Primary Science: Promoting positive attitudes to conceptual learningis a full colour, core textbook to support, inform and inspire anyone training to teach Science at primary level.
This book is a new kind of text linking subject knowledge and pedagogy in one package, rather than treating them as separate entities. The text aims to encourage trainee teachers to teach scientific concepts in contexts which will inspire the children to look at the world in new and intriguing ways, rather than presenting it as a list of facts and definitions. Encouraging critical reflection and offering practical support, this book will help trainee teachers to overcome negative attitudes to Science.
The two part structure of the book first presents insights into the nature of science and science education, exploring issues such as the value and purpose of teaching Science in the primary school and the value of scientific enquiry. It then moves on to cover subject knowledge, relating it to pedagogy.
Key features of the text:
Reflective questions prior at the start of each chapter
Boxes including case studies, short biographies, models of good practice, anecdotes and short reviews of research literature
Stop and think feature
Discussion points
Glossary of key terms
Going further...
Table of Contents
Contents
List of photos, illustrations and tables
Guided tour
Preface
Acknowledgements
Publisher's acknowledgements
Part 1 Theory and practice
Chapter 1 The pleasure of finding things out The pleasure of finding things out
Children's attitudes to science
Insights into effective science teaching
The pleasure of finding things out
Storytelling and teaching
Summary
Further reading
Chapter 2 Organising how children learn science
A three-stage framework for learning science
Outline of the three-stage framework
An example of the three-stage framework
How the framework supports a storytelling approach
Summary
Chapter 3 Scientific understanding and mental models
Mental models and understanding
Talk underpins mental modelling
Learning to talk about the world in new ways
Behind every concept is a fascinating story
Summary
Further reading
Chapter 4 Talk for learning in science
The importance of talk for learning of science
Exploratory talk and its ground rules
Dialogic teaching and children's ideas
Talking points: a strategy to promote effective talk
Summary
Further reading
Chapter 5 Scientific enquiry and the passionately curious
Science and discovery: what can we expect of children?
The outcomes of scientific enquiry
Scientific enquiry and its link to narrative
Scientific skills and attitudes
Types of scientific enquiry
Choosing contexts for scientific enquiry
Summary
Further reading
Chapter 6 Planning and assessing children's science learning
The nature of formative assessment
The nature of summative assessment
Planning children's science learning
Planning the exploratory stage: choosing strategies to elicit children's ideas
Planning the re-describing stage: choosing strategies to help children make sense of the scientific view
Planning the application stage: choosing strategies to promote the usefulness of the scientific view
Some class management issues
Summary
Further reading and useful resources
Websites
Chapter 7 The origins of scientific knowledge
The nature of scientific knowledge
Early scientific theories
Christianity's influence on the development of science
Galileo's influence on the development of science
The new age of science
Summary
Further reading
Part 2 Subject knowledge and ideas for practice
Overview
Chapter 8 The Earth and beyond
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Historical context
A close-up view of the stars
How the universe was created
The structure of the solar system
Experiences related to the Earth, Moon and Sun
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Moon craters – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: Phases of the Moon – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Websites
Chapter 9 Energy and the well-being of the planet
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Historical context
Understanding energy
Types of energy
Energy sources
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Wind energy – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: Global warming – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Websites
Chapter 10 Interdependence
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Historical context
Growth in green plants
Feeding relationships
Decomposers – nature's recyclers
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Food chains – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: Decomposers – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Websites
Chapter 11 Diversity
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Historical context
The characteristics shared by all living things
Life cycles
Why there is variation in the same species
Classification helps make sense of a complex world
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Living and non-living – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: Diversity amongst vertebrates – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Websites
Chapter 12 Adaptation and evolution
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Darwin's theory of natural selection
Survival of the fittest and adaptation
Adaptation in flowering plants
Adaptation in animals
Effects of changing habitats
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Teeth and beaks – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: Body colours and patterns – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Websites
Chapter 13 Health and well-being
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Historical context
Animal growth
Animal nutrition – the digestive system
The cardiovascular system
Keeping healthy
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Healthy eating – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: Benefits of exercise – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Websites
Chapter 14 The particle nature of materials
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Historical context
Properties of materials
The particle model of matter
Reversible and physical changes
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Ice and water – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: Melting icebergs – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Websites
Chapter 15 Changing materials
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Historical context
Elements, compounds and mixtures
The periodic table
The formation of materials
Spectacular chemical reactions
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Making new materials – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: Burning and pollution – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Chapter 16 Electricity and magnetism
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Historical context
Static electricity
Electrical circuits
The mysteries of voltage explained
Electrical resistance
Links between magnetism and electricity
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Electric circuits – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: Series and parallel circuits – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Websites
Chapter 17 Forces and motion
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Historical context
Relationship between force and motion
Gravity and weight
Air resistance
Floating and sinking
Friction
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Friction – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: Air resistance – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Chapter 18 Light
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Historical context
The nature of light
How living things sense light
The language of light
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Shadows – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: How bees see the world – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Websites
Chapter 19 Sound
Part 1: Subject knowledge
Historical context
The nature of sound
Acoustics
Hearing sounds
Summary
Part 2: Ideas for practice
Topic: Detecting sound – Age group: Lower primary
Topic: How vibrations create sound – Age group: Upper primary
Information and teaching resources
Websites
References
Glossary
Index