students said SillyBulls help them learn the words in a fun way. Their top favorite was Beach Rap because, “I love music and it teaches you something at the same time. It is not boring.”

- Wanda Cooper, Second Grade Teacher

Read about another 2nd grade teachers experience with Science4Us . . .

Science4Us encouraged me to teach science the way it should be taught. Using hands-on experiences, whether seat-based or computer-based. I looked forward to teaching using the Science4Us lessons because they were not overly simplified as some textbooks lessons can be.

-Read More from 2nd grade teacher Leaha

First grade teacher, Mrs. Stewart wrote about her experience using Science4Us with her 1st grade class. Not only did she gain confidence as she learned more about science and how to teach it, her students got excited about science and learned right along with her! Keep reading to hear Bonnie tell her story…

Try some first grade science demos.

My name is Bonnie Stewart. I am a first grade teacher at Nova Blanche Forman Elementary School in Davie, Florida. I have been teaching there for 17 years. I have previously taught second, third and fourth grade.

I have two laptops in my classroom as well as my Macbook. I use my Macbook and projector for Science4us as whole group lessons. I have given my students their login usernames and passwords, and I have also sent that information home to their parents.

I use Science4us each time I am going start a new science theme in my classroom. I usually start with Science4Us before moving on to the textbook. Once the whole group lessons have been explored, I let my students go on to the website when they are at the computer center, or they can always do so from home or anywhere they have Internet access.

Watch as Bonnie’s 1st graders are completely engaged by the Lemonadium activity, found in the Materials and Mixtures module in the Matter unit.

I used to be a little apprehensive about teaching science because I never felt like I had the right tools to catch my students’ attention in a way that they would be able to understand the material. Now that I have used Science4us, I know just how excited they are to watch the catchy videos, play the interactive games and explore all of the activities on the site. It makes it fun to teach science skills. Overall, my students seem more excited to do science activities. They ask me all the time if they can watch the video segments over again. They especially love Lemonadium!!!!!

I like being able to assign and view what students have done in their Notebooks. I like the fact that there is always background information for teachers and that there are enough varieties of lessons to introduce to the students. I only wish I had more time to allow the students to use the computers. It seems like there is never enough time for all of them to go on while we are in the classroom.

Science4Us was introduced to me as a program that might benefit our students in grades K-2; but as I spent time training our teachers on the program’s various aspects, I realized that this would be a fun, yet educational means to fill in the gaps left in my fifth grade students’ science knowledge. Fortunately, I have a laptop cart assigned to my classroom that facilitates my use of the program as “morning work” when students first arrive in the morning. I’ve also used the program as one of my centers during small group instruction. I often find myself referring to the catchy songs or sharing certain clips as a way to introduce a topic. It’s a way to activate prior knowledge using an approach that my students find entertaining while not alienating those students who may be too embarrassed at not remembering information they should have received in previous grades.

I look forward to using Science4Us with my students because, aside from using it in the class, my students get to become teachers. I tell them that they are “training” to use this program so they can assist the younger students who are our science buddies. When a primary teacher feels that a student could use a little more reinforcement, I am able to send a science buddy to “teach” them individually. While being helpful to the primary student, teaching the concept helps to reinforce it in the mind of my fifth graders, which are given a standardized, statewide science test.

Science4Us has enhanced my classroom environment. It provides a resource that is interactive and engaging that allows my struggling reader to gain the same content without the embarrassment of using a “lower level” program that stands out to their peers. They are engaged and can laugh along with their peers as they review basic information.

My students look forward to their science homework and many have even made sure to share the assignments with younger siblings and friends. One parent shared that she was thrilled one evening when she found both her daughter and young son playing a game about science and laughing. She said that now they fight over the computer for something enriching instead of silly.

My students enjoy completing assignments on the computer because they are digital natives. At this age, they are prepared to transition from using a computer as a resource they watch to a resource that they learn from. It is a different mindset that must be taught and this program will aide in that endeavor.

