2020 PAEMST Spotlight: Julie Fry
Julie Fry teaches 1st Grade at Roosevelt Elementary in the Yakima School District
This week we’re spotlighting Washington’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST) finalists, who will go on to be considered for the national award. Check out the rest of our PAEMST Spotlight interview series here.
As an elementary teacher, how do you integrate science into other subjects?
I integrate the NGSS in all other core subjects by making intentional connections through reading, writing, listening and speaking. I integrate math into our science learning when we need to collect or present any kind of data.
What has surprised you about teaching during a pandemic?
A surprising thing to me about teaching during this pandemic has been witnessing first-hand the amount of inequity that exists between my students’ learning pathways.
Is there a distance learning lesson that you are particularly proud of?
One of my favorite remote lesson sequences so far, that has sparked a lot of student motivation, occurred during a reading unit theme titled: Changes Over Time. I mailed two sets of lima bean seeds to my students; one to plant in a baggy and one to soak in water. My students were very excited about getting to use their magnifying lenses while dissecting seeds and watching some grow into little plants!
What will you do differently in your classroom when we return to “normal?”
I am sure a more intentional digital component will continue to be a part of my teaching practice. It was there before, but not so much as a tool for students to use to demonstrate their own learning. Most of my young students, myself included, have had to fast-track learning around the Google Classroom and all the Google tools, but it’s happening and I will just go forward and continue to build on what we have learned. They need to be prepared for the world they will live and work in!
What advice would you give to parents or caregivers who want to incorporate more science into their elementary students’ lives?
Advice I give families, to incorporate more science in their children’s lives, is usually doing anything to encourage their children to be observers of nature. So many people are no longer in touch with the natural world around them and they have lost valuable knowledge of how systems work together on our planet to sustain life.
Families can easily encourage their children to notice details about living and nonliving things and listen when they ask questions about things that make them curious. Slowing life down enough to experience the beauty and wonder of the natural world as well as the ingenuity and creativity of the man-made world will do nothing less than enrich their lives.
What experiences do you think best prepared you for the past year?
My deep understanding of how children in early childhood learn has been a source of help for me during this 2020–21 school year. Most young children at the age I teach are pretty flexible in their minds, forgiving, patient and tolerant to changes so I knew ahead of time that I had a safe audience while trying new digital teaching techniques! At this point, it seems that my students and I have a solid and happy connection not because I am such a digital whiz but more that we have discourse much as we would in the regular classroom setting.
Who have you been following or reading from a science perspective in the past year? Any other publications, blogs, etc. that you would recommend?
I read any articles about science I can find on my news feeds from National Geographic, Smithsonian, Popular Science, The Lily and Atlantic. During early lockdown, I read the book, Darwin Comes to Town, which talks about evidence scientists have gathered that show how plants and animals are adapting to our urban environments. I follow some ‘critter cams’ on Instagram of endangered animals that fascinate me as well as some feeds of ongoing conservation efforts. I indulge in documentaries now and then, narrated by Sir David Attenbourough, and was very touched by the recent Netflix documentary, My Teacher the Octopus. The message I hold onto from my readings and viewings is that there is hope for life and with it, balance between the natural and man-made worlds.
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th grade science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. Awardees will be announced this spring.
