The Basics of Science

Amna Darwish
H00354105
- Science is often viewed as an encyclopedia of discoveries and
technological achievements. Science has been compiling literally
millions of discoveries, Facts, and data over thousands of years.
Science in pre school through college should be viewed more as verb
than noun. It is not so much a body of knowledge as it is a way of
thinking and action. Science is a way of trying to discover the nature
of things. Science important for exploration of science topics to be
enjoyable.

- An approach of science teaching that emphasize the development of

thinking and the open-minded attitudes of science would seem to be
most appropriate for instruction of young children.

- In 1996 , The national science education standards has been

established. The standards describe appropriate content for children
in KG through the fourth grade. They identify the processes, skills and
attitudes needed to successfully understand science.
 The content standards, Grades K-5.
- Unifying concepts and processes : Systems ,order ,and organization.
- Science as inquiry : Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry.
- Physical science : Properties of objects and materials.
- Life science : Characteristics of organisms.
- Earth and space Science : Objects in the sky.
- Science and technology : Abilities of technological design.
- Science in personal and social perspectives : Changes in environments.
- History and nature of science : Science as a human endeavor.
- The national science education standards emphasize science as inquiry.
- Inquiry is presented as a step beyond such process learning skills as
observing, inferring, and predicting.
- Engaging students in inquiry serve five essential functions:
- 1. Assists in the development of understanding of scientific concepts.
- 2. Helps students. 3. Develops an understanding of the nature of science.
- 4. Develops the skills necessary to become independent inquirers about
the natural world. 5. Develops the dispositions to use the skills .
- In order to develop scientific Inquiry skills, kindergarten and primary
grade children need the following skills : 1- Plan and conduct a simple
investigation. 2- Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data. 3-
Use data to construct reasonable explanations.

- The skills most appropriate for pre school and primary students are the
basic skills of observing, comparing, classifying, measuring, and
communicating.

- Intermediate process skills : Inferring (based on observation),

predicting (Guesses based on observations) .

- Advanced process skills : Hypothesizing, Defining and controlling

variables.
- Observing: The most fundamental of scientific thinking process skills.
- Comparing: Compare and contrast and identify similarities and
differences.
- Classifying: Begins when children group and sort real objects.
- Measuring: Is skills of quantifying observations. It involves numbers,
distances, time and volumes.
- Communicating: All humans communicate in some way. Gestures, body,
postures and positions.
- Inferring: When children infer, they make a series of observations,
categorize them, and then try to give them some meaning.
- Predicting: When you predict, you are making a statement about when
you expect to happen in the future.
- Hypothesizing, Defining and controlling variables: Is a more formal
operation than the investigative questions.