LOCK HAVEN UNIVERSITY



LOCK HAVEN UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

PreK-4/Early Childhood Education

Science for Early Childhood

I. Introductory Information

A. Department Name: PreK-4/ Early Childhood Education

B. Department Catalogue Number: ECED 431

C. Course Title: Science for Early Childhood

D. Semester Hours of Credit: 3

E. Clock Hours Per Week: 3

F. Overlays None

G. Restrictions Upon Student Registration: Successful completion of all

Teacher Education requirements for entrance into the Professional Semester.

II. Description of the Course

A. Catalog Description

Designed to examine the content and methods of science education for young children in caregiving, educational, and academic settings as a part of the PreK-4/Early Childhood Education Professional Semester.

B. Comprehensive Description

This course is designed to meet standards for the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and

Support Consortium (INTASC), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

III. Exposition

A. Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to do the following:

1. Develop, implement, assess and modify lessons to show how to use the skills and processes of scientific inquiry (PDE I.D.1.a, NAEYC IV)

2. Articulate the fundamental facts and concepts in major science disciplines (PDE I.D.1.b, NAEYC IV).

3. Make conceptual connections within and across science disciplines, as well as to mathematics, technology, and other school subjects (PDE I.D.1.c, NAEYC IV).

4. Create learning enviroments that offer opportunities for young children to explore phenomena using skills of scientific inquiry, cultivate scientific dispositions, and build a foundation for understanding core scientific concepts (PDE I.D.1.e, NAEYC IV).

5. Articulate ways that inquiry science must be a basic component in the daily curriculum of every PreK-4 school student (PDE I.D.1.g, NAEYC IV).

6. Describe how science helps young children to be effective problem-solvers in a scientific and technological world (PDE I.D.1.i, NAEYC IV).

7. Demonstrate mastery of science learning that requires curricula based on factual knowledge and conceptual development (PDE I.D.1.j, NAEYC IV).

8. Participates productively in scientific practices and discourse (PDE I.D.1.p, NAEYC IV).

9. Demostrate how to use curricular materials that are effective for teaching specific topics (PDE I.D.1.r, NAEYC IV).

10. Develop activities, lessons, or experiences to include concepts such as systems, models, patterns, scale, change, and the importance of evidence and measurement (PDE I.D.1.t, NAEYC IV).

11. Use prior knowledge to pose problems and generate data rather than thinking about science as truths to be memorized (PDE I.D.1.w, NAEYC IV).

12. Categorize conceptions and preconceptions of science and scientific knowledge (PDE I.D.1.aa, NAEYC IV).

13. Clarify misunderstandings of science and scientific inquiry processes (PDE I.D.1.bb, NAEYC IV).

14. Incorporate academic standards published by Pennsylvania and National Science Education Teachers Association (NSETA) into teaching (PDE I.D.2, NAEYC IV).

B. Activities and Requirements:

1. Attend class, complete all assigned readings, and participate in class discussions and activities.

2. Participate in field trips when offered.

3. Write lesson plans using PA Early Learning Standards and/or NSETA standards and Live Text format for primary and preprimary students.

4. Take written and oral tests.

5. Present individual or peer teaching activities in class.

C. Major Units and Time Allotted: (45 hours)

1. Overview of primary and preprimary science. (3 hours)

2. Early childhood science standards and interdisciplinary (6 hours)

curriculum through play, inquiry, problem solving, and discovery.

3. Creating science learning environments (3 hours)

4. Planning Inquiry based early childhood education science (6 hours)

experiences for daily classroom use. Including curricula

based on factual knowledge, PA Academic and NSETA

Standards and concept development.

5. Scientific practices, discourse, misconceptions, and (3 hours)

preconceptions in the classrom.

6. Conducting early childhood education science experiences using (9 hours)

developmentally appropriate concepts, skills, problem solving,

and activities.

- Scientific reasoning

- Data analysis

7. Selecting appropriate curriculum materials that are effective for (3 hours)

teaching specific topics in a PreK -4 learning environment.

8. Systems, models, patterns, scale, change, and the importance (3 hours)

of evidence and measurement.

9. An overview of skills and concepts in major science disciplines (9 hours)

life science, physical science, earth & space science, environmental

awareness, and health & nutrition.

D. Materials and Bibliography:

1. Suggested textbooks:

Ward, H., Roden, J., Hewlett, C., & Foreman, J. (2008). Teaching science in the primary classroom: A practical guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Paul Chapman Publishing/Sage Publications

O’Brien, C. M., Humphey, G. E., & Reinhardt, K. S. (2003). Weaving science inquiry and continuous assessment. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

2. Other materials:

LiveText

3. Bibliographic support:

Ashbrook, P. (2005). Science is simple: Over 250 activities for preschoolers. Beltsville,

MD: Gryphon House.

Bittner, G. (2007). Using technology in the classroom (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Brown, S.E. (2004). Bubbles, rainbows and worms: Science experiments for pre-school children. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House.

