New Principal Impressed
When Principal Curtis Wudtke joined St. John’s Lutheran School in Mattoon, Illinois, he was pleased to see that they had been using Nancy Larson Science for over nine years. He was familiar with it and knew it was a solid science curriculum.
Hands-on, active and engaged
Principal Wudtke explained, “I believe in the hands-on approach and it does that tremendously well. I love the way that Nancy Larson Science gets kids active in science. It is a subject where you can’t just sit back and watch a video or listen to a presentation or read a passage. You must get active with science, and that is one of the reasons I’ve always been drawn to Larson’s approach. It gets kids excited about it and gets them engaged. It is easy for my teachers to teach in the classroom. We also see that it is very effective. The kids learn science so well this way. It absolutely prepares students for higher levels of learning.”
Students love sharing science knowledge
Principal Wudtke said, “We know our students are learning and enjoying science. For instance, our teachers took the students on a field trip to the planetarium and the director was impressed with our students’ level of knowledge and their insightful questions. The teacher attributed that to the information they had been learning in Nancy Larson Science.”
Teachers love to teach it
Principal Wudtke went on to say, “This is a hands-on, engaging program that really advances student learning and does so in a way that is easy to implement. It makes life easy for teachers because everything is organized in one spot. The teachers really like teaching it and I like it when my teachers love a program.”
Very effective
“I like that Nancy Larson Science addresses a variety of learning styles and is the most effective way to teach science. It does that masterfully. I have amazing teachers and we are doing good things here, but Nancy Larson Science really elevates science for our students,” said Principal Wudtke.
Using vocabulary correctly
Principal Wudtke noted that the students are using the proper scientific language. “They say things like ‘transfer of electrons,’ which is impressive to hear. I like that the students use the scientific language and learn the correct vocabulary. These are powerful tools when learning and understanding science.”
Teaching to all learning modalities
Fourth grade teacher Kallie Harris was the first to get her hands on Nancy Larson Science and has been teaching it the longest. She is most impressed with how the program is designed, teaching with all learning modalities in mind. “I love that it is so hands-on,” Harris said. “We are reading, writing, highlighting, and drawing. All learning styles are being touched on in every single lesson. Kinesthetic learners benefit from the hands-on projects, visual learners enjoy the great pictures and slideshows, and the teacher script provides a science conversation for the auditory learners. I also love the student booklets that they write in.”
Girls excited about science
Mrs. Harris explained that this program is changing the perception of science in her classroom. “You’ve always heard that math and science are for boys and this definitely takes that idea and changes it. The girls are asking amazing questions about science when we are not even in class. They think about it throughout the day and are applying it. This is wonderful to see.”