I enjoy all the aspects of the program as much as my students do. By using the evaluation as a pre-test, I can figure out what aspects of the concept I need to address more deeply. I can then assign elements of the program so that the instruction is individualized to my students’ needs while leaving the rest of the program open for enjoyment. By having the pieces that provide a percentage score, my students are held accountable and realize that the program is more important than just a “fun thing.” I also enjoy using the literature and offline pieces with my class to reinforce their reading skills while maintaining a science content focus.

Overall, Science4Us has been a boon to my classroom. It provides an interactive, integrated and engaging program that enhances my science curriculum while assessing my students understanding of the science curriculum in a non-threatening format.

Following the small usability testing of the online activities we were interested in learning what teachers thought of the support materials included with the curriculum. This time around we provided a small number of traditional classroom teachers with a packet of offline material to accompany the online activities of one module. We were interested in learning how the teachers implemented the online activities with their students and their feedback regarding the hands on activities and teacher guides. The results of this round of testing streamlined the development of our online activity Teacher Guides. It also provided information about how a digital curriculum fits in today’s classroom environment. We found that all of the teachers in this round of testing implemented Science4Us as a whole class using a projector. Realizing this detail helped guide the development of discussion questions and the understanding that the curriculum needed to be flexible in it’s delivery as not all classrooms have the same technology.

Also from this initial classroom testing we were able to get an idea of the grade level appropriateness of the hands on activities that accompany the online activities. Teachers provided candid feedback regarding the degree of difficulty their students had completing or comprehending each activity. We found that diversity of activities was the key.

Then in 2011 classroom testing of a module, complete with updated online and offline activities, began. Not only were the digital and hands on components in place, many of the teacher resources such as the student reports and lesson plans were available for scrutiny. Kindergarten, first and second grade teachers across three schools implemented one module with their students and provided feedback regarding general usability as well as many suggestions for improvements. One of the many suggestions that we took from our users was to provide teachers with a guide for each of the eight sessions that make up a module. Another idea from a teacher lead to the addition of the function that allows teachers to comment on their students’ Notebook entries.

The official beta testing program, began with the 2012 school year. Hundreds of teachers across 34 states, including homeschool and traditional classroom teachers participated. We still collected general feedback from the users, but we also implemented surveys to garner specific information. What would make Science4Us easier to use? Would using Science4Us have any impact on a teacher’s interest in teaching science or a student’s interest to learn science? Not only did more excellent suggestions come through, we found the curriculum was making a difference.

Teacher suggestions from the beta testing resulted in many changes, including limiting the number of rounds played in specific games to help keep young learners engaged, and combining all of the printed material into one PDF for one-click printing to save teachers time in preparing lessons. In addition, a key feature of the curriculum, the ability to assign activities to one student or the whole class, was developed and tested with many feature updates suggested by the users. So not only can work be assigned, but student progress can be checked with a quick click of a button. We asked teachers what they wanted in a digital curriculum and we listened, implementing their suggestions to make using Science4Us that much easier.

Over two years, Science4Us was put to the test by families and classrooms, and it’s only become a stronger product as a result.

If so, Science4Us can engage your K2 students in science this summer!

Whether your kids are interested in learning about magnetism, or sound energy, or animals, or our solar system, Science4Us provides engaging digital games and activities as well as ideas for offline experiments that any family can do.

Learning doesn’t have to be a chore. It should be fun!

While science can be an intimidating subject for students who haven’t had experience with it, it doesn’t have to be. For Kindergarten through 2nd grade students, it’s all about realizing that science is all around them, all the time. Science isn’t done only in laboratories; it’s happening everywhere you look. With early exposure to science, delivered in a way that engages the young user, science goes from a confusing mass of unattainable knowledge to interesting, attainable and even fun!

Start today and cancel anytime!

