Science Experiences for the Early Childhood Years: An Integrated Affective Approach

by Jean Harlan, Mary Rivkin

Overview

A classic in the field, this text takes an integrated approach to science without watering it down, and emphasizes understanding and addressing children’s affective nature. It remains a forward-thinking, innovative resource for teaching science to young learners, and a best-selling resource for the field.

Clearly organized, the text provides a research-based rationale for early science education in Part I chapters. Emphasizing that meaningful science for young children builds on the emotional underpinnings of their curiosity and concerns about the everyday world, and their pleasure in exploring it, this resource encourages new teachers to help children live appreciatively and thoughtfully on Earth.

The topical chapters in Part II offer solid, accessible, concept-based activities and are concurrent with the vision of the new Framework for K-12 Science Education, being developed by the Board on Science Education of the National Academy of Science. For each unit presented, students are provided with all the comprehensive integrating and connecting elements to strengthen children’s learning of science. Early educators’ own content and pedagogical knowledge will be expanded as they practice using the units in class and in field placements.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780132373364
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	03/02/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

Table of Contents

Part I THE RATIONALE

Chapter 1 An Integrated Affective Approach to Science Learning

Chapter 2 Science Participants: Children, Teachers, Families, and Communities

Chapter 3 Guiding Science Learning and Assessments in the Early Years

Part II CONCEPTS, EXPERIENCES, AND INTEGRATING ACTIVITIES

Chapter 4 Plants

Chapter 5 Animals

Chapter 6 The Human Body

Chapter 7 Air

Chapter 8 Water

Chapter 9 Weather

Chapter 10 Rocks and Minerals

Chapter 11 Magnetism

Chapter 12 The Effects of Gravity

Chapter 13 Simple Machines

Chapter 14 Sound

Chapter 15 Light

Chapter 16 Our Environment

Appendix A - Resources for Music, Recordings, Poetry and Equipment Ordering

Appendix B — Exploring At-Home Activities

Introduction

We have revised this book with the goal of helping you inspire children to care about their world and how it works, to enjoy their investigations, and to proudly remember what they have figured out. It is that kind of emotional involvement which makes any significant learning possible. That crucial element, sadly, is missing from the national mandates decreeing what students will learn. We believe that the role of emotion in learning must be recognized to revitalize education in this country.

To reach our goal, we are bringing you the important work of Stanley Greenspan, M.D., defining the emotional origins of intellectual development. We have also added the broadened neuroscience understandings about the complex interactions between emotions, thought processes, and memory. We have recast the learning objectives for the science activities to reflect our convictions about the importance of connecting children's feelings with meaningful explorations for lasting learning.

Other updates in this revision include new classroom experiences with insects, things that move in the air, simple machines, and crystal formation. We continue to value taking science outdoors and, to facilitate this we suggest new ways to improve the schoolgrounds. As usual, we have sorted through the outpouring of new publications to recommend books and other resources to enrich exploration of the topics covered.

During the course of our revision process, we were privileged one afternoon to have tea with Stanley Greenspan, discussing how best to present his insights to you. We also asked his advice for teachers. His answer was clear and impressive. He said, "Engage emotionallywith kids, and have a lot of respect for their individual differences." We believe that when you do so, you will find as much satisfaction and pleasure as we found in "doing" science with the children in our classrooms.