Worms, Shadows and Whirlpools: Science in the Early Childhood Classroom
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 481 899 PS 031 648 AUTHOR Worth, Karen; Grollman, Sharon TITLE Worms, Shadows and Whirlpools: Science in theEarly Childhood Classroom. INSTITUTION Education Development Center, Inc., Newton,MA. SPONS AGENCY National Science Foundation, Washington, DC. ISBN ISBN-0-325-00573-7 PUB DATE 2003-00-00 NOTE 183p.; Foreword by Gretchen Owocki. CONTRACT ESI-9818737 AVAILABLE FROM Heinemann, Orders/Customer Service, P.O. Box6926, Portsmouth, NH 03802-6926 ($21) . Tel: 800-225-5800 (Toll Free); Fax: 603-431-2214; Web site:http://www.heinemann.com. PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Teacher (052) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC08 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Academic Standards; Biological Sciences; ChildCare; Developmentally Appropriate Practices; *EarlyChildhood Education; Earth Science; Educational Practices; Kindergarten; National Standards; Physical Sciences; *Preschool Curriculum; Preschool Education; Science Curriculum; *Science Education; ScientificAttitudes; Scientific Concepts; Teacher Role; TeacherStudent Relationship; Teaching Methods; *Young Children IDENTIFIERS Content Learning; Project Head Start ABSTRACT Young children develop science knowledgeas they observe and act on the world, asking questions, making predictions,testing those predictions, and reflecting on their experiences. Thisbook offers guidance in integrating inquiry-based science into the earlychildhood curriculum, focusing on content and providing examples ofthe work of children and teachers from a variety of early childhood settings,including Head Start, kindergarten, day care, and preschoolprograms. Part 1 of the book provides an overview of important characteristics of a high-qualityscience program for children ages 3 to 5 and some of the importanttasks teachers perform to make it a reality. Part 2 concerns the content ofscience education for young children and begins with a chapteron inquiry, describing the important skills, ways of thinking, and attitudes thatare at the heart of scientific understanding and at the core of an effective early childhoodscience program. Chapters follow on life, physical, earth, andspace sciences. Each of these four chapters begins withan overview of the science concepts and ideas that should guide the development of sciencecurriculum for young children, followed by composite stories drawn fromearly childhood classrooms that illustrate critical aspects of sciencecontent and science teaching. Each story is accompanied by a commentary highlightingparticular teaching strategies and child learning. Part 3 of the bookincludes questions that practitioners frequently ask about inquiry-based sciencein early childhood classrooms, including the relative importance ofscience content versus science inquiry skills, the role of child-initiatedactivity and children's play, and the place of science ina curriculum focused on literacy, Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best thatcan be made from the original document. mathematics, and social skills. (KB) Reproductions supplied by EDRSare the best that can be made from the original document. U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) O This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it O Minor changes have been made to Improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy 4111 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND / DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS f 0 NO e , BEEN GRANTED BY p(fAe TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 II 2 BEST COPYAVAILABLE Worms,5h,,ou,§, andWhirlpools 3 Wor and W IN THEEARLY sOttACE /t0 00 Karen W rth & Sharon Grollman OF EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT CENTER, INC. HEINEMANN AIDA naeyc Portsmouth, NH Newton, WIA ashington, DC BEST COPY AVAILABLE Heinemann National Association for the A division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Education of Young Children 361 Hanover Street 1509 16th Street, N.W. Portsmouth, NH 03801-3912 Washington, DC 20036-1426 www.heinemann.com www.naeyc.org Offices and agents throughout the world 2003 by Education Development Center, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. This book was prepared with the support of NSF Grant ESI-9818737. However, any opinions, findings, conclusions, and/or recommendations herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSE Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Worth, Karen. Worms, shadows, and whirlpools : science in the early childhood classroom / Karen Worth, Sharon Grollman. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-325-00573-7 1. ScienceStudy and teaching (Early childhood)United States.2. ScienceStudy and teaching (Early childhood)Activity programsUnited States.I. Title: Science in the early childhood classroom.II. Grollman, Sharon Hya.III. Title. LB1139.5.S35W672003 372.3'5dc21 2003005885 Editor: Robin Najar Production: Elizabeth Valway Interior and cover design: Catherine Hawkes, Cat and Mouse Composition: Publishers' Design and Production Services, Inc. Manufacturing: Steve Bernier Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 0706050403 ML 1 23 45 5 To the many skilled and dedicated early childhood teachers who have informed our work so deeply. 6 C 0 N :214-") T ;$ /// Foreword ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction xiii PART ONE Principles and Practices Essential to Quality Science Programs 3. CHAPTER 1 The Science Program in the Early Childhood Classroom 3 PART TWO The Science Content 15 CHAPTER 2 Inquiry in the Early Childhood Classroom CHAPTER3 Life Science in the Early Childhood Classroom 24 CHAPTER4 Physical Science in the Early Childhood Classroom 66 CHAPTER5 Earth and Space Science in the Early Childhood Classroom 143 PART THREE Final Words 153 CHAPTER6 Questions and Thoughts 155 Works Cited and Other Professional Publications 161 Index 163 vii BEST COPY AVAOLABLE 7 F 0 REr W R _y" Imagine a circle of preschool children, huddled near the ground, each using a Popsicle® stick to gently hold a worm. The children have found the worms in various locations of their schoolyard. Peering through hand lenses to permit close examination, the children are discussing the worms' similarities and differences. Imagine the teacher of these children, huddled with the group, tak- ing note of their observations. Every so often, she asks a simple ques- tion, one that prompts them to take their thinking a step further than it might go on its own. "Where did you find this?" she asks. "What do you see?" Weeks later, after digging for more worms, discovering patterns in their locations, and making written and drawn records of their find- ings, the teacher and children make plans to bring the worms indoors so that they can continue their investigation. The children will go on to figure out what worms need to live, build terraria for them, systemat- ically analyze their behaviors, and eventually set them free. These children and this teacher see themselves as naturaliSts, spe- cial kinds of scientists who investigate living things. To learn about the world, they engage in actual scientific processes. Rather than the teacher deciding what the children should discover and providing ex- planations for concepts, she guides them toward articulating their own questions and observing phenomena for themselves. That's the kind of learning environment this book will help you to create. In this book you will read about the work of this teacher and many others who have created science programs that are based on current knowledge about the ways in which young children think and ix learn. We know that children develop science knowledge as they ob- Worms, Shadows, serve and act on the world, asking questions, making predictions, test- and Whirlpools ing those predictions, and reflecting on their experiences. Learning happens as they construct continually more sophisticated theories of how the world works. The children in this book are doing just that through real-life science experiences. You will read stories of children observing the development of an animal through metamorphosis; documenting the seasonal changes of a tree; exploring the science of water, blocks, and shadows; and doing much, much more. All the while, they are asking questions, making predictions, and making new discoveries. You will read the stories of their teachers as they sensitively and knowledgeably support the chil- dren's development of scientific concepts and processes. Along with the stories and descriptions, you will find helpful interpretations of what is happening and ideas that will help you to expand the thinking and planning you do for your own science instruction. What I love about this book is that it shows that children need not wait until they are in kindergarten or third grade or high school to enjoy and really learn science. The children in this book are immersed in scientific activity that shows value for who they are and what they are capable of learning today. Their teachers have created intellectually responsible programs in which children smartly venture forth into the world of science with a sense of wonder and exploration. There's something powerful about that sense of wonder and ex- ploration. It is the impetus for many thrilling discoveries