Bear Bag: Tactics for Early Elementary Engagement

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Preschool teacher Julie Litwin uses props and engaging questions to make complex science comprehensible to preschool students. In this video, Litwin, an experienced preschool teacher and the assistant director of Noah’s Ark Preschool in Albany, New York, demonstrates an introduction to polar bears. Her multi-prop lesson includes using straws and black paper to explain how a polar bear absorbs heat from the sun.

In this video, Julie demonstrates how to:

  • Integrate science in authentic literacy-based learning experiences for early elementary students.
  • Use meaningful, familiar props to illustrate new science information.
  • Pose questions and introduce abstract concepts through storytelling.
  • Apply methods like letter-sound correspondence reminders to introduce new vocabulary.
  • Conduct a developmentally appropriate science experiment to help students engage with new information.

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Ask Yourself

“How can I build knowledge through content-rich nonfiction to simplify complex science?”

Find Additional Resources

Looking for more? Watch Julie’s video on building authenticity and classroom culture into math assessment. For other ELA instruction videos, click here to browse our collection and find additional resources you can use in your classroom.

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