Kayla Wagner's ID Portfolio

Navigation links: ETAP 623 Fall 2026 | Making Time for Science in the Elementary Classroom

About Me

My name is Kayla Wagner, and I am from Cortland, NY. In May 2026, I received my bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education (Birth-Grade 6) from SUNY Cortland. I am currently enrolled in the Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology master's program at UAlbany.

I am focusing on completing this master's degree while substitute teaching at my local school district, however, my goal is to work with students in upper-elementary level grades (Grades 3-5). I am also open to working as a curriculum developer in the future or helping schools and educators learn how to appropriately implement meaningful technology into their classrooms.

My Topic and Purpose

My mini-course, Making Time for Science in the Elementary Classroom: How to Integrate Meaningful Science in a Classroom Focused on Literacy and Mathematics, is designed to help elementary teachers find realistic ways to incorporate science into an already busy school day.

This topic is meaningful to me because, first, I personally enjoy learning about and teaching science. Secondly, throughout my experiences in elementary classrooms, I have noticed that literacy and mathematics often receive the majority of instructional time, leaving limited time for science. However, I have also seen how science can naturally connect with skills students are already developing in reading, writing, and mathematics. Instead of viewing science as another subject that teachers need to find time for, this mini-course will focus on how science can become a meaningful part of instruction that is already taking place.

Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content

For elementary teachers who struggle to find time for science in a school day largely focused on literacy and mathematics, this course will provide practical strategies for integrating science learning into existing instruction. Specifically, this course is designed to help teachers recognize natural connections between science, literacy, and mathematics and use these connections to create meaningful science experiences without requiring additional instructional time.

In this course, learners will explore the following questions:

Why is it difficult to make time for science in the elementary classroom?
What does meaningful science integration look like?
How can literacy instruction support science learning?
Where does mathematical thinking naturally occur in science?
How can teachers find opportunities for science within their existing classroom schedules and instruction?
How can teachers redesign lessons they already teach to meaningfully incorporate science?

Needs Assessment

Educational Problem:

Finding time for meaningful science instruction can be difficult within an elementary school day that places a large emphasis on literacy and mathematics. A 2018 national survey found that K-3 teachers spent an average of 89 minutes per day teaching English Language Arts (ELA) and 57 minutes teaching mathematics, compared with only 18 minutes teaching science (Schwartz, 2024). Similarly, a 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) fourth-grade students across participating countries received an average of 154 hours of mathematics instruction per year compared with only 73 hours of science instruction (Mullis et al., 2020).

More recent educational priorities have placed additional pressure on the time available for science. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, schools focused heavily on addressing learning loss in reading and mathematics. Additionally, the growing Science of Reading movement has increased attention on evidence-based literacy instruction and interventions (Schwartz, 2024). However, science can contribute to these literacy goals by helping students develop the background knowledge and vocabulary needed for reading comprehension. This creates an opportunity to view science and literacy as subjects that can support one another.

Meaningful integration can help teachers make better use of the instructional time already available. The effects of instructional time depend partly on how that time is used and the quality of instruction (Kraft and Novicoff, 2024). However, simply reading a science-related text or adding a science context to a mathematics problem does not necessarily provide meaningful science instruction. Teachers need strategies for identifying natural connections among science, literacy, and mathematics while ensuring that students still have opportunities to engage in scientific thinking and practices.

Learners & Participants:

The intended learners for this mini-course are elementary teachers who teach multiple subjects throughout the school day. Participants may include both pre-serve and full-time teachers who have different levels of confidence and experience with science instruction. They may also work with different grade levels, curricula, schedules, and available resources. Because of these differences, the mini-course will focus on flexible strategies that teachers can adapt to their own classrooms instead of requiring a particular curriculum or schedule.

Analysis of Gaps:

Although teachers may already make connections between science, literacy, and mathematics, they may need additional support in determining whether those connections provide meaningful science learning. For example, reading a book about ecosystems can build students' science knowledge, but it does not provide the same opportunities to investigate questions, collect and analyze evidence, or develop scientific explanations.