Chaille, C., & Britain, L. (2008). The young child as scientist (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Charlesworth, R., & Lind, K. K. (2010). Math & science for young children (6th ed.). Stamford, CT: Delmar Cengage Learning.

Esler, W., & Esler, M. K. (2000). Teaching elementary science: A full spectrum science instruction approach (8th ed.). Stamford, CT: Delmar Cengage Learning.

Dawson V., & Venville G. (2008). The art of teaching primary science. Australia: Allen & Unwin Academic.

Eshach, H. (2006). Science literacy in primary schools and preschools (Classics in science education). New York: Springer.

Fredericks, A.D. (2008). MORE Science adventures with children’s literature: Reading comprehension and inquiry-based science (Through children’s literature). Portsmouth, NH: Teacher Ideas Press.

Gertz, S., Portman, D., & Sarquis, M. (2006). Teaching physical science through children’s literature. Middletown, OH: Terrific Science Press.

Lind, K. K. (2010). Exploring science in early childhood education (5th ed.). Stamford, CT: Delmar Cengage Learning.

New Book of Popular Science (corporate author) (2007). Just add water: Science projects you can sink, splash, sail (experiment with science). New York: Scholastic/Children’s Press.

Prairie, A.P. (2004). Inquiry into math, science, and technology for teaching young children. Stamford, CT: Delmar Cengage Learning.

Robinson, T. (2010). The everything kids’ science experiments book: Boil ice, float water, measure gravity – Challenge the world around you! (Everything kids series). Cincinatti, OH: Adams Media.

Williams, K.C., & Veomett, G.E. (2006). Lauching learners in science, Prek-5: How to design standards-based experiences and engage students in classroom conversations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

IV. Standards:

Grades will be awarded in a manner consistent with University policy, and will be based upon student demonstration of a mastery of the course material through such means as exams, weekly assignments, major projects, and field placements.

V. Rationale and Impact:

A. The content of this course is requisite to meet accreditation guidelines for PDE (Pennsylvania Department of Education) and NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education).

B. This course is required of PreK-4 majors.

C. This course will have no effect on other academic programs or departments.

VI. Cost and Staff Analysis:

A. There will be no additional cost or staff required. This is not a new course.

B. This course will be offered every semester or as needed.

VII. Relationship among Course, Program, and University Student Learning Outcomes

|Course Learning Outcomes |Program |University |

|(Objectives) |Student Learning Outcomes |Student Learning Outcomes |

| | | |

|Upon successful completion of this course, | | |

|students will be able to do the following: | | |

|Develop, implement, assess and modify lessons to |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning |Communication |

|show how to use the skills and processes of |PDE I.D.1.a |Critical Thinking |

|scientific inquiry | |Information Literacy |

| | |Knowledge- Natural Sciences |

|Articulate the fundamental facts and concepts in |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.b |Information Literacy |

|major science disciplines | |Knowledge- Natural Sciences |

|Make conceptual connections within and across |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.c |Critical Thinking |

|science disciplines, as well as to mathematics, | |Information Literacy |

|technology, and other school subjects | |Knowledge- Natural Sciences |

|Create learning enviroments that offer |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.e |Critical Thinking |

|opportunities for young children to explore | |Information Literacy |

|phenomena using skills of scientific inquiry, | |Knowledge- Natural Sciences |

|cultivate scientific dispositions, and build a | | |

|foundation for understanding core scientific | | |

|concepts | | |

|Articulate ways that inquiry science must be a |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.g |Knowledge – Natural Sciences |

|basic component in the daily curriculum of every | | |

|PreK-4 school student | | |

|Describe how science helps young children to be |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.i |Critical Thinking |

|effective problem-solvers in a scientific and | | |

|technological world | | |

|Demonstrate mastery of science learning that |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.j |Knowledge – Natural Sciences |

|requires curricula based on factual knowledge and | | |

|conceptual development | | |

|Participates productively in scientific practices |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.p |Knowledge – Natural Sciences |

|and discourse | | |

|Demonstrate how to use curricular materials that |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.r |N/A |

|are effective for teaching specific topics | | |

|Develop activities, lessons, or experiences to |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.t |Knowledge – Natural Sciences |

|include concepts such as systems, models, | | |

|patterns, scale, change, and the importance of | | |

|evidence and measurement | | |

|Use prior knowledge to pose problems and generate |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.w |Critical Thinking |

|data rather than thinking about science as truths | | |

|to be memorized | | |

|Categorize conceptions and preconceptions of |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.aa |Knowledge – Natural Sciences |

|science and scientific knowledge | | |

|Clarify misunderstandings of science and |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.1.bb |Knowledge – Natural Sciences |

|scientific inquiry processes | | |

|Incorporate academic standards published by |NAEYC 4 – Teaching & Learning PDE I.D.2 | N/A |

|Pennsylvania and National Science Education | | |

|Teachers Association (NSETA) into teaching | | |

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