Specific Curriculum Outcomes for Kindergarten Science

EXPLORING MY WORLD

Specific Curriculum Outcomes for

Kindergarten Science

Exploring My World

KINDERGARTEN SCIENCE CURRICULUM GUIDE

S1

EXPLORING MY WORLD

Unit Overview

Introduction

Focus and Context

Science Curriculum Links

Science in Kindergarten needs to build on children's natural curiosity and sense of wonder. By observing and exploring the world using all their senses and by interacting with their classmates, they begin to connect their prior knowledge and experience with their experiences in new contexts to develop an understanding of the world around them. To meet the needs of these inquisitive children, the learning environment must be active, hands-on, child-centred, and inquirybased. The teacher supports children through the problem-solving process, encouraging them to try something new, persist, and find alternative solutions. Teachers plan time for children to formally and informally share their questions and celebrate their discoveries.

Students can learn about physical properties by exploring water, soil, living things, simple machines, weather and the environment. Children need time and repeated opportunities to develop the skills required for learning in science. Children need opportunities to demonstrate their learning in many ways ? through representing (e.g., drawing or taking a photograph of a structure), recording (e.g., noting the number of blocks they used in order to rebuild it on another day), or discussing their investigations with a classmate (e.g., describing how they got a marble to go from the top of the marble run to the bottom).

It is important for all young children to see themselves as scientists as they investigate their world. Like scientists, they will be observing, recording their observations, making predictions, asking questions, making comparisons, investigating, drawing conclusions, and applying problem-solving skills. Science is a way of learning about or constructing understanding of the world in which we live. Developing this way of thinking and learning will lay the foundations for further learning as students continue to develop their understanding of science throughout their years in school.

Instructional design must reflect a balance of learning experiences focussed on specific curriculum outcomes for science and of learning experiences based on integrated explorations. Integrated learning experiences may be designed by focussing on one or more specific curriculum outcomes for science and looking for natural connections to other subject areas. Each unit includes suggestions for such connections.

The explorations of kindergarten science provide early experiences for the students which will be investigated more formally in the primary science program.

S2

KINDERGARTEN SCIENCE CURRICULUM GUIDE

EXPLORING MY WORLD

Curriculum Outcomes

The following outcomes are from Common Framework of Science Learning Outcomes K to 12. Column one outcomes in the four-column spreads for this topic have been developed from these pan-Canadian outcomes.

STSE/Knowledge

Students will be expected to

100-1 develop vocabulary and use language to bring meaning to what is seen, felt, smelled, heard, tasted, and thought

100-2 explore and select different ways to represent ideas, actions, and experiences and to communicate with others

100-3 detect consistency and pattern in objects and events and use language to describe these patterns

100-7 describe the different ways that humans and other living things move to meet their needs

101-1 explore how characteristics of materials may change as a result of manipulating them

101-2 identify and explore ways to use tools to help carry out a variety of useful tasks

102-8 describe and demonstrate ways we use our knowledge of solids and liquids to maintain a clean and healthy environment

103-1 choose materials to build a variety of real and imaginary settings, and play roles that correspond to these settings

Skills

Students will be expected to

Initiating and Planning

200-1 ask questions that lead to exploration and investigation

200-4 select and use materials to carry out their own explorations

200-5 identify materials and suggest a plan for how they will be used

Performing and Recording

201-1 follow a simple procedure where instructions are given one step at a time

201-2 manipulate materials purposefully

201-3 use appropriate tools for manipulating and observing materials and in building simple models

201-4 observe, using one or a combination of the senses

Analysing and Interpreting

202-1 use personal observations when asked to describe characteristics of materials and objects studied

202-2 place materials and objects in a sequence or in groups according to one or more attributes

202-3 identify the most useful method of sorting for a specific purpose

Communication and Teamwork

203-1 communicate questions, ideas, and intentions while conducting their explorations

203-2 identify common objects and events, using terminology and language that others understand

203-4 respond to the ideas and actions of others in constructing their own understanding

KINDERGARTEN SCIENCE CURRICULUM GUIDE

S3

EXPLORING MY WORLD

Observing Living and Nonliving Things

Outcomes

Students will be expected to ? develop vocabulary and use

language to bring meaning to what is seen and thought. Include:

(i) living (ii) nonliving (iii) dead/alive (iv) life cycle (100-1)

Cross-Curricular Links Link to Science Observing Living and Nonliving Things Outcome (100-1)

? English Language Arts Speaking and Listening Outcome 1 express feelings and give simple descriptions of past experiences

begin to ask and respond to questions, seeking information (who? what? why? where? when?)

express opinions

Elaborations--Strategies for Learning and Teaching

The world of living things will provide rich opportunities for kindergarten students to use language to describe their observations, to ask questions about the world around them and to use a variety of investigations and sources to answer their own questions. The science program should provide opportunities for focused observing. Discussing observations should be the beginning of each new experience. Students' questions about scientific phenomena will often come from their observing experiences. Careful observations will help students focus their own science work and lead them to investigate puzzles or questions that have occurred to them during observing. Teachers should take advantage of any opportunity to ask students to describe what they see. Students will be noticing the most common aspects of objects or materials that can be best perceived through sight. These include colour, shape, size and luster (shine). These observations will build the foundation for work with properties of the materials in later grades.

Play-Based Learning Children may role play the actions of scientists by allowing them time to play with props (lab coats, goggles, test tubes, microscope, magnifying glasses, etc.). Provide clipboards and collections of items for children to observe and record observations with pictures or symbols. Information texts and related children's literature should be provided to enhance children's learning.

S4

KINDERGARTEN SCIENCE CURRICULUM GUIDE

EXPLORING MY WORLD

Observing Living and Nonliving Things

Tasks for Instruction and/or Assessment

Resources/Notes

Presentation

Students could make a collage using objects or pictures to show items that can be identified as living, non-living, dead. They could also chart the pictures and display them to the entire class. (202-2, 1011)

My World: Living Things

(100-1)

TR

Lesson 1

SR

pp. 42-45 p. 2-3

Appendix B: Kindergarten Science Backpack #1

Living

Non-Living Once Living Now Dead

Interview

Teachers could ask students, "What senses would you use to describe the following: Living things: cat, grass, spider, horse? Non-living: rock, bike, whistle, snow?" (2014, 100-2) Teachers could extend this activity by asking students, "What words would you use to describe them?" Students should use more than one of their senses in their description. (201-4, 1002)

Performance

Teachers could divide students into five small groups representing; 1. space (hold arms in a circle in front of them) 2. water (making wave motion in front of them) 3. shelter (arms in triangle over head) 4. food (hands to mouth) 5. oxygen (sucking air in and out) Teachers could choose one student to be a living thing (e.g., moose) and one student to be a non-living thing (e.g, rock). The living and non-living thing have to select one person from each group that represents its need(s). For example, the living thing will need to choose a student from each group while the nonliving thing will only need to select space. (100-2)

KINDERGARTEN SCIENCE CURRICULUM GUIDE

S5

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download