At $7.95 per student, per month, there is not a better way to keep your kids engaged in learning over the summer. Because there are no contracts, you can sign your students up for the summer months and cancel whenever you need to! You just might find that once they start, they won’t want to stop doing science!

How many computers do you need to implement Science4Us?

For classrooms with access to limited technology, the the curriculum can be implemented using one computer and a projector for a whole group lesson. During this method of implementation you have more control over the pace of the lesson and you can still involve students on an individual basis by calling them up to interact with the activities.

We would do whole group lessons in my classroom on the projector, then they would explore and finish each section individually in the computer lab. Labs were easy for students to do in groups. Students even logged in at home hungry for more.
- Leaha, 2nd grade teacher

Many classrooms are equipped with small groups of classroom computers that are perfect for leading a small group lesson for an opportunity to have more in depth discussions with students. With all of the hands-on offline activities that are a part of the curriculum, you can have a Science4Us center set up in every corner of the classroom.

I currently have four laptops available for student use in my classroom. Because of this, I use Science4Us as a whole group and for guided instruction. My students do more of the hands-on activities, such as note taking, experiments, foldables, and frayer models.
- Josephine, 2nd grade teacher

Teachers who have access to a class set of computers can take advantage of this luxury in a variety of ways. You can lead the lesson with one projected computer while the students follow along on their own computers or students can complete activities individually, working at their own pace, taking the time needed to digest the new concepts, repeating activities as needed.

Once the whole group lessons have been explored, I let my students go on to the website when they are at the computer center, or they can always do so from home or anywhere they have Internet access.
- Bonnie, 1st grade teacher

So how do you know which method is best for you?

Dive right in and start experimenting! We have actually found that many of our users prefer the mixed-method approach. Many teachers like to use Science4Us to introduce a new concept in a whole group setting and then let the students log in individually to explore and discover on their own in centers or at the computer lab. Some of our users tell us they set up centers around their classrooms with the offline activities, while other classes complete these activities as a whole group.

No matter how you like to teach science the most important thing to remember is that the Science4Us curriculum is flexible enough to meet the needs of individual classrooms – and that includes yours!

These science standards are different than previous standards. The NGSS emphasizes the interconnected nature of science in the real world. Tangibly, this means that engineering, the scientific process, and the ability to articulate, measure, observe, and quantify are integrated with the content areas. Just at the CCSS are cross curricular by including specific sections in language arts on literacy for science and technical subjects, the NGSS concept includes teaching literacy skills and math as part of the study of science.

The NGSS are written as performance expectations that integrate content as well as science and engineering practices. This approach differs from most state science standards that are lists by grade of content information. For example a current state benchmark for early elementary grades regarding motion requires students to “Demonstrate and describe the various ways that objects can move, such as in a straight line, zigzag, back-and-forth, round-and-round, fast, and slow.” Instead, the NGSS expects students to “Carry out investigations to provide evidence that an object may stay in one place, move, or change shape when pushed or pulled.”

This shift takes students beyond “knowing” a piece of information and expect students to:

• use tools
• design and conduct investigations
• ask questions based on observations
• collect, analyze and use data
• use information from observations to support explanations
• design a solution to a problem
• communicate and discuss solutions

NGSS shifts the standards from a list of content for students to learn towards a set of actions for students to achieve. NGSS also attempts to increase the focus on a few disciplinary core ideas rather than lists of many specific facts. The idea is to help students better see the forest than just the trees. Overall, the shift to NGSS presents many challenges of how to make the curriculum “experiential.” And how to build a curriculum that does not call for an unrealistic amount of out-of-class training and materials.

Science4Us is the answer for kindergarten, first, and second grades.

Science4Us is a new digital curriculum designed to provide K-2nd students the experience they need to be successful. The curriculum is highly engaging with students actively participating in their learning through virtual exploration as well as hands-on investigations and applications. Students are provided opportunities to gather and assimilate information to form their own conclusions and explanations in a highly scaffolded and supportive way. For example, students are given the opportunity to spill different liquids to see what happens. As they make a virtual mess they draw conclusions about the relationship between liquid thickness and spill size. And without leaving the classroom students can experience plants and animals responding to changes in the environment as day turns to night. By blending game based technology and real life opportunities, Science4Us offers students the experiential opportunities needed to successfully accomplish the performance expectations identified in the NGSS.

