Warm Up to Science offers student-centered engagement activities for immediate
student involvement. Scientifically based research supports the use of this form of
frequent conceptual exposure to enhance student understanding.

Activities are designed to require 5 to 10 minutes of class time and are written with the
cognitive rigor demanded by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Students must use critical thinking skills as they are presented with content-specific
activities or with visual stimuli, including charts, graphs, and tables. Each activity may
be used as an engagement for a new lesson, as a method to enhance retention, and as
a means to support State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR
®
)
preparation. Activities are grouped by STAAR strands and sequenced by specific TEKS
and student expectations.

The print version of Warm Up to Science is presented in an even-odd page format. The
odd-numbered pages include activity answer keys and supportive teacher notes. The
even-numbered pages present specific student activities that are easily photocopied.
Use a photocopy setting to reproduce activities with graphics or photographs.

Most items are designed to be projected on a screen and for students to use their
notebooks to record answers. However, certain items with more text would be best
printed for students to mark up and for ease of reading.

The digital version of Warm Up to Science is presented in the opposite order of the print
version. The student page comes before the teacher page. This design lessens the
chances of students seeing answers first. After students work through the activity, the
teacher can easily advance to the next screen for students to self-check their work if
desired.


Warm Up to Science incorporates instructional strategies that have been scientifically
proven to enhance student achievement. Some examples of these effective instructional
strategies identified in research focus on the teacher’s ability to set high expectations for
students, activate prior knowledge, provide feedback that reinforces learning, and allow
for recognition of effort.

In this type of learning environment, students will have the opportunity to
identify similarities and differences,
summarize information,
practice process and critical thinking skills, and
interpret nonlinguistic stimuli.

Warm Up to Science activities are designed to involve students in critical thinking
processes. The activities focus on items that are content specific or items with visual