Week Seven: STSE

Learning Outcomes: K-0-1a, K-0-3, K-0-7a, K-0-9a, K-0-9c

What are scientists and what do they do?

Take a field trip to St. Boniface Research Centre or have someone from there come and speak to the students. Let the students indulge in their sense of what a scientist is, as well as be introduced to female scientists and scientists of colour. There is a perception that scientists work off in some far off places and do scary work in labs. Kids should know that scientists who work in labs do work that helps us and that they wear lab coats and goggles to stay safe.

Read the book What's Out There by Lynn Wilson. Ask students if they think space is science. Ask them if they know of any astronauts. Space is something a lot of kids love to learn about and introducing it as a science can make a scientist seem like a cooler job than what they think it it. Depending on the group, you can also show the class some of Commander Chris Hadfield's YouTube videos from the International Space Station.

Finally, have the students talk to a field biologist, either by Skype or an in class presentation. This allows them to talk to someone who works out in the science field in a setting that is not seen as a stereotypical settings in the minds of young students. To further extend this thought process, take the class to Oak Hammock Marsh and have them conduct some field research themselves to further impress upon the point that scientists do not just exist in a lab, they exist everywhere in this world.

It is important that students get a normalized view of what a scientist is and what they do. It is also important that science experiences are fun from a young age. The more interactive the experiences, the better. The more diverse the experiences, the better. Teach students from day one that science can be fun and at some point they will probably see it as fun, even if they initially thought science is scary.