The NGSS outline student performance expectations by grade; however, it is the teachers that will be expected to implement them. To do this successfully, teachers will need a deep understanding of the content as well as the science and engineering practices that are interwoven throughout the standards. Science4Us provides professional development that highlights common misconceptions, content understanding, best practices and cross content connections. In addition, activity teacher guides provide teachers the support they need to let their students experience the content in a try, fail, try again fashion. Science4Us provides the foundation teachers will need to change gears from students learning facts and vocabulary to students truly experiencing what they are learning.

We are a homeschooling family of a third grader, second grader, a kindergartener and a toddler. We have been homeschooling for over five years and have used a few different curriculums both online and offline. We now do most of our core subjects online, however, I had not found a science curriculum neither on- nor offline that I liked until I stumbled across Science4Us.

Our experience with Science4Us has been really great. Prior to signing up, science wasn’t really a part of our homeschool schedule. Compiling a curriculum can be frustrating and very time consuming. With Science4Us, everything I need, as the teacher, is already planned out for me. There are even worksheets for extra practice that I can provide when I feel extra study on the subject is needed. However, most of what the kids do is online and we LOVE that!

There are fun videos that teach kids the concept, plus videos for moms/teachers to help them understand the full concept prior to teaching it. There are also games the kids can play online and that teachers can do with them offline.

Some of the things that I find unique about Science4Us are:

1. there are actual science teachers that have compiled all the lessons
2. everything is explained clearly so that the kids can understand the concept, which is very helpful when you have multiple grades you are teaching
3. the offline materials are broken into grade levels so that no one is doing anything too easy or too hard
4. each concept is broken into mini sessions so that the kids don’t get bored
5. planning is made super easy and tracking student progress is just as simple

I would recommend Science4Us to any homeschooling family. I think all will enjoy the fun lessons and ease of planning that Science4Us has to offer. When learning is fun, kids want to do it and they remember what they are learning, and when the planning has been done, you can spend more time with the kids. Now to find a history site as easy and fun as Science4Us.

- Dena, Homeschool mom

I am a homeschooling mom of two boys, one of which has special needs. Even though this is my third year homeschooling, this is my first year homeschooling both children. Both of my boys are completing the second grade Science4Us activities.

-Read more from Julie, homeschooling mom of two boys

I am a homeschooling mom of two boys, one of which has special needs. Even though this is my third year homeschooling, this is my first year homeschooling both children. Both of my boys are completing the second grade Science4Us activities.

The Engage, Explore and Explain activities are my favorites. The variety of activities within each module really engages my children and gets them into the curriculum. The access to different grade levels allows me to use the site with both children.

The evaluation activities are fun, engaging, effective and one of my children’s favorite things on Science4Us. The “Show What You Know” style presents the evaluation in a fun manner that doesn’t make it seem like a test. My children also enjoy the topics, the language activities and the music. The variety within a module and the consistency from module to module makes this one of their favorite sites.

The offline activities are an extension of, rather than a rewording of the online activities, which is an extra value I appreciate. Plus, my children gain confidence because they can complete these on their own time and they choose which offline activities they prefer to complete based on their interests. So far, they have chosen to complete ALL of them!

Overall, I feel they are both gaining knowledge and enjoying science.

- Julie, homeschooling mom of two boys

We are a homeschooling family of a third grader, second grader, a kindergartener and a toddler. We have been homeschooling for over five years and have used a few different curriculums both online and offline. We now do most of our core subjects online, however, I had not found a science curriculum neither on- nor offline that I liked until I stumbled across Science4Us.

-Read more from Dena, homeschool mom of 4