Building Young Scientists

Objectives: 1. Define scientific thinking and list 3 examples of how to foster it in the classroom. 2. Define construction science and list 3 ways to establish a construction zone. 3. Explain the teacher’s role in building young scientists

Definitions

Scientific thinking, unlike the learning of scientific facts, involves children in the process of finding out.

The ability for one to find answers to questions that are generated from their own interest is known as scientific literacy.

Construction science is the overall planning, control, and implementing of a project from start to finish.

Investigative construction play is initiated with a question and entails children’s attempts to answer it as they form ideas, consider alternatives and work through numerous possibilities as they engage in learning through discovery.

Child’s attitudes

Specific attitudes or dispositions are central to scientific inquiry: 1. Curiosity 2. Drive to experiment 3. Desire to challenge theories 4. Interest in sharing ideas

Process Skills and Related Concepts

Process skill: Observing Related Concept: senses size shape, color, material, texture, symmetry

Process skill: Communicating Related Concept: message, fact, opinion, compromise, negotiation

Process skill: Classifying Related Concept: attribute, sorting, serration, order, comparison

Process skill: Measuring Related Concept: length, width, size, volume, weight, perimeter, area, mass

Process skill: Predicting Related Concept: estimation, forecasting, data, cause/effect, action/reaction Teacher’s role

Set up simple investigation areas for children to observe, make predictions, gather and interpret data, recognize simple patters and draw their own conclusions.

Provide the materials: Hand lenses Balance scale, Ruler Tape measure Blocks – variety Clip boards Graph paper Blank journals Sketch books

Scaffold children’s learning. Let the children do the work but be there to help when needed and only enough help to get them to the next point.

Open ended questions

Encourage and model the scientific literacy Test

Please complete the following 8 question test and email it to [email protected]. You can bold the correct answer or you can just put the answers in the body of an email, whichever is easiest for you. Once your test is received, your certificate will be emailed to you within 24 hours. If you do not receive your certificate within 24 hours, please give us a call at 682-478-7417.

1. The phrase ‘scientific method’ is often, and appropriately, used in a very general way to reference a powerful scientific process for improving understanding. True False

2. There is only one correct way to outline the basic method used for scientific inquire. True False

3. What was today’s color? Red Blue Green

4. Block play provides an extraordinary avenue for young children to explore their physical world, much like scientist do. True False

5. The related concepts for classifying included message face, shape and color True False

6. Advance planning of a construction zone space is very important and include setting up simple rules that will enhance the children’s exploration but also keep them safe. True False

7. What was today’s number? Three Seven Nine

8. Blocks are not a good example of material that should be available for construction and experimentations. True False