Tools Preschool visit: All eyes on science in Ms. DeAngelis’ class!

If you’ve never visited a Tools classroom, join us as we take a look at what’s happening inside! Our May/June Tools PreK Teacher of the Month, Laurie DeAngelis, posts about her PreK students from their New Jersey classroom, where they are busy engaging in all kinds of exciting hands-on Science Eyes activities.

Science in action

Children learn by doing in Ms. DeAngelis’ class. Preschoolers make observations, talk about their discoveries with a partner, and record ideas in their science journals. Whether digging in the sand for fossils or meeting newly hatched chicks, her PreK students are given time to make scientific discoveries and connect with peers on a variety of science topics as they explore the world around them.

From high in the sky to down in the dirt

In one exploration, children in Ms. DeAngelis’ class design windsocks and head outside. What better way to learn about the wind than testing out a windsock? Flying their windsocks through a field, children use a simple weather instrument of their own creation to detect wind direction.

“Preschool students are always eager to explore the world around them through interactive engagement. We know as educators that young children learn best when they can experience things through concrete, hands-on experiences, allowing them to be the scientist and frontline observer/experimenter.”
- Tools Preschool Teacher Laurie DeAngelis

Back in the classroom, children dig for fossils at the “Ranger Station Nature Center.” These archaeologists-in-training sift through the sand, searching for their next big discovery! They observe the sizes, shapes, grooves, and markings of fossils they find buried in plastic tubs.

Chatting about chicks supports language development

Ms. DeAngelis' PreK children partner with children in another classroom to observe and interact with newly hatched baby chicks, bringing concepts of the life cycle to life and providing opportunities to talk about their discoveries with new partners. Thoughtful discussions benefit verbal and nonverbal learners alike, and Ms. DeAngelis’ children return to their classroom with lots of ideas to record in their Science Journals.

Hands-on activities like these teach more than science; they also develop language skills as children partner with others and practice listening to and using social language and content-based vocabulary in a conversational setting with peers.

“The Tools of the Mind curriculum, with its language-rich and peer communication focus, naturally guides our learning day with constant opportunities for children to use their words as they engage in focused discussions. It is very exciting as a teacher to watch all of my students, even those with limited verbal expression, develop more sophisticated communication skills and expanded vocabularies throughout the year.”
- Tools Preschool Teacher Laurie DeAngelis

Bringing science to play

Explaining new concepts to peers is one way for children to better understand what they are learning. Ms. DeAngelis’ preschoolers do just that when they apply their science learning during make-believe play. Below, one child is playing in the role of a “ranger,” teaching another child about Rainbow, the resident snake.

Thank you to Ms. DeAngelis and her preschoolers for sharing their science learning with us!

To see more from Ms. DeAngelis’ class and other Tools PreK Teachers of the Month, check out the most recent posts.