Science Content

Bickart
• Unifying Concepts and Processes
• Systems
• Models
• Constancy and Change
• Components of the Science Curriculum
• Life Sciences
• Earth and Space Science
• Physical Science

Kilmer
• To increase children’s knowledge of the natural world
• Basic science concepts
• Organization
• Cause and effect
• Systems
• Scale
• Models
• Change
• Structure and function
• Variations
• Diversity
• Benchmarks for science literacy

Holt
• Doesn't address directly
• Science is everywhere: home, yard, schools

Chille
• Not topic based, question-focused
• Questions to organize categories of scientific inquiry
• How can I make it move? (physics)
• Moving Objects
• Directing Movement
• Representing Motion
• How can I make it change? (chemistry)
• How does it fit or how do I fit? (biology)

Questions

1. When children are completely in control of the questions they ask and investigate, how can the teacher ensure that the questions they ask will lead to acquiring relevant and accurate scientific content?

2. There seems to be a debate about how much science content children need to learn at the elementary school level. (or younger) Any thoughts? Does the constuctivist approach, using the 3 questions, claim to cover the science content young children need to learn? Are they concerned about content?