PROMOTING CRITICAL THINKING THROUGH SCIENCE FOR YOUNG CHILDRENMacomb Association for the Education of Young Children
Jennifer GottliebScience ConsultantMacomb Intermediate School [email protected]
Welcome!What conversations might you have with a
child about these musical instruments?
What is science?
What is science?
Science Myths Science teaching is better left to the science
teacher. Science is difficult. I’m not a scientist and don’t know enough about
science to help my kids. I have to know the answers to all of my child’s
questions. Science is all about facts and not very interesting. Science requires equipment. Science skills should wait for reading skills.
What is science?
…memorizing facts.
…memorizing formulas.
…a way of understanding the world.
…a way to make intelligent decisions.
…a process.
…FUN!
Science IS….Science isn’t simply…
K-12 Next Generation Science Standards
Science is best learned the way scientists learn – in the context of classroom practices. Crosscuttin
g Concepts
Science and Engineering Practices
Disciplinary Core Ideas
K- 12 Science and Engineering Practices
Asking questions Developing and using models Planning and carrying out investigations Analyzing and interpreting data Using mathematics and computational thinking Constructing explanations Engaging in argument from evidence Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating
information
What about early childhood?
I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A
scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also a
child placed before natural phenomena which impress him
like a fairy tale.
Marie Curie (1867 – 1934)
Tony Wagner
Play
Passion
Purpose
“…they had opportunities to explore, experiment, and discover through trial and error – to take risks and fall down.”p 30
Young Children and Science Build on the “sense
of wonder” present in all children
Learn about science through play
Science processes are more important than science facts
Science is everywhere!
Science Processes for Young Children
Asking questions Developing and using
models Planning and carrying out
investigations Analyzing and interpreting
data Using mathematics and
computational thinking Constructing explanations Engaging in argument from
evidence Obtaining, evaluating, and
communicating information
1.Observing2.Communicating
3.Comparing4.Organizing or Classifying
K - 12
Incorporate these science processes into your daily routines…1.Observing: Seeing, hearing,
feeling, tasting, and smelling2.Communicating: oral, written,
and pictorial3.Comparing: Sensory
comparisons and linear, weight, capacity, and quantity comparisons
4.Organizing or Classifying: grouping, sequencing, and data gathering
Questioning in Science
Genuine Questions
Questions that Encourage
Science Process Skills
Genuine Questions Listen to children Follow children’s leads Give children time to
answer
Examples:• How does that smell to
you?• How can we find out?• I wonder what that
(critter) might like to eat?
Questions that Encourage Science Process Skills Less open-ended but still
many correct answers Encourage exploration,
experimentation, and communication – not a quiz to find out if they know the “correct answer”Examples:
• See if you can find other materials in the room that your magnets will attract?
• Are any of these rocks shinier than yours?
What will children wonder about?
Arts and Crafts
…and what genuine questions might arise from these wonderings?
During arts & crafts… I don’t know. What
can we do to find out? Organizing
Wow! Look at that! Observing
Does this remind you of something you’ve seen before? Comparing
During arts & crafts… What does this clay
look like? Feel like? Smell like? Observing
How would you describe the different types of clay? Communicating
Which one do we have more of? Comparing
During arts & crafts… How are these two beads
alike? How are they different? Comparing
What patterns can you make? Organizing
If you had to sort these materials into two categories, what might those categories be? Classifying
During arts & crafts… Can you draw/paint a
picture of this butterfly? Communicating
What happened when you painted red on top of yellow? What will happen if you add more yellow? Communicating/Organizing
Can you draw a picture that shows how the snail eats? Communicating
What will children wonder about?
Manipulatives
…and what genuine questions might arise from these wonderings?
While playing with manipulatives… Which of these things
belong together? Organizing
Let’s put all the things that go together in one group! Organizing
What can we call that group? Organizing
While playing with manipulatives… How many “blocks” high
is that teddy bear? Comparing
What would you need to do to find out how many small blocks can be balanced on this large block? Organizing
What color patterns do you notice in this tower? What color block will come next? Organizing
While playing with manipulatives… Can you use shapes to
make other shapes? Organizing
What patterns can you make with these shapes? Organizing
If you had to sort these into 2 categories, what might those categories be? Classifying
While playing with manipulatives… What could you do
to make that marble roll farther? Comparing
What would happen if…? Comparing
What will children wonder about?
Large Motor Play
…and what genuine questions might arise from these wonderings?
During large motor play… Does that (odor/sound
/texture) remind you of anything else? Comparing
What do you think those (things) might be? Organizing
What can you find out with the hand lens? Observing
What makes you think so? Organizing
During large motor play… How many different
sounds can you hear while we are on the playground? Observing
How is running on the grass the same as running on the pavement? How is it different? Comparing
During large motor play… Which one of these
objects do you think will fall faster? How could we find out? Comparing
What kind of chart might we use to keep track of the way things fall? Communicating
During large motor play… Listen carefully to
the music. How might you clap your hands to match the rhythm? Organizing
How might you use your body to match the rhythm? Organizing
During large motor play… What would we
need to do to find out if running faster makes your pulse rate faster? Organizing
What will children wonder about?
Sensory Table
…and what genuine questions might arise from these wonderings?
At the sensory table… Does this remind you
of something you’ve seen before? Comparing
Tell me more… Communicating
Well, what do you think it is? Organizing
At the sensory table… Can you build a house?
A river? Communicating
Do you need dry sand or wet sand to make a pie? Comparing
What is the same about water and sand? What is different? Comparing
At the sensory table… What do we need
to do to find out what things float and what things sink? Organizing
See if you can find other things in the room that float or sink. Organizing
At the sensory table… How many scoops of
water/sand does it take to fill this container? Observing
Will this container take more scoops or fewer scoops? Comparing
What kind of picture could we make to show how many scoops of water it takes to fill this container? Communicating
Let’s do some science!
As you consider the rocks on your table….
What will children wonder about?
What are some genuine questions you might ask a child that will lead to a conversation?
What are some questions that will encourage a child to engage in science processes?
Make a ramp from a cardboard tube…
What will children wonder about?
What are some genuine questions you might ask a child that will lead to a conversation?
What are some questions that will encourage a child to engage in science processes?
What might you do?
At your tables… Choose an activity that
children do in your classroom. What will children wonder
about? What are some genuine
questions you might ask a child that will lead to a conversation?
What are some questions that will encourage a child to engage in science processes?
Share with your group.
Remember…..
…memorizing facts. …memorizing
formulas. …performing intense
science experiments and preparing science fair displays.
…having the “right” answers.
…asking the right questions to encourage genuine conversations and science processes.
…engaging in daily play to find out about the world.
…demonstrating that SCIENCE is connected to everything!
It’s NOT simply… It IS about…
Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of
knowledge.
Carl Sagan
ObservingWhat do you hear? See?
CommunicatingHow might you write out a song that you like so that a friend could play it?
Observing/ComparingHow would you describe the different sounds?
CommunicatingHow might you keep track of what happens?
ComparingWhich key is the longest? The shortest?
OrganizingWhich sounds are higher? Which sounds are lower?
What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking
through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know
what’s going on.
Jacques Yves Cousteau
If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder…he needs the companionship of at least one
adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the
world we live in.
Rachel Carson
Resources: NSTA Press
References
Ritz, William. A Head Start on Science: Encouraging a Sense of Wonder. NSTA Press. 2007.
Wagner, Tony. Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. Scribner. 2012.
Next Generation Science Standards http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards
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