Seller's Description

This activity features nursery rhymes that have been translated into scientific jargon. It is designed to make students more comfortable with scientific language. Many students, especially those who are below grade level in reading, are automatically turned off from science because they are not used to scientific language. This activity helps them to realize that they may be able to understand scientific language after all.

I would recommend using this activity in the first or second week of classes. It is fun, so it will hopefully set a tone for your class that will continue throughout the year. It helps build community, because once students have an answer they just HAVE to share it with their friends. And it will help your students to not be intimidated when they come across words that they don’t understand. (“You can read this! Remember when . . .”)

It is appropriate for almost all grade levels. The description of the activity that the students get has a very low Flesch-Kinkade grade level (4.7). This could easily be made more challenging, but since the entire point of the activity is to encourage students to not be intimidated by science, I think the easy reading is appropriate. I have included two variations of the activity. In the first, the students have to come up with the answers on their own. In the second, students can see the answers and just have to decide which scientific phrase goes with each standard English phrase. I strongly recommend the first variation. Students will complain at first, but once one student figures out one phrase, the activity goes very smoothly. I would only use the second variation for very low-level students. Enjoy!

Author: Grace Pokela

Price: $1.00