When you think of Dr. Seuss in your second grade classroom, you probably think of classic rhymes like the cartoon character.
But what if you wanted to add some inspiration to your science lessons?
Lauren Caramanica’s classroom at Hettie Halstead Elementary School in Copperas Cove recently turned to the famous author “Bartholomew and Oobleck” for inspiration for a lesson on states of matter.
“The children feel like scientists and love exploring and showing me and their classmates their discoveries,” Caramanica said.
This lesson, in which students attempted to recreate “Oobleck,” helped the class explore physical properties and was quickly followed by another lesson focusing on solids, liquids, and cooling and freezing.
We also detailed vocabulary and descriptions about the item, including commonly used terms such as “watery.”
“We used cornstarch, food coloring and water as ingredients,” said student Grace Ward. “I won’t touch her because my mother will be really angry.”
Caramanica said the activity also incorporates vocabulary, requiring students to recall specific words to describe the “oo blocks” they create.
Overall, I found it difficult to achieve the same consistency in each student’s work. But when it was all over, Caramanica said she couldn’t wait to share it with each other, and one student, Kameron Fenster, even exclaimed, “I learned how to make goo.”
