Korean Job Discussion Forums

[detourne_me]

Hello,
So I will be teaching a 10 hour special class in July for the "Genius Students" at my middle school. This course has to be about science.
I was wondering if there are any good textbooks for teaching science to ESL students.
My preliminary plan right now is -
A 2 hour class on the history of science - focusing on famous scientists, areas of science (biology/chemistry/physics) - and a review of a few scientific laws.

A 2 hour class on the different systems in our body (for example skeletal/nervous/muscular/circulatory/digestive). Going over various organs, and the functions of the organs

A 2 hour class on our five senses

and finally on Saturday
A 4 hour class on Astronomy and physics.

The format for the classes will likely be vocabulary introduction,
discussing functions using appropriate verbs and adjectives,
worksheets with diagrams for labeling, and with a "fill in the blank" dialog,
and finally the science teachers want me to give them quizzes too.

Keep in mind, although I'm a nerd, I'm not a science nerd. please let me know if this is a solid plan, and please let me know if you can suggest any good books we could use.
Thank you!

[detourne_me]

Bump!

Has anybody taught English through science before?

[mmstyle]

Yes, but it was elementary school. What kind of English ability do they have?

I taught using McGraw Hill science textbooks, plus the workbook that came with it (ahem.....actually the school sold copies of the workbook, but used original textbooks). It worked well because the students were in 2nd grade and the books were for 1st grade. We used half of the book over a 1 year period.

I'm not sure this would work for you, but maybe it'll give you some ideas.

[crazy_arcade]

I've taught special Science classes in middle school here.

Even though it was a gifted class, I kept it relatively basic.

The first class I spent on the Scientific Method - with a lot of time devoted to vocabulary. I think it's essential that they learn the lingo first.

We did simple experiments that could be followed up with worksheets and the could involve formulas. Volcano experiment, gravity experiments etc.

[detourne_me]

Cool. Thanks for the replies!

So let me remember....
Scientific Method is the Question->Hypothesis->Experiment->Results process right?
I'll try to apply it to some different experiments:
Coke and Mentos (modern version of volcano)
Dropping fruit from 4th floor (gravity experiment)
Paper Bridge (seeing which shapes can hold strength the best)

Any other ideas?

Keep in mind I only have 2 weeks to prepare (my school is so horrible at scheduling)

[mmstyle]

Might not apply for you, and it's a really basic "experiment" good for entertainment more than anything-getting a balloon to blow up inside a bottle.

What about having your kids design an egg drop project? gets them to use critical thinking skills, can be adapted to the amount of time you need it to take, not a lot of prep on your part?

[detourne_me]

Heck yeah! Egg Drop was awesome!
The balloon in a bottle could be a good one to talk about air pressure right?
Actually that reminds me, I think someone had started a post a while ago about science experiments to be used in class.
If only the useful stuff didn't get bumped down by random threads