Teachers -- Learn to teach our lessons yourself!

The Rock-it Science method of teaching science is easier than you may think -- and fun for the teacher, too! Luckily for us, children love secrets, they’re very curious, they enjoy humor, and they learn best when they play. And Rock-it Science lessons incorporate all of this.

Even if you don’t have much experience with science, you can easily teach these lessons, because you don’t need to know all the answers. All you have to do is facilitate. In a three-hour workshop, we’ll show you techniques to open the vast knowledge base and energy of your students so that the students will teach themselves and share what they learn with their fellow students.

This is a new way for teachers to think about teaching science.
Instead of imparting information, you let your students make their own discoveries, just like real scientists exploring the unknown. Once you begin to picture yourself as the person who opens doors to exciting new adventures, your students will relish every minute they get to spend learning about the nature of our universe. And if the principal should drop in, he or she will be amazed at your students’ enthusiasm and focus on learning science!

Here’s why our lessons are ideal for classroom use:

• They’re grade level appropriate.
  Our lessons can be adapted to suit any grade K-6.
• They’re time sensitive to fit into your schedule.
  Both the storytelling and the experiment will fit within a normal class period.
• They’re easy to set up and run, with simple procedures and materials.
  No elaborate scientific equipment, just everyday items that are easy to obtain.
• They’re inexpensive.
  We use materials like paper, balloons, marbles, tape, baking soda, vinegar, dish soap, etc.
• It’s easy to control the students.
  The students are challenged and excited by the lesson, so they stay on-task.
• We address things that could go wrong.
  We’ve been doing these lessons for over twenty years, and we’ve seen just about everything that kids could do with them. We’ll let you know what to expect and even show you how to turn “mistakes” into learning opportunities for the students.

In this workshop, teachers learn how to do simple, fun science lessons using the Rock-it Science method. Watch a 4-minute video excerpt from this workshop.

• The teacher doesn’t need to know all the answers.
  We encourage students to discuss the experiment in groups, brainstorm ideas, and come up with answers to their own questions, based on their own observations.
• Storytelling improves the students’ memory retention.
  After doing the experiment, the students get to apply what they’ve observed to create an ending for the story. This helps lock in the scientific concepts. And when they go home, they’ll want to tell their parents and friends all about the crazy story and the fun things they did, and that will help them remember, too.
• The Rock-it Science lesson can carry over into other subjects.
  In their literature lesson, many teachers will have students write their own ending to the crazy story. It’s an assignment they delight in, because they’re inspired by the Rock-it Science stories. You can also carry it over to art class, where they can illustrate their stories.