The gap, therefore, is not simply teachers' awareness of interdisciplinary instruction. Instead, teachers need practical strategies for identifying natural connections among subjects while maintaining the purpose and practices of science. They also need to recognize opportunities within their existing instruction where science can be incorporated without simply becoming a topic used to practice literacy or mathematics skills.

Existing Efforts to Address the Gap:

Current efforts to address limited science instructional time include interdisciplinary instruction, knowledge-building literacy curricula, STEM activities, science notebooks, informational texts, and the integration of mathematics skills such as measurement and data analysis into science investigations. Some districts have also adopted ELA curricula that intentionally incorporate science and social studies topics to develop students' knowledge alongside their literacy skills (Schwartz, 2024).

However, these approaches do not eliminate the need for meaningful science instruction. Effective science and literacy integration should be synergistic instead of simply additive, meaning that the disciplines should work together to strengthen learning (Bang-Jensen and Lubkowitz, 2017). Students also need opportunities to engage in discipline-specific practices because they cannot learn how to investigate, hypothesize, and design experiments solely by reading about these practices (Schwartz, 2024). Therefore, teachers need support in building on existing interdisciplinary approaches while preserving authentic opportunities for students to engage in science.

Intent Statement:

The goal of this mini-course is to help elementary teachers make science a more consistent and meaningful part of an instructional day that is already heavily focused on literacy and mathematics. Participants will become more familiar with what meaningful science integration looks like and learn to identify natural connections among science, literacy, and mathematics. Throughout the mini-course, participants will analyze examples of integrated instruction, identify opportunities for science within their existing classroom schedules, and consider how literacy and mathematics skills can support authentic science learning.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

The Learner:

The learners for this mini-course are pre-service and full-time elementary teachers who want to find practical ways to include more meaningful science learning within a school day focused heavily on literacy and mathematics. Participants may work with different elementary grade levels and have varying levels of experience and confidence with science instruction. They will likely have some background in teaching or planning instruction in science, literacy, and mathematics, but may have limited experience integrating these subjects in meaningful ways. Participants will bring their own experiences with different curricula, classroom schedules, resources, and student needs. These experiences will help them consider how the strategies presented in the course could be adapted to their own current or future classrooms.

Instructional Context:

Participants will complete the mini-course independently through the KNILT platform and will be able to work through the units at their own pace. The course will include readings, visuals, examples of integrated lessons, and opportunities for reflection and application. Participants will connect what they learn to their own teaching context by examining existing lessons and identifying opportunities to integrate science with literacy and mathematics. Practicing teachers can apply these strategies directly to their classrooms, while pre-service teachers can use them when planning future instruction. Participants will also be able to return to the course materials as a resource after completing the mini-course.

Time & Resources:

The mini-course will be self-paced so that participants can complete each unit based on their own schedules. Each unit will be designed to be completed in a manageable amount of time rather than requiring participants to complete the entire course at once. Participants will need an internet-connected device to access the KNILT platform and course materials. They will also need access to an existing or sample elementary lesson and classroom schedule that they can use throughout the course. By using materials they already have, participants can directly apply the course strategies to their own teaching context.

Performance-Based Objectives

After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:

Explain what meaningful science integration looks like and distinguish it from simply including science content within literacy or mathematics instruction.
Analyze examples of integrated lessons and evaluate whether they provide meaningful opportunities for students to engage in science learning and practices.
Identify natural connections among science, literacy, and mathematics and determine when integration or dedicated science instruction is most appropriate.
Apply strategies for incorporating meaningful science learning into existing elementary classroom schedules and instruction.
Redesign an existing literacy or mathematics lesson to meaningfully integrate science while maintaining the learning goals of both subjects.

Task and Content Analysis

Prerequisite Knowledge & Skills:

Before taking this mini-course, learners should:

Have basic computer skills needed to navigate an online course and access digital resources.
Have a basic understanding of elementary science, literacy, and mathematics instruction and learning standards.
Be familiar with developing or analyzing lesson plans for elementary students.
Have some experience teaching or planning instruction for elementary students.
Be interested in finding practical ways to incorporate meaningful science learning into existing classroom instruction.

Unit 1: Where Did Science Go?