I don’t know about your students, but mine absolutely loved making predictions, doing experiments, and becoming little scientists! However, just like with social studies, I didn’t always have time to concentrate on science because of all the reading and math standards that needed to be covered. I figured out how to blend social studies into reading and I took that same logic and applied to science. That’s how I started integrating science and math! Here’s how I did it.
Get Cooking to Integrate Science and Math
I absolutely love cooking and so do my students! Now, I know there are regulations at schools. However, if you are able to do some kind of cooking, it’s a great way to integrate math and science. In my classroom, I always brought in a little convection oven and we’d make cookies. Now you might be thinking, how is this science? I’m so glad you asked!
The math part is obvious: measuring. However, the science comes from what happens to the ingredients when they are combined and cooked. To bring science into baking cookies you can talk about the forms of matter and how they change. From dry to wet ingredients to wet ingredients to the steam that comes off the cookies. You can also talk about shapes and sizes of cookies and how they cook. The sky is really the limit when you bring cooking to the classroom, and you’re integrating science and math.
Cycle Math into Science
There are so many cycles like the water and life cycle. I loved talking about these in science class. However, sometimes there just wasn’t any time to get it done. That’s why I started integrating science and math to create more time. When you look at these cycles, there are graphs and measurements that need to be done in order to truly understand it. With these activities, students can learn to read a thermometer or work with fractions.
Integrating Math and Science by Building
Did you know that literally everything you build has math and science in it? The science tells you what’s the best structure. Math gives you the measurements. One thing we did in my classroom which was integrating science math was building a rollercoaster. This was great for STEM supplies like toilet paper rolls, popsicle sticks, and more! My student would build a structure and then we would use hot wheel cars on them to make predictions. My students would make predictions about force, motion, and more! They would get graphing practice and be able to see their math in action while learning sweet science.
Go Out of This World!
Students (and teachers) love learning about the world beyond Earth! Using the solar system can be great for making models that have to be created to a certain scale. In addition, students can talk about the diameter, circumference, and area of the planets to strengthen their math skills. You can also talk about what the temperature is on each planet and use graphing skills to show the differences.
One thing you want to always do in science is make a hypothesis. Therefore, it makes sense that before students do all the math, let them make some predictions. My students always predicted what the temperature on the planets would be which sometimes surprised them.
Science can be hard to fit in. However, you can go beyond the worksheet by integrating science and math together in a way that benefits both topics. By doing this, your students are having a great time being scientists, and they’re learning math along the way. For more tips and tricks, make sure you join the VIP Club!
Until Next Time…
Keep Being Educational Rock Stars
